Price of Photo Packages...Really?!?!?!

[Overtyme]

I just logged onto the Countdown to Cruise site and clicked on the button for Photo Packages & Products.

Historically, I've always purchased our photos and the Cruise in Review DVD.

I figured I'd just save some time and purchase this now.

The link takes you to what looks like an external site 'Image Group' - My Cruise Photos.

Pick the ship name and Voyage Date and click on Submit.

Cruise DVD - Only $23.99. I think that this is well worth it, even though it's a bit expensive.

Add 'Our Cruise Photos' - All of your photos in digital format - $299.99!!!

Is it just me?

Are there incentives on-board? Diamond member discounts?

A$330 cart seems a bit nuts, given it's proportion to the cost of a fare.

[SparklyNails]

More expensive on board 😨

[SparklyNails]

Here are prices from Anthem in Feb this year...

[Surfguyxxx]

No thanks. My cell phone camera works just fine. We do however get one free picture because of our status but rarely do we every buy any others. Give me $100 and I'll take all the pictures you want!!!!!:D:D

[blondie from arizona]

Diamonds each get 1 free 8x10. That means DH and I get 2 to take home after every cruise. We love it!!!!!

[iahawkfan21]

It is an outrageous price IMO. We only take photos on formal night, skipping all the other times they try. The last night we go down and look at all our photos and if we can both agree on one that we like, we will buy one and only one. We have enough photos of each other at home, and as others have said our cell phone camera suffices 99% of the time.

[sha88]

I just want a CD with my photos and then I can print what I want. There is no way you should have to pay over $300. Over it. No more ship photos.

[Overtyme]

We went to Disney World, where they give you a CD with all of your photos and a DVD of the park photos.

Additionally, they take photos called something like "magic moments" where they ask you to pose certain ways and they place Tink or other characters in the palm of your hand, next to you, etc.

It was totally worth the $160.

RC is out of their friggin minds!

 

 

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[shutterbug63]

It's absolutely insane in my opinion. Seriously...an 8 X 10 print at my local photo store costs me $4.99. If I print it at home myself, much less. Don't even get me started on the fact that you're purchasing prints sight unseen without seeing if you even like them or if you by chance ended up with a photographer who wasn't experienced and the shots weren't up to par.

 

What burns me is that the only option for pre-paying is $249. Didn't there used to be smaller packages you could pre-purchase?

[Lady_831]

We went to Disney World, where they give you a CD with all of your photos and a DVD of the park photos.

Additionally, they take photos called something like "magic moments" where they ask you to pose certain ways and they place Tink or other characters in the palm of your hand, next to you, etc.

It was totally worth the $160.

RC is out of their friggin minds!

 

 

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Just said the same thing to my husband after reading the original post. We got a ton of photos with the Disney package too.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Lady_831

[Overtyme]

I'll pay for the cruise in review, but i refuse to pay for the photo package at that price.

The Disney package was also unlimited in the quantity of photos as is this one, but was half the cost.

They do offer smaller packages. Below are the prices if you order in advance.

10 digital photos $174.99, 15 Digital Photos $249.95, All of your digital photos $299.95, All of your digital photos + prints $399.99.

These prices will be higher on-board!!!

Edited May 4, 2016 by Overtyme

[awestover89]

It's been $249.99 online for all our cruises, we ordered on two cruises. It's definitely over priced, but for special cruises I'd do it again.

[Paul65]

Really not that expensive, if you are doing multiple family photo sessions, as well as other shots at dinner, in ports, etc., and you want to collect them all. That $299 includes as many pictures as you want. Okay, maybe it's not "cheap," but not all that unreasonable. Many professional photographers would charge you about half that much just to have a sitting, and you definitely wouldn't get a disk with digital copies of every shot and a copyright release to use them however you please.

[mattR]

Here are prices from Anthem in Feb this year...

 

Picture is to small for me to see what it says in front of USB?

[Cruises are us]

I just want a CD with my photos and then I can print what I want. There is no way you should have to pay over $300. Over it. No more ship photos.

 

We bought the CD on a recent cruise on the Independence.

VERY disappointed! Every picture downloaded and prints with the word "image" across it. I've emailed the photo company twice and called once with no response. I'd suggest that if you buy the CD, you try it out somehow before you leave the ship.

[Overtyme]

Really not that expensive, if you are doing multiple family photo sessions, as well as other shots at dinner, in ports, etc., and you want to collect them all. That $299 includes as many pictures as you want. Okay, maybe it's not "cheap," but not all that unreasonable. Many professional photographers would charge you about half that much just to have a sitting, and you definitely wouldn't get a disk with digital copies of every shot and a copyright release to use them however you please.

 

 

These are not what I would consider professional photography quality.

We've had better or same quality family pictures taken at Target studios (not that we'd suggest them for weddings and big occasions) for cards and they are pennies on the dollar compared to this.

These are mass photographs, where each one looks the same as the last. They don't really have much of an artistic quality about them, from my experience.

I think a fair comparison would be to Disney World (something like $160 for unlimited pictures, with much better quality).

This is double that.

Expensive is something that's subjective, but to me it's nuts.

I may just buy the ones that I like and supplement them with my own pictures.

I do think the Cruise In Review DVD is a good value, and it usually includes a tour of the ship (not that you can't fine dozens of those on YouTube today).

 

 

 

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[SparklyNails]

It says $5 for the USB, no idea why the picture is so small, sorry!

[SparklyNails]

I kept going back and forth on buying the package before we cruised, and ended up not getting it - then was so annoyed when we boarded and I saw the prices! We ended up getting the 10 photo package, still a rip off, but not $350. The system for viewing them on board is a bit clunky, and has the copyright marks all over to stop you taking a picture of the screen, so you don't always get a true idea of expressions on faces etc depending on where the marks are.

[beautiful.thing]

We bought the all digital and prints on our recent Allure cruise. $400 total. My teens begged me to get it (we have done it 3 other times). The teens in our group had tons of fun with the photographers and we came home with 835 photos!!! Plenty to share with the other 2 families we traveled with. And yes, we had a carry on bag just to bring home all of the prints.

 

Usually the price the first 2 or 3 days for the all inclusive digitals is the same as it is online ahead of time as they usually have a $50 discount those days.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

For pictures of simply posing in front of backdrops? No thank you. I don't even bother stopping.

 

Disney I'll pay for the package happily - the character interaction pics are awesome (and they do more than one - usually they'll snap the whole interaction with them).

[marci22]

We bought the CD on a recent cruise on the Independence.

VERY disappointed! Every picture downloaded and prints with the word "image" across it. I've emailed the photo company twice and called once with no response. I'd suggest that if you buy the CD, you try it out somehow before you leave the ship.

 

That doesn't seem right. Paying $300 for a CD of proofs?

[Overtyme]

Hopefully they have resolved this for you by now. If not, I would call C&A and complain.

 

 

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[starrcards]

The more I read these types of threads on CruiseCritic, the more I think the cruise fare the cheapest part of the deal. If you start adding photos, drink packages, specialty dining, internet, etc you can ring up another cruise fare. Caching.

[crusinthrough]

It's over priced for sure and some of the pictures are not the best quality in terms of color. However, with a large family group staying in one cabin I would buy it. Since everyone staying in the same cabin is included is considered one group. We would take group pictures and single pictures every time we got off the ship and in the evening. That's the only way I would feel I got my money's worth.

 

Just a word of caution if you do purchase the package show your SeaPass card every time you take a picture. This way your picture is definitely associated with you. Also write down everywhere you take a picture (date/time/photographer). The last night ask to see the CD to make sure all your pictures are on the there. If any are missing, they could be found using the information above. You will be (or maybe not) surprised at how many pictures don't make it on into the CD.

 

The diamond discount is one free photograph and 5 for $50. I tried to use the $5/50 twice and was told no.

[ReneeFLL]

I also think the prices are crazy. I always pass up the photographers since it is a waste of time for them and me. I know I am not going to buy them. We just aren't picture people. We would look at them once and that is all. If we want pictures from formal nights we just ask some other passenger to take it. They will usually want the same thing done also. We don't mind at all when others ask us to take their pictures. I guess if you have a big family and get tons of pictures people might think it is worth it. What do you do with so many pictures? I think there are only so many you can hang, put in a family album or send to others. Just my opinion.