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Binoculars?

GottaKnowWhen

By GottaKnowWhen,
in Celebrity Cruises

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GottaKnowWhen

GottaKnowWhen

Posted
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Posted (edited)

It you'd really like to see what you're looking at, bring your own.

 

Edited to add: I just saw where you are going. FOR SURE bring your own binoculars, a good pair. Have a fabulous trip!

 

Bring your own

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks guys. I was afraid that would be the answer but had to ask.

Edited by GottaKnowWhen
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Beanb41

Beanb41

Posted
Posted

The binoculars provided are as close to useless as one can make them. If you decide to take them you would be charged $25 but you can buy quality binos on board for around $30 at least that's what we found on the Century.

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miched

miched

Posted
Posted

Do you value your eyes?

 

I doubt that those things are ever cleaned or sanitized.

 

Eyes are one of the main entrances for viruses, germs, bacteria and etc.

 

happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

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blindrid

blindrid

Posted
Posted
Do you value your eyes?

 

I doubt that those things are ever cleaned or sanitized.

 

Eyes are one of the main entrances for viruses, germs, bacteria and etc.

 

happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

 

:rolleyes:.......

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Lsimon

Lsimon

Posted
Posted

I agree with the above posts. The binoculars provided on board are toy like and pretty worthless. I also never thought about the sanitary issues pointed out by Miched.

 

If viewing with binoculars on your itinerary is important to you at all then learn a little bit about them. If you search the Alaska port of call forum for Binoculars you'll find a lot of discussions about them. If you decide to buy new binoculars go to a store that sells them, like a sporting goods store, to try out some different quality ones so you can really experience the difference.

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miched

miched

Posted
Posted
The magnifying glass from a box of Captain Crunch would be more effective than what they provide for you. Purchase a decent pair before you sail.

 

Do they have boxes of Captain Crunch with them in the buffet for breakfast? :D

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

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TLCOhio "Live from...." Rare

TLCOhio

Posted
Posted
The magnifying glass from a box of Captain Crunch would be more effective than what they provide for you. Purchase a decent pair before you sail.

 

Super funny! Sadly, it's also very true. Yes, having a good pair, your own, will be very important to enjoy some great sights during sail-ins, along the coast, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 92,619 views for this posting.

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flyingv4me

flyingv4me

Posted
Posted
The magnifying glass from a box of Captain Crunch would be more effective than what they provide for you. Purchase a decent pair before you sail.

 

Now THAT's funny! :D

 

Agree with everyone else. The binoculars aren't of any reasonable quality. I bring my own. Another suggestion: get image stablization binoculars if you can. They are pricey, but my, the difference!

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CathyCruises

CathyCruises

Posted
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For our Alaska cruise, we bought what turned out to be a great pair of binoculars. We have bought several other pairs that were the same price but were not even close in terms of sharpness. Ours were in the $150 range. I was seeing things other people could not see, like whales in the far distance. They have been worth their weight in gold ever since; yesterday we were in Yosemite watching the climbers on El Capitan and sharing them with others in the meadow whose binocs were not cutting it.

 

Mind you, this was a crapshoot, as we bought them on Amazon without trying them first, just got lucky!

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  • 3 weeks later...
bouhunter

bouhunter

Posted
Posted
The binoculars provided are as close to useless as one can make them. If you decide to take them you would be charged $25 but you can buy quality binos on board for around $30 at least that's what we found on the Century.

 

There is no such thing as quality binoculars for 30.00.;)

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bouhunter

bouhunter

Posted
Posted

you can get some decent ones for 100.00 (Nikon for example). Better yet spend a couple hundred and you can get some pretty nice optics these days. Look at roof prism for compact size, or porro prism to spend less and still get something decent. If they still have them, a good deal for some quality optics is the Burris Semi-compact roof prisms at Natchez.com.

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Lsimon

Lsimon

Posted
Posted
What do you recommend for a decent budget travel size binoculars? We are shopping for a pair but don't have a clue what would be good enough for optic and price wise.

 

I highly recommend going to a sporting goods store where you can actually try out the binoculars. You'll clearly see the difference between the models and the value of the more expensive ones.

 

Picking out the right binoculars is a big exercise in compromise along three different areas, price strength and weight. I think compromises along the lines of price is clear, you get what you pay for and there are lots of binoculars in every price range from under $50 to over $1,000. The higher priced binoculars tend to have brighter clearer images. Some also have image stabilization features that are amazing but very expensive. You can't appreciate what higher quality binoculars do until you actually try them.

 

Strength: people tend to pick stronger binoculars to zoom in closer. The problem here is that the stronger the binocular the more it exaggerates how shaky your hand is so an image magnified by huge amounts will seem very shaky and harder to see clearly. Some binoculars have image stabilization features which cut down or eliminate the shakiness. These start at over $300 and Canon makes some nice ones that start in that range.

 

Weight: When you go to a store and check out binoculars the ones that give the most phenomenal results are often the larger models. They don't seem to hard to look through at the store as you're only using them a few seconds to a few minutes. But once you're in Alaska and try holding them for 5 or 10 minutes, let alone much of a half hour, your hands and arms get very tired. Plus the big ones are a pain to carry around all the time. The best binoculars are often the ones you'll use the most and sometimes these are the smaller compact models which are light and easy to carry. The tradeoff is that these have less features and a smaller field of view.

 

In my post above I have a link to even more info from my binocular buying experiences.

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PNW Traveler

PNW Traveler

Posted
Posted

Our lightest weight travel binocular is a Nikon "monocular." It is like a very small spyglass and fits easily into a pocket. Our largest pair of binoculars is stabilized and is superb for viewing wildlife. You can even see the tiny feathers on a bird, and best of all, see that elusive onshore bear in Alaska.

We purchased the monocular in the Caribbean on St Thomas a few years ago.

B & H Photo (good website) is a great source for binoculars - good prices, will match prices, free 3 day shipping and no sales tax.

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A Sixth?

A Sixth?

Posted
Posted (edited)

These are as mentioned earlier as good as the ones supplied in CC and above cabins (Actually the model is fair, but they're always are screwed up from abuse and never in 18 cruises have we ever got a pair that worked)

 

431_7997_ucp.jpgmJZQZrGhaEixVkVUVfyHQTA.jpg

 

My favorite was the treasure chest

 

53_3422_ucp.jpgmain.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=4380&g2_serialNumber=2

Edited by A Sixth?
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