Questions for those who took their own laptop

[wantocruisemore]

Leaving in a couple of weeks (boy, that sounds good). DH has to take his laptop to stay in touch with work (only way he can get away for trip). He has an internet card with Verizon.

 

I read him the Carnival policy and charges for internet use. His argument is he already has the card, why pay the ship. My guess is because there are no cell towers at sea and you have to access the ship's to get linked.

 

For those that did take their laptop, was it better to just connect straight to the ship or use the card? And if you used the card, was there some kind of extra international charge on top of your regular monthly charge.

What about security for the info? Safe to do this?

 

Also, how was the quality of the connection in terms of speed and clarity? And did it make any difference in quality whether using the ship directly or the internet card?

 

Just a note, I understand most people can be away from their computers. In this case, either my DH stays on top of a few things or he can't go. For us, a necessity. I don't want this thread turning into a discussion that people ought to be able to go without their cells or laptops please.

[Traveler353]

OP: He will have no choice in the matter. If he has to use his lap top on board the ship he has to use the ship internet system. The system is slow, slow slow. It is very limited on bandwidth so the more people on the line the slower the system works. He can use his lap top ashore at internet cafes and at free hot spots.

[forwardcabin]

We take our laptop primarily to stay in touch with a relative who is deaf and lives alone. Email is his primary way to communicate with us. In addition, I work in Computer Technology and, if I get an email that requires me to log in a fix something, I can do it.

 

My guess is because there are no cell towers at sea and you have to access the ship's to get linked.

True. Cell phone usage while at sea is thru Cellular at Sea and can cost about $2.99 per minute.

 

For those that did take their laptop, was it better to just connect straight to the ship or use the card?

We connect via the ship's Internet. 5-day packages are under $30 for 60 minutes (10 extra if you sign up the first night). You can do this in the ship's Internet cafe using their computers or from your cabin using your notebook. You can also roam around the ship with your notebook computer in hand.

 

What about security for the info? Safe to do this?

Secure connections are between users and their applications. If you normally encrypt or compress to send and receive, your applications will work the same way via the ship's satellite connection.

 

Also, how was the quality of the connection in terms of speed and clarity?

Satellite connections on a moving ship work quite well despite the odds. It is slow--sometimes slower than dialup. I have had applications time out. I just restarted them and they usually worked the second time. By the time we logged in, check the email, responded and sent a reply, then logged out, we used 6-7 minutes.

 

While in port, take your notebook computer with you. Sometimes, you can find a wifi connection for free or a small fee--cheaper than on ship. Once, when we went to Paradise Beach in Coz, we used their wifi for free. When in Belize, we found an Internet cafe that charged $1.25 per half-hour. The kids had a blast on facebook--something we will not let them use on ship.

 

Overall, for us, it is worth taking the notebook computer and using it as needed. We've seen people in the Internet cafe onboard playing video games and camping out on facebook. Maybe it is worth the cost to them, but it sure seems like a waste of money and vacation time to us.

 

Here's hoping you have a great cruise. Bon Voyage!

[firefly333]

I read him the Carnival policy and charges for internet use. His argument is he already has the card, why pay the ship. My guess is because there are no cell towers at sea and you have to access the ship's to get linked..

 

I buy an hour or two in the ports, for $1 to $6 per hour .. tell him to make good use of the ports and the cheaper time. he might even be able to use his card from the ports.

 

Out at sea ... your husband can argue all he wants that he should be able to connect without paying Carnival .. when he pays for his own satilitte (sp) then he gets to make the rules.

[Calker]

My husband was in the same situation, had to stay in touch or we couldn't go on the b2b in May.

 

My husband also had an internet card. His issues:

• even with the card, he had to go through the ships system when out at sea.
  
• he was able to use the card when in certain ports
  
• due to the security controlls on his offices computer system and the lack of security through the ship, the office computers reviewed his attempts to hook in as "hacking" and blocked him
  
• he was able to hook in when in port at an internet cafe which allowed him to use their system, but his own computer
  
• he was always able to log in to the e-mail server and read, respond, edit e-mails
  

Once he realized how difficult it was to get into individual files, he made a few phone calls to alert his staff that everything would have to go through e-mail. Once this was done, the office contact flowed.

 

He bought a package which allowed him computer access for 60 minutes each cruise - I don't know the cost (company paid)

[bubbadog]

HE is going to have to use ships service,make sure you have receipts for your computer time,it will be on your room billing,THEN turn that in to boss,IT can be slow at times,WE seem to have better speeds,when we are up early(4 am),and also late at night,hope this helps you,have a great cruise,and dont sweat the small stuff;)

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks. I will relay to him. He is the boss so getting reimbursed for charges will not be a problem.

 

I doubt he will take his laptop into port though. We only have 2 stops, one at Progresso where we go to Uxmal all day and the other at Cozumel where we are reserved for the dolphin swim, sea lion swim & manatee swim at Chankanaab. That will also likely be all day with just a little time for shopping. Oh course, I could leave him at some internet cafe at Cozumel at the port after our swims and DD and I take to the shops (since we're so limited on time and all).

[ChrissyM_Cruiser]

One heads up regarding using your laptop on the ship. Make sure when logging out to follow their specific instructions of typing 1.1.1.1 in the http bar. We made the mistake of trying to log out by right clicking our connection icon and selecting "disconnect from Carnival WiFi", but even though the icon showed us disconnected, we were technically still logged on and burned through about 10 minutes of our package.

[wantocruisemore]

One heads up regarding using your laptop on the ship. Make sure when logging out to follow their specific instructions of typing 1.1.1.1 in the http bar. We made the mistake of trying to log out by right clicking our connection icon and selecting "disconnect from Carnival WiFi", but even though the icon showed us disconnected, we were technically still logged on and burned through about 10 minutes of our package.

 

 

REALLY good advice, thanks.

[crp640]

I had to stay in touch with work on our 2007 Alaska cruise and my mother's Verizon wireless card was practically perfect - all our ports were in the us, so as long as we were in port, I could connect through verizon - well, except in Vancouver. On the three days that I couldn't use verizon, I used the ships internet. It was slow. And expensive. I'd log in, pull my emails into outlook, log out, compose replies and then then log back in to send.

 

Looks like you'll be traveling to mexico - so, you might want to have him check this out: http://b2b.vzw.com/international/GlobalAccess/index.html - verizon international 3g access plans. Seem pretty steep though.

 

My parents, especially my father, need to stay in communication when we cruise in the Caribbean this January. They are just going to add verizon's international blackberry plan to their service - that way they can check their email and my father claims it's only $40 for the month/line but I don't see it on their site - it might be the $65/month plan except when he used it in Austraila he was only had the plan on his account for 3 weeks so it was prorated. Then again, this too will only work in port, not at sea.

[firefly333]

Thanks. I will relay to him. He is the boss so getting reimbursed for charges will not be a problem.

 

I doubt he will take his laptop into port though. We only have 2 stops, one at Progresso where we go to Uxmal all day and the other at Cozumel where we are reserved for the dolphin swim, sea lion swim & manatee swim at Chankanaab. That will also likely be all day with just a little time for shopping. Oh course, I could leave him at some internet cafe at Cozumel at the port after our swims and DD and I take to the shops (since we're so limited on time and all).

 

Progresso is only $1 an hour at the internet cafe, not hard to find in town on the main drag.

 

Cozumel has several places for $2. ..

 

.. even if he doesnt have time for the whole hour, at those rates, he is better off to get in as close to an hour as he can. Both are cheap ports for internet cafes.

[gail811]

We travel with ours and buy a package of about 250 minutes. For e-mails we usually type them in advance, log on and hit send/receive. After everything downloads we log off (1.1.1.1) read and respond, then log back on. Connection is slow but manageable, and we have been able to connect in our cabin. For us it is a good way to keep in touch with family, as well as my DH's work obligations.