CruiseTee Posted February 2, 2012 #1 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Hi All! We will be traveling on the Marina (first time) in a few weeks and I have some questions. We are in a PH...does it come with a DVD player and do they have a DVD library? We have previously sailed on HAL, Regent and Cunard (Grill Class). I am assuming the Marina will be more like a Regent cruise than HAL? Should we bring our own laptop? I thought I read somewhere that one is provided in the stateroom? Any things we should not miss? We have made all of our allowable specialty dining reservations, and from these boards, I am gathering that we can maybe get some more. I will try! Thanks for any and all replies! And my condolences to those who were supposed to be on the maiden voyage of the Riviera. So sorry it has been pushed back. CruiseTee (Teresa) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted February 2, 2012 #2 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Teresa, We were on Marina in October. Yes to DVD player and DVD library. You will have a laptop in your suite (or so I believe -- usually we're in a PH but on our Marina cruise we were upgraded to a Vista). However, you may want to bring your laptop with me if you are used to doing so. The provided laptop is pretty much only good for email. If you want to download photos or prepare a diary, you won't be able to use that laptop. I brought my own along and never looked at the one that was provided so I'm going by what I have seen posted at CC. It always depends on the cruise but very often you can get additional specialty dining room reservations if you aren't picky about WHEN. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted February 2, 2012 #3 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Unless they change it, the recent policy on Oceania when using their computers is to make you sign on to your account, and accruse costs, even if you are just playing solitaire (if that's even on the provided computers). You can't simply keep a journal, as there is no word processing program. The lack of that program also forces you to do all your emails and web posts in real time, not compose them ahead of time and paste them into an email. Frankly, the process is very unfair. Therefore, I bring my own laptop to keep a journal, download my pictures from our cameras, and sometimes even play FreeCell, although I never hook up to the internet because it's too expensive. I believe they would actually make more internet revenue if they lowered the cost, because not many people use it now. On the other hand, if more people used it they would have to pay more to increase the bandwidth, so it's my belief they are deliberately pricing it high to attract fewer users. I'd love to be proven wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKS Posted February 2, 2012 #4 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yes the PH has a computer, but, as Don indicated, it is only useful for e-mail. I also agree with Don the computer costs are too expensive and the use too limited to be worthwhile. We took my I-Pad on our Marina and Regatta trips this year. We didn't even sign up for any ship computer time on Regatta, and you know what? - we didn't miss it at all!!! :D Yes, there was some work when we arrived home cleaning out the spam, but it's relaxing to be totally "unplugged" for that time - its one more thing you don't have to clutter your relaxing day onboard. We will not likely buy expensive and limited minutes from O in future on cruises. If we absolutely NEED to get online we can always seek out an internet cafe or station ashore. They're usually much less expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted February 2, 2012 #5 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The laptop in the PH is useless. I unplugged it and put it in the closet. You can never get a connection. I was glad I brought my laptop because I had to go to the computer center on Deck 14 and sit right next to the desk of the computer guy where the equipment is located in order to get online. As others have said I greatly limited my use because of the outrageous price. However, going to Deck 14 did provide me with a good excuse for another stop at Barristas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseTee Posted February 3, 2012 Author #6 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks so much for all the helpful replies! We will bring our own laptop. When we sail with HAL we usually purchase an internet plan. It costs about $100 for 250 minutes, which is usually sufficient for my husband. We own a business, and he likes to keep in touch with his employees while we are away. Does Oceania provide any type of internet package and is it more costly? I doubt he will mind going to Baristas if the signal is stronger there! Sounds like they have good coffee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted February 3, 2012 #7 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Packages ARE available. I'm trying to remember the cost. I usually get 200 minutes. I'm sure it's more than $100, though. I know someone else will chime in here with better info! Connections in the staterooms seem to vary by location. I've seen comments from some that they couldn't use the internet at all in their cabins whereas I had no trouble in our far forward cabin (which is a long way from the internet cafe location). Not anything like my cable connection at home (!) but tolerable. But I definitely don't prepare my emails online! If you can use an internet cafe on shore it is definitely a better deal in terms of cost. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail2? Posted February 3, 2012 #8 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Another option is to use a Blackberry if its just for email. The data used is relatively small and there are some data plans that will cover the roaming charges when traveling internationally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.