best waterproof camera for kayak fishing image
shawnabeth
im going on a carnival conquest cruise in may, it's my first time. just want to see if anyone has any ideals for me, on what to take, what to do, or anything else!!!
thanks :)
Answer
Kyle had a very complete answer on packing so I don't have anything to add to that but snorkel gear. Buy your own snorkel gear and you can just walk off a beach to snorkel. Also buy a waterproof camera before you go. They have disposable ones on the ship for about 3 times more what they'd be in Walmart beforehand. Pack a lanyard--most people punch a hole in the room card and just wear it around your neck. I carry a baby bookbag on the islands. Seriously don't overpack. I don't bring day clothing. Bathing suit and coverup is my "day wear". I know I'll be buying a tshirt at some port. Dressy clothing for evening. They have 2 formal nights--maxi dresses for women and men in khakis most nights, suit on formal is the norm. No shorts, tank tops, super casual wear after 6. Bring a light jacket in case it's windy (and for the plane). Bring workout clothes if you plan to go to the gym.
You are going from Galveston. I've never been to Jamaica but look at Cruise Critic for reviews. If you read the reviews of the exact ship/cruise you are going on, many people review their shore excursions as well.
Grand Cayman is nice. The best shore excursion there in my opinion is the Stingray City. You can feed the stingrays. They brush up against you. It's an amazing experience. They have numerous shore excursions to Stingray city so read the descriptions carefully.
The snorkel tours here happen to be the cheapest but if you have your own gear you can book one when you get off the ship for cheaper than that to the Barrier Reef. Seven Mile beach is absolutely gorgeous but don't book an excursion--take a cab. It's going to be much cheaper than $30 a person to take a cab there.
Cozumel is one of my favorite ports of call. In my opinion it has some of the best snorkeling. I love to go to Chankanaab Park though it does have an entrance fee. The fish are right there though--closer than any other place I've been snorkeling. Cozumel is also a great shopping place--the best shopping out of all your ports. A great spot to eat lunch is Pancho's Backyard. It is amazing. Gorgeous place to really enjoy Cozumel's best food.
I have to admit--the Amazing Cozumel Race shore excursion catches my eye as something that would truly be a unique experience.
ATV tours can be booked much cheaper off the ship. That is personally not my cup of tea. The people come back absolutely covered in mud. But I will say they all look thrilled about it. They couldn't say enough about how much fun it was.
I have also done the Clear Kayak excursion. It was one of my favorites I've ever done. My husband and I raft a lot though so we had no trouble navigating the kayak.
My husband and I have also done the snuba excursion. He absolutely loved it. It is a good mix of scuba and snorkel. You have a regulator just like scuba but you don't carry the tank. I had a hard time keeping myself down on the bottom and the only reason I wasn't too found of it in Honduras was b/c there were not many fish there but I'd definitely consider it somewhere else.
My next cruise I plan to do a zipline tour. They have amazing views. I would want to research it first and make sure I'm picking one that is long enough and high enough to be worth it. Most ports of call have one though.
I've never done the horseback riding though so I can't comment on that. But it seems to me like you could book that on yourself for much less than $100 a person.
My suggestion of ones to avoid: Beach Breaks, Jeep rentals, shopping tours. Beach breaks you are paying for a cab. It is not taking you to a great beach and you are hounded by locals wanting $5 for braids, $50 for jetski rental, $70 for parasailing. It's endless and not relaxing at all. Jeeps...if I wanted to drive a jeep around I could do that at home. Or call a rental company and rent one yourself. Shopping tours- you could walk around to shop by yourself. Why do you need to pay to do it?
The difference between doing a shore excursion through the ship and on your own is simple. It's cheaper to book it without going through the ship. It often goes to the exact same place. However booking through the ship has some advantages--if something happens you have a way to get your money back plus you have a guarantee that the ship won't leave without you. If your excursion gets a flat tire, the ship waits for you. You can weigh those two and make your own decision. Many of us on this board feel the price savings is worth it but on a drinking excursion (like Party Bus or Pub Crawl) it definitely seems worth it to have babysitters ensuring they make it back and I've been on a ship a couple times when we waited for them to come back.
Kyle had a very complete answer on packing so I don't have anything to add to that but snorkel gear. Buy your own snorkel gear and you can just walk off a beach to snorkel. Also buy a waterproof camera before you go. They have disposable ones on the ship for about 3 times more what they'd be in Walmart beforehand. Pack a lanyard--most people punch a hole in the room card and just wear it around your neck. I carry a baby bookbag on the islands. Seriously don't overpack. I don't bring day clothing. Bathing suit and coverup is my "day wear". I know I'll be buying a tshirt at some port. Dressy clothing for evening. They have 2 formal nights--maxi dresses for women and men in khakis most nights, suit on formal is the norm. No shorts, tank tops, super casual wear after 6. Bring a light jacket in case it's windy (and for the plane). Bring workout clothes if you plan to go to the gym.
You are going from Galveston. I've never been to Jamaica but look at Cruise Critic for reviews. If you read the reviews of the exact ship/cruise you are going on, many people review their shore excursions as well.
Grand Cayman is nice. The best shore excursion there in my opinion is the Stingray City. You can feed the stingrays. They brush up against you. It's an amazing experience. They have numerous shore excursions to Stingray city so read the descriptions carefully.
The snorkel tours here happen to be the cheapest but if you have your own gear you can book one when you get off the ship for cheaper than that to the Barrier Reef. Seven Mile beach is absolutely gorgeous but don't book an excursion--take a cab. It's going to be much cheaper than $30 a person to take a cab there.
Cozumel is one of my favorite ports of call. In my opinion it has some of the best snorkeling. I love to go to Chankanaab Park though it does have an entrance fee. The fish are right there though--closer than any other place I've been snorkeling. Cozumel is also a great shopping place--the best shopping out of all your ports. A great spot to eat lunch is Pancho's Backyard. It is amazing. Gorgeous place to really enjoy Cozumel's best food.
I have to admit--the Amazing Cozumel Race shore excursion catches my eye as something that would truly be a unique experience.
ATV tours can be booked much cheaper off the ship. That is personally not my cup of tea. The people come back absolutely covered in mud. But I will say they all look thrilled about it. They couldn't say enough about how much fun it was.
I have also done the Clear Kayak excursion. It was one of my favorites I've ever done. My husband and I raft a lot though so we had no trouble navigating the kayak.
My husband and I have also done the snuba excursion. He absolutely loved it. It is a good mix of scuba and snorkel. You have a regulator just like scuba but you don't carry the tank. I had a hard time keeping myself down on the bottom and the only reason I wasn't too found of it in Honduras was b/c there were not many fish there but I'd definitely consider it somewhere else.
My next cruise I plan to do a zipline tour. They have amazing views. I would want to research it first and make sure I'm picking one that is long enough and high enough to be worth it. Most ports of call have one though.
I've never done the horseback riding though so I can't comment on that. But it seems to me like you could book that on yourself for much less than $100 a person.
My suggestion of ones to avoid: Beach Breaks, Jeep rentals, shopping tours. Beach breaks you are paying for a cab. It is not taking you to a great beach and you are hounded by locals wanting $5 for braids, $50 for jetski rental, $70 for parasailing. It's endless and not relaxing at all. Jeeps...if I wanted to drive a jeep around I could do that at home. Or call a rental company and rent one yourself. Shopping tours- you could walk around to shop by yourself. Why do you need to pay to do it?
The difference between doing a shore excursion through the ship and on your own is simple. It's cheaper to book it without going through the ship. It often goes to the exact same place. However booking through the ship has some advantages--if something happens you have a way to get your money back plus you have a guarantee that the ship won't leave without you. If your excursion gets a flat tire, the ship waits for you. You can weigh those two and make your own decision. Many of us on this board feel the price savings is worth it but on a drinking excursion (like Party Bus or Pub Crawl) it definitely seems worth it to have babysitters ensuring they make it back and I've been on a ship a couple times when we waited for them to come back.
I am looking for a good kayak. Any help?
IceDirecto
Okay. So I want a sit on top kayak for sure. I mostly go kayaking river and inner coastal waters of Florida. I do tend to go out on the beach with kayaks too. Ride waves with it.
One thing that I definitely need is a good amount of dry storage space, because I bring my Nikon D200 with me everywhere (in a waterproof case, of course), and need to be able to feel fairly comfortable that it is there. And lastly I want to be able to maybe fish on it occasionally.
Thanks for your help!
I have actually seen many kayakers with cameras. I personally have been using my friends SOT for the past 4 years. I think as far as experience goes... I have enough of it.
Answer
I'm not an expert on sit-on-tops, but the Ocean Kayak Prowler is pretty popular among the fishing crowd in my area. It's fairly long for a sit-on-top, so it will likely go faster and straighter than a typical recreational SOT.
Just beware that the dry hatches in any kayak will eventually leak, so make sure you put your camera in a dry bag before stowing it in the hatch. As an alternative, check out Pelican cases and Otter Boxes. They make some nice hardshell waterproof boxes that are good for storing camera equipment.
I'm not an expert on sit-on-tops, but the Ocean Kayak Prowler is pretty popular among the fishing crowd in my area. It's fairly long for a sit-on-top, so it will likely go faster and straighter than a typical recreational SOT.
Just beware that the dry hatches in any kayak will eventually leak, so make sure you put your camera in a dry bag before stowing it in the hatch. As an alternative, check out Pelican cases and Otter Boxes. They make some nice hardshell waterproof boxes that are good for storing camera equipment.
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