How much does it cost for photos on the Star?

[Nightowl11]

Does the Princess Star have a photo package? How much do the photos cost? Do they have digital versions? What type of deals do they have? I've tried to find any recent patters that say anything about photos but so far no luck. What company do they use?

[kenlittleton]

Not sure about the Star but we were on the Sapphire in January. Princess' photo ops are handled in-house. I don't recall any photo packages but they offered two prints of each portrait. One 8x10 print or a combo 5x7 with four wallet size. Each print was $34.99 but you could get the digital file for the cost of a media device (CD or USB) for $10-$15. Make sure to check out their Platinum Studio. It's a private onboard studio where they shoot beautiful black and white photography. The sitting is free but the products have a premium price. We ended up buying a dozen digital negatives for quite a bit of money. It was well worth it for us. Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

-Ken

19 cruises and many more to go!

[EdmPair]

We were on the Grand in 2012 so my comments might be dated. A single 8by10 is a bit over $20 if I recall. There are whole types of packages where you buy multiples of the same photo in various sizes and then a group of different photos in the same sizes. I do not recall any options for digital files and I suspect there is not one so they can protect their copyright.

 

If you think you will want many different photos, wait toward the end of the trip to order a package. It is a gamble but do check with staff the first photos will still be there. They usually are.

 

On a related note, if you see a photo of yourself on display and do not want it and do not want others to see it, you can pass it to the staff and they will discard it. If they are not going to sell, they would rather have the shelf space to try to sell another photo.

 

Hope this helps,

M

[AKman2495]

Also, if you are serious about collecting all of your cruise photos in one package, you can probably pull the first few from the shelf and explain what you want and they should hold all of the photos for you until the end of the cruise.

 

They seem to be pretty accommodating when it comes to holding stuff and arranging a package for you.

[Nightowl11]

I usually like to buy all of the photos of my family that are taken by the ship's photographers. So are you saying that the prices are negotiable? We will be on an 11 day cruise, so there will probably be many of them.

 

On Princess, do they just have walls and walls of photos that you have to sift through to find your pictures? Once you find them, can you start making a pile in one place on the wall so that they are easier to find at the end?

 

Our last two cruises were on Disney and they had a package where you could get all printed pictures plus a CD for one price. Disney usually does the packages by cabin so you can't add pictures of friends or family that did not stay in the same cabin with you unless one person from your cabin was in the photo too. You had to purchase an additional package if you wanted additional pictures of other family in other cabins. Does Princess do it that way too?

[skynight]

 

On Princess, do they just have walls and walls of photos that you have to sift through to find your pictures?

The general photos taken at the piers, in the DR's, boarding, formal nights, etc. are placed on racks that extend from a wall. They are separated by when they were taken, for example Botticelli DR, Wed, first seating. You take any photos you want to the counter. Not sure how they handle special photo sessions.

[AKman2495]

I usually like to buy all of the photos of my family that are taken by the ship's photographers. So are you saying that the prices are negotiable? We will be on an 11 day cruise, so there will probably be many of them.

 

Well, they will lay out your options and you can negotiate which one you want.

 

On Princess, do they just have walls and walls of photos that you have to sift through to find your pictures? Once you find them, can you start making a pile in one place on the wall so that they are easier to find at the end?

 

See, that's what I mean. I think you can get the first few photos from the rack and bring them over to the counter and explain that you want to collect them all. They might hold them for you and you can add to them as the cruise goes on. That way they don't have to put them out every day and you can keep them organized. Do it early and it won't be so crowded.

 

Our last two cruises were on Disney and they had a package where you could get all printed pictures plus a CD for one price. Disney usually does the packages by cabin so you can't add pictures of friends or family that did not stay in the same cabin with you unless one person from your cabin was in the photo too. You had to purchase an additional package if you wanted additional pictures of other family in other cabins. Does Princess do it that way too?

 

Princess probably has such a package but since they don't identify the passengers in the photos when the take them there is no way to have a "full set" unless you collect them. If you take posed pictures on a formal night they will have your info but most casual pictures (ports and dining room shots) that do not have cabin info for them.

 

As far as I know, Princess will sell you any pictures you wish-even of other people. The should be no problem assembling an album of your friends.

 

I have always found Princess photographers happy and eager to help you put pictures together in any way you wish. And they do have the ability to put them on a CD or memory stick as well.

[MustangGT]

We don't buy many of the pictures - they are not always great and very costly - but they are accommodating. Example - we do like to buy the embarkation photo but sometimes like another template. They will put any photo on any of the templates. Hope that makes sense:)

[Nightowl11]

I always buy the embarkation photo. Sometimes it is the only way you can prove that you were on the cruise. Who keeps their bank statements for over 20 years. One time, I had to fax a copy of my 1989 cruise picture to Princess to prove to them that I was a past passenger to get the discounted rate. Apparently before 1995 or so, your Captain Circle number was not always on your reservations and they did not keep track of the sailings that well.

 

So, on the Disney cruise, my kids took a couple dozen photos with their cousins, friends and Disney characters along with the traditional family photos so I ended up with over 80 different shots from the ship's photographers. Because of the package, I got all of them on a CD for $299 and most of them were printed too. I know that won't happen on this next cruise because there won't be as many opportunities. But if it was $25 a photo, I'd go broke.

 

What is the best deal that anyone has received on Princess for multiple photos?

[trbarton]

I was on the Grand in December. Formal photos were $24.95, casual photos were $19.95.

 

Not sure if ALL princess ships charge the same prices but I do know that they are employees of Princess so perhaps the prices are the same on all Princess ships.

 

Tom:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Way too much $$$. :(

[EdmPair]

Way too much $$$. :(

 

 

I take from your post, it is not of value to you. However, given the amount of photos sold, it is of value to others. I can take good photos and after many shots a few will be really good. I can not take such shots of myself or me with friends, so the on-board people with good equipment do that job. How much I spend is up to me, but it is not way too much to me.

[Colo Cruiser]

I take from your post, it is not of value to you. However, given the amount of photos sold, it is of value to others. I can take good photos and after many shots a few will be really good. I can not take such shots of myself or me with friends, so the on-board people with good equipment do that job. How much I spend is up to me, but it is not way too much to me.

 

 

Oh they can still be of value to me, but I think they are way overpriced.......

We still buy a photo or 2.

 

Given the amount of space the the photo gallery takes up its a huge revenue generator. Space is premium onboard a cruise ship. Hence the seperate art gallery as well.

[EdmPair]

Sorry, I did not mean to snap. Your point on photos being a profit centre is well taken. It must make money as they give it premium space. In comparison, look at the floor space given to pubs/lounges/bars/clubs for alcohol service. I remind people the price of drinks on a cruise is like buying all your drinks on land at a bar. A beer is WAY cheaper if you buy a case and drag it home. I see the photos much the same. You are captive for both services while there and that certainly drives the prices to a large degree.

 

Have I kick this dead horse enough?? I think so.