How Difficult to check Email

[ridgerunner51]

I do not have any Apple Computer experience, a smart phone, or a tablet. To conserve space and weight, I do not want to travel with a laptop. How difficult should I expect it to be for me to check emails on the computers in the internet lounge on the Eclipse?

[tymike]

I'm not sure about the Eclipse but I just spent a week on the Summit and unfortunately had to be checking my email daily. It's pretty easy and I'm also not a MAC person. You pay for whatever minutes you choose and there is someone to assist during certain hours each day. The hours are posted. The only pain is that it is brutally slow, so it does take some time. But it definitely can be done!

 

Have a great cruise!

[Bobocasey]

Also depends upon where your cruise is, when we were in Norway it was hard to get and send emails.

[Lsimon]

Checking your email on the ship's computers will not be too different then checking it through a web page using Internet Explorer, or another web browser, on your computer at home. If the ship has Apple computers in their internet café they'll be using Safari for the web browser but all web browsers work pretty similarly. If by any chance you are used to checking your email through an email application on your computer and not through a web browser then you'll have to figure out how to check it on a browser such as Internet Explorer but you can do this and check it out on your computer at home so you'll know what to do.

 

The issue with using the ship's internet connection is the internet speed and reliability. The internet on the ship is very slow and occasionally it is painfully slow. It also is not reliable in that there may be times when it is completely down for hours at a time if sailing position or atmospheric conditions interfere with the satellite signal that connects the ship to the internet. And with all this it is not inexpensive either with rates starting at $0.75/minute with discounts for purchasing packages of minutes in advance.

 

If you do need to use the internet and find it slow then keep mind that all passengers share the satellite internet connection. Because of this the speed of the service is fastest when the fewest number of people are using the system such as late at night or very early in the morning.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Lsimon

[cbr663]

Please make sure that you know how to access your email using an internet web browser. As you do not have any Apple experience, I would suggest that you install either the web browsers Safari or Firefox (Internet Explorer does not run on Apple computers) and familiarize yourself with how to access your email. Free email like GMail and Hotmail are accessed directly via their web sites. If you have an email account provided by your home internet provider, you will need to find out how to use its webmail service. If you are not familiar with it, a quick call to your internet provider should help.

[ridgerunner51]

Thanks everyone! All this is information is very useful.

 

I am seriously looking at using the ship's internet, since Verizon tells me they will loan me a globally enabled modem or maybe a hotspot, but the cost is $25 for 10MB. That seems more expensive than the ship's internet packages. We will be in Norway and England.

[Fouremco]

Please make sure that you know how to access your email using an internet web browser. As you do not have any Apple experience, I would suggest that you install either the web browsers Safari or Firefox (Internet Explorer does not run on Apple computers) and familiarize yourself with how to access your email. Free email like GMail and Hotmail are accessed directly via their web sites. If you have an email account provided by your home internet provider, you will need to find out how to use its webmail service. If you are not familiar with it, a quick call to your internet provider should help.

Internet Explorer DOES run on Apple computers. I run IE on my MacBook using Apple's Bootcamp and I run it on my Mac using a virtual machine (Parallels Desktop).

[4774Papa]

I do not have any Apple Computer experience, a smart phone, or a tablet. To conserve space and weight, I do not want to travel with a laptop. How difficult should I expect it to be for me to check emails on the computers in the internet lounge on the Eclipse?

Once we acquired elite status, we gained (I think 45 minutes each) free computer time. Prior to this, I never tried to connect.

 

On the Black Sea cruise in the Med and Black Sea, as well as Around the Horn of South America (our last two cruises) the internet connection was pretty bad. After checking email twice and sending 3 or 4 emails, I had used up all my time. Frankly, it is generally not worth messing with. Better to find an internet cafe at the ports.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thanks everyone! All this is information is very useful.

 

I am seriously looking at using the ship's internet, since Verizon tells me they will loan me a globally enabled modem or maybe a hotspot, but the cost is $25 for 10MB. That seems more expensive than the ship's internet packages. We will be in Norway and England.

 

Internet access on the ship in Norway is dicey at best. None at all while in the fjords.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[fleckle]

I do not have any Apple Computer experience, a smart phone, or a tablet. To conserve space and weight, I do not want to travel with a laptop. How difficult should I expect it to be for me to check emails on the computers in the internet lounge on the Eclipse?

It is really much easier and more efficient to use your own device.

Just bring along a small light one, if space and weight are of concern. If you don't have your own, it is worth borrowing one from a family member or friend to bring along on the cruise.

 

That way you can read and write email offline, and only need to log in briefly to send/receive.

Besides, it is useful to have along for so many other purposes.

 

If you use the ship's computers in the internet lounge, you are not allowed to upload or download anything there, so you need to do all reading and writing while you are online with the clock running, which can be extremely slow and eat up a lot of time.

 

At one time Celebrity used to give each passenger a block of storage on their servers where you could save whatever you wanted for the duration of the cruise, but they stopped doing that long ago.

 

It is very aggravating when you need to sit there with pencil and paper copying information from the screen, knowing that you could save it with a simple click and log out immediately if you were using your own device instead.

 

Edited August 12, 2014 by fleckle

[ridgerunner51]

It is really much easier and more efficient to use your own device.

Just bring along a small light one, if space and weight are of concern. If you don't have your own, it is worth borrowing one from a family member or friend to bring along on the cruise.

 

That way you can read and write email offline, and only need to log in briefly to send/receive.

Besides, it is useful to have along for so many other purposes.

 

If you use the ship's computers in the internet lounge, you are not allowed to upload or download anything there, so you need to do all reading and writing while you are online with the clock running.

 

At one time Celebrity used to give each passenger a block of storage on their servers where you could save whatever you wanted for the duration of the cruise, but they stopped doing that long ago.

 

It is very aggravating when you need to sit there with pencil and paper copying information from the screen, knowing that you could save it with a simple click and log out immediately if you were using your own device instead.

 

 

fleckle, do you mean your own device with it's own wireless service? Or, do you mean your own device to connect to the ship's server?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

fleckle, do you mean your own device with it's own wireless service? Or, do you mean your own device to connect to the ship's server?

 

I believe he means your own device to connect to the ship's server.

 

The other MAJOR advantage to having your own device is the ability to check your e-mail on shore, usually for free or for the price of a drink, and usually high speed. Especially in Norway where there will be hardly any access while on the ship. My favorite on shore place was St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Very high speed, absolutely free.

 

[Algebralovr]

They will likely have various often used email providers bookmarked on the browser, Equinox did in June. Easy to use, but poor speed, and since it is via satellite, if there is cloud cover or no line of site, you'll have no link.

[TommyD3]

Thanks everyone! All this is information is very useful.

 

I am seriously looking at using the ship's internet, since Verizon tells me they will loan me a globally enabled modem or maybe a hotspot, but the cost is $25 for 10MB. That seems more expensive than the ship's internet packages. We will be in Norway and England.

 

If you are not Elite or higher the internet is EXTREMELY expensive onboard.

Elite get 90 minutes pp free. If you have to purchase the cost is $50, WAY more than the Verizon package.

 

Keep in mind that if you use the ships computers and have to reply to an email you have to type the message while paying about $0.50 per minute. Plus the ships internet is so slow it can take 5 minutes to load one web page:(

[Lsimon]

Internet Explorer DOES run on Apple computers. I run IE on my MacBook using Apple's Bootcamp and I run it on my Mac using a virtual machine (Parallels Desktop).

 

While this is technically true it requires additional software packages to be purchased and installed on a Mac computer. It will not be available on the Apple computers onboard the ship.

 

I use Safari on a mac and three other browsers on my PC and they are so similar that there really is no learning curve in going from one to the other.

 

Thanks everyone! All this is information is very useful.

 

I am seriously looking at using the ship's internet, since Verizon tells me they will loan me a globally enabled modem or maybe a hotspot, but the cost is $25 for 10MB. That seems more expensive than the ship's internet packages. We will be in Norway and England.

 

Two points:

1. Internet on the ship is slow and expensive. $29 buys a 40 minute package (discounted from per minute rates) according to Celebrity's web site. Due to the speed of the ship's internet, you can count on 5 to 10 minutes of internet time just to get to your email web site and scan the emails in the folder. Reading more than a few. downloading attachments or responding will incur additional time.

 

2. Please double check the Verizon rates. The $25 for 10MB rate sounded pretty high compared to what we've gotten from ATT and the two are usually pretty competitive so I looked at Verizon's web site and I see 100MB for $25 which is much more reasonable. Hopefully someone slipped a digit in their quote to you and the 100MB will apply for your purposes. Verizon offers separate land based (useful when docked at port) and cruise ship based (useful when sailing at sea) international data roaming packages at the same price but one can't be used towards the other. While the shipboard data roaming sounds attractive the only posts of experiences I've read about it indicated it did not work well enough on Celebrity to be useful at all. http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/global/plans-and-pricing.html

Edited August 13, 2014 by Lsimon

[ridgerunner51]

Thanks everyone!! Simon, I will check back with Verizon.

[DaKa2002]

We just got off the Celebrity Constellation in July on an Arctic Circle cruise. The ship's position and weather often dictated internet access and speeds. The iLounge attendants were excellent; their instructions and the MAC systems were very easy to use, even for the typical PC user, IMHO. The iLounge was available 24 hours a day, although the attendants were there only a few hours in the afternoon and evening. During our 12 night cruise, we were able to regularly receive incoming email and send outgoing email. We did not attempt to receive or send large files (e.g.., pictures). I will also say that I brought my own MAC Book Pro along with me, so writing and replying to emails was done off line; my wife used her iPad.

Edited August 13, 2014 by DaKa2002

[tip]

Have you have poured cold molasses out of a bottle?;)

[Sloop-JohnB]

Agree with the others the very first thing you want to do is understand fully how your email account is accessed over the Internet when you are not at home with direct access to your Service Provider's severs.

 

I believe he means your own device to connect to the ship's server.

 

The other MAJOR advantage to having your own device is the ability to check your e-mail on shore, usually for free or for the price of a drink, and usually high speed. Especially in Norway where there will be hardly any access while on the ship. My favorite on shore place was St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Very high speed, absolutely free.

 

 

This, this... 100x this.

 

We specifically went out and bought a tablet for cruising (it is an Apple).

 

It has been a god-send for us, cause if we use the ship's internet connection we have the ability to save data for use later... Or conversely create data (like email text) that we can just upload vs using up valuable / expensive (and slow) Ship airtime for the drafting

 

Our iPad does so many things for us that our heavier laptop did, and is great for travel.

 

We use it for email & surf the net (mostly wherever wifi is FREE such as ashore... Found most Cruise Terminals or close by to be a spot where FREE wifi can be found)

 

We also use it to keep general travel info... E-Copies of travel docs - Notes on Travel Plans / Contact Names & Info - Maps

 

As well as to store photos... Downloading them off our Cameras regularly (a back up)

 

Plus the iPad can double as a Video Camera - EReader (books & mags) - and a game console (lol Crazy Birds keeps Mr Sloop who hates to fly occupied in the air)... And also as an MP3 Player

 

My iPad was definitely worth every penny... And so much more versatile for travel vs a laptop

 

And of course the iPad works year round for us... Even when we are not cruising. :D

 

Great investment... Something to consider for sure.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited August 13, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[JandKMom]

It is 100MB for $25 on Verizon. I did this on my recent cruise to Bermuda and checked email on my phone. Worked well for me. If you go over the 100MB they automatically add another 100MB for an additional $25 but you if you don't use it you can call them and get it credited back. My kids had a free internet package on the ship and I found it painfully slow. Also, after you log on you must physically log off on a site called logoff.com or something which is a pain and easy to forget to do and you end up racking up the minutes.

[MoyCoy]

Checking your email on the ship's computers will not be too different then checking it through a web page using Internet Explorer, or another web browser, on your computer at home. If the ship has Apple computers in their internet café they'll be using Safari for the web browser but all web browsers work pretty similarly. If by any chance you are used to checking your email through an email application on your computer and not through a web browser then you'll have to figure out how to check it on a browser such as Internet Explorer but you can do this and check it out on your computer at home so you'll know what to do.

 

The issue with using the ship's internet connection is the internet speed and reliability. The internet on the ship is very slow and occasionally it is painfully slow. It also is not reliable in that there may be times when it is completely down for hours at a time if sailing position or atmospheric conditions interfere with the satellite signal that connects the ship to the internet. And with all this it is not inexpensive either with rates starting at $0.75/minute with discounts for purchasing packages of minutes in advance.

 

If you do need to use the internet and find it slow then keep mind that all passengers share the satellite internet connection. Because of this the speed of the service is fastest when the fewest number of people are using the system such as late at night or very early in the morning.

 

You mentioned discounts on purchasing packages in advance. What kind of discounts ? Do you receive even steeper discounts if you purchase the package before boarding?

[Lsimon]

You mentioned discounts on purchasing packages in advance. What kind of discounts ? Do you receive even steeper discounts if you purchase the package before boarding?

 

The rates are on a page of their website under a tab called "staying in touch" which is under another tab called "during your cruise" which illogically is on a page of their site called "before you go".

Here is a link that will get you part way there: http://www.celebritycruises.com/plan-and-book/before-you-go-getting-ready?tab=before_you_go_getting_ready#before_you_go_during_cruise/plan-and-book/before-you-go-during-cruise%3Fsubtab=true

 

In case you can't find it here are the rates from the website:

Internet access is available in the Internet Café 24 hours a day until debarkation is completed. Internet minutes are available at 5 different rates:

 

• $29 for 40 minutes
  
• $59 for 90 minutes
  
• $109 for 240 minutes
  
• $219 for 600 minutes
  
• $429 for 1680 minutes
  

Please note that internet rates are subject to change without prior notice.

 

You can not purchase these in advance. The only way to purchase the packages is from the screen where you actually are logging onto the wifi network, or signing onto an internet café computer, on board the ship. Captain's Club members get a discount on the packages or some free minutes, depending on their level. There should be a coupon for these in your stateroom if you're a Captain's Club member.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Lsimon

[Fouremco]

While this is technically true it requires additional software packages to be purchased and installed on a Mac computer. It will not be available on the Apple computers onboard the ship.

Thanks Larry, it was technical truth that I was aiming for! :)

[MoyCoy]

The rates are on a page of their website under a tab called "staying in touch" which is under another tab called "during your cruise" which illogically is on a page of their site called "before you go".

Here is a link that will get you part way there: http://www.celebritycruises.com/plan-and-book/before-you-go-getting-ready?tab=before_you_go_getting_ready#before_you_go_during_cruise/plan-and-book/before-you-go-during-cruise%3Fsubtab=true

 

In case you can't find it here are the rates from the website:

 

 

You can not purchase these in advance. The only way to purchase the packages is from the screen where you actually are logging onto the wifi network, or signing onto an internet café computer, on board the ship. Captain's Club members get a discount on the packages or some free minutes, depending on their level. There should be a coupon for these in your stateroom if you're a Captain's Club member.

 

Thank You! I am a captain club member, but am low on the totem pole:p I will be select after my cruise this September!

[Lsimon]

Thank You! I am a captain club member, but am low on the totem pole:p I will be select after my cruise this September!

 

Classic benefits include a coupon for 10% off internet packages. You'll get the coupon as part of a sheet of coupons in your cabin on embarkation day - one for each Captain's club member.