avalon007

Hey Avalon,

 

We always have two non-DSLR cameras with us (one waterproof for snorkeling, or rainy conditions, and a compact camera with a long zoom), because sometimes believe it or not, I just don't want to carry all my gear:). Plus, I can't bring the big cameras in some places. The Canon Powershot SX500 IS looks like a pretty good choice. We had a Canon Powershot SX40 HS with us for this trip - it's what I used for almost all the interior ship and a lot of the show photos. Bev also used it to shoot all the video on the trip - 1080p with stereo. However, it already been discontinued.

 

So, my suggestion, even though it's a little more, is the Canon Powershot SX50 HS. It's advantages over the SX500 are - 50X zoom versus 30X, faster burst mode 13 frames per second versus 2.8, super fast 0.19 sec focusing (our SX40 was rated at 0.38 sec which I felt was fast for a compact), 1080p video vs 720p, and one of the biggest keys - a top ISO of 6400 for the SX50 vs 1600 for the SX500. Usually the highest ISO setting isn't very useable, so you're really looking at 3200 ISO vs 800 ISO, which can be very useful.

 

There are lots of good camera brands out there, but we pretty much stick to Canon and Olympus for all our camera needs. Good luck and have fun deciding!

 

L.J.

Thanks LJ,

That is very helpful.

I hadn't considered the SX50 HS as I thought it may be bigger & bulkier to carry around than the SX500, but maybe not?

I have also found the Sony DSC-H200V which seems to be in my price range & of a similar type, do you have an opinion on which may have the edge for my needs?

Both the Sony & Canon SX50HS are on sale this weekend at a local store so I will go & have a lok at them tomorrow probably.

I've enjoyed your thread, just waiting for the pics to come back up to show my hubby why I have to upgrade our camera! LOL

I've also found you a very easy going & tolerant of all the questions you have been asked multiple times I'm sure. Thank you for a pleasant read.:)

So if you have time could you advise me on some recommended must do's in Alaska? I'm trying to get a handle on what to do in Alaska without seeing too much of the same thing that it gets overkill.

This trip will be at the start of a 6.5 week holiday for us & we are doing the west coast of Canada after Alaska so a lot of beautiful scenery. But we find that if we have seen 4 hours of gorgeous scenery on a train trip for example, we don't want to do the 8 hour trip if the scenery in the second half is really much the same as the first.

We prefer to do a variety of things in a day than one thing all day.

In Alaska we are doing a cruise tour, 5 days touring including Denali Tundra Wilderness& going on the Wilderness Express train, Talkeetna, Aleyska, Anchorage & Seward. Followed by the cruise with the same ports as your cruise I believe.

I'm trying to work out if all glaciers for example are more or less the same, some a little more spectacular, some bigger etc but still not so different that seeing as many as possible is a must do?

We have been to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons before so have seen moose, elk, bison & so on but missed out on bears, so they are on the list.

Although seeing all wildlife is good, just some more so since we have not seen them before.

I would like to see killer whales or orcas as they are called over there, any suggestions for the most likely places?

We see humpbacks here where we live so they are not a priorty for us compared to other species.

We are not into fishing trips (sorry) but do want to see the salmon run etc if we are there at the right time (late Aug/early Sept).

Love old towns with lots of history, don't mind touristy things if they are well done.

We are active & fit enough to do most things & wanted to know where we can walk on a glacier but not have to fly onto one if possible? (too expensive for us)

Basically coming from Australia we don't see much in the way of ice or snow (although we do have ski fields, just not glaciers etc), so we want to be on snow/ice as some stage.

Thanks, any suggestions gratefully recieved.:)

Hi LJ,

I used to have a Canon EOS SLR pre digital but that was a long time ago.

Have had just a small digital camera for the last few years & after seeing your inspiring pics have deicded to make at least some sort of upgrade for our Alaska trip later this year.

Having said that I'm not going for the full SLR but something in between with just some more zoom & still compact enough to fit in a small camera bag, no extra lenses etc.

I was looking at a Canon Powershot SX500 IS which I know would be a toy to serious photographers but was hoping it would be able to give me decent pics of Alaskan wildlife etc.

Any advice you would be able to give would be appreciated.:)

Hmm, interesting, I'm doing 3 cruises with Royal in August.

A cruise/tour in Alaska Sourthbound then spend a week in Vancouver until we can pick the ship up again to do the B2B which is Vancouver to Honolulu, followed by the trans Pacific Honolulu to Sydney, 39 days all up with Royal.

I wonder if Royal would like to repay my loyalty (5 cruises with them in 18mths) by paying for my hotel for the 7 nights in Vancouver!? :p:D

Dream on....., unfortunately not even any OBC for any of them either as had to book on land prior to any WOW sale a few months back & before my recent NZ cruise to secure cabins as the cruises were selling out fast.

Timing is everything I guess & mine sucked this time round.:rolleyes:

Fingers crossed a C&A voucher will be offered for at least one of them in the next 2 quarters. :)

Anyone ever get any OBC or other freebies for booking 3 or more decent length B2B (almost) cruises at once?

Having done a cruise with Royal doesn't mean you are a C&A member, you still have to join the club during or after your first cruise which is free & you can get past cruise points applied.

Being just a Gold C&A member even has it's perks, like priority boarding - we got onboard Voyager a few weeks ago at 11am no problem.

The welcome back get together with free alcoholic drinks & canapes, plus a quick hello/thankyou from the Captain & staff.

The voucher booklet per member, we had $10 worth of free internet, some free alcoholic or soft drinks, Johnny Rockets Milkshakes, casino vouchers & lots more 10% type discounts off shops & spa etc etc

You can also take advantage of any C&A member savings certificates posted online in the members section, we got $200 off our recent cruise using one of these vouchers.

Here is the link to the benefits per level.

After Gold you get bathrobes in your non suite cabin, extra party events, behind the scenes ship tours, discounts on balcony & staterooms, welcome gifts etc.

If you are lucky enough to get onboard a cruise that has been declared a 'members cruise' it means you will get gifts throughout the cruise & have more special events you can attend. Our first cruise was a members cruise & our MDR fellow table guests were C&A members - the gifts they got were really nice.

We will be 15 days short of Diamond by the time we get back from our cruises later this year so will be interesting to see how the perks improve as we climb the C&A ladder.:D

Diamond & above members also get additional perks such as their own lounge area etc.

After Gold level you can get reciprocal perks on Celebrity/Azzamara cruises also owned by RCCL so you can cruise most anywhere in the world with those 3.

I figure if you are intending to cruise a bit over the next decade or so then it's worth joining a cruise line loyalty program, especially since it's free to do so.

Hi,

Can someone please post a link to the page on the RCCL site regards the new tipping policy. Thank you.

I'm an Australian & just finished my 2nd RCCL cruise last week to NZ, I haven't heard of this change (nor received an email) until reading this thread, is it only for US based cruises or worldwide?

We have not pre paid in the past but always took cash & always tipped above the recommended rate, with quite a bit extra at times for really good service (despite coming from a non tipping culture - when in Rome...as they say).

But I would prefer to have it included as getting the right cash sorted etc is sometimes a hassle.

We normally have late dining seating but will be changing to MTD ongoing as this last cruise we were the only ones that turned up each night on a table for 6, bar 1 night when 2 other guest came once on about day 9.

We were disappointed that we had no other guests to chat with at dinner & sorry for our waiters who had several not full tables so would get less tips, so at least with MTD we can ask to share a table with others & meet people every night! :)

Lastly, does anyone know if you have already booked cruises prior to the new tipping policy, does it change the amount etc or is this for new bookings only?

We have 3 cruises booked for later this year, 2 with MTD & one late dining which we will be changing to MTD if available.

We will still tip extra for good service on top of the prepaid tips.

Thank you for the review. We are sailing Jan. 27th coming from North Carolina USA. Appreciate the pictures.

Hi,

Please feel free to join our roll call thread for the VOS 27 Jan cruise to NZ.:)

I would add that a COPY of your passport will not suffice--must be the original.:o

I believe an Australian drivers licence with Photo ID is also acceptable, can you confirm if you know that is correct ILoveCruising2?

Much rather carry around the DL's than the passports.:)

We are doing the train trip on our upcoming cruise, arranged the 4 hour one which goes to Pukerangi instead of Middlemarch as it leaves time to visit Lanarch castle in the afternoon.

Is there much between Pukerangi & Middlemarch worth seeing or is the best part between Dunedin & Pukerangi would you say?

Did you get to the castle?

Thank you for your compliment. Even as our first PM insisted on English as the working official language, he also made a second language compulsory. It was called the bi-lingual policy. For the Chinese Singaporeans, it would mean taking up Chinese. It was tough, trying to juggle both languages. But it certainly has borne fruit - in the world today, being able to speak both English and Mandarin could give a person significant advantages.

 

Back to the issue of Royal placing Chinese staff at their front desk, my best guess is that they need such staff to deal with their new market - China!

 

We did have some conversations with staff onboard. The Voyager sails from China during her summer months. You can imagine that managing the Chinese crowds would be very challenging as many of them do not speak English. I remember that as we were disembarking from our Singapore to Shanghai June 2012 Voyager cruise, the Day 1 Cruise Compasses waiting on the attendant's trolley to be delivered to the staterooms were in Mandarin!!

 

Needless to say, I personally would not recommend sailing out of China at this juncture, unless it is a re-positioning. I have heard of some stories from Singaporeans who have taken those cruises, and even we don't really like it, and we speak the language!

I understand when sailing out of China they would need Chinese speaking staff, but when sailing out of Australia for 6 months of the year the majority of passengers from my experience are Australian, they need to consider shuffling staff to best suit the passenger demographic.

Good tip about chinese sailings, I had been considering one for 2014, I had visited China in 1988 & Hong Kong since then & would like to see how they have changed, which is lots from what I can tell.

I would find it difficult though having lots of Chinese food choices on board because my experience is that Chinese food is not what Australians think of as Chinese, very different than the local Chinese restaurant & I enjoy cruising & dining on more familiar fare.:)

My uncle by marriage is Chinese (left China in his 20's) so I'm familiar with Chinese people, I didn't have any issues travelling in China, although the food was awful, even the western dishes all tasted of Chinese spices.

But a land based China trip followed by a short Shanghai to Singapore & repositioning home may be OK.

I wonder how the passenger demographic on the Shanghai to Singapore and the Singapore to Sydney cruises would compare to the fully Chinese cruises?

Singapore is a young nation, gaining independence in 1965. Our very enlightened founding Prime Minister, Cambridge-educated Mr Lee Kuan Yew, decided that English would be our working language and all things were to be done in English, including schooling, Government, business etc. It was a controversial decision simply because 75% of Singapore's population was Chinese (and that time, there was a strong sympathy for Communism and such). So, an iron-fist was required. :)

 

We are much better off today because we have a working population that is English literate.

 

As for your second question, you are right. There may be some issues with English speaking staff on board. I think your experience would crucially depend on the nationality of the staff that are serving you.

 

In our case, it turned out that our waitress and assistant waiter were both very experienced Filipinos. Their command of English was very good. Our stateroom attendant was also a Filipino and his English was also good.

 

However, I did notice a fair number of staff from China onboard. For instance, the guy serving me the alcohol at the MDR was a nice chap from China. His English was barely passable. I ended up conversing with him in Mandarin, when asking for beer recommendations.

 

Similary, many of the front service desk staff were from China. I didn't really need the help from the front desk, but I would think that not all of them have a strong command of English.

 

Even the Crown and Anchor loyalty Manager (Ms Anita from China) and her staff speak English that one would perhaps consider to be passable, though the accent may be a little bit difficult to understand for those unacquainted. When we bought our future cruise certificate, we also ended up conversing with the C&A staff in Mandarin.

Thanks for the detailed reply, seems the reports are correct then.

Hopefully they will improve their language skills as they travel with more english speaking people.

Unfortunately most Australians will not be able to revert to Manadarin, so could be frustrating at times.

I'm suprised Royal place people with poor language skills or hard to understand accents in front desk areas where commincation is paramount.

I try to be tolerant of language barriers, but you are often left wondering if the point you are making actually got across.

I have found that Phillipno people usually speak good english with a strong american accent.

I see why the people in Singapore speak english so well now, I agree your first PM was a wise man & has set Singapore up well for the future, especially since english is the international language of business.

Plus a little known but beneficial result of that decision, the abilty for Singaporian's to write excellent, clear & concise cruise reviews on English speaking cruise forums!! :D

Great pics, enjoying your review as usual.

I have a question regards staff speaking English.

Not sure if English is your main language but if not it's so good you wouldn't know it wasn't. :) Although in Singapore I recalled many people spoke English very well anyway.

So I think you would be in a good position to judge if what has been said on other threads is correct, that many of the new Voyager Asian staff brought on board for the pre Australia cruising, do not speak english very well, causing communication problems for some passengers?

Did you find this was the case?

I think the helicopter ride because it will give you a better understanding of the layout of Sydney & it's harbour.

It always makes me think that a giant must have took a big bucket of water & threw it over the land, all the little bays & inlets are like the big puddle left behind.

But if time & finances allow, then try to do both, otherwise the pylon climb still gives you great views & a 'bridge' experience.

Although if you do miss one, then all the more reason to come back! :)

Enjoying your review! :)

Can you please advise if the windjammer was no self serve due to the Noro problem?

Did the captain address the issue that Voyager from what we hear on this forum has had Noro from the Singapore to Sydney cruise continuously?

Also, do they have the frozen yoghurt machines on Voyager, if so, were these still self serve?

Thanks.

Where people actually looking at the eclipse without eye protection at all?

I saw a show on one of the current affairs programs this week with an eye specialist saying how many people will have suffered possibly irreversable eye damage from watching the eclipse.:eek:

I assume the cruise line would have had experts on board to advise how to view it safely?

Hi anyone cruising on Voyager out of Sydney on Jan 27th 2013

Come and join us on the roll call thread devoted to the Voyager Jan 27th 2013 cruise here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34588878&posted=1#post34588878

If you want to be part of the onboard meet & mingle don't forget to sign up with RCCL, instructions in the roll call thread post #54 :)

The Portofino restaurant was located beside the Windjammer. The connecting door was opened in the morning, as Portofino was used as the breakfast area for Gold Seapass card holders.

 

 

Regards this breakfast area for Gold Pass, is that people on the first rung of the Crown & Anchor- ie Gold level?

Did it still use the same buffet?

Where did the higher level C&A passengers sit? Just curious.:)

Come visit Singapore again! We have this new Gardens by the Bay which is awesome. Our Government spent more than a billion Singapore dollars to build it.

 

We didn't try the Ben & Jerry's ice cream. There was ice cream available in the MDR everyday.

After reading your review, I am seriously thinking about a cruise on Voyager when she returns to Asia next year!

I'm sure there is loads of new things to see & do in Singapore since my last visit.

Great review- thanks!

It's been a few years since I have been back to Singapore- but I always liked it & it was very clean compared to other asian countries I visited.

I can highly recommend it to anyone visiting Asia.

I love Singapore airlines as well, one of the better airlines IMO.

We are on Voyager in January to NZ, looking forward to it after enjoying Radiance earlier this year.

I love deserts as well! How did you find the Ben & Jerry's icecream parlour on Voyager- I heard it was about $4.50 per scoop?