Staying connected at sea...

[Rancher Dave]

On more than one of my recent cruises I was able to do all the email transactions I needed while on board with the minutes I got from being Diamond on RCCL and suspect that on the upcoming cruise between my and DWs minutes probably will be able to connect enough aboard go get all email done without having to buy more...or if I do it won't be too much that I do have to buy.

[Project_gal]

I would not travel without my laptop but use it to keep a journal of the cruise, save photographs, charge our Kindles and keep track of our spending but I rarely go online [and, if I do I use the PC in our suite] and certainly not for keeping in touch with home. I may pay bills if it is unavoidable, deal with post-cruise stay emails and, rarely, will post on Cruise Critic but usually do our airline check-in from our post-cruise hotel. I just do not want the hassel of trying to connect using my laptop and another current thread has just reinforced that view.

 

Sue

[Bridge Maven]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this poll. I've enjoyed reading your responses.

[EithneMay]

I refuse to use my computer on a cruise. In my mind, it is NOT a vacation if work, family, responsibilities, etc. follow you there. The best moment for me is turning off my phone, locking it in the safe, and not picking it back up again until I have to leave the ship and go home. Cruise Critic, Facebook, E-mail, it can all wait until I get home. I am online so much at home for work and personal, that my time away is time to really connect with PEOPLE (the husband) NOT screens.

 

I leave the cruise ship number with family and the pet-sitter. I tell them that it is $7.95 a minute to call me, so it had better be big enough of an emergency to be worth the call. I have never gotten a call! :D:D

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

I refuse to use my computer on a cruise. In my mind, it is NOT a vacation if work, family, responsibilities, etc. follow you there. The best moment for me is turning off my phone, locking it in the safe, and not picking it back up again until I have to leave the ship and go home. Cruise Critic, Facebook, E-mail, it can all wait until I get home. I am online so much at home for work and personal, that my time away is time to really connect with PEOPLE (the husband) NOT screens.

 

I leave the cruise ship number with family and the pet-sitter. I tell them that it is $7.95 a minute to call me, so it had better be big enough of an emergency to be worth the call. I have never gotten a call! :D:D

 

 

Haha!:D We usually check email about every two days or so, but that's about it. With elderly parents and college-age children, it gives us peace of mind.

[SusieV]

We bring a laptop on vacation to move photos from our cameras to the hard drive, and that's it. I get three weeks of vacation a year and only normally take two of them...my boss can live without me for ten working days :)

 

Why wouldn't anyone want to take all of their vacation? :confused: Doesn't it just go to waste if you don't take it?

 

I can't imagine working when I could be lying on a beach (or even a "staycation") and getting paid the same amount of money!

[Bridge Maven]

I refuse to use my computer on a cruise. In my mind, it is NOT a vacation if work, family, responsibilities, etc. follow you there. The best moment for me is turning off my phone, locking it in the safe, and not picking it back up again until I have to leave the ship and go home. Cruise Critic, Facebook, E-mail, it can all wait until I get home. I am online so much at home for work and personal, that my time away is time to really connect with PEOPLE (the husband) NOT screens.

 

I leave the cruise ship number with family. I tell them that it is $7.95 a minute to call me, so it had better be big enough of an emergency to be worth the call. I have never gotten a call! :D:D

 

Eithne, I feel the same way, but now that most airlines require you to check in the day before a flight and print a boarding pass I will use one solely for that purpose. One of the things I love about sailing from the Northeast is that I don't have to fly home or ever use a computer during a cruise :)

 

With the exception of those who work for cruise critic and consider it to be part of their job, I can't understand all the people who spend a good percentage of their precious cruise time posting on cruise critic instead of enjoying their cruise. However, it is probably because it is mostly done by people who cruise so many times a year that they don't value their cruise time as much as someone who only cruises a few times a year.

[We're The Groupnors]

I check my Blackberry daily when in port. Cuts down the stress of 1,000+ e-mails once back at work.

[sealover155]

I voted "other" as we are a pre-retirement couple who own our own business. It is necessary to for us to stay in contact and check email every day or two.

 

We view staying in touch electronically as a wonderful benefit as it affords us longer vacations. We prefer 12-14 day cruises, especially to Europe, which translates into 3 week plus trips as we are West Coast based. We adore transatlantic cruises which obviously makes land communication impossible.

 

Onboard, we do zero un-business related computer work, other than checking for family emergencies.

[rice7r]

I have an unlocked iPhone 4. I purchase a SIM card of the country where I'll be sailing and use the iPhone for emails, internet, calls.

 

For our last cruise (that also included independant travel in Italy) I've paid 10 € for an italian SIM card (TIM was the provider) that included unlimited internet and email for the first (and only...) month. Air time was also quite cheap, costing around 0,25 € per minute. Incoming calls are free in Europe.

 

I am so sorry to hear the bad news you own an iphone. I hope you find your way soon, and come into the light with Android.

[hcat]

we use the compueter room to check on things at home & to get our boarding pass....

 

it usually runs so slow anything else would be frustrating..

 

we have enough memory cards for the camera so we can do that at home...

 

the rest of the gadgets, apps etc...not a part of our life....

[Christine Frances]

we use the compueter room to check on things at home & to get our boarding pass....

 

it usually runs so slow anything else would be frustrating..

 

we have enough memory cards for the camera so we can do that at home...

 

the rest of the gadgets, apps etc...not a part of our life....

 

We have enough memory cards for the camera as well, but not for my DH:eek: He finds it much easier to quickly download each evening in the cabin and do a bit of labeling. I like it as I don't hear +*&^@# from the home office when we get back as he is sorting through brochures, flyers, Celebrity Today etc trying to reconstruct our cruise and tours:D

ps I :D:D:D my iPad

[Bridge Maven]

I am so sorry to hear the bad news you own an iphone. I hope you find your way soon, and come into the light with Android.

 

rice7 - just curious to know why you prefer an Android. I love my iphone but never used an Android.

[Azulann]

I am on vacation. I leave all electronics behind. I don't even listen to news on the television.

 

It is a time for me to be totally in the experience of each day. I lose track of which day it is, just the sea, the port I left and a new one to explore tomorrow.

Very simple.

[CruisinNana]

We bought a Mobal International Cell phone before we left for China. It's perfect, 180 countries, no roaming charges so you can leave it on for incoming calls, no monthly fee - just pay (low rate) for when you use it. It has a UK # that we have given to friends and family - they can phone or text. They could email us but when we travel (as in China) we might only check our email every couple of days. No need to buy sim cards in every country etc. I think I recieved the phone within the week of ordering it. Hope this helps:) http://www.mobal.com/

 

I have a Mobal phone and while I find it very convenient and reliable, I do not think the talk time is cheap. (It may depend on the country you are calling from) I love the 800 number you can purchase so that the callers from the US do not have to pay anything. The texts are low in cost, but the per minute talk time price is high. I purchased the one that works for the Bahamas and the world. When out at sea, it also worked 90 % of the time.

[Christine Frances]

For us the charges are acceptable as they are much cheaper than roaming charges or the ships phone. We are cruising to SA in the spring and just had a look at calls to/from Argentina.

 

Incoming call - $1.95min & incoming Text - Free:D

Outgoing call - $3.95min & outgoing Text - .80 per msg

 

We have an elderly parent at home (88) and it is very important to us to have a way for family to contact us in an emergency. Also if something happens while we are traveling we have access to a phone that works just about anywhere. Our plan is to not ever have to use it:p

[BlueCat1105]

I think the "I'm so addicted to the internet" option is a little strong, and a bit judgy (if that's a word), but it's not that I have to keep in touch with work, nor is it that I'm "so addicted." I keep an online journal of my daily life, and when I'm doing something fun like taking a cruise, I like to post some thoughts and photos at that time as well.

[Bridge Maven]

I think the "I'm so addicted to the internet" option is a little strong, and a bit judgy (if that's a word), but it's not that I have to keep in touch with work, nor is it that I'm "so addicted." I keep an online journal of my daily life, and when I'm doing something fun like taking a cruise, I like to post some thoughts and photos at that time as well.

 

Blue cat, my option about being addicted to the internet was not meant in the clinical sense or to be judgmental. It was more of a figure of speech for people who have trouble deviating from their everyday routine while they are on vacation

[Compass Rose Monica]

Before I became Elite, I never used the interneton the ship. I would find an internet cafe and send an email or two just to check in at home or to contact other travel friends who like me to blog about my trip. Having elite status and 90-minutes complimentary internet. Otherwise, I use my netbook off line to upload photos and to journal.

[sharpie13]

It's a vacaton. I unplug completely.