vms

Is the go pro thingy (I use dslrs and still can't choke down the cost for an underwater housing yet. :eek: ) rated to go that deep? A case or housing that is ok for snorkeling or water spots might not work well at 120 feet down. :eek:

I just double checked, and the Go Pro Hero4 is rated for 131 feet. There is also a separate housing that can be purchased which is rated at 197 feet. But I'm hoping we've got someone on the boards who can confirm if they were able to dive successfully with it. ;)

I don't have one or used one but I have logged acouple hours researching on line. The new Gopro 4 Silver is the one I have been seeing as recommended. It is the first one with a built in rear display so it is waterproof. alot easier than point in the general direction and hope you get it centered.

 

John

That's a good point that I hadn't considered, I was mainly thinking it would be attached to a harness or my BCD so there wouldn't be a way to view a rear display, but it would make the camera much more functional for other uses besides just during a dive.

Thanks for the great input! Hoping for more.

We used the GoPro Hero3+ on our last snorkeling (so no, not scuba diving). My biggest suggestion is if you do get this camera that you allow for a bit of a learning curve. We owned it for two months before our cruise and I had done lots of little tests and had a good idea of what I am shooting with a screen. However, once in the water my wife took the camera (because of my lack of experience of swimming in the ocean) and shot mostly sea grass rather than what she thought she was videoing.

 

The couple we were with had a nifty little camera that took excellent picture, but I am at a loss for what it was. With all that said, I love my GoPro and thought it was well worth the money.

 

Check out my YouTube in my signature to see what it looks like. Hope this helps and hope others come on to give their experiences and opinions as well.

Thanks! This was helpful. While snorkeling, did you attach it to anything (like a chest harness/head harness) or just use it as a handheld?

I'm looking for a fairly inexpensive ($500 or less) underwater camera to take along while I'm Scuba diving. I'm wondering about the Go Pro 3 or later. Does anyone have any experience with this and what would you recommend? What other accessories should I be considering?

Congratulations!

As an infrequent cruiser, I'm a little sad to hear the specialty menu will likely be changed before I have the chance to try it next year, but I understand how welcome this news will be to frequent X cruisers.

I'm enjoying your review very much and looking forward to more!

My cruise on the Summit is still a year away, but I look forward to hearing all about your trip and the ship!

I've only been on one cruise, and it was as a solo, but I'd echo a lot of the advice you've gotten from others with lots more experience.

Join your roll call. It was great to go into the cruise "knowing" a few people. If you click with a few in the roll call, make plans for a meet up for coffee or a cocktail - enough time to find out if you'd like to spend more time with them on the ship but not so much that if you don't mesh well you'll feel trapped.

I was nervous about my tablemates for dinner, but it couldn't have worked out better. My table in the MDR was 7 people (5 women, 2 men) who weren't with a significant other, and then one poor couple on their honeymoon, who we never saw after the first night. It was a ton of fun to talk about what we'd been up to each day during dinner, and then many of us would go out to dancing/karaoke/show together after dinner. I really loved this- I'm an extroverted introvert so I enjoy people but also love and get recharged by my alone time. It was really the best of both worlds to have people to do things with but also to plan to be by myself.

Since it was my first cruise, I also took ship-based excursions. I had planned one on my own but our ship couldn't dock that day so we missed the port. Since you're an experienced cruiser, you will know your level of comfort with booking outside excursions vs. ship based ones.

A few nerves are natural, but I have no doubt you will have a fantastic time.

I am looking at a possible short cruise in Asia this fall as part of a trip to Singapore, and since I've only cruised once, I'd like to hear from people with lots more knowledge and experience than I have.

My search has narrowed to a 4 day on Mariner of the Seas (Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, at Sea, Singapore) or a 5 day on Sapphire Princess (same itinerary with addition of Penang, Malaysia). Besides the obvious (1 extra day, more $), what else should I be considering?

My one previous cruise was on Celebrity Century (7 day Western Caribbean). I chose Celebrity for it's service reputation, and I was very pleased with everything. I did sign up for Captain's Club at that time, so I think I get created like R&C Gold, but I don't think the perks are enough to sway my decision.

Appreciate any thoughts, especially from anyone who's cruised on either of these ships recently.

Lots of great suggestions so far. Here are some of mine that I don't remember having been mentioned already. I'm a very ecletic reader, so take these with a grain of salt- they may not be to everyone's taste. :D

True Crime:

any books by John Douglas

Non-Fiction:

Freakanomics

Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers by Mary Roach

Mystery:

the Tempe Brennan series by Kathy Reichs (Deja Dead, etc)

Historical Romance:

any books by Julia Quinn

any books by Stephanie Laurens

Sci-Fi/Romance:

the Betsy Taylor series by Mary Janice Davidson (Undead and Unwed, etc)

the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands (A quick Bite, etc.)

A giant me too for Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and the rest of the series. I've read Outlander 30 times or more and still find something new with each read.

Happy reading everyone!

Anyone but Santino won- so I'm really happy. Congratulations Chloe!

That said- I'm sooo annoyed at the judges! It was just what we've seen all season long- the judges say one thing, but mostly do another. (the lovely Debra Messing is excluded from this criticism)

Santino- all season long- it's too extreme, you never listen, it's not flattering, etc. And then in the final show he gets criticized for playing it safe!

Chloe- Why did you do all dresses?- that's not demonstrating versatility- and then she wins.

I liked both Daniel and Chloe, so am thrilled they were the final two, but I'm not sure if I'm coming back for next season. I've been a fan ever since the first show of the first season, so it's hard for me to say that I won't watch again. But the reason I loved this show in the beginning was it was about talent. I think there were too many decisions made this season that had everything to do with good tv, but not necessarily about who was the most talented for each challenge.

On the other hand- I don't know if I'm ready to let the fabulous Tim Gunn out of my life. ;)

Because the event of New York Fashion Week occured prior to the airing of the episode that was the cut from the final 4 to the final 3, all final 4 contestants show at NYFW.

This is to try to prevent spoilers leaking out about who the actual final 3 are.

They did this last year with Austin Scarlett as well, but he didn't get as much time as the final 3, because apparently it didn't occur to the execs at Bravo that there would be a timing issue until about 6 weeks prior to NYFW.

As someone new to these boards, but a PR watcher since the beginning- I'd like to have Daniel V win, as he's been the most consistant throughout the competition. Which means that I'm completely wrong and Santino will probably win- since that's who I'd least like to be the winner.