When we first cruised to Alaska this was a question we asked as we wanted to know if we would be near to town or if there was a walk involved.  Have no fear, as most Alaskan ports of call are relatively compact, you are likely to be docked close to the action. 

If you are off on a shore excursion, the buses will be right at the pier regardless of where your ship ties up.  If you want to explore on your own, you likely will not find the walk from the pier to the sights to be long. 

Be aware though, on busy days when there are many ships in port, someone will wind up with the short straw and your ship may not have a berth to tie up at.  In this case, you will be shuttled to shore on one of the ship's tender boats.  Usually your cruise itinerary will tell you if you will be tendered. Regardless, this is a rare occurrence.

For the major ports of call, this is most likely where you will dock if you are on a ship of one of the major cruise lines:

1. Icy Strait Point: you will always be tendered to shore as the cruise ship dock has not been put in yet.  The tender ride is 10 - 15 minutes in length.

2. Juneau: has a downtown dock for most cruise lines - while this is at the south end of town, it is also where most of the shopping is.  Princess ships tie up five to ten minutes further south at their own dock.  There are a couple of shops located adjacent to the dock here as well.

3. Ketchikan: again, there is a downtown dock for all cruise lines.  You can literally step off the ship and start shopping.  The only exception is if the dock space is all taken and your ship has to tender its passengers to shore.

4. Seward: the docks are at the north end of town and it is a bit of a walk to some of the prime sites such as the Marine Rehabilitation Center.  If you don't mind the 20 - 30 minute walk to get to the south end of Seward, the town is still fairly compact.  As this is usually the start or end to a cruise, most passengers don't spend much time looking around Seward.

5. Skagway: Princess ships dock at the railway pier at the east side of the harbour.  As the name implies, the Yukon Whitepass Railroad line is 30 meters from the gangway.  It is about a 10-20 minute walk to town from the ship depending on how fast you are and whether your ship is number 1 or 2 at the dock.  Other ships dock to the west of the harbour, have their own railroad service and are a similar distance from town.

6. Sitka:  if you are lucky enough to visit Sitka, you will always be tendered to shore as there is no dock capable of handling a cruise ship.  The tender ride to shore is about 15 minutes.

7. Vancouver:  ships dock either at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver or further east, at the Ballantyne Cruise Terminal.  Both are excellent facilities and easy to reach by taxi from the airport or your hotel.

8. Whittier: the ship docks just east of the access tunnel to the town.  Shops, such as they are, are a few hundred meters from the dock. This usually isn't a worry as this is a terminus or start to a cruise, not a place that passengers usually spend much time exploring

If you are lucky enough to sail from the Port of Vancouver and your ship is docked at Canada Place, you will see a panorama of old and new architecture spread out in front of you.  Most of this diversity is in the lower east side of the city as you can find old and new buildings visibly a part of the cityscape.  On the west side of the city, the good burghers of Vancouver have allowed huge glass towers to obliterate any view of the older, more interesting buildings that now simply make up the understory of the urban forest. 

The building in the foreground is the Sun Tower (originally the World Building), built in 1912 and, at 17 stories high, was the tallest building in the British Empire at the time of its construction.  The cornice is adorned with sculptures of semi-nude women which was a major scandal in 1912.  The building has been renamed several times and has been recently renovated to remain desirable office space.

The building in the background is Paris Place, a 33 story condominium block built in 1996.  Paris Place, while towering over the Sun Tower, is still only the 37th tallest building in Vancouver at 101 meters.  Currently the tallest building in Vancouver is the Shangri-La at 201 meters.

I chose to emphasize the age differences between these two buildings by desaturating the Sun Tower which also separates the foreground from the background in a more apparent manner. As new buildings have been constructed since this image was taken, you really can't replicate this view very well, but I am pleased to have old and new architecture in the same image as I think it represents the dynamic and changing nature of the Vancouver skyline.

Which cruise has given you the best photo opportunities?  We could be talking while on board your vessel or out on a shore excursion.  We are looking for your opinions of the best cruises for photographers to take and the best ports and excursions to book.  Let us know what inspired you creatively and where you made some of your best images!

This photo was taken in the fall, obviously, but that day the sun seemed "just right" and the leaves appeared to glow.  The walk around the basin was spectacular from all views.. this view made me feel like I was being invited for a quiet, calming stroll into a place where there were no loud noises, no stress, only peace.

We are very pleased that Gretchen Ziegler ([email protected]) has joined us again and shared her beautiful work in our guest blog.  Thanks Gretchen!