Kinny

Oasis of the Seas at Labadee.

Symphony of the Seas at Cozumel.  Taken on Radiance of the Seas while docking.

Celebrity Beyond with Carnival Breeze behind her at Costa Maya.  Taken on Radiance of the Seas leaving towards Cartagena.

Celebrity Beyond earlier that day at Costa Maya.  Sea was rough.

Voyager of the Seas overnighting at Cozumel.  The stars I've composited it using another photo I've taken at the bow of the ship at sea.

41 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

Looking at Icon pricing makes us thankful we like the smaller older ships.  We can do 4 cruises for the price of one 🙂

 

Agreed!  5 out of 6 cruises I've booked now are all on Voyager class ships.  I don't see myself booking an Icon class for quite some time.

Last cruise out of Seattle, I took my A9II with my 70-200 and it caught some wild life, but for some reason I preferred my Nikon D500 with my 200-500.  Around the ship, the A9II is spectacular with my 35 F1.2 and 50 F1.2  I actually took some bald eagle shots at Ketchikan with my D500 and 28-200.  Even the lens isn't that great, it performed admirably.  

Quantum of the Seas at Victoria, BC

That's a long way from IAH to the Island.  Also depending on the time, you may encounter some traffic due to construction on i45.  It may be pretty pricey.

1 hour ago, alexgtp said:

We did the following in Seattle.

 

We dropped off all of our luggage early in the AM when they opened. Spent the res of the day exploring Seattle. Came back later in the day and "officially" checked in and boarded. Had no issues.

 

Issue I see with Miami is the transportation. Lot's  of traffic in area. We sailed Freedom in OCT and wanted to do the same thing, but traffic and other delay's quickly changed our minds and we opted to just board ship.

 

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Yup.  Agreed on the traffic.  We were in Miami a few days back just visiting.  The traffic there is horrible due to constructions.  I would not risk it.

1st I do use the D500. #1 choice would be the 200-500 Nikkor, 2nd lens 17-55 f/2.8 DX get this one used. A Nikkor 105 f/2.8 macro might be a third lens choice to cover the space between the 55 and the 200 plus give you macro ability.

 

 

 

I am not a fan of any 28-200mm lenses, just my2cents.

 

 

framer

Well, considering I got the 28-200mm from my parents free, I can't complain. LOL. It does the job when I needed it. I may have a replacement by then. Who knows.

I have the Nikon 200-500 and it is a great lens and very sharp. I did take it to Alaska and used it a lot; mainly at 500mm and with the 1.4 teleconverter on. Was very happy with the results. But...I had to take a separate carryon bag just for it because it would not fit in my regular camera bag and the thing is heavy. Also would recommend getting lens coat for it, when on deck in Glacier Bay it was money well spent.

Noted on lens coat. Thanks! Just got the 200-500 today. That thing is huge! It may be able to find room in my Lowepro backpack.

Kinny... I'm getting rid of the last of my Nikon F-mount gear... you can contact me if you're interested. Have a couple primes and flashes you may be interested in. Though nothing specifically for an Alaska cruise.

Hey Havoc. What you got? :D

So far I got the 10.5mm F2.8, 35mm F1.8, and 28-200mm F3.5-5.6.

For Alaska you definitely need a long lens for wildlife shots. Tamron and Sigma both have a 150-600mm lens which from the reviews seem pretty nice. Nikon has a 200-500mm but it's pricier. You'll also need a wide angle lens for landscapes, my personal favorite is the Tokina AT‑X 116 PRO DX‑II 11‑16mm f/2.8. (I got a good used one on ebay for 300 bucks). I would also recommend the Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4. It's a great compromise and it's super sharp.

I've read great things on the 150-600 from Tamron. I'm thinking of getting the Nikon 200-500 simply because of the fix F5.6 aperture. I will look into the 16-80. That sounds like a great walk around lens. Thanks! :cool:

Picked up a Nikon D500, and so far been happy with it. I'm usually a Canon shooter and picked the D500 over their 7DMk2. Now time to collect lenses for next year's Alaska cruise. Tips and recommendations on "affordable" lenses? What I mean by "affordable" is anything under $1000 new/used. LOL

Looking to see where we can get specialty coffees on the deluxe beverage package on Harmony. Is it just at Cafe Promenade? Lines could be long if it is!

Thanks!

Yes. I got my cappachino every morning at the WJ on Harmony.

As a person who doesn't really like being around people, I keep my circle very small but I do socialize in small doses, I don't think he's lonely. There is a huge difference between being lonely and being alone. IMHO he has enough contact with people, in his terms, that he's not lonely.

 

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Exactly! Being an introvert, socializing with large group of people takes the life out of us. I cruised alone for the first time last February on Vision and it's nice to have time to yourself doing what you want, when you want without interruptions. By interruptions I mean socializing. LOL

Happy to share! :D

I was on Vision back in February, and I liked it. Captain Marek was on vacation back then, but I still had a great time. It's true, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but I didn't mind it at all.

Here are some photos. Maybe they can make your wife feel better about Vision of the Seas.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmgkfNyJ

Ugh! I just got so excited...you ruined my day. (lol) Should have known better. RCCL..free perks?

LOL Right!?!?!

That sounds like a NCL offer. LOL

Got 1402, and 1404 last year on Liberty. No noise that I know of. I did notice some slight vibration though. That didn't really bother me. Enjoy!

Is it 24 hr per Diamond member in the same cabin?

We got a day pass for El Cid in Cozumel. It's pretty close to the port where you should be able to walk to it.

Thanks! But too late! I have already sailed on the Vision 4 & 5 nites... Just got off her yesterday....

LOL. Ooops. How was it? The reason I picked Vision is because 1. I want to try Royal's smaller offerings 2. I'm 8 pts away from Diamond and this fits the bill perfectly. I'm debating if I should do anything in Cozumel or not.

I'll be on Vision OTS February of next year. I'll try to remember to post the Compass on the 4 day cruise. Of course I'll take pics as well. :cool:

Too late for us. Maybe we can upgrade without costing us too much. LOL