Concierge binocular questions

[Zeldamarie]

I am booked on an Alaskan cruise in August. I understand that binoculars are provided for Concierge class guests. Does anyone know the quality of these binoculars, or if they can be taken off the ship on excursions? Do you recommend purchasing my own? If so, can you recommend some inexpensive binoculars that will do the trick (under $50)? Thanks!

[dkjretired]

They are slightly better than you would find in a Cracker Jack box. Definitely bring your own from someone who has been to Alaska.

[Bruin Steve]

I am booked on an Alaskan cruise in August. I understand that binoculars are provided for Concierge class guests. Does anyone know the quality of these binoculars, or if they can be taken off the ship on excursions? Do you recommend purchasing my own? If so, can you recommend some inexpensive binoculars that will do the trick (under $50)? Thanks!

The ones provided on the ship--unless they changed them since I last had them--are rather small and lack power...

 

For a really great, but lower cost, binocular, my favorite by far is the Bushnell Perma-Focus:

 

http://www.bushnell.com/wildlife/binoculars/perma-focus

 

I first bought a pair of these when they were originally developed by a company called Jason...Fell in love with them...Bushnell eventually bought out Jason and now produces them in various sizes...I've since replaced my original pair with a Bushnell version...I have the 10x50...which have 10X magnification and a nice, wide 50X lens that lets in a lot of light...plus, they have a nice wide field of view (over 390 feet at 1000 feet)...

 

The great thing about them is that, somehow, they never need to be adjusted or focused...I just hold them to my eyes and they're perfectly clear at any distance (well, not "any"--but you don't need them for stuff that's close up)...and I actually need corrective lenses for distance--but I use these WITHOUT my glasses and they are magically in focus!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Perma-Focus-10x50-Binocular/dp/B00005AXIV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525794645&sr=8-2&keywords=perma%2Bfocus&th=1&psc=1

[SetU2]

Maybe they’re ok for you. You can test ahead of time by holding two empty toilet paper rolls up to your eyes and seeing if that works for you. You can get Busnell Falcon binoculars via Amazon or others for around $40. Not bad for the price. Just saw ones reccomended above, very similar.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cobeck]

IMHO. Worthless! LOL

[rollie]

Love these answers. So true.

 

Rollie

[ghstudio]

I suspect that one of the few things that everyone on CC would agree on is that the binoculars on Celebrity are perhaps better than nothing (if you can find a pair that isn't broken), but not what you want if you are actually going some place where you really want to see something :)

 

Believe it or not, buying binoculars is one of the more difficult purchasing decisions you will make in your lifetime :) Even when you find binoculars with the same description 10x50 or 8x25, there are many other factors that really do make a difference. First and foremost is to remember that binoculars in your cabin when you are walking around off the ship don't do you much good...in other words, buy binoculars that are light enough and compact enough that you will take them with you. Next...you have to try them..in your hand. If you go with a stronger power binocular..say 10x, you may find that you just can't hold it steady (do your hands shake at all??). I'd go with 8x maximum. Now, if you wear glasses, that really makes a difference as well...some binoculars adjust so that you can see everything while wearing your glasses...and some don't, so the area you will see will be much smaller. And finally, you probably want waterproof, just in case you get caught in the rain or take an excursion on a small boat....and fog proof because binoculars can and do fog up.

 

There are many choices...just enter "waterproof binoculars at Amazon for over 3000 options....but I'd advise going to your local sporting goods store and/or big box store (eg walmart sporting goods dept) and trying some binoculars to see which work well for you.

 

I know this is more complicated than you were hoping for....I'm just trying to help you buy something that a) you'll use and b) will actually work when you want it to for this and future travel.

[Hydrokitty]

In a word the X binoculars are worthless!! Mine are Pentax that I've had for years so I no longer have any idea what they cost but they have their own soft case with a carrying strap and fit in my backpack. As pp have suggested....look on line including places like LL Bean for a small pair that doesn't weigh much....short of a pair of brightly colored plastic binoculars that you find in a toy store, whatever you buy will be better than what you'll find in your cabin. :D

[Northern Aurora]

I so agree -- the ship binoculars are totally worthless.

 

For those who need to purchase binoculars a good start to researching the options are birding magazines. I am married to a birder, and almost every birding magazine issues have reviews of binoculars. So head down to a local library, and look at birding magazines to get some ideas, but you really need to actually hold them in your hands before purchasing.

[K12Guy]

I am booked on an Alaskan cruise in August. I understand that binoculars are provided for Concierge class guests. Does anyone know the quality of these binoculars, or if they can be taken off the ship on excursions? Do you recommend purchasing my own? If so, can you recommend some inexpensive binoculars that will do the trick (under $50)? Thanks!

If the cruise line put out binoculars that everyone would want, how many do we think might buy them? So, they put some very marginal sets in the staterooms, knowing they are likely to be there for the next trip. That said, the best they supply are not much better than strong eyeglasses, if that. Best to buy some of those recommended here and take them along. Or, better yet, spend the money for the binoculars with the build in digital camera and get some really good shots of wildlife (not of some pretty young person at the pool).

[Mr. Click]

We had a CC cabin on our first X cruise about 9 years ago the binoculars were terrible... we did another CC cabin last year on a free upgrade and they were only marginally better...buy you own

[Shadow9612]

They are slightly better than you would find in a Cracker Jack box.

 

L O L. [emoji2]

[Beanb41]

We bought a set on board the Solstice for my son for around $30. When we had an issue in Esperence in Western Australia where passengers couldn't get back on board until around midnight I borrowed then and they we so good I bought a set for myself. Havent seen them on subsequent cruisers but you can get good quality ones on board quite cheaply. The supplied ones are toys

[Muushka]

b y o b

[eileenover]

The ones provided on the ship--unless they changed them since I last had them--are rather small and lack power...

 

For a really great, but lower cost, binocular, my favorite by far is the Bushnell Perma-Focus:

 

http://www.bushnell.com/wildlife/binoculars/perma-focus

 

I first bought a pair of these when they were originally developed by a company called Jason...Fell in love with them...Bushnell eventually bought out Jason and now produces them in various sizes...I've since replaced my original pair with a Bushnell version...I have the 10x50...which have 10X magnification and a nice, wide 50X lens that lets in a lot of light...plus, they have a nice wide field of view (over 390 feet at 1000 feet)...

 

The great thing about them is that, somehow, they never need to be adjusted or focused...I just hold them to my eyes and they're perfectly clear at any distance (well, not "any"--but you don't need them for stuff that's close up)...and I actually need corrective lenses for distance--but I use these WITHOUT my glasses and they are magically in focus!

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Perma-Focus-10x50-Binocular/dp/B00005AXIV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525794645&sr=8-2&keywords=perma%2Bfocus&th=1&psc=1

 

 

Fabulous lenses, then! My pair, from a WW2 German submarine, also have such lenses.

[happymom52003]

After researching nearly every binocular thread on here (there are a lot...lol) for our Alaskan cruise last summer, we ended up buying these and were very happy with them....they were great. We bought the first one for us, and the less expensive one for the kids. Honestly, we could not tell much of a difference between the two as far as how they worked. The smaller ones are obviously a bit more lightweight, which is helpful if you take them on excursions (we did).

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B73JONS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B73JO8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[miched]

Take your own.

 

They aren’t very good and I don’t know how they service them. As I get older I get a little more cautious and am leery about maybe getting a eye infection. May not happen but why risk it?

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Travelicious]

These are great, at least for my eyes. I am so impressed by them, especially for the price and small size. They are even less expensive now than when I purchased.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019SMQ2NO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Baron Barracuda]

While a good pair of binoculars (love our Bushnells) is best, in a pinch your cellphone's camera and zoom can serve as an effective substitute.