LAPTOPS on AURORA

[greykangaroo]

Has anyone any information on passengers being able to use their laptop computers onboard Aurora on it's voyage from Sydney to Southampton next month?

[greykangaroo]

Wireless Yenra ®Wireless Internet Cruise Ships : Luxury cruise ships serve satellite service to passengers through blanket of wi-fi hotspot connectivity at sea

 

 

Beginning this summer,ultra luxury cruise ships are being upgraded to create one continuous accessible wifi hot zone throughout each ship, allowing guests to connect to the internet on their wi-fi equipped laptops and PDAs without plugging in.

Cruising guests with suitable devices can send and receive web-based email, surf the net, check on their investments or Google the answers to a trivia quiz while they relax in their suites or in most public areas of Seabourn's three intimate, yacht-like ships.

According to Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn's senior vice president of sales and marketing, "More and more of our guests use wi-fi devices not just to conduct business, but also to communicate with their friends and families. So even while they are vacationing with us, their Blackberries and laptops are a part of their lifestyle that they'd rather not leave behind."

Wi-fi is shorthand for wireless fidelity, a system that utilizes radio signals from a transmitter/receiver located in a laptop computer or Personal Digital Assistant to connect to networks and the internet. For wifi users, the challenge in using the system is locating an active access point within range of a network, colloquially called a hot spot.

Seabourn has conquered that challenge for guests on board by installing an active access network manufactured by Wi-Fi Zone that blankets most of the ship, with few areas where the system is not accessible.

Aside from the obvious convenience of accessible wi-fi connectivity, Seabourn has also secured a new satellite service provider that is considerably more economical than the company's previous connection, which will result in dramatically lower costs for telephone calls and internet connections than were required in the past.

For those without wi-fi wanderlust, the Internet Center on board each yacht has also been refreshed with new PCs, software, printers and other accessories. Users of these cable-connected computers will also benefit from the lower costs of satellite connection, as will guests wishing to make satellite telephone calls or send faxes from ship to shore.

Previously, the charge for outbound satellite telephone calls from Seabourn ships was $12.50 per minute; it is now $4.95 per minute. Internet connection, which previously cost 95 cents a minute, will now be 50 cents per minute. Discounts for purchasing bulk packages of online time can further reduce the internet cost to as little as 25 cents per minute.

Wireless internet connectivity is only the latest in a continuing series of improvements and enhancements that guests enjoy aboard The Yachts of Seabourn. Earlier this year, the line added luxurious Frette bed linens and Rosenthal china to the list of prestige brands with which guests are pampered while they sail.

The Yachts of Seabourn provides the ultimate in ultra luxury cruise vacations to the most desirable destinations on earth. The Yachts of Seabourn is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises.

 

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Wireless - July 4, 2004© Yenra