Ports and Life Aboard

During my recent European cruise, I made a point of paying attention to the other ships during our port visits. I've never spent much time in ports, and I wanted to see how these large vessels maneuver, and I wanted to see how ports operate.

One of the first things I noticed was just how much smoke the ships all seem to be belching into the atmosphere at all times. Even tied up at a dock or riding at anchor, they smoke. I presume they're running generators instead of relying on shore power. They also continuously pump bilge water overboard.

Smoky Ferry

We boarded the cruise ship (Crown Princess) in Piraeus, and there was a lot of ferry activity. Several large ships came and went as we waited for our own departure. Here in the US there aren't a lot of ocean-going ferries. Most of this kind of activity is for service to islands near New England and the Canadian coast, or along the Pacific Northwest. But it makes perfect sense that there are many ferries around the Mediterranean.

Piraeus with the Acropolis in the Distance

Our first port call was Santorini. There's no cruise ship dock, so we used tenders to get ashore. A small flotilla was busy all day.

Crown Princess at Santorini

There were a few other cruise ships there during the same day.

Cruise Ship at Santorini

Cruise Ship at Santorini

I spent a lot of time looking at other ships, checking out the various features. I'm amazed at how many people fit in those lifeboats. We also tendered in Kotor, but docked at all other ports. The crew of our ship launched boats even when we were docked. They used the boats to service/maintain the ship and once there was even a man overboard drill with several boats launched.

Tender/Lifeboat

I also had the opportunity to observe several pilots coming aboard or getting off. The pilot boats mostly look the same. They're small, with powerful engines, and lots of handholds.

Pilot Boat

During arrivals, the pilots met us out of the harbor by coming alongside and then stepping off the pilot boat and onto the ship through a door in our ship that was located near the waterline. Reverse the process for the departures. The pilot boat would stay alongside as we exited the harbor; the boat would come alongside to take the pilot off. Often these trips were VERY short, with the pilot working for less than a mile.

Pilot Boat about to come Alongside to Take the Pilot Off

During one such exchange, I happened to be atop the bridge, so I was able to actually watch the pilot coming aboard.

Coming Aboard

Most of the time the pilots didn't even wear life vests. You would think they were going out to the store, or some casual lunch given the way they were dressed. This one was dressed more professionally than most.

Sometimes I saw lines stretched like this, and I wondered how they managed to get those lines stretched so far from the ship. The answer: a small motorboat would come alongside and grab the lines and take them out to the mooring.

Lines Stretched Out

I watched this ferry arrive in port. It came in bow first, used thrusters to pirouette, dropped anchor well away from the wharf, then reversed until the stern was close to the wharf, playing more anchor chain out as it went. Then a motorboat came along, grabbed the lines that were played out from the huge winches, and towed the lines to shore, where workers grabbed them and dropped them on the bollards. Then the deck hands used the winches to take the slack up in the lines, drawing the ship closer to the wharf. Then they pulled the anchor chain tight, and finally dropped the ramp to allow vehicles off/on. That was quite a lot of work to get tied up. But the benefit of all this work is that the ship is already in position for an easy departure: pull the lines in, pull the anchor up, and forward thrust.

An Ugly Ferry with its Stern Backed Up to the Wharf

Naples is a container port. There were lots of cranes, with Vesuvius looming not far away. The light was awful so this photo kind of sucks. I'm showing it anyway because there are so many cranes and hauled-out boats, and of course, the famous volcano. It also shows the balcony rail for my cabin and the extended bridge. Passengers were allowed on top of the bridge when the weather was good.

Port of Naples and Vesuvius

Naples was the only place I remember seeing tugboats. Most ships seem to have thrusters these days. No need for tugboats to help them maneuver.

A Rare Tugboat

Barcelona was by far the most interesting port. There were tankers, container ships, and cruise ships coming and going.  We were tied up directly across from a ship that was actively discharging containers.

Discharging Cargo

There was a Costa cruise ship tied up astern from us. That profile looks so familiar; the Concordia looked just like this because they are the same class.

Costa Fascinosa in Barcelona

Container Cranes in Barcelona

In just about every port, I saw baby tankers. They would pull alongside large ships and tie up. They stayed for several hours at a time, pumping fuel to the larger ship.

Oiler

Here's a natural gas tanker.

Tanker in the Bay of Gibraltar

I got to see quite the variety of ships and maneuvers. It's amazing how well these large ships can maneuver in the small harbors. Our own ship was huge, but surprisingly graceful. Only rarely did I sense any rolling motions, and I never saw any pitching action.

As for life aboard ship as a passenger, it was comfortable. There was too much to eat, and there was always noise. Days at sea were kind of boring, but relaxing. The pools were always packed, but that's OK, I'm not a pool person. I spent a lot of time reading, napping, and walking the promenade deck.

Promenade Deck with Lifeboats Hanging Above

The dining room vibrated a lot. Evening meals were above some machinery that made a rhythmic boom. The first day aboard, the air conditioning wasn't working on our deck. It seems the ship mostly works OK, but it's showing lots of signs of wear.

Typical Corridor Aboard

Breakfast and lunch were in the food court, where there was a buffet. The food was good. The carpets and tables and chairs were worn. One table had a persistent drip from something in the ceiling. It never rained during the cruise; the water must have come from a pipe or overhead machinery.

Food Court

Most of the cabins that had balconies had some overhead cover. But not the balconies on my deck: deck 9, aka the Dolphin deck. There was no overhead cover at all. Passengers above could easily see my balcony. And when the sun was on that side of the ship, the balcony was hot and unusable. I wouldn't book a cabin on that deck again.

No Overhead Cover on the Lowest Balconies

Days in port were hectic. We usually docked early in the day, and we would make sure we were among the first off the ship. The cities were crowded and hot. We saw a lot of sights, and usually returned to the ship early in the day to beat the heat and to relax without worrying about being late for the next departure.

In summary, I'd say that it was a mix of go-go-go and relax-relax-relax. I had a lot of fun, but I'm glad to be back home.

Rome

My recent cruise ended in Rome. This was my second trip to Rome. My first was 31 years ago; it was the first place I wanted to go in Europe. I was disappointed. I recall that it was hot and the buildings were crowded on winding, narrow streets. As a young man, I was impressed with the Vatican, put off by the run-down feel of the city, and disappointed with the condition of the Coliseum on other Roman buildings. Now, so many years later, and with the experience of visiting dozens of big European cities, I was hoping for a better experience. It was better, but my opinions are still the same. At least this time I got to do it with my teenage son.

We had only 2 days. We hustled straight to the Vatican Museum as soon as we got to Rome. I think maybe my wife and I must have missed big portions of it last time, or maybe they've expanded it. But it's WAY bigger than I remember. We spent a few hours walking around in the sweltering heat, looking at paintings and sculpture and other ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. The museum is not air conditioned. Finally we headed to the Sistine Chapel. There we were met with a crushing crowd of people milling around. The frescoes seemed dim and dirty last I saw. Now they look very nice. Perhaps there's been a recent restoration? The guards were busy yelling, "Silencio." They also kept telling people, "No pictures." One man kept taking pictures and was promptly thrown out. After that, we went to St. Peter's Basilica. It's just as I remember, huge, ornate, impressive. My son was stunned by the size of the dome.

We wandered back to the hotel, passing Castel St. Angelo and the Spanish Steps. The room never seemed to cool off, even with the AC on full blast.

That evening, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. Again, there was a crushing crowd. Cops were busy blowing their whistles every time someone tried to climb on something or put any part of themselves in the pool.

The next morning we went to the Altar of the Fatherland. Talk about big. Then we went to the Pantheon, a building that I didn't know existed last time I was in Rome. The exterior is in bad shape. The interior is stunning. The oculus is much larger than I expected. The Romans sure knew how to build.

Coliseum

Then we went to the Coliseum and waited in a long line to get in. And it was brutally hot by this time. We had a good time walking around, but spent much of our visit moving from scant shade to some other scant shade. It too looks just as I remember, well worn and crumbling. But at least this time I saw no bushes growing in cracks in the stone. We had planned to also stroll through the Forum, but the line to get in was excruciatingly long.

From the Second Level

Remains of the Cellar

And we went back to the hotel, having had our fill of baking in the sun. We spent a leisurely evening packing for our return flight. The next morning, on our trip to the airport, our van driver drove just like I remember Italians driving, weaving in traffic, cutting people off, horn honking, cursing others for cutting him off.

So, it was a nice trip. The macaques were my favorite part. The heat was my least favorite part. Clearing passport control at Dulles airport, with a 2 hour line, was pretty bad too.

Gibraltar

Gibraltar was easily my favorite place that I visited during my recent trip to Europe. It's a nice, clean, pleasant Mediterranean city.

Our cruise ship docked in heavy fog. My cabin was midship but I could barely see the bridge from the balcony. When I went to the top of the bridge, I couldn't see the stern at all.

Foggy Gibraltar Hides Part of the Ship

The fog was thinning by the time I went ashore with my son. At least, it was thinning on land. On the water it was still pretty thick. My son and I walked to the cable car station, paid the exorbitant fee, and rode to the top of the rock.

At the top station, we had excellent views of the Rock of Gibraltar and the surrounding water. We could see the city below, and we could see the west end of the airport. The fog still blanketed the ships.

Ships in the Fog

The Rock of Gibraltar is so famous. It shows up in the Prudential insurance company logo. I've seen it all my life in pictures and on TV. Well, here it is from my own camera. The cliff really is stunningly steep.

Rock of Gibraltar

After a while enjoying the scenery, we walked along the road on the ridge, to the south, looking for the famous macaques. It didn't take long. We reached a spot where the local wildlife managers had dumped a pile of food: potatoes, carrots, other vegetables. There was a small group of macaques and a larger group of people.

Gibraltar Macaque

I started taking photos, and immediately discovered that the macaques can move very suddenly and quickly. We had been warned about their tendency to steal food and other items, but apparently that warning wasn't heard by all. A large macaque grabbed a woman's tote bag, and while she was hanging on to keep it from being stolen, the macaque reached in and grabbed a candy bar. He then let the tote bag go and proceeded to unwrap the candy bar and eat it.

Eating a Stolen Candy Bar

There were other interesting events: macaques jumping on people, taking food from tourists' outstretched hands, and just wandering around. There was a female carrying a young macaque around as it tried to feed. There were nit-picking macaques. There was one episode where the mother macaque was angry with a male and expressed that emotion by making a gruesome face and clicking its jaw shut repeatedly. Sadly I missed much of this action with my camera because it was going on all around me, happening quickly.

Sleeping

Young Macaque Clinging and Nursing

Females with an Infant

Posing

I came away with lots of photos. It was quite a challenge, given their propensity for sudden movement. I would focus on an individual and wait for action, only to notice that there was a lot of action nearby among other animals. I would switch to them, only to notice that the animal I had started with was now active. I had my 70-200 lens, which was great for tight shots, but man was I working hard to get photos in focus as they kept moving around so much.

For me and my son, this rare chance to walk among semi-wild primates was the highlight of the trip.

Santorini

One of the port calls on my recent cruise was Santorini. We had a guide to take us around the main island, so we hopped on the very first tender and went ashore. At the dock, it was a short walk to the cable car station. At the top station, we had a few minutes to wait before our guide arrived, so I took the opportunity to shoot our ship. Here it has a small armada of tenders and the morning sunlight reflects off the balcony glass to create hot spots on the water surface.

Crown Princess

 Here's a view of town from the cable car station. It was early and it was very quiet.

Santorini

The famous parts of town are on the crater rim. There's a lot of land outside the rim, but it's not as photogenic.

Santorini

Santorini

We drove all over the island, stopping at a lot of places. The sunlight quickly became very unflattering. By the time we got to the spot for the obligatory shot of the blue domes, it was blazing hot and bright.

Santorini

 The cliffs are pretty dramatic.

Santorini

On this beach, there's almost no beach; it's cliff right down to the water, with a very thin strip of walkable sand.

Santorini

 As we sailed away, I was fascinated by the colors of the lava dome in the middle of the caldera, the blue water, and the layers of deposits from the various eruptions.

Santorini

It's an interesting place with unique scenery. I think I'd have liked it more if we'd had more than a few hours. A more leisurely exploration would have been fun. And it was definitely uncomfortably hot. Best to visit in shoulder season.

Athens

Ancient Greece, Athens, the Acropolis, the Parthenon. I've heard about them my whole life. I finally got to see Athens and the Acropolis.

The Parthenon

 It was hot. It was crowded. It was worth the trip. Visitors were not allowed inside and there's a lot of restoration work underway. The crane and scaffolding definitely diminish the view.

The Parthenon

 It was impossible to get a shot without a lot of people in the way.

The Acropolis

 The Acropolis has very steep, high walls.

The Lights are Coming On

After visiting in the morning, I went to a nearby hill as the sun set. I was joined by hundreds of other people who were there to watch the sun set and the lunar eclipse that was visible that night.

Full Dark

These last few shots (above and below) were an exercise in experimentation and patience. I was trying to travel light, so I left my tripod at home and used a Gorillapod. The camera and lens combination was pretty heavy, so I set it up with the base on the ground and the legs splayed out horizontally to steady the camera. This meant the viewfinder was only inches from the ground and I had to lie down to look through it. This made focusing and changing settings kind of tough. I was glad for the flashlight I brought. I used autofocus and manual exposure mode. After a few test exposures, I used mirror-up mode, with a cable release, to shoot. And I had to keep adjusting my shutter speed as the light changed.

Lunar Eclipse Early Phase

 The moon rose with the eclipse already underway, and there was a definite tint while the moon was in the penumbra. Shooting the Parthenon was a breeze compared with the moon. The Parthenon hasn't moved in 2000+ years. And the exposure settings didn't change after the sun was down and the lights were on. The moon, however, was constantly in slow motion and getting darker. I had to recompose periodically.

Lunar Eclipse Hides Part of the Moon

And finally the moon entered the umbra, leading to the darkest lunar eclipse I've ever seen. What a stroke of luck that my travel plans placed me in a location where I could photograph this. The only thing that would have made it cooler is if the moon had risen, eclipsed, behind the Parthenon. Sadly they weren't in the same field of view.

Photography as a Passenger on a Cruise Ship

Should I Take My DSLR on a Cruise?

I recently took a cruise on the Crown Princess. This was my second cruise. My first was on the Pacific Princess from Vancouver Canada to Whittier Alaska. I used my camera a LOT in Alaska, shooting glaciers, wildlife, and landscapes/seascapes. But this trip was in the Mediterranean, and I wondered whether I'd see wildlife or good landscapes or cityscapes that I'd want to photograph.

Crown Princess

While packing for the trip, I researched the ports at which we were scheduled to dock. I researched cruise ship features in general. I checked blog posts made by other passengers on that specific ship. I read posts by photographer passengers on cruise ships in general. I wanted to have a good idea whether to bring my gear and what pieces to bring. Here's how it worked out.

First, I didn't buy the gear to leave it at home. Photography is my hobby, and I'm going to take advantage of any opportunity to enjoy it. The real question was, what should I bring?

I saw several threads debating this very topic. Some people said, leave the gear at home, the ship docks and leaves port at times when the light is poor. Implication: the photos will suck. And when ashore, it's always mid-day when the sun is blazing and the light is very harsh. Again: the photos will suck. And I found that in fact the lighting conditions often were poor. Nevertheless, I managed to get some good results by being thoughtful about when and what to photograph.

So what did I bring? My DSLR, 24-70, 70-200, 300, teleconverter, Gorillapod, GoPro Session, and several mounts for the GoPro. The only thing I never used was the teleconverter.

The 24-70 was useful for much of the time ashore. The 70-200 was absolutely the right lens for Gibraltar. The 300 was perfect for port arrivals and departures. And the GoPro was great for short videos fore and aft, along with port arrival/departure timelapses.

Gibraltar Macaque

Here's the general breakdown by port:

1. Athens: 24-70 at the Acropolis, 300 and GorillaPod for night photography of the Acropolis from a nearby hill.
2. Santorini: 24-70 ashore, 300 for port (aka caldera) departure.
3. Kotor: 70-200 on the hike to the fortifications.
4. Mt. Etna: 24-70
5. Herculaneum: 24-70
6. Gibraltar: 70-200: wide enough for landscapes at the cable car station, long enough for great shots of the macaques, long enough for shots of the town below and ships in the bay.
7. Marseille: iPhone
8. Genoa: iPhone
9. Pisa/Florence: 24-70
10. Rome: 24-70

The ship has a promenade deck that allows passengers to completely circle the ship while outside. Many shots were from this deck. There's also access to the roof of the bridge. That was perfect for photography during port arrivals and departures.

Our cabin had a balcony. I used my GoPro on the balcony for timelapses during port arrivals and departures. I'm still working on it, but I was able to put a nice series of timelapses together. It shows several ports. They really are all quite different from one another. There are big differences among ports in terms of size, facilities, piers and wharves, and maneuvers needed to get docked or to depart.

Alaska is a wildlife photographer's dream. The Mediterranean, not so much. Aside from the Gibraltar macaques and some seagulls, there was hardly any wildlife to speak of. I saw turtles in the Bay of Kotor and dolphins swimming in the ships wake a few times. I don't know if my experience is typical, but this was definitely not a place for wildlife, at least not on this trip.

Bottom line: I'm so glad I brought my gear. I would have regretted leaving the camera behind in Athens and Santorini and Gibraltar especially. It was worth hauling that gear around for the macaques alone. There's no way I would have been able to get the same results with my iPhone.