11Bravo

I have struggled with whether to bring binoculars on a cruise. We never have, but plan to on the next one. I have a larger pair of Nikon binoculars I use at home (rarely) to view wildlife on my property, but I recently bought a small Leupold pair that I plan to bring on our next voyage in November. I expect to keep them on the balcony, not while on an excursion, but we'll see. They are lightweight enough that throwing them in a bag won't be overwhelming.

I sincerely appreciate your detailed and thorough reflection on this voyage, dwHokie. We are on Harmony in 5 days, and all your posts are a wealth of knowledge! I love your balcony GoPro videos. I ordered a similar tripod and security cables to attempt my own balcony time lapse videos. We too, were on the Allure last year on this same itinerary. This is a fun trip, and we're look forward to making more memories with friends and family!

I think you made a good decision. I've seen great results from Rokinon for astrophotography. I'm considering picking one up as a dedicated lens for the same purpose over my 24mm 2.8 Nikkor lens.

We were on Allure out of Galveston last December. The new RCI terminal is really nice and flows well - from arrival and security through embarkation. Be sure to take some time to look at the incredible art in the terminal. Debarkation was just as smooth with luggage pickup and customs taking only a short time.