Costumed Characters onboard the Grand Princess???

[Loonbeam]

Speaking as one of the photo avoiders (we don't buy and I hate the waste of paper), I don't mind the process, as I understand what they are going for.

 

As I noted, the issue is the photographers are incentivised to get as many people in front of their lenses as possible. That leads to setups designed to funnel them through. Change the incentive and I strongly suspect you would see more 'to the side' setups.

 

As far as high end - actually, I think this is a great job to skill up on. Think about it, besides formal night you need to develop the skills in framing and editing to make people look good when they are not at their best, in strange settings and under difficult lighting conditions all at a fast pace and while being sociable. That's good practice for a budding pro.

[caribill]

Like others have said in most cases a simple no thanks and just keep walking works.

 

And like others have said, you are stuck on the gangway unable to move or to say "no" because of those in front of you who say "yes."

 

The problem would go away if the photographers would not be blocking the main path that people must take to get off of the ship.

[pablo222]

Besides that it is an entirely sloppy and unprofessional way to make money.

 

Cute. Perhaps you can convince the people who buy the pictures

of that. I'm pretty sure that if princess didn't make money doing

it, they wouldn't be doing it.

[waltd]

And like others have said, you are stuck on the gangway unable to move or to say "no" because of those in front of you who say "yes."

 

The problem would go away if the photographers would not be blocking the main path that people must take to get off of the ship.

 

The problem is you and others assume that the photographers have a say in where they take the pictures. If you want to put the blame some where place it with management. I'm sure the photographers are just doing what they are told. Good or bad, right or wrong, it is part of the Princess experience. :)

[SadieN]

The photos on the gangway are an industry wide issue, not just a Princess issue.

 

We were disappointed that we missed getting a pix with the 6ft lobster onboard our Sapphire cruise.

[waltd]

The photos on the gangway are an industry wide issue, not just a Princess issue.

 

We were disappointed that we missed getting a pix with the 6ft lobster onboard our Sapphire cruise.

 

LOL Darn! I missed that one. :)

[piper28]

I can't say I've ever been held up real significantly getting off the ship because of people having photos taken on the gangway. Maybe a couple minutes top? The calculations where it'll take 2 hours to get everyone off the ship are laughable at best, it simply doesn't happen. (The only time I've had significant delays getting off the ship were at Aruba on a mid-day arrival, where there was a huge line inside waiting to get off. To be honest, I don't think they were taking pictures as people were getting off, and probably would have been lynched if they were. Still took quite a while to get off that day. That's the *only* time I've ever had a significant wait to get off the ship once it was cleared.)

 

To be honest, if on a ship's tour, I find some of the other delays to be far more annoying than any wait for people getting their photo taken. There's almost always some interminable delay waiting on loading busses, or just waiting for them to get organized. I find that lack of organization far more annoying than any picture taking wait.

 

Oh, and there's a really bad penguin costume that comes out on the cape horn cruises.

 

And finally, I'm not sure I'd use the word "professional" for most of these photographers on the ship (for that matter, most of the videographers either). I've seen only a handful that looked like they could do anything other than shoot quick snapshots on the auto setting on the camera. And a significant number of the formal night photos I've seen are really badly exposed. We did have a video guy on our Amazon cruise that actually seemed to go somewhat out of his way to really try to take some better video for that cruise than what I've seen of most of the video guys. He's one of the few that I've seen that actually seemed to truly enjoy his job.

[Loonbeam]

I will say the headshot I use for business was taken on a Princess cruise. Other than that however, its very rare I will bother.

 

Suppose I will have to on the Royal, since the father in law and nephew will be around and I should get a photo of all of us.

 

I can't say I've ever been held up real significantly getting off the ship because of people having photos taken on the gangway. Maybe a couple minutes top? The calculations where it'll take 2 hours to get everyone off the ship are laughable at best, it simply doesn't happen. (The only time I've had significant delays getting off the ship were at Aruba on a mid-day arrival, where there was a huge line inside waiting to get off. To be honest, I don't think they were taking pictures as people were getting off, and probably would have been lynched if they were. Still took quite a while to get off that day. That's the *only* time I've ever had a significant wait to get off the ship once it was cleared.)

 

To be honest, if on a ship's tour, I find some of the other delays to be far more annoying than any wait for people getting their photo taken. There's almost always some interminable delay waiting on loading busses, or just waiting for them to get organized. I find that lack of organization far more annoying than any picture taking wait.

 

Oh, and there's a really bad penguin costume that comes out on the cape horn cruises.

 

And finally, I'm not sure I'd use the word "professional" for most of these photographers on the ship (for that matter, most of the videographers either). I've seen only a handful that looked like they could do anything other than shoot quick snapshots on the auto setting on the camera. And a significant number of the formal night photos I've seen are really badly exposed. We did have a video guy on our Amazon cruise that actually seemed to go somewhat out of his way to really try to take some better video for that cruise than what I've seen of most of the video guys. He's one of the few that I've seen that actually seemed to truly enjoy his job.

[satxdiver]

At first I thought the OP was referring to the pax who sometimes are quite amusing in their costumes (think over sized pax in swim suit two sizes too small). :rolleyes:

 

I don't like my picture taken by the onboard photographers who do not work for Princess but are contact employees. When leaving the ship I just walk by them and have not seen too many times where they had the gangway blocked. Yes, their costumes can be over the top. On the ship they come around in the MDR wanting to take pictures and sometimes, not often, they use a costumed prop. I always decline usually simply by shaking my head and ignoring them.

[Dreamer333]

I love the photo ops, and I always end up buying almost all of them.

[peety3]

I saw one fellow walking around, dressed up like a ship's Captain. Don't think he really was the Captain, as we were sailing at the time. I mean, if the ship was sailing, how could the Captain be driving AND walking around at the same time ? :confused:

 

Nah, I think it was just some guy trying to impress all the ladies . . . :rolleyes:

For an operation as big as a cruise ship, I'd hope that they have sufficient staff trained in the art/science of "driving the ship" such that he only needs to make executive decisions. Do you really think Steve Ballmer wrote Windows 8 and installs thousands of servers to run Outlook.com?

[smslms]

It's a bit hard to believe this whole forum. Seems to me there's a lot of people here who need to think seriously about not cruising anymore. Why not stay home and be miserable by yourselves.

[littlesteelo]

We have seen the same problems with photographers on other cruise lines.

 

This is not unique to Princess.

 

Agreed, RCI do this as well. If the photographers are pushy and irritating on a cruise then I simply do not buy a single photo. Besides, I found the pictures on Princess to be weirdly edited, so they all looked very airbrushed and fake.

 

One thing I hate is dining room photos. I don't want my picture taken while i'm eating. I despise any sort of dining room interruption as a whole, I find it very awkward and offputting when you have singing waiters and parades and all sorts of other crap. They put in such a good effort all cruise to make the MDR a classy dining room, and then throw it away on the last night.

[caribill]

For an operation as big as a cruise ship, I'd hope that they have sufficient staff trained in the art/science of "driving the ship" such that he only needs to make executive decisions. Do you really think Steve Ballmer wrote Windows 8 and installs thousands of servers to run Outlook.com?

 

There are times the Captain is required to be on the bridge including when docking and when leaving the port.

[FritzG]

It's a bit hard to believe this whole forum. Seems to me there's a lot of people here who need to think seriously about not cruising anymore. Why not stay home and be miserable by yourselves.

 

Where is it written that cruising requires being photographed against your will?

[southpawsdakota]

I do not have a problem with the photographers trying to get your picture when you first come on the ship or at the ports when they are standing at the bottom, we just wave them off and say no thank you, or even the ones that come around in the dining room on a few nights. The ones in the dining room are fine, they just walk away and go to the next table BUT the pirates right outside the dining room, not good. We have been on three cruises this year and on one particular night they have been right outside the dining room door where it is hard to move past them. They have come up on all those occasions and tried to put their arms on you. They do not know what kind of health problems people have. I for one had recently had shoulder surgery and definitely did not need anyone touching me. We have complained to the main photo desk on those occasions. They really need to do something about outside the dining room area. I don't complain about anything else when cruising but his one just really gets to me.

[smslms]

Where is it written that cruising requires being photographed against your will?

 

It doesn't. We've been on dozens of ships, all with lots of photographers hanging around. If we didn't want a picture taken all it takes is a polite "No thanks." It's never been a problem and I can't see where it ever would become one. Then again I don't go through life looking for problems.

[caribill]

Where is it written that cruising requires being photographed against your will?

 

Nowhere, but a bigger problem to me is the videographers.

 

To take their video for the DVD at the end of the cruise they often block the view of passengers trying to see the event in person.

Edited July 29, 2014 by caribill