Bringing EXPENSIVE gear..is it safe?

[Geckophoto]

My first time cruise coming up in 10 days..I plan on shooting some stock photography and wonder how safe it is to have high end gear on the ship? I will have a pelican case to lock it up if necessary...one lens alone is worth 4 grand....I could very easily have 10 grand in my single case. Are there places I can lock the case to say a bed frame or some where it can't just be picked up and walked off with?

 

Any customs issues needing to be addressed? Also, I know to keep my eye on it at all times when off the ship, going to Grand Cayman, Rotan/Belize any words of advice?

 

Thanks....

[TheRoff]

Just be as cautious as you would any place. I have never bothered to lock up camera gear in a ship's cabin. Just keep it out of sight and you should be fine. Cabin attendant's wouldn't be working long it they were stealing things. I suppose you could find a place to chain it to, but I honestly don't think it would be worth the trouble.

 

I have never had any customs issues with camera gear in countries in the Caribbean.

 

Advice: Take lots of photos, let us see them here, and have fun.

 

Larry

[pierces]

I usually leave my camera bag(s) in the closet behind/under the clothes. I used to drag along a Pelican 1510 with Peli-locks and a cable, but I never chained it to anything simply because I felt no real threat. Twenty-seven cruises and never an issue.

 

If you're worried, you can see if your homeowner's insurance carrier will add a temporary rider to cover you against loss.

 

Dave

[pilotdane]

As mentioned, you need to be smart and you are perfectly correct asking the question. Yes on a cruise ship your gear will be safe enough in the cabin. I would be more worried about how you get that 10k case to your cabin and then get it home. Are you driving to the port? Will that case be your carry-on luggage? Of course you will not check that bag at the pier to be delivered to your room.

 

Now the philosophical part. Why do you have that great gear? You bought it to get those great shots. Those shots do not happen at home while safely stored in a padded camera bag. I buy my gear to be used. Yes, I will be exremely &^%$ if my camera and lens fall overboard or is stolen but it is useless unless I take it out in harms way and use it.

[Coracii]

I've carried my backpack full of camera gear all around the world several times (it's ALWAYS carry-on, never checked baggage) and never hesitate to have it with me. All told, my travel backpack routinely carries about 35-40 pounds of gear that ranges somewhere in the neighborhood of about $8-9000 replacement value. It's all insured and documented just in case, but I have all the equipment because I want it to take photographs with, not to have it locked up at home. I have never had a problem leaving photgraphic gear or my laptop in a room on a cruise ship.

[PopPop3]

My first time cruise coming up in 10 days..I plan on shooting some stock photography and wonder how safe it is to have high end gear on the ship? I will have a pelican case to lock it up if necessary...one lens alone is worth 4 grand....I could very easily have 10 grand in my single case. Are there places I can lock the case to say a bed frame or some where it can't just be picked up and walked off with?

 

Any customs issues needing to be addressed? Also, I know to keep my eye on it at all times when off the ship, going to Grand Cayman, Rotan/Belize any words of advice?

 

Thanks....

 

Re: Customs....I took all my gear to a local Homeland Security/Customs office in Houston and had them inventory it so I won't have any problems with Canadian or US customs while in AK this week.

Not only pro camera gear, but also two pair of binocs, an Epson P-3000 photo viewer, my Mac laptop and such.

It didn't take long for the inventory and I walked out with full documentation that I'll carry with me in case there are any questions.

It's worth the time to have this done, IMHO.

[donaldsc]

Seems like if you chain it to something and do other things to ensure that is is not stolen, you are advertising the fact that there is valuable stuff in the bag and enhancing the chance that it will be stolen.

 

Hide in plain sight is my plan.

 

DON

[Geckophoto]

Is there any issue of me bringing it back into Miami thru customs? I don't have anything documented..or what do/should I have done before leaving? Just camera/big sports lens/3 other lenses/flash cards/battery charger etc...plus amateur video camera/point n shoot underwater camera too...

[Coracii]

I've never had customs question anything in my camera bag, but just in case I have photocopies of purchase receipts with serial numbers for the main equipment in my travel portfolio (separate from the camera backpack). I don't bother for things like memory cards, rocket blower, battery chargers, etc. But, like I said, in all my travels I've never been questioned bringing the gear through customs. My last trip coming through customs in LA my backpack had two bodies, six lenses, flash, 1.4x TC, tripod, monopod, and all the miscellaneous accessories and customs took about 5 seconds looking at the bag.

[PopPop3]

As I said in my posting earlier in this thread:

 

e: Customs....I took all my gear to a local Homeland Security/Customs office in Houston and had them inventory it so I won't have any problems with Canadian or US customs while in AK this week.

Not only pro camera gear, but also two pair of binocs, an Epson P-3000 photo viewer, my Mac laptop and such.

It didn't take long for the inventory and I walked out with full documentation that I'll carry with me in case there are any questions.

It's worth the time to have this done, IMHO.

 

Not a big hassle and worth the time and peace of mind.

[JoshRtek]

My first time cruise coming up in 10 days..I plan on shooting some stock photography and wonder how safe it is to have high end gear on the ship? I will have a pelican case to lock it up if necessary...one lens alone is worth 4 grand....I could very easily have 10 grand in my single case. Are there places I can lock the case to say a bed frame or some where it can't just be picked up and walked off with?

 

Any customs issues needing to be addressed? Also, I know to keep my eye on it at all times when off the ship, going to Grand Cayman, Rotan/Belize any words of advice?

 

Thanks....

 

I am also bringing an assortment of lenses and gear. Of course, some of this will be left in the stateroom while the ship's at the ports-of-call. Should I have any worries about everything being safe?

[pierces]

I am also bringing an assortment of lenses and gear. Of course, some of this will be left in the stateroom while the ship's at the ports-of-call. Should I have any worries about everything being safe?

 

I carry two bags when we cruise. One has my gear in it and the smaller SlingShot 200 has chargers, the photo viewer and miscellaneous travel support stuff. When we get to the cabin, I re-order the bags and pack the camera and a lens or two into the SlingShot for ship-walking and tours. The rest is left in the cabin during the day. When I leave the cabin, I put the immediate charging stuff away in drawers and the second bag in the closet at the back. In 27 cruises, I have never had so much as a microfiber cleaning cloth go missing.

 

Don't worry and have fun!

 

Dave

[TheRoff]

I have never had so much as a microfiber cleaning cloth go missing.

 

:D:D

I have had many go missing, but never from theft.

 

Larry