Buying digital camera on board....

[emilygrace]

We were on a cruise a while back and I remember seeing a guy in the elevator with a new digital camera still in the box. There had been a sale advertised in the Compass and I asked him if he bought it at the sale. He said he had. He also said he had researched digital cameras before the cruise and was happy with what he paid for this one.

 

I have been pricing digitals for a few months and so far my best prices are coming from websites of photo stores based in New York City. I am going to be in St. Thomas in about 6 weeks and planned to look there, but I wasn't counting on them being able to beat the prices I have found online. I have held off on purchasing, just in case.

 

But back to the guy that bought his at the camera sale on board.....has anyone here ever done that?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Emily, I don't think I would buy one onboard, just in case something went wrong. You might get a good deal on the camera, however you will most likely need more than one memory card on a 12-day cruise :) And you are stopping in fantastic ports (we were originally scheduled on the same cruise), do you really want to spend time onboard learning how to use your new camera? You might miss some fantastic photo opps!! Do you have Best Buy's in CA? We have found great prices there.

 

Good luck and have fun shopping :D

 

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[emilygrace]

Yes, we do have Best Buy here, but the NY stores have them beat by at least $50. Plus sales tax here on something that pricey really adds to the total. If I bought it online I wouldn't have to pay that tax. For what I'm saving on the price and sales tax I can get a 1GB memory card and a spare battery!

 

Don't worry, I'm taking my beloved little film camera on this cruise. It has stood by me through many trips and has been dropped too many times to mention. I just had a roll of film developed last week and it's still going strong!

 

So you're doing the Jewel repo from Europe next year? Were you booked on the Boston to FLL one that got canceled along with our Canada NE cruise for 2007? I'm still sad about that, but planning on 2008.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Yes, we do have Best Buy here, but the NY stores have them beat by at least $50. Plus sales tax here on something that pricey really adds to the total. If I bought it online I wouldn't have to pay that tax. For what I'm saving on the price and sales tax I can get a 1GB memory card and a spare battery!

 

Don't worry, I'm taking my beloved little film camera on this cruise. It has stood by me through many trips and has been dropped too many times to mention. I just had a roll of film developed last week and it's still going strong!

 

So you're doing the Jewel repo from Europe next year? Were you booked on the Boston to FLL one that got canceled along with our Canada NE cruise for 2007? I'm still sad about that, but planning on 2008.

 

I like the online option Emily! And I'm glad you have a backup :D

 

No, we are not doing the Jewel repo from Europe, I'm still a bit bitter about them canceling the 2007 repo from Boston and haven't updated my ticker ;)

 

We were also booked on the 2006 repo and had to cancel because my parents are taking us as well as my three sisters and their husbands on the chartered Jewel to Bermuda on 10/26/2006. I could not convince my hubby to be on the Jewel for 17 days :eek: I will wave to all of you when we are getting off on the 31st :( And, I promise to do our best and leave her in great condition LOL!

 

I too am looking for a new digital camera, so hopefully others will have some good advice for both of us!

 

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[WECoyote]

We were on a cruise a while back and I remember seeing a guy in the elevator with a new digital camera still in the box. There had been a sale advertised in the Compass and I asked him if he bought it at the sale. He said he had. He also said he had researched digital cameras before the cruise and was happy with what he paid for this one.

 

I have been pricing digitals for a few months and so far my best prices are coming from websites of photo stores based in New York City. I am going to be in St. Thomas in about 6 weeks and planned to look there, but I wasn't counting on them being able to beat the prices I have found online. I have held off on purchasing, just in case.

 

But back to the guy that bought his at the camera sale on board.....has anyone here ever done that?

 

Unless you are thoroughly familiar with virtually ever camera out on the market, I would not buy on board...the box always sounds good, but you don't have clue to the ease of operation or the weaknesses of a camera unless it happens to be a model you researched, especially the professional reviews. There are a lot of reputable companies on line and not all of them are in New York. Just bought a camera out of San Jose, CA less than a month ago.

 

I suppose you can try to use the computer system on board to research a model, but expect to pay a small fortune for the internet time. RCI has their computer system so choked down, I think dial up would be quicker at times. But, that is a way for them to make money...charge you 50 cents a minute and make sure the system crawls along.

[forpaws]

Yes, we do have Best Buy here, but the NY stores have them beat by at least $50. Plus sales tax here on something that pricey really adds to the total. If I bought it online I wouldn't have to pay that tax. For what I'm saving on the price and sales tax I can get a 1GB memory card and a spare battery!

 

Don't worry, I'm taking my beloved little film camera on this cruise. It has stood by me through many trips and has been dropped too many times to mention. I just had a roll of film developed last week and it's still going strong!

 

I would suggest that you check Amazon too...I got a great deal on my Canon Digital Rebel XT through there, and I really like it.

 

I agree with Phoenix on learning the camera ahead of time...it can be time consuming to figure out all options available on the cameras...and these features can really add to the overall quality of your pics. I still haven't read the manual to mine, and some of my pics haven't turned out that great as a result.

 

Good luck! And happy cruisin'!:)

[Corby44]

You also have to be sure that any camera bought outside the US has a US warranty. Some of the cameras in foreign ports are grey market items. {no US warranty}

[forpaws]

You also have to be sure that any camera bought outside the US has a US warranty. Some of the cameras in foreign ports are grey market items. {no US warranty}

 

Oooooo, forgot about that one--very important to note this! This can also apply to cameras bought on the online auction sites too...be sure to check for that US warranty.

[ziggydaddy]

I purchased a Nikon Digital on board last year. I saved a couple bucks over locals stores and about what it would have cost me on line. Plus I got the help of one of the ships photographers learning to use it He threw in 24 free prints plus I paid no tax. The camera just broke last week and Nikon is fixing it free under warantee. What more can I ask.

[Liz]

I "ordered" a camcorder through CircuitCity.com and arranged for same-day in-store pick-up. You do have to pay for it on-line but it is a secure site. I saved about $50 over the in-store price. You can also purchase the extended warranty on-line. And if you live really close to the store, and they do not have it ready for you within 24 (?) minutes, they will give you a gift card! After I picked mine up, I went over to the retail area and talked to one of the reps, he gave me some good advice about accessories and all. I don't know if every purchase has that great of a savings, but I am now a regular Circuit City customer! And I have had plenty of time to learn how to use the camera before my 10/01/06 AOS cruise!

 

Good luck!

 

Liz

[bouhunter]

Be aware that some of those "New York camera stores online" are also selling gray market goods, meaning no warranty in the US.

[steve20832]

Buying cameras online will almost always save you at least 20% against Best Buy or Circuit City store prices. I would rather have the camera in my hand before I go on the cruise and learn how to use the settings so you can maximize your time doing other stuff on vacation. (Not to mention, those camera boxes can be big compared to the camera itself.) Like a previous poster said, you will have to get more memory for any camera you buy.

[TPKeller]

I have purchased the vast majority of my camera equipment from B&H Photovideo, which is in NYC. They have a stellar reputation, and they are the only one of the NYC based shops that I am comfortable using. By "comfortable" I mean that I trust them with my business without an inordinate amount of scrutiny. Not that I would never buy from any of the others, but certainly not without turning on my "extremely cautious consumer" mode. If you know what you want, B&H is hard to beat. They do sometimes offer "gray market" items, but they are clearly labled as such, when that is the case.

 

Theron

[mozfoz]

Some of the best camera deals on cameras, and other merchandise, can be found though a posters board at slickdeals.com.

The site is not a seller of merchandise, but an information site similar to Cruise Critic. It will tell you where the deals are being offered. Go to slickdeals.net, click on the Forum tab, then click on Hot Deals. Scroll though the deals offered, and find a camera. :D

[sas80]

We were on a cruise a while back and I remember seeing a guy in the elevator with a new digital camera still in the box. There had been a sale advertised in the Compass and I asked him if he bought it at the sale. He said he had. He also said he had researched digital cameras before the cruise and was happy with what he paid for this one.

 

I have been pricing digitals for a few months and so far my best prices are coming from websites of photo stores based in New York City. I am going to be in St. Thomas in about 6 weeks and planned to look there, but I wasn't counting on them being able to beat the prices I have found online. I have held off on purchasing, just in case.

 

But back to the guy that bought his at the camera sale on board.....has anyone here ever done that?

 

We considered buying a cam corder at the RCCL reccomended electronics store in St. Thomas. We got the information about the cam corder and then walked down to the internet cafe to jump online. (ask anyone where it is when you are in St. Thomas) For a price of $3 for 20 minutes of internet use, we were able to verify that the RCCL reccomended store was more expensive for the cam corder than we could find purchased it online.

 

My suggestion to you is, if you find a camera you are considering, makes notes about it (make, model, etc) and jump online (either on the ship or on shore) and research it. You should know very quickly if it is a real deal or not.

[Wild Bill]

My Sister bought a digital camera while we were on The Mariner last year. She of course didn't pay tax, and got some free bees, like digital prints and a photo album, and was very happy with her purchase. When we returned home, my husband and I saw that same camera a little cheaper at Walmart, but the price was comparable if you added in the cost she would have paid for the "free bees" that the ship gave her.

Kathy

[The Big Booper]

I have purchased the vast majority of my camera equipment from B&H Photovideo, which is in NYC. They have a stellar reputation, and they are the only one of the NYC based shops that I am comfortable using. By "comfortable" I mean that I trust them with my business without an inordinate amount of scrutiny. Not that I would never buy from any of the others, but certainly not without turning on my "extremely cautious consumer" mode. If you know what you want, B&H is hard to beat. They do sometimes offer "gray market" items, but they are clearly labled as such, when that is the case.

 

Theron

 

We live in the NY suburbs and once in a while go into the city to buy stuff at B&H. The store is a mecca for all the local professionals and I would trust them. My favorite thing is to watch all the merchandise shuttling around the store on the overhead conveyer belt system. They are amazingly efficient for such a large operation. If you decide to visit while in the city, remember closed Fri. evening and Saturday all day, open Sunday.

[Treven]

I shop at B&H Video Photo for almost all of my electronic equipment. With their prices and shipping, I can buy everything there cheaper than I can locally because of the sales tax; 7.75% locally.

 

I bought my Sony digital camera, Bogen/Manfrotto tripod, 2gig MicroDrive; as well as my AV Receiver for my sound system/TV. Payday (the end of the week) I'm buying a Sony VAIO laptop from them as well.

 

I wouldn't hesitate buying anything from them.

[TPKeller]

We live in the NY suburbs and once in a while go into the city to buy stuff at B&H. The store is a mecca for all the local professionals and I would trust them. My favorite thing is to watch all the merchandise shuttling around the store on the overhead conveyer belt system. They are amazingly efficient for such a large operation. If you decide to visit while in the city, remember closed Fri. evening and Saturday all day, open Sunday.

How true! I spent about 48 hours in NYC a couple years ago, a whirlwind trip to see the big searchlights that were shining up in the air at Ground Zero... HAD to fit in a stop at B&H! It was quite an experience, not only the store and its operation, but interacting with the personnel there... Quite memorable! :)

 

Theron

[FLCruiseGirl]

We bought the new Pentax digital underwater camera on the Enchantment in April. When we got home, I found the same camera at Costco for about $50 less. I think it ended up being about even when you figure in the free camera case they gave us and also no sales tax being charged. (Also, double points on our RCCL credit card which we used to pay for our on board purchases) Although we didn't save any money, we are still happy with our purchase and love our camera.

[Tralynn222]

On the Majesty last year we purchased a NIKON digital camera. Basically the only savings was the sales tax. Don't expect to save a bundle by purchasing it on the ship. Our savings was less than $20.00.

[luv2sweat]

Thanks for bringing up the point about getting to know your camera before your trip. I just bought a small Nikon for DS(14) since he's the only one in the family without a camera of some type. I wanted to surprise him and I planned to give it to him right before we got to the pier. Now I'm thinking it might be better to give it to him a week or two before the cruise so he can get used to it. Now I just need to investigate velcro for his hands and the camera - I have visions of it going overboard.:D

 

Wendy

[Sunrunner3]

If you have a camera in mind here is a great site with reviews of all makes and models of cameras!!!

 

www.dpreview.com

[cappy09]

We were on a cruise a while back and I remember seeing a guy in the elevator with a new digital camera still in the box. There had been a sale advertised in the Compass and I asked him if he bought it at the sale. He said he had. He also said he had researched digital cameras before the cruise and was happy with what he paid for this one.

 

I have been pricing digitals for a few months and so far my best prices are coming from websites of photo stores based in New York City. I am going to be in St. Thomas in about 6 weeks and planned to look there, but I wasn't counting on them being able to beat the prices I have found online. I have held off on purchasing, just in case.

 

But back to the guy that bought his at the camera sale on board.....has anyone here ever done that?

While in St. Thomas you might want to go to a shop that is called funny enough Royal Caribbean. They sell electronics at a very good price. I bought a Sony handicam there well below prices here in the US. Another good shopping port for electronics is St Martin. Just do your homework and know the price online and retail

[irishnyc]

Unless those "NY Stores" online are B&H Photo, or J&R music world, stay far far away.

 

check at your local cosco or bj's for their cameras. They usually have very good prices.