Carnival Photo Policy

[DZJ]

Now, I know more than likely I will be flamed for my post here – but I am looking for opinions here…

My wife and I just hopped off of the Valor and we were very disappointed with the Carnival Photo Booths and their policies. When we traveled on the Glory in June 2007 we were paying $11.95 for each Formal Night 8x10 photo then. On the Valor the price has increased to $21.95, I can understand an increase over 18-months but a near 50% increase we felt was excessive.

My wife and I travel alone, so we are always relying on pictures like the formal night ones and the ones as we get on and off the gangway as additional photos to add to our collections and scrapbooks. After we found out about the price increase, we refused to buy any of our portraits out of principle of the matter. Unfortunately we didn’t discover this price until late in our cruise, and we wasted considerable time in lines waiting for pictures that although turned out great, but we’re possibly overpriced.

Our problem isn’t necessarily with the pricing of Carnival’s photos but rather the process involved. On Carnival if you didn’t want an 8x10, you have to buy it just to get the 5x7 or whatever other size you wanted. Plus Carnival also has excessive waste in their system as thousands of photos are printed and then thrown away or sent to be recycled. Also, with so many companies worried about their fictional "carbon footprint," we see Carnival creating excessive waste that also increases the price you and I pay per photo.

We are Disney fans and have traveled to the Magic Kingdom dozens of times, never cruised with them, but we have to assume their cruising uses the same process. Anyways, Disney scans their “photo card” barcode and your photos are then digitally sent to a photo center that has kiosks and never prints photos until you are ready to purchase, and then those photos also appear in the size you want, without having to purchase an 8x10 to get a 5x7. These photos are also available online for an extended time frame, allowing you to share with your friends and family and allowing them to order prints. Disney also offers a photo CD of all photos taken for roughly $100, which is what my wife and I always do (We usually try and track down every photographer we can find in this fashion.).

Couldn’t Carnival implement something similar with their S&S card barcodes and use digital kiosks to save on excess printing fees? This can bring prices down for the portrait studio and lower the final per photo price, and perhaps allow the cruise line to sell additional prints, thus increasing profits. Creating a digital system will allow you to also expand your purchasing power to beyond the 7-day cruise and also allow you to share the opportunity to have your friends and family purchase copies of the photos.

What is everyone’s opinion on this?

[Cruiser23490578]

Now, I know more than likely I will be flamed for my post here – but I am looking for opinions here…

My wife and I just hopped off of the Valor and we were very disappointed with the Carnival Photo Booths and their policies. When we traveled on the Glory in June 2007 we were paying $11.95 for each Formal Night 8x10 photo then. On the Valor the price has increased to $21.95, I can understand an increase over 18-months but a near 50% increase we felt was excessive.

My wife and I travel alone, so we are always relying on pictures like the formal night ones and the ones as we get on and off the gangway as additional photos to add to our collections and scrapbooks. After we found out about the price increase, we refused to buy any of our portraits out of principle of the matter. Unfortunately we didn’t discover this price until late in our cruise, and we wasted considerable time in lines waiting for pictures that although turned out great, but we’re possibly overpriced.

Our problem isn’t necessarily with the pricing of Carnival’s photos but rather the process involved. On Carnival if you didn’t want an 8x10, you have to buy it just to get the 5x7 or whatever other size you wanted. Plus Carnival also has excessive waste in their system as thousands of photos are printed and then thrown away or sent to be recycled. Also, with so many companies worried about their fictional "carbon footprint," we see Carnival creating excessive waste that also increases the price you and I pay per photo.

We are Disney fans and have traveled to the Magic Kingdom dozens of times, never cruised with them, but we have to assume their cruising uses the same process. Anyways, Disney scans their “photo card” barcode and your photos are then digitally sent to a photo center that has kiosks and never prints photos until you are ready to purchase, and then those photos also appear in the size you want, without having to purchase an 8x10 to get a 5x7. These photos are also available online for an extended time frame, allowing you to share with your friends and family and allowing them to order prints. Disney also offers a photo CD of all photos taken for roughly $100, which is what my wife and I always do (We usually try and track down every photographer we can find in this fashion.).

Couldn’t Carnival implement something similar with their S&S card barcodes and use digital kiosks to save on excess printing fees? This can bring prices down for the portrait studio and lower the final per photo price, and perhaps allow the cruise line to sell additional prints, thus increasing profits. Creating a digital system will allow you to also expand your purchasing power to beyond the 7-day cruise and also allow you to share the opportunity to have your friends and family purchase copies of the photos.

What is everyone’s opinion on this?

 

Sounds like a great idea! Have you sent your comments directly to Carnival? If not, I hope you intend to and I'd be interested in their response so please post it if you get one. Thanks:)

[home_sea_home]

That does sound like a good idea. Goodness knows how long it takes to find your photo among the thousands of others!! Maybe you could write a letter to Carnival's guest relations department? Or contact John Heald on his blog?

I would be interested to hear their response to this.

[Leia]

Heck even a proof sheet would be less wasteful. Disney also has monitors available at their hotels so people can peruse their pictures while they are still there.

 

Definitely someone should suggest this to John Heald. He's not much of an environmentalist, sadly, but even he would have to admit that all of those piles of unbought pictures are a waste of someone's time and money.

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

Yes I agree, I think it's time for Carnival to update their photo system and get with the times. But in some ways I find it to be cheap entertainment looking for my pictures and stumbling across many funny stranger's pictures as well!

[MonaCK]

No flames from here - I also think that carnival's photo policy is wasteful, and there is no reason that they can't tie in pictures to a passanger's S&S card, so that you can later decide if you want to buy pictures or not - keep a digital archive, and they might even make more money in the long run from folks who down the line want to buy pictures of their vacation.

 

We didn't bother with pictures on our last trip. We doubt we will on this trip as well.

[nagster]

It is a very good idea, Carnival does need to get into the digital/electronic age regarding the photos.

[GoinCruisin]

I was paying $19.95 in 2007 for 8x10's... are you sure you didn't get some sort of discount??? $11.95 doesn't sound right for 8x10's in 2007... or 2006, or 2005 :p LOL

 

But I've said before they should offer the photo CD... they would sell a ton of them, save the hassle of people walking around searching for pictures, etc. I also wish they would allow you to view them in your stateroom... you can see your S&S bill... why not your dang pics :rolleyes:

[KULPN]

No flames from here - I also think that carnival's photo policy is wasteful, and there is no reason that they can't tie in pictures to a passanger's S&S card, so that you can later decide if you want to buy pictures or not - keep a digital archive, and they might even make more money in the long run from folks who down the line want to buy pictures of their vacation.

 

We didn't bother with pictures on our last trip. We doubt we will on this trip as well.

I have to agree. I don't even think the quality of the photos were as good as 2 years ago.

[tkportersat]

Me too, they haven't gone up at all, that has always been the price since I started cruising in 2002 (or pretty darn close anyways).

 

I agree about the barcode thing, that would save a lot of waste. RC was doing something similar on the Voyager last year....you could use your card at a kiosk but they were also printing the pictures. I always buy pictures but hate the endless searching!!

 

I was paying $19.95 in 2007 for 8x10's... are you sure you didn't get some sort of discount??? $11.95 doesn't sound right for 8x10's in 2007... or 2006, or 2005 :p LOL

 

But I've said before they should offer the photo CD... they would sell a ton of them, save the hassle of people walking around searching for pictures, etc. I also wish they would allow you to view them in your stateroom... you can see your S&S bill... why not your dang pics :rolleyes:

[Luluwa]

I agree that digging through the photos is a nice before or after dinner exercise and some photos are funny, mine included! ;)

 

Yes I agree, I think it's time for Carnival to update their photo system and get with the times. But in some ways I find it to be cheap entertainment looking for my pictures and stumbling across many funny stranger's pictures as well!

[sanmarcosman]

It's the way to go without a doubt. Please share this with John Heald's Blog. Carnival listens to him.

[vacruizer]

I completely agree. The whole thing is wasteful and there have been quite a few times we would have bought the picture if we'd had the option of a size other than an 8x10 so Carnival lost our money there.

 

I love the idea of a picture CD, or at least kiosks where you can select what you want and then have it printed in the size you want.

[kelz66]

I was paying $19.95 in 2007 for 8x10's... are you sure you didn't get some sort of discount??? $11.95 doesn't sound right for 8x10's in 2007... or 2006, or 2005 :p LOL

 

But I've said before they should offer the photo CD... they would sell a ton of them, save the hassle of people walking around searching for pictures, etc. I also wish they would allow you to view them in your stateroom... you can see your S&S bill... why not your dang pics :rolleyes:

 

Imagine what elese thay can put in the place of the photo display areas.....maybe something that might generate more money...LOL

 

geee...be more efficient, save money and possibly generate more income....they will never do it...it makes too much sense...LOL

 

:p:rolleyes:

[old sole]

Now, I know more than likely I will be flamed for my post here – but I am looking for opinions here…

My wife and I just hopped off of the Valor and we were very disappointed with the Carnival Photo Booths and their policies. When we traveled on the Glory in June 2007 we were paying $11.95 for each Formal Night 8x10 photo then. On the Valor the price has increased to $21.95, I can understand an increase over 18-months but a near 50% increase we felt was excessive.

My wife and I travel alone, so we are always relying on pictures like the formal night ones and the ones as we get on and off the gangway as additional photos to add to our collections and scrapbooks. After we found out about the price increase, we refused to buy any of our portraits out of principle of the matter. Unfortunately we didn’t discover this price until late in our cruise, and we wasted considerable time in lines waiting for pictures that although turned out great, but we’re possibly overpriced.

Our problem isn’t necessarily with the pricing of Carnival’s photos but rather the process involved. On Carnival if you didn’t want an 8x10, you have to buy it just to get the 5x7 or whatever other size you wanted. Plus Carnival also has excessive waste in their system as thousands of photos are printed and then thrown away or sent to be recycled. Also, with so many companies worried about their fictional "carbon footprint," we see Carnival creating excessive waste that also increases the price you and I pay per photo.

We are Disney fans and have traveled to the Magic Kingdom dozens of times, never cruised with them, but we have to assume their cruising uses the same process. Anyways, Disney scans their “photo card” barcode and your photos are then digitally sent to a photo center that has kiosks and never prints photos until you are ready to purchase, and then those photos also appear in the size you want, without having to purchase an 8x10 to get a 5x7. These photos are also available online for an extended time frame, allowing you to share with your friends and family and allowing them to order prints. Disney also offers a photo CD of all photos taken for roughly $100, which is what my wife and I always do (We usually try and track down every photographer we can find in this fashion.).

Couldn’t Carnival implement something similar with their S&S card barcodes and use digital kiosks to save on excess printing fees? This can bring prices down for the portrait studio and lower the final per photo price, and perhaps allow the cruise line to sell additional prints, thus increasing profits. Creating a digital system will allow you to also expand your purchasing power to beyond the 7-day cruise and also allow you to share the opportunity to have your friends and family purchase copies of the photos.

What is everyone’s opinion on this?

 

1. $21.95 is not a lot for a professionally done 8X10 portrait

2. I agree that the on-board process of printing every photo & trashing the vast majority is a huge waste and that digital pre-screening as used in theme parks is much superior.

3. Disney Cruise Line does not use the system used in the parks. the shipboard process is exactly like Carnival's (at least it was in 2007).

[sophie_lou]

We've been to Disney many times and their photo system is very streamlined. I love being able to go home and enter the code into my computer and take the time to look through all our photos and choose to order which ones we want.

 

Sandals resorts also have a great system. You just visit the photo shop and look up your account on the computer. We bought a CD and split it amongst the group of us and then could do what we wanted to when we got home.

 

C'mon Carnival...use the technology that's available...it's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

[3rinDenver]

I also got off the Valor over a week ago and was a little shocked by the prices as well. My hubby is a professional photographer....and while we sometimes liked the photos we had, we couldn't legitimize spending $21.95 on a mediocre 8 x 10 just for the memory.

 

After coming back from the trip, I know that our family members might like the opportunity to purchase our photos and it would have been nice to be given a link to a website where we could search for our photos and order them post-cruise. (And I hear you on getting the 5 x 7 standalone without having to get the 8 x 10!)

[sewut]

I totally agree. In fact I mentioned it on my comment card when I got off our Conquest cruise last week. We always buy the boarding picture, and I wanted to put them in a Carnival photo album. Some of them were printed out 5 x 7, and some are 8 x 10s, so I have to scan and reprint some of them. Photos are my weakness on cruises. Some of you have high bar tabs, mine are photos. If they must print them out, why not in 5 x7 size? They would take up less room in the displays and cost less. I would rather do it like Disney does though for the same reasons others have posted.

 

Sewut

[JeanieTheMom]

My roommate and I had this discussion the last day of our cruise. (The waste, not the prices.) We had it all figured out where the kiosks would be, how you would call up your photos, etc. But since we didn't tell anyone, we'll never get the credit. They won't pay us big bucks for our wonderful idea, and you folks here won't even believe we thought of all this.:D

 

I also know of at least one person who took some of the photos without paying for them. I haven't seen this being discussed on the boards before, but I can see how it could happen with all but the biggest pictures.

[Ship Addict]

Wonderful idea! I would gladly pay $100 for a CD of all my photos instead of having to pick 5 out of the bunch for that same $100. We didn't buy any this last time cos we didn't want to waste our vacation time searching thru all of them. If I could just say gimme the CD, that would be short and sweet!

 

The electronic system would cut down on so much theft! How many people just walk out of the photo area without paying for their pics or take pictures of their pics??

 

Shall we start a comment card/letter writing campaign? :D

[Nyctor118]

Disney scans their “photo card” barcode and your photos are then digitally sent to a photo center that has kiosks and never prints photos until you are ready to purchase, and then those photos also appear in the size you want, without having to purchase an 8x10 to get a 5x7. These photos are also available online for an extended time frame, allowing you to share with your friends and family and allowing them to order prints. Disney also offers a photo CD of all photos taken for roughly $100, which is what my wife and I always do (We usually try and track down every photographer we can find in this fashion.).

Couldn’t Carnival implement something similar with their S&S card barcodes and use digital kiosks to save on excess printing fees? This can bring prices down for the portrait studio and lower the final per photo price, and perhaps allow the cruise line to sell additional prints, thus increasing profits. Creating a digital system will allow you to also expand your purchasing power to beyond the 7-day cruise and also allow you to share the opportunity to have your friends and family purchase copies of the photos.

What is everyone’s opinion on this?

 

I was thinking exactly the same thing. The amount of photos that must be thrown away is tremendous. If they did it the way Disney did, you would even have the opportunity of accessing your photos for a limited time after the cruise ended, and it would be a more green way to offer photo service.

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I guess my family is just wierd...we actually LOOK FORWARD to picture hunting several times throughout the cruise. We make a game of it with the kids: who can find our family pics first (on larger ships it can be quite difficult with 3,000+ people on board!!

 

But I am very realistic when it comes to cruise photos, I buy ALL of them unless they are really terrible, and these are usually our family portraits for the whole year except for school photos, and I figure I would spend a couple hundred on land for portraits, so I always include $200 in the cruise budget for photo purchases. Plus I pay $10 or $20 to get my digital pics on disc a few times during the cruise when my chip is full.

 

To me, when I am spending $8,500 on the cruise (5 people, 2 suites), a few hundered for the photos isn't really gonna make much difference....:eek:

[Azure Moon]

A change in the picture department is long over due.

I like the idea mentioned of looking at and purchasing long after the cruise is over.

The first four cruises we'd look for our pictures and purchased one or two from each. Many times specific pictures we were looking for were not to be found :confused:.

The last cruise we didn't pose for any pictures. I think they're too high priced and I don't like having to buy one item in order to get another. While others like to hunt for their pictures, I find it a hassle.

I think the space used to display the photographs could be better used in another way. Possibly expand the amount of scrapbooking items or other picture taking goods, expand a store, or add more seating, or whatever.

[rcoaster809]

I have written this on my comment everytime! I think Disney's system is so much better, and I have even customized a border on a photo and ordered once I returned from a trip to Disney World.

 

Cruise Critic wrote an article about a new system at the Seatrade Convention. I really hope this starts catching on, I haven't read any updates since this article.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2453

[cruisinmeme]

i have learned after cruising for over 10 yrs to cut down on photo's. it was a slow process. sadly you have to take them several places to make sure that you have one to buy. by the way....... our first cruise was march 1998 and we paid 19.95 for 8x10's. this went on for alot of years then it went to 21.95 never saw any for the low price mentioned.

waste..... get this. we say two boys (maybe pre-teen) running wild and taking a gob of photo's at each station, no parents to be seen. the photographer should of said no to that little ordeal.

we have helped with the waste situation by just not taking some at certain times (one's we know we will not purchase)

for the life of me i never found some on the conquest lately. just too many picture's to look through.