Photography

The staff photographer, a near-universal fixture on cruise ships, records every memorable, photogenic moment. The thousands of photos snapped over the course of a cruise are displayed publicly in special cases every morning and are offered for sale. If you want a special photo or a portrait, the photographer is usually happy to oblige.

Many passengers choose to have a formal portrait taken before the captain's farewell dinner -- the dressiest evening of the cruise. The ship's photographer usually anticipates this demand by setting up a portable studio near the dining-room entrance.

If you're more of a do-it-yourselfer and would rather spring for the convenience of seeing your own shots right away, many cruise ships have color-film processing and printing equipment to develop film overnight.