Computer minutes robbery Oceania vs Azamara

[clancy]

We've taken 4 cruises with Oceania. We love everything about that cruise line.....except the stupid computer s-l-o-w speeds and the super high prices per minute. We are on Best of Italy Aug 9 Azamara Quest.

Any input on computer speed and prices per minute on Azamara would be greatfully appreciated. Clancy

[Andy]

We've taken 4 cruises with Oceania. We love everything about that cruise line.....except the stupid computer s-l-o-w speeds and the super high prices per minute. We are on Best of Italy Aug 9 Azamara Quest.

Any input on computer speed and prices per minute on Azamara would be greatfully appreciated. Clancy

 

Hi Clancy !

 

The price on Azamara is about .65 cents per minute, though you can purchase bulk minute packages which will reduce the prices. The more mintues you purchase, the larger the discount.

 

As for speed.... unfortunately, compared to what we are used to at home, it's slow. From what I've seen, most every cruise line is the same. I do not know of any lines who offer anything comparable to DSL/Cable. I would say the speed is faster than a modem, but far slower than DSL/Cable.

 

We can hope that as technology advances, the speed will increase in the future.

[CJcruzer]

I think the pricing on all the cruise lines are very similar in structure - I think I paid about the same- $55.00- for my package - on Oceania, Azamara and HAL.

[happytraveller]

I took my laptop with me on Azamara and I paid 60 dollars for 2 hours of usage. However, i often took my laptop off ship and found a few wi fi free zones. The speed was not too bad. Hope this helps

[YHZcruiser]

When we were on Journey last fall in the Mediterranean, I was surprised by the speed of the service. It's obviously far from high speed but it certainly was not as slow as I expected it. This being said, my bill was still a tad high, but it was worth the convenience for me (keeping in touch with my business).

[brian_uk]

Regrettbaly much the same speed.

 

We too are on that Cruise......have you joined the roll call ?

 

Brian

[clancy]

Thanks all for the help and info on computer pricing and slow speed. I guess some things never change. Looking forward to meeting you all and a great trip ahead. Bryan UK, no we haven't but will put our names on roll call shortly. Jan says you have a great dry sense of humor.

[cirpi]

I just returned from a 16-day transatlantic on the Jourrney, paid $40 for about 70 minutes and found that speed was far better than dialup but considerably slower than cable. The logon process took way too long and wi-fi service often was down, expecially while the ship was docked. I used the computer lab just once at the start, then with my laptop in 7024, our cabin. Tip: Write all e-mail offline.

[Beach Nut]

Tip: Write all e-mail offline.

 

My DH is very computer saavy, but on our January '09 Azamara Journey cruise the computers on board were set up so that you couldn't compose email offline, then sign on and send it. We had been able to use that technique when we cruised Auckland to Sydney in February '08 with Celebrity and we still had to use most of the computer minutes package that we had purchased on that cruise, just to sign on, send, and read a few emails from our pet sitters.

 

What we loved about the Oceania computers on Regatta in January '07 was that each person got their own email address prior to cruising, so that you could give that to people beforehand. Also, Oceania only charged $2 for each incoming and each outgoing email - not for using the Internet, just emails, which is all we needed to stay in touch. Personally, I wouldn't have cared if they charged more than that - I just like to know exactly how much I'm paying for something before I agree to it.

 

Oceania's system really helped put me at ease because I could stay in touch easily and I knew that it wasn't going to cost me the hundreds of dollars it probably would have if I had spent all that time online composing. I was able to easily use their computers to do what I needed to do without DH's help, which was wonderful, because I could send my mail and check it at any time, without having to drag him away from what he was doing, or wake him up. It was the ultimate in user-friendliness, which is very calming and empowering for me.

 

On the Journey, we asked the computer lab person if we could compose email offline, then sign on and send. She said that that wasn't possible with the way the system was set up.

 

So, we looked for computer cafes in port and wound up finding a friendly and helpful one in Antigua, which cost us $3 or $5 for a half hour or 45 minutes, I forget exactly, but it was very reasonable. It was in town, near the dock, and the man running it had a welcoming and natural sense of humor that made me feel right at home there.

[cirpi]

Tip: Write all e-mail offline.

 

My DH is very computer saavy, but on our January '09 Azamara Journey cruise the computers on board were set up so that you couldn't compose email offline, then sign on and send it. We had been able to use that technique when we cruised Auckland to Sydney in February '08 with Celebrity and we still had to use most of the computer minutes package that we had purchased on that cruise, just to sign on, send, and read a few emails from our pet sitters.

 

 

 

QUOTE]

 

Trust me, writing offline on the Journey not only is possible, but it is the smart thing to do. On my March 20-April 5 TA, I sent more than a dozen messages written ofline, including a few with embedded pictures. It was zapping unwanted mail that ate up most of my online minutes.

[Beach Nut]

Can you compose offline on the Journey's computers? Or, do you need to take your own computer with you?

 

My DH just told me, "there was no word processing application on any of the [Azamara computer] desktops that would allow you to compose the letter offline".

 

If you know of a way to do this, using the AZ machines, could you let us know? It would be helpful.

 

Thanks.

[cirpi]

Can you compose offline on the Journey's computers? Or, do you need to take your own computer with you?

 

My DH just told me, "there was no word processing application on any of the [Azamara computer] desktops that would allow you to compose the letter offline".

 

If you know of a way to do this, using the AZ machines, could you let us know? It would be helpful.

 

Thanks.

 

I don't know since I used my laptop the entire time, even when I took it to the to the computer lab for help in setting it up. I hope someone else will provide the answer.