Photo Package Heads Up

[flhokie]

We are currently on Harmony and the one negative is the photo gallery. 
 

I purchased the 20 photo package a few months ago as a gift for my mom so we could have some photos of the 3 of us. We lost my dad this spring. They loved to cruise and we booked the cruise right after his passing. 
 

We’ve eaten at specialty dining most nights. The photographers came around & took our photos like in the dining room each night. This was great because my mom has mobility issues so it was great to get photos right at the table. On night 5, we were told that if we wanted any of those photos, they were an extra charge/not included in the package (dining room table photos are included, but not specialty dining table photos). They kept pointing to the wording “specialty shoots are not included.”  The photographer said they just changed this to include specialty restaurants about 2 months ago (after I purchased the package). 

[ALKID]

8 minutes ago, flhokie said:

We are currently on Harmony and the one negative is the photo gallery. 
 

I purchased the 20 photo package a few months ago as a gift for my mom so we could have some photos of the 3 of us. We lost my dad this spring. They loved to cruise and we booked the cruise right after his passing. 
 

We’ve eaten at specialty dining most nights. The photographers came around & took our photos like in the dining room each night. This was great because my mom has mobility issues so it was great to get photos right at the table. On night 5, we were told that if we wanted any of those photos, they were an extra charge/not included in the package (dining room table photos are included, but not specialty dining table photos). They kept pointing to the wording “specialty shoots are not included.”  The photographer said they just changed this to include specialty restaurants about 2 months ago (after I purchased the package). 

What a bunch of criminals.  Its behavior such as this that tarnishes the entire industry.

[daninwi]

Interesting but in a negative way.  We were on the Allure mid July and did not have the same experience.  Hopefully when you checked out you got the photos you wanted!

[LeeW]

Specialty shoots is supposed to be the separate photo sessions you buy separately.  Those cost big bucks.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

12 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Specialty shoots is supposed to be the separate photo sessions you buy separately.  Those cost big bucks.

It has also typically included the pictures they take at various activities such as the skydiving simulator, laser tag etc. Specialty restaurants is a new one to me, though. 😕

Edited August 6, 2022 by la_croisiere_s'amuse

[CruiszBug]

2 minutes ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

It has also typically included the pictures they take at various activities such as the skydiving simulator, laser tag etc. Specialty restaurants is a new one to me, though. 😕

Not on Ovation! iFly pictures were separate. Minimum cost of $49. Wonderland pictures were separate as well...

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

1 minute ago, CruiszBug said:

Not on Ovation! iFly pictures were separate. Minimum cost of $49. Wonderland pictures were separate as well...

Sorry, my comment was in reference to the passage I was quoting: "Specialty shoots is supposed to be the separate photo sessions you buy separately." In other words, the specialty shoots (which cost extra) include things such as iFly, so yes, they also cost extra. Didn't know about Wonderland, though--I guess it's been a while since I've had those pics taken!

[CruiszBug]

19 minutes ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Sorry, my comment was in reference to the passage I was quoting: "Specialty shoots is supposed to be the separate photo sessions you buy separately." In other words, the specialty shoots (which cost extra) include things such as iFly, so yes, they also cost extra. Didn't know about Wonderland, though--I guess it's been a while since I've had those pics taken!

No prob! I was confused by the wording... similar to double negatives. Lol!

[not-enough-cruising]

I would go to GS and cancel the package, get an OBC, and buy some pictures a la carte 

[KeroTravel]

On 8/6/2022 at 2:39 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

I would go to GS and cancel the package, get an OBC, and buy some pictures a la carte 

How much, on average, is one picture going for these days?

[not-enough-cruising]

9 minutes ago, KeroTravel said:

How much, on average, is one picture going for these days?

$20 for an 8X10

[The Scurvy Pirate]

I never noticed, but from the cruise planner for an upcoming cruise on Explorer and Harmony:

 

• The following are not included in photo packages: Photos of others in your party not traveling in your stateroom; Group, Wedding, Quinces, Private Studio photography and other special occasion photography; Specialty Dining photography; generic photos of the ship, characters, ports of call, etc.; any special printing or retouching requests.

[KeroTravel]

1 minute ago, not-enough-cruising said:

$20 for an 8X10

Robbery!  And with today's exchange rate at 1.30 CAD, that's $26 a pic 😬

Photo packages are on sale right now (everything actually seems to be on sale every few weeks or so) and I think I will go with a package … now to choose between 10 or 20 digitals (I feel like I wouldn't be able to pick 20 and definitely not 100)

[drrich2]

On 8/19/2022 at 9:21 AM, The Scurvy Pirate said:

characters

It's been awhile since I cruised with Dreamworks characters, when our 9-year old daughter was much younger, but having bought the digital photo package, were I to find they weren't included, I'd have been really ticked off.

 

So what 'characters' are there these days? On a July Symphony of the Seas cruise I didn't see any sort of 'character.'

[poocher]

No characters on board anymore.  My daughter’s roommate did dreamworks characters probably 7-8 years ago.  Daughter did them at Gaylord Palms.

[cruisegirl1]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:06 AM, KeroTravel said:

How much, on average, is one picture going for these days?

$24.99 for an 8X10. 

 

m

Edited August 20, 2022 by cruisegirl1

[poocher]

We got a bogo offer on Harmony in March.

[geneticsguy]

Wow, the fine print confirms that any pictures at specialty dining venues are excluded. That is highway robbery. You have to be kidding me. Plan on doing fun photos at Wonderland? Better take your own photos, even if you have the photo package! This is REALLY dishonest and misleading, imo.

 

The other policy that photos at weddings or similar special events sort of makes sense, but specialty restaurants? Really?

 

I am actually really annoyed about this because I bought the 100 photo package for a sailing in October.

[poocher]

Everyone is different and I get that I am not a picture person but can you really have 100 pictures taken during a cruise??  I do remember on our last cruise, a woman with a beautiful little girl.  She must have changed the little girl’s outfits 10 times a day and had multiple photos in each.  She probably had 100 before sail away!

Edited August 26, 2022 by poocher

[cynt]

Thanks for posting.

 

We were going to do the 100 pictures but when we read the fine print and it said no groups, we said no thanks. We have 13 people cruising with us and we thought it would be cool to capture our moments together as a great souvenir. I'm so glad I read the fine print.

[geneticsguy]

23 minutes ago, poocher said:

Everyone is different and I get that I am not a picture person but can you really have 100 pictures taken during a cruise??  I do remember on our last cruise, a woman with a beautiful little girl.  She must have changed the little girl’s outfits 10 times a day and had multiple photos in each.  She probably had 100 before sail away!

 

On a 7 night cruise I think you can easily get 100. It's just me though. I just prefer the convenience of it all, really.

[Starry Eyes]

We had the UDP on Harmony.  We posed for photos at Chops the first night and the photographer tried to sell us the prints later during diner.  We declined and the declined to be photographed in specialty restaurants the remaining nights.  We only claim our free D pictures each cruise.

[Mapleleafforever]

Looks like they've Amped up the nickle and diming. 

[poocher]

15 minutes ago, geneticsguy said:

 

On a 7 night cruise I think you can easily get 100. It's just me though. I just prefer the convenience of it all, really.

Truly just curious but besides boarding & formal night, where else would you take them?

[awhfy]

On 8/5/2022 at 5:54 AM, flhokie said:

We are currently on Harmony and the one negative is the photo gallery. 
 

I purchased the 20 photo package a few months ago as a gift for my mom so we could have some photos of the 3 of us. We lost my dad this spring. They loved to cruise and we booked the cruise right after his passing. 
 

We’ve eaten at specialty dining most nights. The photographers came around & took our photos like in the dining room each night. This was great because my mom has mobility issues so it was great to get photos right at the table. On night 5, we were told that if we wanted any of those photos, they were an extra charge/not included in the package (dining room table photos are included, but not specialty dining table photos). They kept pointing to the wording “specialty shoots are not included.”  The photographer said they just changed this to include specialty restaurants about 2 months ago (after I purchased the package). 

I’d go to guest services, that wasnt the contract you agreed to