Cruise

[crfitchjr]

I will going on a Caribbean cruise the end of this month. This is my first cruise so I don't know what to expect.

Will there be enough photo opps. to take my "serious" gear along or just a P&S? I would like to shoot some of the "big boats" when we are in port. What are some of the photo opps.? What about security on the ship, will I be able to secure my gear while I'm out of my room? Is carrying a tripod impracticle?

Of course we will be leaving Galveston and stopping at Playa Del Carmen.

Thanks for the help,
Bob

[bear1962]

I shot over 1400 shots on our cruise. Here's a link.

http://public.fotki.com/bear1962/caribbean_cruise/

Take everything you got because you'll have lots of time to shoot and TONS of stuff to shoot.

Have A Blast !!! We sure did !!!

[boogie]

Bob...take everything. If you don't you'll wish you had.

On my last couple of cruises I had my Canon 20D and 3 lenses, a converted to IR Sony P200,and a Sony F717. Also a portable hard drive and CD burner to transfer pictures from my memory cards (I double back-up). Not to mention all the cords, batteries, filters, etc...my backpack was full.

My husband and I have been cruising a LONG time...over 35 trips under our belt. Photo opps??? There will be millions. But one word of advice....any camera gear or anything of importance that you leave in your stateroom LOCK IN A SUITCASE and take key with you.
You will have a safe for money, jewelry, etc...use it. One other note: if you're flying be sure to have locks on your luggage BEFORE you board the ship. Hand carry all gear, etc.

And don't forget some big plastic zip lock bags for your gear while visiting the beach. Sand
can wreck havoc on electronics.

Bob...they are Ships not boats. LOL!!!

have a good time..take lot's of pics. We're going in May again can't wait.

boogie

[JohnRushing]

Everyone pretty much covered the camera gear so here's a few more things to consider. If you drink soft drinks you might want to take some along with you. The last cruise we took was on the Carnival Conquest and Cokes were $2.10 for a 12oz can! Take a few with you in your suit case and also some bottled water (do not drink the water on the islands!). If you want any snacks for late night in your stateroom take them along also because there wasn't much sellection in the onboard stores and what they did have was high $$$. As far a mixed drinks go your on your own there, they pretty much have you once you get out on the gulf! It also always seemed the slots payed out more the first day then tappered off. I guess to get the passengers hooked for the resr of the cruise. On the last cruise I won $1803 on one slot with one quarter but barely broke even the last few days. Like someone above said "back up your photos"! I used a new microdrive on our last cruise and lost all my photos when it crashed at home. Bad this was I had a CD burner to back them up but didn't because I had so much space left on the drive, live and learn I guess. Main thing is have fun ( not hard to do that on a cruise ) and be safe. Be cautious of where you go when on the islands and be prepared for people trying to sell you stuff all the time. In Jamaca don't take anything they offer for free because they will bug the crap out of you for money, also watch for illegal stuff because some of them will try to set you up and you don't want to spend any time in their jail! Which line are you cruising on? We are taking the kids with us in June on another 7 night cruise to the Caribeans, cost double this time because of two statrooms! But me and the wife have also booked another cruise for the Bahamas in November. Have fun and be safe!

[Jay Henley]

If you want to call it a boat it is fine with me. I am not so formal. I keep my D70 and two lenses in the safe and leave my camera accessories in my shoulder bag in the room. No problems so far with last 4 or 5 cruises. My wife and I always lock the safe after we each get into it. Do not do what my sister and her husband do which is to leave the safe open while they are in the room and try to remember to close it when they leave. You will accidentally leave the room while leaving the safe door wide open. This has happened to my sister. Luckily nothing was missing.

We just went on the Splendor of the Seas last month and noticed the safes operate from your credit card versus combination which is what I had been used to with previous cruises. I was not a big fan of cruising in the beginning but have learned that I have a better time if I take advantage of everything they have to offer. I suggest going to all the shows and even the smaller events such as the Quest game, Newleywed game, bingo etc....

I have never taken a tripod but probably will in the future at some point. There have been times I wish I had one. I usually try to find something to lean against for stability. One of the problems cruising is you can not get off the ship as early as you would like or stay at port long enough to take advantage of the softer light. But you can fix some of that with digital darkroom when you get back home.

You might consider hiring a local person to take you around when visiting different ports. Let him know what you are interested in doing. In Cozumel last month we walked up to the taxi area and hired a taxi (van) for the five of us. We got him for six hours for $35.00 a person. The driver (Victor) has lived there all his life but spoke English as well as we do. He was funny and kept us entertained. He stopped at a stand off the side of the road and let us buy some beer to bring with us.

[JohnRushing]

We had the credit card safe in our cabin also. It was neat using my Citgo card to lock and unlock the safe Kinda liks al little kid palying with it! . Man theres so much stuff to do on the cruise that we got up at 5am and usually didn't go to bed until midnight or so, I didn't say went to sleep though other stuff you can do in the cabin besides sleep!!!The motion of the ocean ya know! We've booked the Myan ruins on our next cruise in June and I know I'll use up a few memory cards there. If you haven't book your shore excursions it's best to do so in advance that way you can research them and make the best choice for you. If your going to do any snorkling I'd sugest doing it in either Jamaca or Cozamel. The Caymans were ok but the water just seemed to have more life in the other two places.

[crfitchjr]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give your advice and experience. I'm looking forward to my cruise, just 9 days, but who's counting.

Bob

[Mike G]

Lucky you, 146 days for me!