Dev'sMom

Hi Dave,

That's a very useful website you've been developing! I've just spent the last half hour reading your articles about cameras and lenses. Bookmarking for when my camera arrives! Admittedly some is still too technical for me, but I am hoping to learn more once I have the camera in my hand!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us novices :)

Editing to add that I don't have any lenses already, so not looking to adapt. And I, too, am not concerned with taking video with this camera. Maybe some short ones. Gone are the days when we'd watch an hour-long family vacation VHS tape!

marybeshaw, thank you for those tips! I'm also used formatting memory cards before use. I like your idea of not re-using SD cards though, to save for back-ups. Learning post-processing software and classes--things I hope to get in to! Especially after retiring! I hope you have a great cruise with lots of memories captured on your great camera!

I've moved my camera/lens question to the photography forum so I don't keep "clogging up" this one :)

Hello cruise-savvy photographers! I've been debating for too long a camera to buy in preparation for my family's Alaska land & sea tour which is only 37 days away now! I will be spending all of Memorial weekend practicing with the new camera!

I debated in this thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2575708

But I think it's best to move my final decision questions to this more appropriate forum.

I keep major purchases for a loooong time (my last vehicle 14.5 years, finally towed away). I won't soon replace this camera. I'm looking for a good, small base camera. Lenses I can spend more $ on later.

My decision evolved, after first thinking of a small point & shoot, then something with better zoom for whales and glaciers, then mirrorless. In mirrorless I first thought a5100, then I thought well why not get even better? The Sony a6300 or a6500. I can stomach the a6300 price better. Great features for me to grow into. Both have overheat issues with video mode. I see in amazon reviews that the a6500 gives an option to continue use when overheated, but this risks damage. I'm not worried about taking long videos. Dust/moisture protection inherent in both. But there is inherent stabilization vs a6300.

My current questions are:

1. Which one to choose? a6500 or a6300? I have used point & shoot cameras, and have gravitated towards my phone camera out of convenience. But phones won't be good enough to photograph Alaska and future travels!

2. What is a good recommended "all-in-one" lens for me, the non-pro? I want something I can use during Glacier Bay scenic cruising, whale watching, Denali National Park, and some family photos (no need to be ultra-fancy portraits) with nice landscape or cruise ship behind us. I don't want to have to change lenses during an excursion, for example. So good zoom but also okay closer up. Does this exist in one lens? a6500 bundles come with 16-50, 18-105, or 18-135. The a6300 bundles come with 16-50 and/or 55-210, or just 18-135. Are any of these suitable or should I go with something else entirely? p.s. I can't spend 1K on a lens right now.

Thanks for your advice! I'm hoping to order today!!!

Thank you bUU!

And thank you richwmn, for your service, too!

I bought the Sony A6300 2 yrs ago from amazon via Beach camera, came with a lot of accessories. Prices have really dropped for this and now they offer a whole kit and caboodle including 2lenses for cheaper with more gear than the price I paid 2 years ago.

 

I really like the Sony mirrorless system and researched it a lot when I bought it. It has 4k video capability also. But honestly, I take more pictures with my iPhone than anything else...

 

Definitely buy a high memory SD card and make sure the batteries are charged.

I like the features of the a6300 vs a5100. Seems like you get a lot for a slightly bigger size. Especially that little bit of weatherproofing and faster focus! I don't plan to buy another camera for a long time, so I'm making this my top choice now. I know I am so indecisive!

I do agree that day-to-day I will continue to use my phone for photos. But for our upcoming Alaska trip, and potentially other breathtaking places the I want to show my son, I will use a dedicated camera. We have a go-pro, for fun. I think a good camera will round us out well, apart from a dedicated regular video camera, which I have no need for right now.

Given my choice of a6300 (or a5100 if I change my mind yet again!), what is a good recommended "all-in-one" lens for me, the non-pro? I want something I can use during Glacier Bay scenic cruising, whale watching, Denali National Park, and some family photos (no need to be ultra-fancy portraits) with nice landscape or cruise ship behind us. I don't want to have to change lenses during an excursion, for example. So good zoom but also okay closer up. Does this exist in one lens? Bundles come with 16-50, 55-210, or 18-135. Are any of these suitable or should I go with something else entirely? p.s. I can't spend 1K on a lens right now. If I should move this question to the photo forum, please let me know! Thank you all again. I promise to decide this weekend :D

Hi! Great information flow here! I am reposting some unanswered questions here from an older post of mine, hoping to get some insight in this thread! (I've updated it a little from my original questions) Here goes:

1.5 months out now from sailing on Noordam, and I have another set of questions! Let me know if I should put them in the Alaska forum:

1*will there be hummus in the MDR or buffet? How is it?

2*our boarding pass says 2 gala nights! Which nights are they likely to be? The sea days (Gulf of Alaska at sea cruising day, Glacier Bay day, Inside Passage cruising day)?

3*where are good areas for sail away (day 1 and Alaska ports of call)? I guess there's no view from the Neptune Lounge so not going there.

4*what are your favorite specialty restaurant days? port night dinners or lunch/dinner sea days (or gala night)? We're mulling trying each one once (but maybe not the pricey pop up Sel De Mer which is only on Juneau day). How long might a dinner last? We'll reserve early enough to allow an early turn-in. If I buy a "Canaletto+Pinnacle dinner package" online, will it be refunded if we end up not using it?

5*I want to buy some OBC ahead of time to cover gratuities, plus a few other purchases (drinks, last minute excursion purchases, souvenirs on the ship, specialty dining, spa) that we may make. Buying ahead of time allows me to have almost everything paid off before our trip (less surprise at the end), and will earn me 3x travel points (my credit card will only give 1x points for purchases made while on board for some reason). If we end up not using all of the OBC, will it be refunded or will I lose it? I saw one thread from late 2017 that said it is refunded, but when I spoke to ship services, the rep said no!

thanks :)

I have to admit, almost every holiday card the last few years has been a collage of photos mostly taken by our phone!

Well Best Buy has what seems to be a good deal on a sony a5100 bundle with the 16-50mm and 55-210mm lenses. Better than amazon's price for the same. I'm so tempted!

The midship penthouse suites are on Caribe deck. The balconies are 9 feet deep with the first 5 feet covered by the balcony above and the last 4 feet uncovered.

 

The aft Aloha deck suite balconies are also partially uncovered. There is a portion of the railing at the Terrace Pool that extends out as far as the uncovered portion of the suite balconies below so people would need to look over the rail to see part of the suite balcony.

 

There are also two balcony cabins on both sides of the suites that are partially uncovered without the extended portion of the Terrace Pool above. We had one of those cabins and never noticed people staring down at our balcony.

Hi! Thanks for the info! So are the uncovered portions of the midship PH balconies visible from above? I like the space that the aft Grand/Owner offer but if we need more stability, we'll go with midship.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of cabins, etc after the dry dock that just happened!

Last year they were the very small about 20” flat front TVs that were probably original. Definitely not the large updated wall mounted interactive TVs. They are mounted on the desk so also not the best viewing. But hey if it’s Alaska, look outside!

Definitely, not planning on being couch-potatoes on the ship, we'll be spending plenty of time on deck :)

Sorry for not noticing this sooner.

 

FWIW, Pursuit Alaska Collection actually helped arrange an entire 10-day land tour for us prior to our 6/22 Southbound RCI cruise on Radiance. My wife did most of the planning but the woman she worked with (Sharilyn) was beyond helpful in every aspect of the trip from hotels to excursions to train tickets to restaurant recommendations. We're spending two nights at the Windsong Lodge before boarding the ship in Seward.

 

I wasn't comfortable/adventurous enough to plan a 10 day, 5 city trip through somewhere I've never been on my own so this was a great compromise between doing a cruise line pre-tour and planning it ourselves. My wife told Sharilyn what she wanted to see/do and she put together a suggested itinerary, which we then revised about 50 times until settling on the final version.

 

Anyway, just wanted to vouch for them as best I can. We haven't taken the trip yet, of course, but working with them was nothing but positive!

Thanks, I hope it works out well for you! We're doing a land & sea tour through HAL starting with land first on 6/18. I also felt better for various reasons not doing all the planning myself. And I've found that even still, there's a lot of decisions to be made (albeit fun ones), with adding a few extras like Exit Glacier, dining choices on land, and port excursions. I only found a few reviews on Pursuit Alaska (all good), so I'm glad to have heard your experience with them thus far. I didn't know they do extensive trip planning, too!

Hi! I'm the OP, who hasn't made a move on getting a camera yet! 1.5 months out, got some bills paid (including the cruise), so ready to resume the camera hunt. I saw a Sony mirrorless in a store yesterday (5100, also saw the 6000) , so nice and small with good zoom! Some of the replies in this thread are positive, so that one is in the running for me!

Thanks all for your help! We settled on the Exit Glacier tour from the Windsong, which will leave once we get to the hotel after our early train ride into Seward from Anchorage :)

Couldn't pass up the convenience of this tour to our itinerary (staying at the Windsong that night), but I suspect we'll pick one of the other options you shared on the next trip :)

No on demand, but did have DVD player.

good, thanks, might pack my son's favorite cartoon--Octonauts (they go all over the world in an underwater vessel, helping various sea creatures), perfect for a cruise!

1.5 months out now, and I have another set of questions! Let me know if I should put them in the Alaska forum:

1*will there be hummus in the MDR or buffet? How is it?

2*our boarding pass says 2 gala nights! Which nights are they likely to be? The sea days (Gulf of Alaska at sea cruising day, Glacier Bay day, Inside Passage cruising day)?

3*where are good areas for sail away (day 1 and Alaska ports of call)? I guess there's no view from the Neptune Lounge so not going there.

4*what are your favorite specialty restaurant days? port night dinners or lunch/dinner sea days? We'll mulling trying each one once (including the pop up Sel De Mer which is only on Juneau day). How long might a dinner last? We'll reserve early enough to allow an early turn-in.

5*looks like wifi on the Noordam is still on minutes packages. I see in the Suites Perks list that wifi for a small fee is available in the Neptune Lounge. Is this the same as the wifi package or some separate thing we can pay for if we need to get a message or two out back home? Also, using the HAL app, can my husband and I message each other while we're both on the ship in different locations or will this require the paid minutes for texting instead?

If you want a balcony with absolute privacy from view from above or either side, then book one of the Grand Suites on the Grand Princess. You will even get a Jacuzzi tub on your balcony.

I hope that's true for the Sapphire Princess as well. I don't mind the safety cameras, jammies and all :D. The more I look at the step-down layout of the Sapphire Princess, the more I'm leaning toward aft Grand or Owner Suite. I do hope there's no noise from the pool area above. I just have to wait it out to see if things go well on our June Alaska cruise! Hopefully those rooms will still be available.

That train from Anchorage to Seward was disappointing. The scenery was beautiful but we arrived really late. We had to sit on the trains and be walked by train car to the check in area. We sat on the train for at least an hour just waiting; and the suite priority boarding does NOTHING in Seward. We were frazzled by the time we actually got on the ship. Not a good experience. I wish I had sent my luggage on the HAL tour but taken the early morning train myself and arrived in Seward in time to see the town. Maybe we were at an unusual dock but there was NOTHING to walk to from there if we had had any time. Really industrial looking. The train pulled right up near the ship, but we just sat and waited.

I'm sorry to see these negative cruisetrain experiences. I hope HAL can figure out some way to expedite things.

Since my post, we've switched from D5L to D3L. This includes 1 night in Seward (instead of 0). So on the travel day to Seward, we're going to take the early train Gold Star on our own instead of the HAL coach that D3L uses for transport from Anchorage to Seward. Then we'll take a shuttle to the Windsong (I called ahead, they'll get us there from the train station) where we're spending the night. From there, we go to Exit Glacier. The rest of the day and the next morning we'll relax, dine, and explore more if we feel like it. And then we're going to embark just as early as HAL will let us! Our first cruise, so my family agreed we want to board early and start enjoying/exploring the ship right away :)

Be sure to have your driver's license. I am not kidding. I am a 50 something who looks it....they would not allow me to get wine without my license. In AK if you have 3(or 4?) alcohol convictions they mark your license with an red mark and you are not allowed to buy in a store or a restaurant. I had laughed the night before when my husband got carded buying a bottle of wine at the little market in that strip mall. Imagine my surprise when I'd just gotten off a tour and could not have a drink at dinner.

 

There is a cross walk with a light to cross the highway right in front of the hotel that takes you into the parking lot of the strip mall.

Wow, good tips! We'll be sure to keep our ID with us. And if/when we're carded I'll pretend it's because I must look <21 ;p

I ate Dungeness crab at the Alaska Fish House. We were there for lunch. At this place, you order your food at a counter just inside the door and they give you a number to put on your table. Then you walk a little farther and order your drinks from a bar. After that, you find a table and wait for your food to be delivered. I think we walked right in and found an empty table to sit at.

I think that's where we'll aim to have lunch immediately after our ship docks! Thanks for sharing!:)

If the ship docks at 11:00 and departs at 7:00, you really have between 11:30 to 6:30 which is 6 1/2 hours and that is pushing it. The lumberjack show, Totem Bight and a sit down dinner is a lot to do it 6 1/2 hours. I think that you will have to forego shopping and Creek St.

 

Just remember, you will be w an 8 year old child who might get cranky if he is rushed from one place to another.

 

DON

we're sticking with Totems closer to downtown this trip (eg, Heritage Center). Should allow for time for Creek St. shopping (which we can adjust the amount of time doing on the fly) and 4:45 lumberjack show back at the docks. We'll have a crab lunch instead of dinner. And it's my husband who's more likely to get cranky when running around without a nap :D

Yes, it’s seasonal and only runs during cruise ship season.

Thanks, I was worried that it was permanently discontinued. I like the convenience of it, since Noordam will dock at Berth 4. Will give us a walking break if we need it!

Thanks martincath for answering another one of my questions :)

I've decided to go ahead and go for GE. Just got an update on my United Explorer card, saying that beginning June 1 they will reimburse one GE application fee every 4 years. My Sapphire Reserve card already does this, so that brings my cost for the 3 of us down to $100 for GE. I think that's worth it!

Good Morning All, These are great questions, thank you for being willing to get answers. I did call Holland America about the flat screen TV when the dry dock was postponed. They assured me that all cabins now have new flat screen TV. Hoping!!!!

Have a wonderful cruise making great memories, Carlotta

Thanks for sharing that info, hope that is the case! Wonder if the flat screens come with on-demand, and if so will there still be a dvd player available. Not in any way a deal-breaker, of course!:)

Edited: just read RDC1's post about the flat screens not necessarily being new, but that's okay, must be better than CRT anyway :)

I’m on it! Stay tuned for as many answers and I can get for you! I have been wondering about the pool, myself. This will be our first cool weather cruise. [emoji848]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks so much! Happy packing :cool::D

We board her one week from today! ❤️ If anyone has any specific questions or requests for pictures of certain things, I would be happy to oblige. [emoji847]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi! I have a few questions for our first family cruise! We board on June 24th, a southbound Seward to Vancouver itinerary. I booked before finding out that the dry dock was postponed, but as long as things are clean, we aren't picky about worn fixtures! I'm looking forward to a cozy, classic cruise ship feel, looking forward to the unchanged Crow's Nest, library, and Explorations areas. And the unobstructed, walkable Promenade deck!

If you are easily able to find out, without interrupting your fun!:

1. What is the depth of the pool with the retractable cover, and whether it is heated enough to swim during an Alaska cruise, that would be very helpful to me!

2. I'm also curious to know what shows will run this summer--BBC Earth? Orchestra? Magician? I wonder what will be offered on your cruise and maybe that will help figure out the offerings for my trip.

3. How many Gala nights are there on a 7-day Alaska, and which night is it?

4. Have they at least put flat panel TVs in the rooms and updated to on-demand or is it still dvd checkout?

Thank you and have a safe and wonderful trip!

Hello and thank you all for your input! I wasn't clear enough: Yes, I am weighing the pros and cons of spending $200 for my family to get GE, versus just using the APC kiosks which have no application process or fee, with respect to saving time re-entering the US. I did see that NEXUS interviews can be done at YVR, but the problem there is that they don't offer "interview on arrival" like the GE application does. We'll only be in Vancouver on Sunday July 1st (disembark day, and Canada Day--woohoo!!!), up until the morning of July 2nd (Federal holiday due to Canada Day being on a Sunday) when we fly back to EWR on the 8:45am flight. So not a big window there for interviews for NEXUS, whereas it looks like GE allows us to select the morning of our flight for interviews.

We may travel internationally about once per year, depending on funds and family voting on where to go for the next vacation (maybe Norwegian Fjords in 2019, for example).

Am I correct the Mobile Passport isn't available at YVR?

On another note, we do have TSA pre-check for domestic or US originating flights due to active military status. Am I correct in my interpretation of this website that we may be eligible for expedited security in YVR because of active military status as well? https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/trusted-travellers And how about when disembarking Canada Place?