Don't want your free photos anymore?

[SilkySal]

Hi to all you Diamond members and above! This is just a suggestion for what to do with all of those free photos that you may not want to bother getting anymore. First, let me tell you about our experience on a recent cruise. We were in the MDR for dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed our dining staff, so we asked if they would join us for a photo from the roving photographer. This was while the staff were still required to wear their masks. The waiters seemed delighted to join us for the photo and stood behind us for the picture. When we later went to view our photos, we saw that photo of us with the waiters, who had removed their masks for the photo, and I said, "Oh, that's what they look like!" We really liked that photo, so picked it as one of our free options.

 

That evening, we took our photo to dinner with us. I handed the photo to our assistant waiter so they could both see it, when he exclaimed, "Oh, thank you! I can't wait to show this to my family, so they can see what I actually do while I'm on a ship!" He was scheduled to go home the following week. He showed the photo to the head waiter and left our table. Hubby said, "Is he going to bring the photo back?" I said, "I'm not sure but he may have thought that we were actually giving it to him." We thought this was quite amusing and were really touched that he wanted to proudly show that photo to his family when he went home. We decided to let him think that we indeed were giving him the photo.

 

So, there you have it! If you no longer wish to claim your free photos, you may want to consider having some photos taken with your favorite staff members and offering the prints to them. I believe you will be surprised by their reactions! We certainly were and can't wait to do it again, again, and again! Cheers!

Sal

 

[SSVacation]

3 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

 

 

So, there you have it! If you no longer wish to claim your free photos, you may want to consider having some photos taken with your favorite staff members and offering the prints to them. I believe you will be surprised by their reactions!

 

Great Idea!

 

[davekathy]

Great story, great idea.  We very rarely use that perk anymore. If we do it's only when we are leaving the ship at a port stop and it's a goofy picture of us and we end up throwing them away when we get home. I don't want to jeopardize being in the witness protection program. 😉

 

[poocher]

I always make everybody pose for the welcome aboard photo.  That way I have a record of who went, which ship and when.  Besides I can guarantee we are all happy & smiling!!

[mets07]

We appreciate the Diamond and above included photos.

 

We just got a photo on Anthem that was unexpected. We posed for one of those traditional photos when you get off at a port, however there were two photographers that took pics of us at the same time. One of them produced several beautiful black and white close-ups. And the standard color one at a "ship's wheel" by the other photographer came out great as well. So, we ended up getting two taken at the same time.

 

🙂📷

[davekathy]

14 minutes ago, poocher said:

I always make everybody pose for the welcome aboard photo.  That way I have a record of who went, which ship and when.  Besides I can guarantee we are all happy & smiling!!

Agree. Out of all our pictures those would have been our favorites ones. Maybe we should have kept one or two. 

[billslowsky]

Crew members have cell phones and can more easily send their families electronic images than carry out some paper copy with strangers for months at a time.  They are being polite to you.

[publicpersona]

3 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

Crew members have cell phones and can more easily send their families electronic images than carry out some paper copy with strangers for months at a time.  They are being polite to you.

You are about to be ridiculed for your take on it, but I think you are the realist. I am thinking also of the people that bring their stateroom attendant some tchotchke like a rock with “Iowa” written on it, and swear that he or she was genuinely touched and grateful. 

[DirtyDawg]

11 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

You are about to be ridiculed for your take on it, but I think you are the realist. I am thinking also of the people that bring their stateroom attendant some tchotchke like a rock with “Iowa” written on it, and swear that he or she was genuinely touched and grateful. 

🤯 Are you saying that many cruise line staff could win the Academy Award for Best Actor or Actress? 😉

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, publicpersona said:

You are about to be ridiculed for your take on it, but I think you are the realist. I am thinking also of the people that bring their stateroom attendant some tchotchke like a rock with “Iowa” written on it, and swear that he or she was genuinely touched and grateful. 

Oh yeah, the crowd that treats the staff like pets instead of functioning adults.  Maybe the old hygiene products threads can be revived.

[chiguypaul]

@SilkySal, this is a great post. We were just in a position on our last cruise where we didn't use one of our two photos. I'm going to make a tweak to your idea. Instead of having our family in the photo, I might just have the photographer take a picture of the waiter and asst waiter individually and then give them each their own high quality photo for themselves or their family. Thanks for this idea!

[mafig]

2 hours ago, poocher said:

I always make everybody pose for the welcome aboard photo.  That way I have a record of who went, which ship and when.  Besides I can guarantee we are all happy & smiling!!

Since I try to lose a few lbs. before the cruise, this is also the thinest I'll be for the next week.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, mets07 said:

We appreciate the Diamond and above included photos.

 

We just got a photo on Anthem that was unexpected. We posed for one of those traditional photos when you get off at a port, however there were two photographers that took pics of us at the same time. One of them produced several beautiful black and white close-ups. And the standard color one at a "ship's wheel" by the other photographer came out great as well. So, we ended up getting two taken at the same time.

 

🙂📷

 

We did that at St Thomas. The B&W was a different angle, so we really aren't looking at camera. Pretty cool

[cruiseguy1016]

1 hour ago, chiguypaul said:

@SilkySal, this is a great post. We were just in a position on our last cruise where we didn't use one of our two photos. I'm going to make a tweak to your idea. Instead of having our family in the photo, I might just have the photographer take a picture of the waiter and asst waiter individually and then give them each their own high quality photo for themselves or their family. Thanks for this idea!

 

I'm not sure this will work. The pictures are displayed based on facial recognition. If the only people in the picture are crew members, I don't think it will get printed and displayed with the others that have your face in them.

[chiguypaul]

34 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

I'm not sure this will work. The pictures are displayed based on facial recognition. If the only people in the picture are crew members, I don't think it will get printed and displayed with the others that have your face in them.

That’s true for some pictures, but for most pictures, they ask for your cabin number and they associate the picture with the cabin number they type in. 

[Morecruisesplz]

13 hours ago, chiguypaul said:

@SilkySal, this is a great post. We were just in a position on our last cruise where we didn't use one of our two photos. I'm going to make a tweak to your idea. Instead of having our family in the photo, I might just have the photographer take a picture of the waiter and asst waiter individually and then give them each their own high quality photo for themselves or their family. Thanks for this idea!

Cause they do not know how to take selfies?

[cruisin from florida]

If we don't want our pictures, on ships where they still print photos I find someone looking at a print and offer to get it for them for free. 

We've also given pictures to non-diamond traveling companions.

 

[nimbex1970]

Its a nice thought for sure.  Why they would want people who they served in a photo is something I don't grasp.  Of course, they were happily received, sigh. I just tip well and skip the shenanigans. Cheers to each their own.  Happy cruising. 

[Ocean Boy]

27 minutes ago, nimbex1970 said:

Its a nice thought for sure.  Why they would want people who they served in a photo is something I don't grasp.  Of course, they were happily received, sigh. I just tip well and skip the shenanigans. Cheers to each their own.  Happy cruising. 

I agree. A tip along with a "thank you for taking care of us" probably covers it well. 

[billslowsky]

52 minutes ago, nimbex1970 said:

Its a nice thought for sure.  Why they would want people who they served in a photo is something I don't grasp.  Of course, they were happily received, sigh. I just tip well and skip the shenanigans. Cheers to each their own.  Happy cruising. 

Hmmmm... do I want a paper 8x10 photo of some people I'll never see again, or maybe $5 or $10 bucks....  not a difficult choice.

[Tatka]

1 hour ago, cruisin from florida said:

If we don't want our pictures, on ships where they still print photos I find someone looking at a print and offer to get it for them for free. 

We've also given pictures to non-diamond traveling companions.

 

I think you need to be in your free picture. 

[SilkySal]

1 hour ago, nimbex1970 said:

Its a nice thought for sure.  Why they would want people who they served in a photo is something I don't grasp.  Of course, they were happily received, sigh. I just tip well and skip the shenanigans. Cheers to each their own.  Happy cruising. 

We couldn't understand it either and we were very surprised by his excitement. We didn't offer the photo to him; he just assumed it was a gift, so we let him take it. We don't believe the waiter was acting; he was genuinely overjoyed with the picture.

BTW, I never said we didn't tip; we always tip over and above our prepaid gratuities. Tom also enjoys taking a big bag of mini chocolate bars to pass out to any staff that want some. This post was not intended to give the staff gifts vs money. Posts sometimes go sideways, so just trying to straighten it up! Cheers friends!

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, SilkySal said:

We couldn't understand it either and we were very surprised by his excitement. We didn't offer the photo to him; he just assumed it was a gift, so we let him take it. We don't believe the waiter was acting; he was genuinely overjoyed with the picture.

BTW, I never said we didn't tip; we always tip over and above our prepaid gratuities. Tom also enjoys taking a big bag of mini chocolate bars to pass out to any staff that want some. This post was not intended to give the staff gifts vs money. Posts sometimes go sideways, so just trying to straighten it up! Cheers friends!

I never took your other post to mean anything other than what you just explained here. 

[smokeybandit]

I have no reason to doubt the story as told, but in today's era of selfies and facetime and such, I would bet the reaction was an act to get a bigger tip than him truly excited to rely on a printed picture to sent to his family as proof of life on the ship.

[Ret MP]

Let me see, Selfie or Professional Grade Photo, Selfie or Professional Grade Photo, Selfie or Professional Grade Photo, Selfie or Professional Grade Photo, Selfie or Professional Grade Photo?  Yep, Professional Grade Photo every time.  No brainer!

 

NOTE:  By Professional Grade, I mean RCCL's version of Professional Grade.