Laptops?

[Gritsgal]

Any thoughts about taking a laptop...are there wireless areas on ship or is there an internet cafe onboard Legend? Any problems with theft while away on excursions?

[Essiesmom]

Yes there is wireless, not always available in cabin, but certainly in vicinity of internet cafe. It is not fast, more like dial-up speed. It is not free, you can pay @ $.75/min or purchase a package. I believe charges are covered in the FAQ on the Carnival site. Never heard of any theft, but I wouldn't leave it sitting out when I was out of the cabin. yes, I travel with a laptop. EM

[hajekfam]

Gritsgirl-

From your countdown clock, I see that you are going on Royal Caribbean. You might want to check with the Royal Caribbean board about the info. Also, when you refer to Legend of the Seas on a general board, please use the full name or RCL Legend as Carnival also has a ship named "Legend" (theirs is just "Legend").

From Royal Caribbean's website:

Is Internet access available from the ship?

 

A: Yes, depending on the ship there are two or even three options for staying connected while onboard.

 

Cyber Cabin

Unlimited Internet dial-up access from the privacy of your stateroom. A special kits is required - available at the Guest Relations Desk on a first come, first serve basis.

 

A kit is simply a box containing the following:

1. Telephone with a digital to analog converter

2. Telephone cables

3. Power supply

4. Instruction sheet

 

Note: Without the telephone, you will not be able to dial up via a laptop modem.

 

You will need the following:

Windows based operating system

Internal modem

dial-up Internet capabilities

 

The cost for a 7-night cruise is $100.00 USD for unlimited access.

 

Price is subject to change without notice.

 

Available onboard, Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, *Brilliance of the Seas, *Radiance of the Seas *Jewel of the Seas, and *Serenade of the Seas.

 

*Kits are not required.

 

 

Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi)

There will be six designated *"Hot Spots" which vary from ship to ship.

 

To use our WI-FI access, you'll need:

A laptop

Windows operating system

802.11b Wireless networking capability

 

Guests who do not have a wireless ready laptop may obtain a wireless card at the Guest Relations desk.

 

Rental Fee of the card is as follows:

Card $10.00 per day or $50 per voyage - 7 nights and longer

Damage Insurance $2.00 per day

Lost/Damaged Card Fee $250.00

 

The cost for Wi-Fi access through your own laptop is:

Base rate is $.50 per minute or choose from one of our prepaid packages:

$25.00 for 60 minutes

$35.00 for 90 minutes

$50.00 for 150 minutes

 

These prices are in addition to the rental of the card for those guests who do not have a wireless ready laptop.

 

All prices are subject to change without notice.

 

 

The Internet Cafe/Workstation

These stations provide access to e-mail and the Internet, plus direct connections to favorite websites for stock, sports and entertainment updates. You can also send virtual postcards while at sea, and in ports-of-call worldwide. If you don't have an e-mail account, you can also establish one onboard.

 

The cost is $.50 per minute or you can choose a prepaid package:

$25.00 for 60 minutes

$35.00 for 90 minutes

$50.00 for 150 minutes

 

Available onboard all ships.

Prices are subject to change without notice.

[ehfl]

Laptops are great for copying pictures from your camera, watching movies, etc. This is vacation, so get off the computer and get out there and enjoy things. I always bring my laptop, but rarely use it...I probably won't bring it next time. You can always use the computers on board to check your e-mail, surf the web, etc. (just remember to bring any log-on information with you).

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Leave your laptop home! There will be numerous opportunities for you to access whatever you need on the ship or at Internet cafes.

 

Other respondents have told you to bring your laptop, which respectfully, I think is terrible advice. The potential to lose your laptop on a cruise is high, that is, at airports or in transit from the airport to the ship or other places.

 

Unless of course that you can afford to spend lots of money and time, replacing your lost laptop.

 

Hope that this helps,

 

Fred

[cb at sea]

No one is going to steal your laptop. You will NOT be checking it--it will be hand-carried. In your cabin, the room attendant is NOT going to jepardize their tip by stealing something! Many folks will lock their laptop in their suitcase when they're not in the room.

That being said, do you REALLY need it? If you need to e-mail, then use the ship's computers---your laptop won't be any faster than their equipment. And remember that this is a vacation, and if you're not connected to the outside world for 7 days, the world keeps turning, and your "important" stuff will wait! I swear it will! And the world won't end because it waited!

[goofysmom99]

I take my laptop because, unfortunately, I sometimes have to spend a little time doing work that just cannot be postponed (I work to have the $ to play). When we're gone a long time, like a month, I also use my laptop (have a small, lightweight one for travel) for bill paying and banking. Can't do that on a public computer. When I need to send/receive a lot of emails, I will sometimes take my laptop off the ship and connect at a cyber cafe in port. They only charge a couple of dollars an hour and are high speed, unlike onboard which are notoriously slooooooooow. Cruiselines make a sizeable chunk of money from their slow connections.

 

If you can leave your computer at home, do so. Lugging it around/taking it out at security can be a big pain.

[Gritsgal]

We have taken our laptop on other land based trips...it was great for downloading pics each day and journaling about the trip...that way at the end I am not overwhelmed looking at notes that I made to help me remember before I got it written down. Taking it just for fun....NOT to work!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Theft on a cruise ship is not a major reason why you should leave your laptop home. Unless you have some very good reasons such as your work requires you to stay connected, leave the laptop home. This is a vacation, so enjoy it and keep it as simple as possible. Secondly, there is usually considerable air travel involved where you can easily lose something that is very important to you.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred