Binoculars on board?

[lddam]

My wife and I are newbies to Princess having sailed Celebrity, HAL, Regent, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and a number of river cruises. Many of the above provide complimentary binoculars which were found in our stateroom. We have booked a Vista Suite on the Caribbean Princess and were wondering if Princess provides binoculars for passenger use.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Pam in CA]

You'll find binoculars for sale in the Photo Shop. No complimentary binoculars that I've ever seen. I have my own and would rather not have something against my face that someone else has used.

[KruzPrincess]

The binoculars on Celebrity were really cheap. I did try them out and liked having them, but I'm thinking of getting a decent pair for myself. You could probably get a pair like X had for about $10. And, to answer your question, I've never seen complimentary ones on Princess. Anybody have recommendations for a mid-price decent pair of binos?

[Loonbeam]

Tons. I have a very nice set of Promasters that I got for about $60.

 

These are similar (my exact model is no longer made):

 

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=visualbasicres02&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0046BN6CI

 

That said, I recommend going to a good camera shop and trying them out. Some models and brands work better with different facial shapes. For example, one reason I like the Promasters I have is they don't mark my glasses as an earlier pair I had did.

 

There are also a lot of factors, size, power, etc...

 

 

The binoculars on Celebrity were really cheap. I did try them out and liked having them, but I'm thinking of getting a decent pair for myself. You could probably get a pair like X had for about $10. And, to answer your question, I've never seen complimentary ones on Princess. Anybody have recommendations for a mid-price decent pair of binos?

[Starlaker]

I got a nice pair for my hubby for Christmas from Cabelas. Bushnell 10 X 42. They are small but powerful. They were around $60.

[lddam]

Thanks for the quick replies, Folks. I appreciate it.

[MGnut]

The binoculars on Celebrity were really cheap. I did try them out and liked having them, but I'm thinking of getting a decent pair for myself. You could probably get a pair like X had for about $10. And, to answer your question, I've never seen complimentary ones on Princess. Anybody have recommendations for a mid-price decent pair of binos?

 

I bought my wife these for Christmas - to use on our Cape Horn cruise later this month. They are compact, made by a maker of fine optics, and reasonably priced (compared to Nikon, etc). She likes them very much;

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00076WOC4/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details

[2little time]

My wife and I are newbies to Princess having sailed Celebrity, HAL, Regent, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and a number of river cruises. Many of the above provide complimentary binoculars which were found in our stateroom. We have booked a Vista Suite on the Caribbean Princess and were wondering if Princess provides binoculars for passenger use.

 

Thanks in advance.

Sorry. You need to bring your own. You will however find an umbrella in the closet in the VS. It is for you to use while on the cruise . You will love the VS and all the amenities.

[JimmyVWine]

I have my own and would rather not have something against my face that someone else has used.

+100

As soon as we booked our most recent cruise, my wife bought me a new "state of the art" pair to replace my clunky old ones.

[fishin' musician]

There is a wide range of pricing and quality $20 to $20K. Better quality equals brighter and clearer image. You can get an OK low end pair for maybe $75 or so. Midrange, say $300-$500 will get you into a substantially better image and those demanding a premium image will start at about $1200.

 

I think you'll find a better selection and price at outdoor retailers like Cabelas, Bass Pro, Gander Mountain, Dicks, etc... If you are at all serious go to one of these places and compare as many brands and models as you can. You may find that higher prices does not always equal better image. It is a very individual choice, what works well for one pair of eyes is not necessarily the best for another.

 

Personally, I have 4 pairs of midrange binoculars in various powers and objective lense size. I avoid zoom types as I find the image compromised. My goto glasses are a pair of Bushnell Legend 8x32s (8 is the power and 32 is the size of the objective lense, the higher this number the brighter the image). FWIW, all my glasses are Japaneese.

 

I'd recommend waterproof, especially in Alaska.

[CMHCruiseCouple]

Good information. Without restating others, I recall cabin binoculars on the Celebrity Century. They were just okay, not very useful.

 

Given my propensity to lose stuff, I bought a pair of nice binoculars from Dicks Sporting Goods for about $65. They have made everytrip and serve me well. Reminds me I need to pack my bags for Sunday!

 

Sail safe.

[rimau]

There are some for sale on board but we checked Amazon and the ones on board were way more expensive.

[chipmaster]

Never did a suite, got three kids to put thru college :eek:

 

But can't recall any complimentary and on every excursion I've been on there have been a few but not on the larger ship.

 

Look at a local big5 they seem to have pretty good sales every week.

 

Princess sales Nikon at a premium price if you have to get one on the ship, the aren't cheap.

 

My wife and I are newbies to Princess having sailed Celebrity, HAL, Regent, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and a number of river cruises. Many of the above provide complimentary binoculars which were found in our stateroom. We have booked a Vista Suite on the Caribbean Princess and were wondering if Princess provides binoculars for passenger use.

 

Thanks in advance.

[kGCAL]

we have this one. It is better than the Nikon Monarch we have tried. Used in several cruises. They are waterproof and the clarity is great.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Ray-Optics-VISTA-10x42-Binoculars/dp/B005NIPHG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331406498&sr=1-1

[shepp]

I highly recommend Eagle Optics...they're online and known among birders for great value and service. You should figure out what you'll be using the binos for. E.g., if you'll primarily be birding, 10 power tends to be too much horsepower for many. Either they're small and don't admit much light, or they're big and awkward to keep focused on a bird without lots of hand-shaking. On the other hand, spotting distant large wildlife may call for 10 power or more. (Those Yellowstone wolves looked like tiny specks...) The ultra-compact pairs are really portable, but unless you spend a lot, you're giving up a lot in terms of field of view and brightness. And there are plenty of options - anti-fog, waterproofing, etc., that you may or may not want to pay for. And some pairs work much better for glasses wearers than others. Honestly, $60 binos are pretty much at the bottom of the price range of acceptable pairs, but a place like Eagle will give you much more good advice and options than a place like Big 5.

[Putterdude]

10X is far to much for a ship, the marine standard is 7x or 8X which takes the movement of the ship out of the equation; you get much stronger and you run the risk of motion sickness.

[Pia1913]

Sorry. You need to bring your own. You will however find an umbrella in the closet in the VS. It is for you to use while on the cruise . You will love the VS and all the amenities.

 

And hopefully you won't have to use it. :)

[catmom040]

Just looked at your safari pictures.....How wonderful and exciting! Loved them