Laptop question

[Bellalu]

I know, I know, how pathetic that I am even asking. Wish I could leave the dang thing at home, but for reasons too boring to explain I have to log on a couple of times while on our cruise next month.

 

My question is, are there hot spots for wireless internet in any of the rooms or locations on the ship (Oosterdam)? Is there a charge for this? Does it make better sense to use the computers on board? Thanks for your help!

[jtl513]

I know, I know, how pathetic that I am even asking. Wish I could leave the dang thing at home, but for reasons too boring to explain I have to log on a couple of times while on our cruise next month.

 

My question is, are there hot spots for wireless internet in any of the rooms or locations on the ship (Oosterdam)? Is there a charge for this? Does it make better sense to use the computers on board? Thanks for your help!

See DigitalSeas for details on hot spots and pricing info. The only cabins with wireless access are those that are close enough to the Neptune Lounge or Atrium to pick up the signal from the antennas in those locations.

 

There's many reasons that I prefer to take my laptop, the primary one being that I can do "batch mode" email (connect, grab, disconnect, process, reconnect, send) and not spend expensive on-line time reading and typing. There's also the advantages of better security, and having all your addresses and favorite links handy. And many times, especially on sea days, all of the Explorations Cafe terminals may be in use. And I can off-load my camera memory and make back-up cd's. And ... do you want more reasons? :D

[MercedMike]

The nice thing about using your laptop for Internet access is that it is all set up for you and you know just where everything is. Also you can put your own CD or mem card into it to send pics or so on. Other than that there is not much point to it. The price is the same.

 

The thing we like to do is to slip the camera memory card into the computer slot and enjoy a picture show of all the day's pics before dinner .:D

[dakrewser]

Other than that there is not much point to it. The price is the same.

 

While the price per minute is the same for laptop or internet cafe terminal, the same amount of work (for reading and writing email, blogging, posting to CC, etc.) on the laptop requires much less connect time making it a much better value.

 

If you get a lot of email (like I do) and rely on spam filtering on your own machine, the time differences are dramatic. I typically receive about 1000 pieces of email a day. Using the laptop it requires about 15 minutes of connect time to download and upload replies. A cafe machine would be connected for 45-50 minutes to do the same plus I'd also have to weed out the spam myself, so it's much more intensive. At 40 cents a minute, using the laptop would save almost $100 dollars on a 7-day cruise.

[Bellalu]

Thanks, John, Mike and Dave for the great info and tips...I really do appreciate your responses. Guess my laptop comes cruisin' with us! I hadn't thought about the picture thing...it'll be fun to send along our pics to friends and family back home. Thanks again guys.

 

Lyn