On-board Photographers - your thoughts?

Hi all

I've just finished sorting through all my photos from our last cruise including the purchased ones from the on-board photographers.

Like many others, I think it such a waste that so many photos are simply thrown away.

If they weren't so expensive or if we could have some specials like 2 for the price of 1, I'm sure more would be purchased.

Your thoughts?

Gae

Personally I hate being on that side of the camera and the very worst pic is the embarkation one where you have been travelling all day and you just need a cuppa and a shower..

Last few cruises I have been on we have been delayed getting off in some ports with a short stay because they have to take a snap of everyone getting off does my head in...

I avoid the photographers. Whilst I feel sorry for them, as they are just doing their job, it is MY holiday.

Money could be saved by the photographers only taking photos of people who want their photos taken.

All the photos are digital these days and the most money could be saved by not printing any until they're ordered. This system is in use on the Oasis of the Seas where your photos are available to view on screen. Personally, I'd prefer if they didn't try and take all the stupid embarkation and disembarkation shots with embarrassed crew members dressed as pirates .. that really gets on my nerves .. but the tasteful ones on formal nights and some of the dining table groups are OK.

The formal portrait are very hard to pass by, as the airbrushing is very flattering. We buy one every cruise , but that's the only one we get.

I agree it is a huge waste of paper, ink, labour and time (no wonder we pay $25 per photo). On our last Princess cruise, I noticed 2 staff members 'guarding' the prints when the display is opened.

I think for first time , or for once only cruisers , the photographers offer a great service...

Expensive but great.

The formals are probably good value compared to shoreside studio studies.

However for me, I have all the photo's I want or need so I am not interested in getting any more , unless they have a lens that takes a few years off ......:D:D

...as long as they dont hold me up , or hassle me , I have no problem with them.

I remember once getting off tenders in Bora Bora and being faced with a long line that was moving very slowly. The photographers had set up a rope and were holding everyone back to get shots of them arriving. I promptly dropped the rope and walked on, with everyone else following. You should have heard the abuse the photographers hurled at me.:eek:

I guess because people still buy them at the inflated prices they offer. A good family photo is still substantially cheaper than on land.

If they reduced them to $10-15 I am sure that any more people would buy a couple. I know I would be more inclined to.

I agree the formal night and dining room photos are usually good..but with modern cameras anyone can take reasonable photos. I think a package price would be more acceptable to most people. By the way I bought the Reflections video of my last trip $89USD I should have known better.... rubbish!

Sue

I've seen people taking photos of the photos with their digital camera. Also spotted a couple of shoplifters, shoving the print up their shirt and walking away. No shame.

But one of my favourite people-watching games is on cruises out of the US - American families posing for portraits (often in matching outfits) are so cheesy and corny, it's hilarious.

I like the idea of photo's, but yes I think they should be no more than $10.

I've seen people taking photos of the photos with their digital camera. Also spotted a couple of shoplifters, shoving the print up their shirt and walking away. No shame.

 

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I took 3 virgin cruisers with me last cruise and one of them suggested this is what she would do!

I very quickly told her that it wasn't allowed but that there would probably be a "2 for 1" sale towards the end of the cruise.

Unfortunately, if there was we missed it though I kept an eye out for it in the daily planner.

Their whole business model is wrong and based on what the cruise line wants. They have to change their whole system. No body wants a begging photographer on their knees in port trying to take your photo with strangers in stupic costumes with a dirty filthy port in the background with a sign slapped up with the name of the country.

Only photos I would consider buying a formal nights, deck portraits when the ship is scenic cruising (something the photographers do not do), deck portraits entering port and leaving port (ie leaving port with the sunset in the background and vivid colours would make for a brilliant portrait on your holiday), they need to do more shore excursions and not go on one bus, they need to go to the major tourist spots where the ships passengers go and get those shots of you in front of world famous places that sometimes it is difficult to get if you cant bail someone up to take their photo.

Their whole business model is wrong and based on what the cruise line wants. They have to change their whole system. No body wants a begging photographer on their knees in port trying to take your photo with strangers in stupic costumes with a dirty filthy port in the background with a sign slapped up with the name of the country.

 

When we got off our Radiance cruise in Wellington there was a someone in a dolphin costume inside the terminal. We just walked straight past them.

When we got off our Radiance cruise in Wellington there was a someone in a dolphin costume inside the terminal. We just walked straight past them.

That was probably the minister for tourism!

We walked around them when we could but at lifou and mystery island they created a queue while trying to get off the dock. I think they only came to the dinner table on formal nights so not much of a nuisance. If they stopped printing thousands of unwanted photos and dropped the unlimited package price I would be back in. I think we only bought two photos for the whole cruise.

On this last cruise, they were extremely pushy! Big turn off!

I agree the formal night and dining room photos are usually good..but with modern cameras anyone can take reasonable photos. I think a package price would be more acceptable to most people. By the way I bought the Reflections video of my last trip $89USD I should have known better.... rubbish!

 

Sue

I agree, I wish I had not paid my $89 Reflections videos of our NZ cruise in Feb this year....but we learn by our mistakes.....won't be doing that again.

I like the idea of photo's, but yes I think they should be no more than $10.

I realise the photographers need to make a profit, but to charge the prices they do, is really overboard (pardon the 'pun'), especially is this age of digital photography and computers. When photos were developed from rolls of film there was much more manual labour involved, so it would be understandable for a photo to have a high price.

When having large photos printed in a department store photolab, the cost is not very much, so even at $10 a photo on a ship,the photographers would still be making a very good profit.

I also agree that a greater number of passengers would purchase more if the price was around $10. The only deals that seem to be available are for a large numbers of photos (what if you are not that photogenic???), whereas I agree that 2 for 1 deals would appeal to more passengers.

Helen

We're sailing on Rhapsody in October so it'll be our first RCI experience. I know on P&O Australia, you can buy the digital prints (if you buy the physical print). I know Carnival U.S. don't do this but are the digital prints available to buy on RCI? I would much rather just buy the digital files than having to buy the prints and then figure out the best way to protect them from damage on the trip home.

Yes, you can sign up for a digital package. When you log into the RCI website and view your reservation one of the links in your cruise planner takes you to the website of the photo company where you can buy various photo packages. An unlimited packages gives you all the digital prints for everyone in your cabin. We decided the packages were too expensive and only bought a couple photos but they are cheaper than buying a bunch of prints on the ship.

We are soon to be first time cruisers and the whole photographer thing is a negative for me I dislike having my photo taken and my time wasted .I understand they have the front to take photos whilst you are dining this is harassment .Photos should be opt in not opt out

I sometimes feel like carrying a sign ...

something along the lines of..

My face is copywright...

If you want to photograph me ,

my fee is...$$$$$

Wonder is they have ever been sued re ...

Invasion of Privacy?

We are soon to be first time cruisers and the whole photographer thing is a negative for me I dislike having my photo taken and my time wasted .I understand they have the front to take photos whilst you are dining this is harassment .Photos should be opt in not opt out

On RCL they do ask before taking your photo in the dining room.

They have a nice system at Disney World, you hand them a card each time they take a picture. At the end of your vacation you go view all of your pictures in digital form, where you can crop them or add cute little icons, etc. They offer packages and it seemed more reasonable than what I have paid on the ships. I think not printing all of those photos would bring the cost of the operation down, they use quite a bit of employee time putting all those pics up, moving them around etc, in addition to the cost of printing the pics.

We just say no and walk past.

The prices they charge compared to production costs are obscene - otherwise they'd be more interested in selling the thousands they print at a sensible price instead of binning them at the end.

The only "packages" they offer are buy 2 eg disembarkation shots for $30 instead of $40, & the formal packages -buy 4 get 2 free. If they allowed bundling or 2 for 1 late in the cruis then people who paid full price at the beginning would be peed off.

We bought a lovely formal package once, but seriously, if you're repeat cruisers, how many photos can you display?

On the Cruises we have been on even with state of the art Cameras the Photographers are not particularly good at their craft.

I think there may be one half decent Photographer on most Ships and the rest are just young kids who have not much idea.

Its pretty obvious when at one port of call the Head boy stepped out the distances for where each photo location was and set up each Camera and taped the Lens at a fixed length.

Too expensive, too pushy, not well organised and as somebody else said the Photos should be viewed on a large screen organised by Cabin number and printed only when ordered.

VOS asked to scan our Cruise card before they took shots but the system did not work when we tried to find the Photos on the screens.