Photo Package Heads Up

[geneticsguy]

34 minutes ago, poocher said:

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

 

Hey!I used to be just like you thinking the same thing... then my eyes were opened. I am actually a little disappointed they limit you to 100 photos now as a few years ago they used to have an unlimited digital option. One cruise I got close to 400 photos taken!

 

Here are some examples:

 

• Like you said, formal nights
• And, Embarkation day family photos
• Royal promenade - photos by the signature artwork on the ship, like the cars
• Photos at Boardwalks
• Playing mini golf
• Pictures for each of us on the flowrider
• Pictures rock climbing
• Various sites at CocoCay (we rented a day bed at South Beach once and photographers wandering the beach came and took family photos there of us that came out really well)
• Matching pajama photos on the cruise for fun
• Disco Night photos (depends on cruise of course) - or really, any various theme, like Hawaiian themed, etc...
• Photos wearing laser tag gear
• Some ships do a white-out evening where everyone dresses in white.
• Prohibition party photos (I haven't seen this since the pandemic though) - 1920s era dress and part
• Sunset photos, if you go out to the deck at sunset often they will have photographers rushing to take a lot of sunset photos for people.
• And so on... many more

 

Each of these events we can do multiple shots. My wife and I like to do many poses, then family poses, then kids only, etc... It's very easy to end up with hundreds of photos at end of the cruise, especially on 8 day cruises. Also, I really like that they already have various backdrops and so on, and they won't let you use your own cameras at their photo stations.

 

They have good lighting, high resolution, and while our phones are good, it really just makes things easy. They allow you to easily put together collages of the photos.

 

Most of all, it's just a lot of fun every day getting your picture taken like you're a celebrity and so on. It's just for fun, convenience, and they often come out well... much better than my own photos come out on my phone. I still take hundreds of additional photos of my own when at various excursions and destinations and so on, so the official photos are just a bonus. Funny enough, they're usually the ones that end up getting framed.

 

It's probably not for everyone, but it works for us. I hope this helps.

 

[poocher]

It does, thank you.  I am at the stage of life where I am purging pictures not taking more!  I have 2 large Rubbermaid tubs of family photos no one wants.  I can’t bring myself to throw them out so I told the kids that’s their job when I die!!  For cruises, I limit myself to the boarding photo so I know who went, on which ship & when.  I do have a great shot of my grandson doing the Superman pose on the flow rider!  Oh it doesn’t help that I look like an old woman 👵🏻 (who IS that old crow!!!) in pictures so avoid them like the plague!😁

Edited August 27, 2022 by poocher

[flhokie]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:21 AM, The Scurvy Pirate said:

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.

They must have updated the wording. The statement I was shown at the photo gallery, that I was told I agreed to at ordering the package, did not have specifics like this. It only said "specialty shoots." If the wording was specific like this, I would not have been upset.

[poocher]

Wait, wait one more question!  What do you do with all those pictures?  Photo albums?  Lots of wall space?  Rubbermaid tub?!?!?!

[cindyscruise]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:21 AM, The Scurvy Pirate said:

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.

So what is included.  from this description, what is left?  We always used to get pictures taken when we got off the ship - is that now considered a port of call picture?  Characters?  they also included a generic photo of the ship in our packages.  Guess I will now cancel my package.  Not worth it since we are eating in speciality restaurants every evening.  Thank you for posting this.