Purchasing a camera on board...

[jamesnnb]

We will have quite a bit of OBC on an upcoming cruise and I was thinking of purchasing a camera. Is there any way to know what brands/types that might be available so I can do a bit of research before hand? I realize different ships might/will have different camera. It will be on the Crown. Also realize limited inventory and what they have one day might not be available the next week. But looking for general brands and types and is the pricing reasonable?

[AZJerry]

All I've ever seen on Princess is Nikon and Go Pros.

[GUT2407]

All I've ever seen on Princess is Nikon and Go Pros.

 

And Leica.

[Lucky TGO]

We will have quite a bit of OBC on an upcoming cruise and I was thinking of purchasing a camera. Is there any way to know what brands/types that might be available so I can do a bit of research before hand? I realize different ships might/will have different camera. It will be on the Crown. Also realize limited inventory and what they have one day might not be available the next week. But looking for general brands and types and is the pricing reasonable?

 

You can save 10% by purchasing it on the first or second day. 20% if you are Elite. I was on the Royal and I seen a lot of Nikon models. Good luck.

Tony

[floridalover5623]

They always seem to have models of cameras that are different than the ones I see at home which makes comparing prices difficult.

[Lucky TGO]

They always seem to have models of cameras that are different than the ones I see at home which makes comparing prices difficult.

 

Look on line and check the models & price of the cameras that you like. I got my Nikon in St. Thomas the price was better then the ship and I get 20% off on the ship. (Elite) But you have SBC to use. Good luck!!!

Tony

[skf]

As my neighbor Lucky advises, the cameras (and watches) onboard can be sometimes gotten at better prices onshore. But if you use OBC you may not be spending actual money so here it might be a good idea.

Steve

[jamesnnb]

Thanks, all. My thought was just to make good use of the OBC on this trip. I have a friend who is on the Ruby right now -- so I just asked him to see what brands is on her. I wouldn't normally purchase one on board but just thought it might be a good idea this time. And it will be a CA Coastal cruise, so each port I would be able to text my nephew (my go-to guy for such purchases) and tell me what is available and get his take.

[jamesnnb]

...correction: contact my nephew and tell HIM what is available and get his take...

[AKman2495]

My mother was with us on a cruise a few years ago and her camera broke. She bought one on the ship-a nikon and still uses it. The prices are reasonable. The ship is not a discount house.

 

They also have knowledge people selling them - and they follow up with good service.

 

Again, it may not be the cheapest place, but they are not way out of line and they have a decent selection.

[Loonbeam]

They have contracts with Nikon and Leika, and their prices are generally competitve to non-sale prices in the US.

 

If you have OBC and they still have the Coolpix P7000, I would pick it up.

 

One note, depending on the sourcing, these may be what are considered grey market cameras (sold outside the US) which can sometimes cause issues with warranties.

[jamesnnb]

Grey Market: Thanks, I'll research that. We did purchase a nice pair of Nikon binoculars on board once and registering them in the US was no problem.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

Also make sure you declare the purchase when coming back because Princess provides Customs a list of any big purchases.

 

Found that out the hard way.

 

Just saying.....

 

Take care,

Vinnie

[hm9912]

We will have quite a bit of OBC on an upcoming cruise and I was thinking of purchasing a camera. Is there any way to know what brands/types that might be available so I can do a bit of research before hand? I realize different ships might/will have different camera. It will be on the Crown. Also realize limited inventory and what they have one day might not be available the next week. But looking for general brands and types and is the pricing reasonable?

 

I purchase all my camera gear here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

 

Howard

[ontheweb]

My mother was with us on a cruise a few years ago and her camera broke. She bought one on the ship-a nikon and still uses it. The prices are reasonable. The ship is not a discount house.

 

They also have knowledge people selling them - and they follow up with good service.

 

Again, it may not be the cheapest place, but they are not way out of line and they have a decent selection.

 

DW dropped her camera in Edinburg 2 summers ago while we were on a cruise, and broke the lens. It was a Nikon camera so she was able to purchase a new lens on board.

 

I agree about the good service. The person from photography was very good about showing her the features. (It was a better lens than she previously had.) In fact I made sure to give him one of those exemplary service write ups. I priced the lens when we got home, and the Princess price was competitive.

[floridalover5623]

Look on line and check the models & price of the cameras that you like. I got my Nikon in St. Thomas the price was better then the ship and I get 20% off on the ship. (Elite) But you have SBC to use. Good luck!!!

Tony

Does the camera dept honor the lowest price found on the islands similar to the liquor dept??

Although that might be a little hard to show since they don't normally price electronis items in the same fachion.

[WISH84]

Also make sure you declare the purchase when coming back because Princess provides Customs a list of any big purchases.

 

Found that out the hard way.

 

Just saying.....

 

Take care,

Vinnie

 

:eek:

 

I can only imagine the horror! :cool:

[philv]

We will have quite a bit of OBC on an upcoming cruise and I was thinking of purchasing a camera. Is there any way to know what brands/types that might be available so I can do a bit of research before hand? I realize different ships might/will have different camera. It will be on the Crown. Also realize limited inventory and what they have one day might not be available the next week. But looking for general brands and types and is the pricing reasonable?

 

I purchased a Nikon Cool Pic on board one time when my other camera got drowned. Checked price online prior to purchase and found Princess price was very reasonable.

[Loonbeam]

Not that I ever recall seeing.

 

Does the camera dept honor the lowest price found on the islands similar to the liquor dept??

Although that might be a little hard to show since they don't normally price electronis items in the same fachion.

[caribill]

You can save 10% by purchasing it on the first or second day. 20% if you are Elite. I was on the Royal and I seen a lot of Nikon models. Good luck.

Tony

 

The boutique discounts do not apply to the photo department.

[flamomo]

The boutique discounts do not apply to the photo department.

 

This is true. I learned this when recently on the Emerald I made a relatively small purchase in the photo dept., and inquired as to why I was not given my Elite discount. The photog person said they do not honor it.

[Steelers0854]

We will have quite a bit of OBC on an upcoming cruise and I was thinking of purchasing a camera. Is there any way to know what brands/types that might be available so I can do a bit of research before hand? I realize different ships might/will have different camera. It will be on the Crown. Also realize limited inventory and what they have one day might not be available the next week. But looking for general brands and types and is the pricing reasonable?

 

 

Also remember that some OBC can be refunded to you, not sure what your OBC credit comes from but you may be able to take the money with you.

[gbldcl]

Before our last cruise on the Royal I got a GoPro camera. While on the ship I hit the wrong button on my camera and could not get it to work properly. I went to the camera department for assistance and the lady there was extremely helpful and spent a lot of time fixing my problem, explaining the different features and showing me how to use the camera. I was extremely pleased with her service even though I was not purchasing anything.

[Times Prince]

We've bought two cameras onboard, on different cruises. The first was an Olympus underwater camera, which worked fine for years. The second was a Nikon - also an underwater camera. The Nikon takes outstanding pictures, even in normal use. Prices were compatible with internet and local stores, but local stores in the middle of Texas aren't real big on stock for underwater cameras for some reason... :rolleyes:

 

We used OBC for these, as we had several sources of OBC available. It was like Princess giving us a present of a camera.

 

Most OBC sources are non-refundable (check your booking Summary), so if it works out for you, it doesn't really matter what competitive prices are.

[floridalover5623]

For me the OBC is like cash in my pocket & not something I have to use on the ship. If the price is good (and I've checked it out prior) then I'd buy it on board. If not I can always but it online when at home.

Edited November 16, 2015 by floridalover5623