Photo Packages - What do you Really Get?

[Monkey0313]

I was reading the small print on the Royal Caribbean photo packages for my upcoming cruise. In the the small print. It doesn’t include some of the pics I would probably want and don’t want to purchase if they aren’t included especially the pics in the specialty restaurants. It doesn’t include “specialty dining photography, generic photos of the ship, characters, ports of call, etc..” Not sure if ports of call means all the pics you take when you exit off the ship at the ports.

 

Can anyone who has been on a cruise very recently who has purchased a package share some insight on what is included?

 

[Cruise a holic]

29 minutes ago, Monkey0313 said:

I was reading the small print on the Royal Caribbean photo packages for my upcoming cruise. In the the small print. It doesn’t include some of the pics I would probably want and don’t want to purchase if they aren’t included especially the pics in the specialty restaurants. It doesn’t include “specialty dining photography, generic photos of the ship, characters, ports of call, etc..” Not sure if ports of call means all the pics you take when you exit off the ship at the ports.

 

Can anyone who has been on a cruise very recently who has purchased a package share some insight on what is included?

 

We typically purchase the unlimited photo package.  Now might have modified to a certain amount.  We get pics on a website from Royal.  Typically when we arrive home we are emailed the access codes.  We download the pics and make a home album from an outside vendor.  We decided which pics we want to include in the album.  When it was unlimited, a great bargain.  Still a good bargain if you want to purchase more then a handful of pictures.  Wonderful memories.   

[livingonthebeach]

35 minutes ago, Monkey0313 said:

I was reading the small print on the Royal Caribbean photo packages for my upcoming cruise. In the the small print. It doesn’t include some of the pics I would probably want and don’t want to purchase if they aren’t included especially the pics in the specialty restaurants. It doesn’t include “specialty dining photography, generic photos of the ship, characters, ports of call, etc..” Not sure if ports of call means all the pics you take when you exit off the ship at the ports.

 

Can anyone who has been on a cruise very recently who has purchased a package share some insight on what is included?

 

I've purchased the 10 pack and it included the pics they took when exiting the ship at ports and all of the onboard photos but not the specialty restaurant photos. 

[Monkey0313]

..

Edited June 18, 2023 by Monkey0313

[Monkey0313]

21 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We typically purchase the unlimited photo package.  Now might have modified to a certain amount.  We get pics on a website from Royal.  Typically when we arrive home we are emailed the access codes.  We download the pics and make a home album from an outside vendor.  We decided which pics we want to include in the album.  When it was unlimited, a great bargain.  Still a good bargain if you want to purchase more then a handful of pictures.  Wonderful memories.   

They don't offer the unlimited package for the cruise I am going on next month. Did the unlimited include speciality dining pictures? Every picture you took?

[FPP777]

What happens when you have two cabins, and both cabins have a photo package, can you take a picture together and hope its included? The small print gives me some pause.

 

• 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.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, FPP777 said:

What happens when you have two cabins, and both cabins have a photo package, can you take a picture together and hope its included?

Any picture you are in should be included (regardless of who else is in the pic).

[Pandamonia]

Beware that the photos are terrible quality with a size of around 1.1mb. 30usd for a single photo from a file size this small is terrible. 
 

I compared them to my own photos from a full frame 24mp Sony camera and the difference is massive. 
 

when paying this much you should get the raw file and a nicely processed JPEG not a 1mb file. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

41 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

Beware that the photos are terrible quality with a size of around 1.1mb. 30usd for a single photo from a file size this small is terrible. 
 

I compared them to my own photos from a full frame 24mp Sony camera and the difference is massive. 
 

when paying this much you should get the raw file and a nicely processed JPEG not a 1mb file. 

That's ridiculous.  We just returned from the DR and did an excursion.  $55 for all of the pictures we were in (61).  I think it was $10 more for each person after the first two. Got the download link less than an hour after leaving.  12x8, 300 pixels/inch, each file over 2mb.  Royal charges $300 for up to 100 pics?  Sorry, no.  

[mmtska]

2 hours ago, FPP777 said:

What happens when you have two cabins, and both cabins have a photo package, can you take a picture together and hope its included? The small print gives me some pause.

 

• 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.

Yeah they're basically saying that if you have 2 staterooms, the 2nd stateroom can't be by themselves in the picture for you to be able to purchase. Like if you're there, and they're there? No problem. It's just so people don't get 100 photos and 5 staterooms can utilize the package.

 

Also OP, the semi-colons are important: generic photos of the ship, generic photos of characters, generic photos of ports of call. So you take a pic at the port? Included. Random pic of the port? not included. 

[Cruise a holic]

20 hours ago, Monkey0313 said:

They don't offer the unlimited package for the cruise I am going on next month. Did the unlimited include speciality dining pictures? Every picture you took?

Yes.  And all of the port stops. Of course all poised pictures including boarding. It was an evening activity going from photographer to photographer.    Many years ago we got hard copies, but it took up all of the room in my carry-on!    LOL  In addition, as long as a person from the stateroom who purchased the package was in a picture, they all were included in the package.  Never had any issues.  Last time I purchased any package was about 1 1/2 years ago.  

Edited June 19, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[pasodancer]

FWIW:  The price of a single (digital) print is $24.99........WOW!  

[lovescats5]

We always purchase a photo package.  We have had specialty restaurant photos included in what we can purchase.  The last 2 cruises we have asked for and received a flash drive with the photos on it so we don't have to wait for a link.  Getting the photos taken can be a lot of fun as we take both serious and funny photos.

[mattR]

9 hours ago, lovescats5 said:

We always purchase a photo package.  We have had specialty restaurant photos included in what we can purchase.  The last 2 cruises we have asked for and received a flash drive with the photos on it so we don't have to wait for a link.  Getting the photos taken can be a lot of fun as we take both serious and funny photos.

How much do they charge for the flash drive?

 

[T-2]

Can I ask, the pictures on the flash drive, can you tell us how the file size was?  I have to admit, the only thing that has been frustrating is the quality when I go to use them in our photo books.  My SLR shots are usually at least 6gb, these are usually not quite or barely 1gb.  Did you bring your own flash drive to put them on- I would happily do that, even sealed and unopene,d if they allowed it and we could get better resolution for making memory books.  The size they give you must be more intended for social media use.

[lovescats5]

They did not charge us anything but they had said they would have to.  They also do not like to do that but we insisted, we had a family reunion cruise and had over 300 photos we were getting.  The quality was very good but I am not a photography person, although husband used to be big into photography and he thought they were very good.  You cannot bring you own drive, even sealed, as they will not use that.  Fun thing is the drive is one of the ship.  But, as I said, we had to insist because of the number of photos we did not want to wait for the photos to be sent via email.  This was on Allure.  On Symphony they were way nicer and offered to download them to the drive.  Guess different ships have different thoughts on that.  Good luck, however you get them.

[moposh]

I used to purchase pictures of the ship, but the last few times I have not seen those available.  Are they still available and you have to ask for them?

[D4]

On 6/18/2023 at 9:13 AM, Monkey0313 said:

They don't offer the unlimited package for the cruise I am going on next month. Did the unlimited include speciality dining pictures? Every picture you took?

I bought the 100 picture package on the Oasis in 2022 and again in 2023.  In each case, I was able to upgrade to an unlimited package onboard for an additional fee.  (They didn't list the unlimited package online or on the signage in the ship photo department.  I had to ask in the photo dept if unlimited was available.

 

Each of my pictures were great quality ... between 2 and 4 MB.

 

I never went to the specialty restaurants.

 

I had to choose to either get all 8x10 printed photos or to get an email with a link to the digital files.  There was not an option to get a flash drive.  I get the digital files.

 

I could have other people in my pictures as long as me or my husband was in the picture.  We made new friends onboard and included them in our pictures.  I then emailed those friends the digital pictures they were in.

[T-2]

I wonder if the file size varies by ship, I thought my previous purchases had printed out really nicely in my photobook of the cruise, but the last ones were barely a mb or so, definitely not able to crop if there is someone in the background you didn't want included in your photo.  On the Wonder of the Seas they had such amazing new backdrops and photographers, I will try again on the Icon- fingers crossed they are more like the 2 to 4mb range. I love keeping photo memories.

[TheBucketLister]

5 hours ago, D4 said:

I bought the 100 picture package on the Oasis in 2022 and again in 2023.  In each case, I was able to upgrade to an unlimited package onboard for an additional fee.  (They didn't list the unlimited package online or on the signage in the ship photo department.  I had to ask in the photo dept if unlimited was available.

I had to choose to either get all 8x10 printed photos or to get an email with a link to the digital files.  There was not an option to get a flash drive. 

1.  What was the up charge for the unlimited and is it based on what you originally paid for the 100 photos?  For example I paid $125 for the package on Anthem.

2.  Also there was no option to get a mix of print versus digital, it is either one or the other?

[2inSETexas]

I have found RCCL’s digital process unpredictable at best, irresponsible at worst. A few years ago we purchased digital downloads and had the pictures very soon after the cruise (within a day or two).

 

Our recent cruise the process has been terrible. We purchased 5 digital pictures, and were told they would be sent via a link on email within 4-7 days. It’s been 10 days now and still no email (others in our travel group have already received theirs). We called RCCL and they told us the ship was wrong, it takes 10-14 days. They assured us the purchase was still in progress, but each day I’m expectating less and less from RCCL. Absolutely terrible process.

 

I’ve never sailed a cruise line where I didn’t have my digital pictures before I even left the ship.

Edited June 21, 2023 by 2inSETexas

[dna1990]

It does vary from ship to ship.   There are completely different "systems" in use across the fleet.   Allure seems to suk.  

 

We have had no luck recently with packages being able to mix print/digital.  The pkg only digital.   But.  Once you picked for a digital, there was an option to reprint physical, but at another $5 each.   

 

Also be aware of any C&A discounts you may have available to you.  I think Emerald has buy 1, 50% off next.  Diamond has one free print per person.  Etc.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

14 hours ago, TheBucketLister said:

 Also there was no option to get a mix of print versus digital, it is either one or the other?

I'm curious, why would you want a mix?  Is it just to make sure you have something (in case you never get the link like what happened to PP)?  

[TheBucketLister]

2 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I'm curious, why would you want a mix?  Is it just to make sure you have something (in case you never get the link like what happened to PP)?  

 

I create a commemorative framed and matted collage so to speak of every cruise we take.  I include the embarkation photo as well as a generated map route and the SeaPass cards of everyone.  That way I don't have to use my ink and printer paper for the prints.  I also like having a digital copy so I can include them in my photo library.  Plus my wife creates a photo album for each cruise as well.

Edited June 22, 2023 by TheBucketLister

[S.A.M.J.R.]

11 hours ago, TheBucketLister said:

 

I create a commemorative framed and matted collage so to speak of every cruise we take.  I include the embarkation photo as well as a generated map route and the SeaPass cards of everyone.  That way I don't have to use my ink and printer paper for the prints.  I also like having a digital copy so I can include them in my photo library.  Plus my wife creates a photo album for each cruise as well.

But if you have the digital downloads, you can print at various stores in your area for MUCH cheaper than having them printed on the ship, no?  Maybe that's just my "cheapness" showing.