A Tale of two Princesses

I think I really need to invest in a better underwater camera for future adventures.

I will let Rosie know and remind her that my birthday is in May.:D

That sounds like a great plan to me , let us know if it works ! :)

Sorry if I have missed your explanation in previous posts, I am loving your images. What colour filters do you use and when do you change them due to depths.

 

Any other tips for under water photos for us one in a while cruisers would be appreciated.

In the old days (film) there was a manual red filter that fit on the outside of the camera housing . Fast forward to the digital camera and they have a built in setting for dive which boosts the reds .

The problem is that you forget to set it back to land mode - it has a red tint .

Here's a video clip with the dive setting on :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C_QN18fjUk

And a still photo with the same camera in the land mode

Your question is a good one but a tough one . Equipment and lighting underwater is more necessary and more expensive than on land . My new set up is about $1000 and is a middle of the road price and quality . The Go pros are cheaper and my $400 light would work with them . Sealife has a guide to taking better underwater photos at this link : http://www.sealife-cameras.com/sites/sealife/files/products/manuals/GreatPicturesMadeEasyWithSeaLife%20DC1400-2015-Edition.pdf

And while it uses their equipment , the principals will work with all cameras .

I thought that it was funny that we changed our clocks forward and back for Roatan and Belize but we did , and Belize was our next stop .

Early risers got to see the moon set before the sunrise

At this point we were passing through some low lying islands which we think was the barrier reef

It sea was calm but it was windy as this worker was busy hoisting the flags

The sunrise was obscured by clouds

and the land that time forgot sent out a pair of pterodactyls

But a closer look showed them to be Frigatebirds hoping that the CB stirred up a meal on the surface .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigatebird

The sun behind the rain cloud began emitting some beautiful Crepuscular rays

It took several overlapping photos to capture it all resulting in unusual frame to show the big picture

And as the tenders approached the ship , a cloud appeared beneath the CB

We've anchored

Lucky they were Frigates, I was getting pteriffied.:p

Groan:eek:

Lucky they were Frigates, I was getting pteriffied.:p

 

Groan:eek:

That was pterrible . Groan, groan :eek::eek:

When they first appeared on the horizon we thought that it was the Belize Air Force , really the RAF :

The first tender to arrive kept circling us low and slow , kinda like a buzzard waiting for it's next meal .

It was the Diamonds International tender

All of the tenders here had a shallow draft ( and I don't mean beer ) :) :D

the photos with the horizontal sun beams were very cool. Great effect.:D

Joe,

Why were the ships lifeboats not used as tenders?

I'm still following along here, but I have a new little friend (DC 1200) who has been keeping me pretty distracted! :D We have switched up our cruise schedule a bit so we will be cruising to the Southern Caribbean this October instead of next year, and have pushed out our Panama Canal sailing into 2018. I want to be somewhat with the DC 1200 before I get to the Southern Caribbean. Hopefully by the time we get there, my biggest problem will be remembering to put the camera in the correct mode for land or underwater and to remove the lens cap before I start shooting! :eek: I have also downloaded the SeaLife guide you linked to and will be reading through that soon.

I loved your video of the sea turtle in Roatan! I did feel bad for the poor turtle in the still shot having to haul those two big remora around, though. Hopefully, that turtle got a nice, clean shell out of the deal! :D The pictures of the sunrise with the frigate birds were beautiful as well.

I see from your countdown that you have a Celebrity cruise coming up next month. Do you have another aft cabin on that sailing? My apologies if you have already answered that question. I just don't remember if you did. I'm asking because we are looking at a number of cruisie for our future plans, and several of them are on Celebrity. I will be looking forward to upcoming reviews from both you and Bimmer09 as well as looking back at reviews both of you have already done while we are trying to decide what we want to do.

the photos with the horizontal sun beams were very cool. Great effect.:D

It was a beautiful morning and videos may show it better than the stills . I thought that I took a video with the Canon , but I can't seem to find it or my computer won't open it . :confused:

Joe,

Why were the ships lifeboats not used as tenders?

I wish that I could answer your question Jackie , but I don't know why . It is a very long ride to the city , but I'm not sure if that was the reason or not .

I'm still following along here, but I have a new little friend (DC 1200) who has been keeping me pretty distracted! :D We have switched up our cruise schedule a bit so we will be cruising to the Southern Caribbean this October instead of next year, and have pushed out our Panama Canal sailing into 2018. I want to be somewhat with the DC 1200 before I get to the Southern Caribbean. Hopefully by the time we get there, my biggest problem will be remembering to put the camera in the correct mode for land or underwater and to remove the lens cap before I start shooting! :eek: I have also downloaded the SeaLife guide you linked to and will be reading through that soon.

 

I loved your video of the sea turtle in Roatan! I did feel bad for the poor turtle in the still shot having to haul those two big remora around, though. Hopefully, that turtle got a nice, clean shell out of the deal! :D The pictures of the sunrise with the frigate birds were beautiful as well.

 

I see from your countdown that you have a Celebrity cruise coming up next month. Do you have another aft cabin on that sailing? My apologies if you have already answered that question. I just don't remember if you did. I'm asking because we are looking at a number of cruisie for our future plans, and several of them are on Celebrity. I will be looking forward to upcoming reviews from both you and Bimmer09 as well as looking back at reviews both of you have already done while we are trying to decide what we want to do.

We're happy that you are spending time with your new friend and if you would like to ask any questions , we will send you our phone number through Email , or you can call Sealife Tech support who are very helpful . The issues that you mentioned are common ( at least with me anyway ) , but minor . I'm just thrilled that I never flooded a Sealife , so keep your O rings clean !

We love cruising and planning them also ( we just booked 2 more yesterday ) , and yes we have an Aft cabin , # 8344 . We did get our luggage tags in the mail the other day , and we are busy planning and booking tours for next month . So many tags , so few bags ! :) :D

Our 2 favorite forward viewing points can't be found on the Regal but are available on the CB during the daylight hours . The blue arrow is over the bridge and the red arrow is the bow .

Here's a view from the bow looking aft

To reach the bow you go forward on the Promenade Deck and up the stairs

The view is very nice at sunset

including the bridge's windows .

The stairs leading down

half way down

The Promenade Deck

goes all the way across the aft

We didn't go ashore in Belize but we did see another ship on the horizon

It was the Oceania Insignia

Joe,

Why were the ships lifeboats not used as tenders?

Its not so unusual. In some ports there are local tenders that are used. For instance, when we were in Cabo San Lucas the last couple of times about half of the tenders running were local ones and the other half were from the ship.

Joe,

Why were the ships lifeboats not used as tenders?

Last time we did this cruise we were told it's part of the port agreement with Belize. Use their tenders, I mean. Plus, they are bigger so can hold more people and get more to shore quicker. It was a good 30 minute ride last time.

The port is in possession of about 40 of those large fast boats, that way they can handle several cruise ships at once. They hold anywhere from 75-125 passengers (many with 2 levels) and can make the 5 mile trip in about 20 minutes.

If they used the ship's tenders they would still be heading back to the ship.

We're happy that you are spending time with your new friend and if you would like to ask any questions , we will send you our phone number through Email , or you can call Sealife Tech support who are very helpful . The issues that you mentioned are common ( at least with me anyway ) , but minor . I'm just thrilled that I never flooded a Sealife , so keep your O rings clean !

 

 

We love cruising and planning them also ( we just booked 2 more yesterday ) , and yes we have an Aft cabin , # 8344 . We did get our luggage tags in the mail the other day , and we are busy planning and booking tours for next month . So many tags , so few bags ! :) :D

 

 

Thanks for the offer of help. I figured I would email you if I get stuck with something. I am usually pretty good at figuring things out, even though it sometimes takes me a while. I like the way it feels when I get something figured out. The big thing will be practice. That part will be fun!

I know you usually do cabin tours, so I will be looking forward to seeing cabin #8344! We aren't quite ready to book another cruise yet, probably not until we get home from our Vegas trip in May. I am having fun looking at potential cruises now, so when it is time to book another one I will be prepared! :D

Joe,

Why were the ships lifeboats not used as tenders?

Did these answer your question Jackie ? Thanks for your input everybody . :) :D

Its not so unusual. In some ports there are local tenders that are used. For instance, when we were in Cabo San Lucas the last couple of times about half of the tenders running were local ones and the other half were from the ship.

Last time we did this cruise we were told it's part of the port agreement with Belize. Use their tenders, I mean. Plus, they are bigger so can hold more people and get more to shore quicker. It was a good 30 minute ride last time.

The port is in possession of about 40 of those large fast boats, that way they can handle several cruise ships at once. They hold anywhere from 75-125 passengers (many with 2 levels) and can make the 5 mile trip in about 20 minutes.

If they used the ship's tenders they would still be heading back to the ship.

Thanks for the offer of help. I figured I would email you if I get stuck with something. I am usually pretty good at figuring things out, even though it sometimes takes me a while. I like the way it feels when I get something figured out. The big thing will be practice. That part will be fun!

 

I know you usually do cabin tours, so I will be looking forward to seeing cabin #8344! We aren't quite ready to book another cruise yet, probably not until we get home from our Vegas trip in May. I am having fun looking at potential cruises now, so when it is time to book another one I will be prepared! :D

You hit the nail on the head Nancy , practice with and learn our new toys . Wishing many happy photos Nancy ! :) :D

We have dove Belize a number of times and we passed on it this time for a quite day on the ship . So while Pat enjoyed the spa I continued walking the ship with the camera , headed toward my blue spot , with an eye on the Insignia .

And I wasn't the only one enjoying the view .