1st cruise ever - questions about bathing suits, Sea Pass, cameras, and coffee

[dreadpirate3]

1. As long as you are going straight from your room to the pool and back, no cover up needed. If you plan on entering the public areas to get food or go shopping, I recommend a cover up.

 

2. I recommend carrying your sea pass on a lanyard or in a small bag. You don't want to lose it or leave it behind.

 

3. I carry my DSLR on every cruise, along with a waterproof camera and an action camera. I would not carry a tripod. I used a Gorilla pod with my action camera for sail away on my balcony last time.

 

I have carried my DSLR on Coco Cay, and would recommend you keep it with you, which means you won't be able to swim. If you get a locker, you can keep it safe there.

 

4. You are better off ordering coffee to be delivered when you wake up using the door hanger provided. Coffee is free during breakfast hours.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Try not to get sunscreen on your sea pass. It takes the lettering off and while it still works, bartenders and others don't seem to like it. You will end up at guest services getting a new one.

I know the spray sunscreens will erase the lettering, I don't know about the cream ones.

[John&LaLa]

You are going on a short cruise to have some fun and enjoy. Leave your tripod at home. With today's digital cameras you can boost the ISO a bit for sunrise/sunset pictures. I do it all of the time. The tripod is dead weight. For the beach, sand and cameras do not mix well at all. When I absolutly have to take a camera to the beach I stick it in a big zip lock bag. Sand is invasive and the repairs are expensive.

 

I've taken mine when we have a cabana.

 

Other than that, no

 

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[John&LaLa]

It is Royal's policy to have a kettle in all staterooms on ships based out of the UK, but this is not the case elsehwere.

We had one on Indy when she was in Ft Lauderdale for the season

 

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[Clarea]

We had one on Indy when she was in Ft Lauderdale for the season

Were you in a JS or better?

[John&LaLa]

Were you in a JS or better?

Nope, and it was mid January, so it wasn't like she had just returned or was getting ready to go back. I was told it was easier to leave in cabin than to store them.

 

I don't recall if coffee or tea supplies were there. We just stuck it in the closet.

 

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[steveru621]

The hot tub or the pool will not damage your seapass card. I've always kept it in my swim suit. Any magnets on your purse or cell phone case will damage the mag stripe.

 

Some sunscreens can dissolve the printing on your card.

 

Unless the ship is docked tripods are virtually useless. You'll do a better job of steadying your camera by hand holding.

[Cincy2]

I know the spray sunscreens will erase the lettering, I don't know about the cream ones.

 

 

Mine was lotion.

[bobmacliberty]

You can run and grab coffee without makeup etc, or better yet send your husband to go get it. I’m sure he’d be delighted to.

 

This is my job when we cruise, but I enjoy walking around the ship when it's fairly empty. As for your DSLR, bring it if it's weather proof/sealed. You probably bought a nice camera for just these types of photo occasions so don't leave it on the ship! I brought a (carbon fiber) tripod for one cruise (Allure) and it allowed me to take great night time shots around the ship...especially Central Park. I was glad I did it, but I've done handheld/high ISO/gorilla pod/railings since then. I don't understand the comments about a tripod not being effective when the ship is rocking. A tripod causes the camera to be "locked" to the ship such that the camera and the ship don't move relative to each other. Works great.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

This is my job when we cruise, but I enjoy walking around the ship when it's fairly empty. As for your DSLR, bring it if it's weather proof/sealed. You probably bought a nice camera for just these types of photo occasions so don't leave it on the ship! I brought a (carbon fiber) tripod for one cruise (Allure) and it allowed me to take great night time shots around the ship...especially Central Park. I was glad I did it, but I've done handheld/high ISO/gorilla pod/railings since then. I don't understand the comments about a tripod not being effective when the ship is rocking. A tripod causes the camera to be "locked" to the ship such that the camera and the ship don't move relative to each other. Works great.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but then realized the tripod would only work as long as you're taking a picture of the ship. If you're trying to take a picture of something outside (island, sunset, stars, etc), it wouldn't help.

[John&LaLa]

This is my job when we cruise, but I enjoy walking around the ship when it's fairly empty. As for your DSLR, bring it if it's weather proof/sealed. You probably bought a nice camera for just these types of photo occasions so don't leave it on the ship! I brought a (carbon fiber) tripod for one cruise (Allure) and it allowed me to take great night time shots around the ship...especially Central Park. I was glad I did it, but I've done handheld/high ISO/gorilla pod/railings since then. I don't understand the comments about a tripod not being effective when the ship is rocking. A tripod causes the camera to be "locked" to the ship such that the camera and the ship don't move relative to each other. Works great.

Not for a sunset/sunrise.

 

Horizon is moving

 

OK for pictures of the ship, I guess

 

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[saltycat]

If you have a “Yetti” or thermos type container you could fill it with coffee before returning to your cabin at night.... and wake up to hot coffee. 😁

[MapleMA]

Wow! I go to work for a few hours and I've got 2 pages!

 

Okay, coverup for food/shopping, check.

 

SeaPass is useful, check. Add lanyards to the list, check. Ask for a hole, check.

 

Free morning room service, check (and hooray!). Thermos is an interesting idea - we do that when we camp, since starting the stove and finding the supplies is unbelievably challenging before coffee.

 

Tripod... I wasn't thinking about motion, crazy though that sounds. These ships are so huge, surely they just, you know, float there all steady. But it sounds like that's not so; good to know! I think I will take it, as it's a small collapsible travel model, and I don't know what may catch my eye once I'm on board (like sparkly nighttime lights). Likewise, I think I will take the camera to the beach. I love beach pictures. I'll just make sure the right lens is on it before we leave, so I don't have to open it up on the sand!

 

I'm really starting to get excited for this trip. Thanks everyone!