CAMERA - Anyone Bought one onboard in the shops?

[Mekamax]

They have deals on electronics onboard and on cameras and was wondering if anyone has bought one and liked it - was it a good deal? Looking at maybe buying an underwater digital one... ???? THANKS!!!

[RotaryMike]

i think that there are only Nikons on Princess, never looked to see selection. Probably best to research brands, models, and prices at home and online before your cruise. also go online and look for camera dealers in the ports you will be visiting to see if what you are looking for might be available there. always ask what type of warrantee is included, US, international, or 3rd party.

[chrysalis]

They sell GoPros, also.

 

Unless you get the Elite 10$ discount, I think that your prices would be better on some ports.

[Crzn-Life]

Was thinking of getting a camera while onboard so checked the cameras, got the model #'s etc then checked amazon @ found better pricing for the same cameras.

 

Also checked prices in St. Thomas and they were pretty close to the amazon prices and better than onboard.

 

What I've found is that the great deals on board are based on the MSRP which no one sells a camera for these days so the discount isn't that great.

 

Did buy a camera onboard the QM2 a few years back because had NR OBC that was use it or lose it. The camera lasted 13 months then died & wasn't worth repairing.

 

The only way to know if you are getting a good deal is to compare prices.

[PotatoBug]

I bought a new camera this summer and when we were recently on the Grand I noticed that the price onboard was nearly $200 more than I paid on land.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[AKman2495]

A couple of years ago my mother bought a camera on the Coral because her old one had died the first day of the cruise. It was a good camera and I'm sure she paid more than what she could have on land-but she had a camera.

 

She came up this summer for a visit and had that same camera so, I has lasted and apparently she like it.

[JimAOk1945]

The ship's usually carry a nice selection of cameras. My wife takes her photography seriously and would only buy one on the ship if both of her cameras broke or got lost.

 

You may want to buy a camera several days before your cruise. It would give you time to test it and get used to the different functions and modes so you could use your new camera to the best advantage.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Pia1913]

They sell GoPros, also.

 

Unless you get the Elite 10$ discount, I think that your prices would be better on some ports.

 

My husband bought a Nikon a few years ago. Cameras and everything else in that dept. do not get the Elite discount.

[shutterbug63]

They have deals on electronics onboard and on cameras and was wondering if anyone has bought one and liked it - was it a good deal? Looking at maybe buying an underwater digital one... ???? THANKS!!!

 

I've never bought a camera onboard and don't plan to unless mine dies on the cruise. You can get much better deals comparison shopping online and at your local camera store.

[bhopal21]

They have deals on electronics onboard and on cameras and was wondering if anyone has bought one and liked it - was it a good deal? Looking at maybe buying an underwater digital one... ???? THANKS!!!

 

I almost bought one onboard in February as the deals looked good; but was persuaded to wait a few days by my partner.

 

At the next port where we had free wifi I checked at Costco and thanked him many times over. None of the cameras I had looked at onboard were a bargain, not even close.

 

Mike

[Times Prince]

They have deals on electronics onboard and on cameras and was wondering if anyone has bought one and liked it - was it a good deal? Looking at maybe buying an underwater digital one... ???? THANKS!!!

We have now purchased two underwater cameras onboard ship - in both cases we had sufficient OBC to cover the cost.

 

In comparing costs I looked at Underwater cameras pre-cruise from local stores and did not find a selection worth considering. Prices were good on land but inventory was poor.

 

The first camera we bought was an Olympus 8M pixel underwater (UW) when we had another camera fail mid cruise. It took great pictures and lasted about 7 years before leaking. Liking the Olympus, I bought a less expensive model non-UW after the cruise from a local store and got a camera that was seldom in focus.

 

We went for about a year without an UW camera, then last year while onboard we bought a Nikon Coolpix AW100 underwater camera, good to 10m underwater. HD display with GPS tracking. Great camera. Comparing land prices and internet prices the cost was fairly good, within about 10%.

 

The one thing I can say about the Princess camera department is that they stock and sell quality equipment.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Times Prince

[chrysalis]

My husband bought a Nikon a few years ago. Cameras and everything else in that dept. do not get the Elite discount.

 

Ahhh....I was looking at one on the Emerald a year or so ago, and was told that I would get the discount. Did not buy it though. Got something similar in Aruba at a good price, with some extra stuff thrown in.

[Pia1913]

Ahhh....I was looking at one on the Emerald a year or so ago, and was told that I would get the discount. Did not buy it though. Got something similar in Aruba at a good price, with some extra stuff thrown in.

 

I would like to hear from someone Elite who actually got the discount.

[HJH]

The Elite discount does not apply to cameras and probably other hardware items (as was previously posted) in the Photo Store.

[Pia1913]

The Elite discount does not apply to cameras and probably other hardware items (as was previously posted) in the Photo Store.

 

Exactly what I said. But post #12 thinks she was going to get one.

[clueless2]

Nikon has fixed prices. At least for DSLR's and lenses. Check out Amazon, Adorama, B&H, etc. All the authorized dealers have the same prices. Not sure if this applies to the ships' stores or not.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I might consider buying one on the ship if I was taking a cruise to a new port & mine broke on the way other wise I'd do some comparison shopping at home & probably wind up with a much better deal. Like most items sold on a cruise ship they're usually way over priced.

[pablo222]

I might consider buying one on the ship if I was taking a cruise to a new port & mine broke on the way other wise I'd do some comparison shopping at home & probably wind up with a much better deal. Like most items sold on a cruise ship they're usually way over priced.

 

And, often not the latest model of a particular manufacturer's line.

[aikensbest]

Nikon has fixed prices. At least for DSLR's and lenses. Check out Amazon, Adorama, B&H, etc. All the authorized dealers have the same prices. Not sure if this applies to the ships' stores or not.

 

True but many times from those you listed will also add extra things at no cost..(lens covers,cases, etc.) Actually much better prices than you will find on any of the islands especially Aruba

[Steviewonder1]

On our Eastern Med cruise I bought a Go-Pro for $50 less than what I could back home. Got it and already had a memory card for it. I also shoot a Canon T4i and all accessories so no Nikon for me. Yes Princess is in tight with Nikon and their pricing. All of the shots taken on board by photogs from Princess are with Nikon cameras.

[USNUZULOOSE]

It would also depend on what kind you may be thinking about buying. If you are looking into something serious for a lot of money I would do it before I left.

If it is the smaller point and shoot i might buy one if mine died on vacation.

 

What kind of camera do you want?

[philv]

They have deals on electronics onboard and on cameras and was wondering if anyone has bought one and liked it - was it a good deal? Looking at maybe buying an underwater digital one... ???? THANKS!!!

 

I toasted my camera pre-cruise in San Juan one time and ended up buying a Nikon CoolPix on board. I checked the internet and was really surprised how competitive the price was so I went back and grabbed one.

Edited October 3, 2014 by philv

[Loonbeam]

The prices on board are competitive with on-land non-sale prices. That said, almost any given camera is on sale somewhere. Certainly worth pursuing if yours breaks, you forget it, or you realize you need to upgrade to catch once in a lifetime opportunities...

[shellbeachjim]

The only reason I would buy on a cruise is if my camera died (had it happen once on a land trip to China). Otherwise, I would want to have the camera prior to the trip and have a chance to practice with it, get familiar with its controls, etc. Learning to use a camera while on a "trip of a lifetime" is a pretty easy way to be disappointed with the results.

 

Oh, I just thought of another reason to buy - if you are not from the US and the exchange rate is favorable for you, the camera may be substantially cheaper than at home.

[bhopal21]

I toasted my camera pre-cruise in San Juan one time and ended up buying a Nikon CoolPix on board. I checked the internet and was really surprised how competitive the price was so I went back and grabbed one.

 

 

 

That is the secret.

 

Always do your homework.

 

Mike