How Many Internet?

[sail7seas]

Some folks say they want to get away from it all and be out of touch except for emergency......

 

Others love the internet and e-mail.

 

Do you take an Internet Package or No...... not for you? :)

[Boytjie]

I got an Internet package only on my first cruise and it was so slow that I did nto bother again. Our cruises have all been 7 days (and one 4 days) so there was no urgency to be online all the time. I have used my Palm for internet access and email in ports and now that I have an iphone I have more options: using free wifi in port. :)

[CowPrincess]

I use "by the minute" internet on cruises. The ONLY reason I use the internet at all is to check our email to make sure all our (sick, high needs, elderly, or mentally unstable) pets are okay, and no one needs us to make decisions regarding their care.

[azrose]

I am one of those who NEEDS to check email and/or stay in contact with kids....so, YES....I bring along my netbook and buy an internet package :o

[GmaPajama]

I almost always buy the larger internet package. First, part of the fun of cruising for us is sending pics along the way to our kids and friends at home - who assure us they anxiously await those pics. Second, I really enjoy Cruise Critic and like to do a "live from" thread about every other cruise. It's easy for us to use because we bring our little Acer along and can compose in our cabin whenever it's convenient.

 

I think I'd buy a very small package if I had to go to the Explorations Cafe to use the internet.

[sabled62]

I would rather enjoy the ship and not sit in front of the computer. Children have the ship's emergency number and know not to call unless it is an emergency. Come to think of it, what could you do if there were an emergency at home? I suppose if it were serious enough you could get off the ship and fly home. I would rather enjoy my cruise and not worry about what is happening at home or with my friends.

[ekerr19]

I always have my laptop and always purchase the largest internet package. If I need to check in at work, pay bills, move money, keep in touch with kids, etc. it's easier to have my own PC and use it when I want. :)

[CruiserBruce]

We went a long time w/o using the internet on board. Then we started occaisionally using Internet cafes ashore.

 

Now, due to family issues, we pretty much need to check our e mail every other day at least, and sometimes every day. But we can see the day when that will no longer be necessary.

[carosave]

Like it or not, (I don't) dh still stays in contact with work. (To be fair, it is his show...) We (he) gets the biggest package...and we usually end up purchasing more. I check email a couple of times, and, while I usually plan to blog for family and friends...I am okay for the first couple days...and then I decide to prioritize other things.....:D DH, otoh, checks in with work several times a day...

[jtl513]

I bring a laptop and buy the 100 minute package the first day to get the extra 10 minutes. I ration myself to spread that time over the whole cruise, so if I'm over my "allowance" for one day I'll cut back the next. I use either Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail to do any emails off-line.

[kyriecat]

I used to bring my laptop but I just bought a Toshiba netbook so that will come with me next time. I get the largest internet package (for hubby). I like to send pics to mom and friends while we're away to let them know what we're doing. I compose in Outlook so it only takes me a few minutes to send and receive my emails. Hubby, however, wants to track the Astros EVERY DAY while we're away. I keep telling him to just assume they are losing, but he wants to read through the box scores. :rolleyes: If we have time in port, we'll stop in an internet cafe for him. However, we sometimes have all-day tours booked so no time for a sports-stop. When that happens or we're having a sea day, he'll spend some time online. It's the price I pay for wanting a cruise during baseball season.

[2bout2c]

I just check in from internet cafes along the way. Not at every stop. Then print my boarding pass for the airline home.

[K&RCurt]

We got the 100 min package, with the 10 extra min. for signing on the first day and an additional 10 min from a coupon provided by our TA.

 

My DW is a fanatic about knowing everything is OK at home, so our DD was intstructed to email us twice a day to be sure everything was OK.

 

It was nice to send an email to work to taunt my co-workers and also to check in on our flight status etc.

 

I did find it was much faster (but still painfully slow) to use the computers in the Explorations Cafe' vs. my Laptop. The additional time lag for the WiFi connection really ate up the minutes!

[happyglobetrotter]

I will buy 1,000 minutes (plus bonus of 100 minutes) at the beginning of the World cruise and I hope to have enough time for the whole 114 days. it will give me about 10 minutes a day. It worked out the last World cruises but I had to be careful and time my 'time'.

 

Similarly for any long cruises (over 30 days), I also buy a package.

 

When you travel and visit different countries with 'not often understood' languages, it is not always easy to look for Internet. And then the keyboards are all different.

 

I decided to cut the hassle and buy a package. Now it is part of my cruise expenses ! I bring my laptop with me.

 

For me, even if I am retired, staying in contact with family and grand children is part of my travelling experience especially when we cruise for long periods !

 

Louise

[sail7seas]

We used to go to Exploration Cafe and use those computers as I didn't want to lug my big laptop.

 

Since I got the Acer, we love having it to use in our cabin.

 

We always buy at least the 100 minute package and sometimes the 250 minute one.

 

[jtl513]

Hubby, however, wants to track the Astros EVERY DAY while we're away. I keep telling him to just assume they are losing, but he wants to read through the box scores. :rolleyes:

Did you know that he can get onto the NY Times site for FREE on the ship and spend as much time as he likes reading about all sports, or anything else??

[Randyk47]

We don't use the Internet while on vacation. We use our computers professionally and personally a lot, a whole lot, so when we're on vacation we leave all that behind.

[kyriecat]

Did you know that he can get onto the NY Times site for FREE on the ship and spend as much time as he likes reading about all sports, or anything else??

I couldn't get the NY Times site free on my laptop onboard. I think you have to use the HAL computers for that, but the HAL computers were almost always in use. Plus, the NYT site doesn't have the Astros articles that the Houston Chronicle does. I just write off the internet costs as a cruise expense, but HAL's internet costs are ALOT higher than RC or X!!! RC's was $38 for 90 minutes and no set up fees. It seems like I paid $50 or $55 for 100 minutes on HAL plus $3.95 set up fee. I have taught hubby how to download articles into PDF format so he can save them to read later offline. That helps some.

[IRL_Joanie]

When on a cruise I do not even take my lap top. I am on vacation and want to relax so I leave it at home. Hubby brings his for storage only of our photos we take. But no internet for us. Cell phones are also off. If there is an emergency, our loved ones and closest friends have HAL's numbers to contact us.

 

Joanie

[jtl513]

I couldn't get the NY Times site free on my laptop onboard. I think you have to use the HAL computers for that,

No, I could get it on my laptop on a couple of ships at least. Haven't tried on all ships we've been on.

It seems like I paid $50 or $55 for 100 minutes on HAL plus $3.95 set up fee.

Right, $55 for 100 min, plus ten bonus on the first day. Once, on the Amsterdam trans-Panama, I got 120 minutes for $60 the first day (which is the same rate as 110 for $55) but I never saw that before or since. Maybe it was because the ship has just finished a GWV the day we boarded, and they hadn't changed their pricing schemes yet.

[Cruisin'Lady]

On our last cruise we purchased the 250 minute package on the first day of a 14 day cruise. I had my laptop because I am a professional photographer and I need to download my pictures daily (usually anywhere from 500 to 800 pics daily) to the computer. I also like to keep a blog for friends and family to go to during my trip to see what happened that day. So right before bed or any time I was on my veranda relaxing, I would type up what events and things I wanted to say in notepad then connect to the net and copy and paste to my blog and to here. I also would check my email and save the ones that needed to be responded to on my hardrive. I would then read them at my leisure and make a notepad for the answers, then next time online I would send the responses.

 

I generally spent about 15 minutes (more or less) a day online and by the last night of the cruise I had used up the last of the minutes without going over.

 

I will be doing this again this trip.:D

[ore-ee-gun]

No internet packages for me. I get online just once on the last day to check-in for our return flight.

[StartrainDD]

I don't take any internet package. I do take my laptop so I get a head-start on editing my photos, etc. I'll download my e-mails at the airport after the cruise so I can go through them on the plane ride home.

 

One great thing about cruising is being out of the office's reach!

[martinimadam]

I get the internet package. I like to send a short e-mail to my Mom and to my sis each day telling them what has gone on aboard the ship. Sis has saved all of them from all of my trips. Perhaps there's a book in the future???

 

No contact with work, though. Since none of them are cruisers, they still believe me when I tell them there's no access! SHHH don't tell.

[kakalina]

Never use it on the ship. We do take the laptop but that's for uploading the pix and listening to music in the cabin.