Binoculars

[Oskial]

 

Hi all.  We are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice this May and I have two questions.  #1 are there binoculars available in all the rooms that we can use?  #2 If not, is it worth it to purchase a pair before we sail?  Any helpful advice would be appreciated.  TIA

[tscoffey]

I don’t know whether Celebrity will supply you with a pair (highly doubtful), but I can tell you that when I went to Alaska (where I assume this cruise is), I was using the pair I brought extensively - especially when near shore (to catch wildlife), and also near Hubbard Glacier.

[cruisestitch]

The binoculars are very cheap and many are broken.  Bring your own.

[lv2cruisgrl]

Bring your own. Cruisestitch is correct the ones they provided are not that great.

[Jim_Iain]

All rooms have binoculars -  better quality in suites.     To be honest the cheap ones they supply you might be better off using a coke bottle.    If really interested you might bring your own.   In my many cruises I've never used mine.    There really isn't much to see except occasional ships at sea.

If doing Alaska and the inland passage way you might enjoy a pair.

[Dawnya00]

When in Alaska, bring your own. Get comfortable using them prior to your cruise is another tip.

[buncosquad]

Not sure what Celebrity offers fleetwide, but I'm pretty sure our EVs had binoculars, though we never used them.

 

Definitely used the binoculars in our ICs, which were good (but not superb) for those sailings.

[keesar]

The ones supplied in our room were mediocre.  I could see as well with my eye glasses on.  Bring your own and you won't be disappointed as I was.

[Northern Aurora]

Our OP asked the same question on the Alaska CC board eight hours ago.  My answer is the same as I posted on at board -- yes -- Solstice will have binoculars but they are terrible.  Bring your own.  Even if you are in a Suite they will be terrible.

 

If you don't own a decent pair then immediately visit a sporting goods store.  You will need to actually hold a pair to determine how they "fit" you.  Reviews can be helpful, but you must actually hold the pair you are considering before buying.

[LB_NJ]

28 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

Our OP asked the same question on the Alaska CC board eight hours ago.  My answer is the same as I posted on at board -- yes -- Solstice will have binoculars but they are terrible.  Bring your own.  Even if you are in a Suite they will be terrible.

 

If you don't own a decent pair then immediately visit a sporting goods store.  You will need to actually hold a pair to determine how they "fit" you.  Reviews can be helpful, but you must actually hold the pair you are considering before buying.

If you are near a big city then large photography should also have decent binoculars .

 

Expect to spend more than $100. Not sure worth spending more than $300.

Get waterproof.

 

As said before, only really necessary for Alaska or maybe Galapagos or similar.

[prmssk]

My husband compares the Celebrity provided ones to being no better than using two toilet paper rolls taped together.  I agree that you should bring your own, if you think you will want to use them.

[Oskial]

Thanks for all the advice.  We are going to Alaska by the way.  I was told on the other CC board that the question might be better asked on the Celebrity forum because we are sailing Celebrity.  Sorry if this question is a little redundant.  The obvious answer is to bring my own.  Thanks for proving to my wife that I was correct.  This doesn't happen very often.  

[jaapie]

18 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

If you are near a big city then large photography should also have decent binoculars .

 

Expect to spend more than $100. Not sure worth spending more than $300.

Get waterproof.

 

As said before, only really necessary for Alaska or maybe Galapagos or similar.

Are binoculars worth buying for a cruise to Greenland/Iceland?

[cruisestitch]

Yes

[Elvis1209]

Bring your own!  The ones provided are comparable to a prize in a Cracker Jacks box!

 

Elvis

[awhfy]

We purchased a monucular to attach to our iPhone (probably on Amazon)  we’ll see in a couple of weeks if it actually works!!  
 

the included binoculars have never been very good

[Oskial]

On 1/27/2024 at 7:49 AM, awhfy said:

We purchased a monucular to attach to our iPhone (probably on Amazon)  we’ll see in a couple of weeks if it actually works!!  
 

the included binoculars have never been very good

That's what I was looking at too.  Could you please get back to me and let me know how the monocular worked out for you?  TIA