Where to Pack Camera

[Melody80]

Where should you pack your Camera, carry on or luggage?

They are dispossable if that makes a diffrance. Id read somwhere that the xray machines could ruin them? We will be driving to port so There will be no airplane rides.

[immargaret]

Pack them in your carry on bags.

[birdcat]

It's bad enough what the Carry-On x-ray machines do to film (I was a professional photographer in a prior life and yes, I do see a difference) however the x-ray machines used to scan checked luggage WILL ruin your film. These machines are much more powerful than the carry-on variety and the TSA website even states this as so. I would suggest you get the film developed before you come home (the ship will do this for $$$ but it's worth it!).

[Ask4Jay]

Keep one of your cameras handy, so it's easily accessible at a moment's notice. Don't let that great shot get away, just because you could not get to your camera fast enough.

 

And don't worry about the X-Ray machines. In all my air travels as an airline employee, I have never had a film or slide ruined (when I still used film cameras). Those onetime-use cameras are pretty sturdy to boot. No need to baby them. I keep one in my car - just in case I would need to document a fender bender when I don't have my briefcase with my little digital camera with me.

[birdcat]

And don't worry about the X-Ray machines. In all my air travels as an airline employee, I have never had a film or slide ruined (when I still used film cameras). Those onetime-use cameras are pretty sturdy to boot. No need to baby them. I keep one in my car - just in case I would need to document a fender bender when I don't have my briefcase with my little digital camera with me.

 

Juergen -

 

It has been my experience that even the low dosage x-rays of the carry-on luggage scanners can fog film (I have dozens of photos to attest to this). Take into account the additional scanning that the film goes through each time you leave and re-board the ship (all radiation, including x-ray, is cumulative) and that can easily build up to a destructive dose. Also, most slide film is slower (ISO 25-400) while much print film (including many disposable cameras) are ISO 400-800 and even higher, making them much more sensitive to the radiation.

 

Also, you mentioned leaving a disposable camera in your car - In my experience the heat that builds in car on a sunny summer day can easily exceed 110 degrees farenheit very quickly - which will definitely adversely effect film, as will age if you leave it too far beyond the expiration date (as someone leaving it in the car might be prone to do).

 

Also to be aware of - The checked bag x-ray scanners may also have a detrimental effect on any digital photo's stored on cards which are packed in your checked baggage.

 

As a rule, keep all of your film and even digital media in carry-on bags only and for the serious minded photographer, have the film developed as early (read with as little x-ray contamination) as possible. If you will be having your digital media scanned often - I would suggest getting one of those portable CD or DVD burner that has the flash memory card slots (I bought one for around $100) and burn the photos to a CD or DVD as soon as feasible (like once a day when you get back to your cabin) - CDR's only cost about twenty cents each - how important are your photo's to you?

[mortysmama]

There is more than one reason to keep your camera, especially an expensive one, on your person. Our first cruise ever...16 years ago, we packed our camera with it's film still in it in our luggage. When we got home there was NO camera. There were also a few souvenirs missing. We were upset about the camera being gone...but more important to us was all the pictures we took were gone too! Since then we've learned not to pack anything of value in our luggage. It all goes in our carry on which we never lose sight of. It was an expensive lesson to learn.

 

Happy cruising!

[Sheffie]

If you use disposable cameras, keep them in your carry-on in a ziplock bag that you can grab out quickly and give this to the TSA agent so that it won't go through the x-ray.

[LHT28]

We take ours as carry-on and have the film in a see through baggie that we hand to the customs agent before we go through the xray.

Just put it in the tray with all your pocket contents.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Even though you are driving to the port, still don't pack any cameras in your luggage. It still has to go through an xray machine in the cruise terminal.

Also don't pack anything valuable in your luggage - no jewelry, etc. From the time you drop off your luggage in the cruise terminal til it arrives in your cabin, several people will have handled it in that time - lock or no locks - things do disappear.

[Cotton]

I take absolutely NO chances with my cameras and film. I always ask nicely if they will please hand-check my camera, camcorder, and extra film. (in Ziploc bags)... I've never had anyone refuse to do this. I wouldn't dare put anything like that through an x-ray machine - at airports or cruise ships.:)

 

Disposable or not, you need to keep camera with YOU, not in checked-in luggage.

[nybumpkin]

Pre-9/11, I did have the experience of asking a security agent to hand-check my camera and film, and she balked at doing it - insisted there was no harm in putting it through the x-ray. (I was using 400 film, not 100, and understood that the 400 film was more likely to be damaged.) I had to wait until anyone within calling distance went through security before she hand-checked the camera and film. At least I wasn't in a hurry...

[birdcat]

Pre-9/11, I did have the experience of asking a security agent to hand-check my camera and film, and she balked at doing it - insisted there was no harm in putting it through the x-ray. (I was using 400 film, not 100, and understood that the 400 film was more likely to be damaged.) I had to wait until anyone within calling distance went through security before she hand-checked the camera and film. At least I wasn't in a hurry...

 

Even post 9/11 I have asked and had the TSA folks agree to a hand search of film and/or cameras - Below is a link to the TSA page about film and x-ray machines:

 

http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=090005198004a860