Taking a GPS ON A CRUISE

[mrbill62]

Going down to Mexico and just wondering if any one takes a GPS with them and why. Thanks for any feedback.MrBill

[Host Kewlguy]

We usually bring our GPS on our cruises. We like to be able to identify the islands we are passing. You are also able to see how fast the ship is sailing, etc. Our GPS has road maps for all of North America so it would come in handy in Mexico especially if renting a car.

[Universe93B]

here you go:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1171883&highlight=taxidriver

[bionicman97]

. . .We like to be able to identify the islands we are passing. You are also able to see how fast the ship is sailing, etc. . .

 

That is pretty cool, never thought of that.

[MyNameIsGermy]

That is pretty cool, never thought of that.

 

Same here - think I may give that a go this time around!

[cruiseguy1016]

I bring mine to do some geocaching. There seems to be caches at every port I've been to. It's a great way to explore the island.

[Murphs]

I always turn my GPS on when we are on planes, it will tell us how fast we are going. Always thought that was kind of cool.

 

Mike

[bionicman97]

I always turn my GPS on when we are on planes, it will tell us how fast we are going. Always thought that was kind of cool.

 

Mike

 

Another cool idea

[Peter Of The Seas]

always handy for finding you way from the bar to your room :)

[klingoncruiser]

We use it when sailing in Alaska. It really helps to figure out just where you are in the maze of islands and passages there.

[mafig]

dh always brings his.

[mrbill62]

Thank you all for your feedback.Mrbill

[hazeleyez3]

We brought it when we went to Hawaii. My husband used it to see where the ship is at that moment and how fast it is traveling. We also used it while on the islands...rented a car ourselves and explored.

[RetireeWannabee]

nah, I figure the captain has one.

[BillOh]

Another cool idea

 

You might get some flack from flight attendants. At least the last I few regularly there was a list of electronic items that were allowed on during flight in the airline magazine and they varied widely. I was on one airline listening to my scanner and the flight attendant asked me to turn it off. I pulled out the section in their magazine that showed me it was ok. She came back a few minutes later with a conflicting document so I had to turn it off.

[Cruising Forever!]

I always turn my GPS on when we are on planes, it will tell us how fast we are going. Always thought that was kind of cool.

 

Mike

 

I always wondered if my Garmin would work in an airplane. I'd like to use it to confirm the cities and landmarks I'm flying over. I'm a window seat addict and I'm always trying to figure out rivers and lakes based on the crummy maps in the back of the plane's magazines.

 

Would powering up the Garmin be seen as some sort of obscure security or safety issue on a plane? (I think my Garmin only shows places in the US. I wonder what it would display out to sea?)

[Murphs]

I have a magellan and it only shows the speed, but I have a co-worker who has a Garmin and his shows speed and posision. He was the one that gave me the idea of using it in the plane. As far as whether it is allowed or not, I have used mine probably 3 or 4 times and nothing has ever been said. I think techincally it is just a receiver, so I dont think they should mind, since their warnings ussually specify devices that operate in a transmit mode. Im not an expert on GPS but I think that it is just a receiver that received and triangulates the satalie signals. Anyway, it is kind of cool, and if yours will show landmarks like my co-workers Garmin, that would be even better.

 

Mike

[tdeyette]

 

I was Curious too... The last time I flew back to NY from CA I saw in the magazine that GPS devices were OK to use. Thought it would be fun to see which states we were flying over.

 

Anyway, I turned on my Garmin GPS and could not acquire a signal for some reason... Not sure if it was because I was inside the plane and was experiencing interference?

 

Bummer!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

What a fabulous idea!! Thanks.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Question:

 

How do you recharge your GPS in the Cabin? Is there a converter? (since they plug into your vehicles via a cigarette lighter-thingy outlet) Or does the battery charge last enoguh to enjoy using it? Id hate to tote it for it to die after a couple hours of use.

[CruisinCrow]

You might get some flack from flight attendants. At least the last I few regularly there was a list of electronic items that were allowed on during flight in the airline magazine and they varied widely. I was on one airline listening to my scanner and the flight attendant asked me to turn it off. I pulled out the section in their magazine that showed me it was ok. She came back a few minutes later with a conflicting document so I had to turn it off.

 

They made my dad turn his GPS off too. I can't remember which airline but my dad was bummed.

[AlanFromFL]

I'll have to give it a try with my Android phone; it has the GPS-enabled Google Maps.

[Host Kewlguy]

Question:

 

How do you recharge your GPS in the Cabin? Is there a converter? (since they plug into your vehicles via a cigarette lighter-thingy outlet) Or does the battery charge last enoguh to enjoy using it? Id hate to tote it for it to die after a couple hours of use.

 

Our GPS came with an adapter that plugs into any wall outlet.

[bala1130]

I'll have to give it a try with my Android phone; it has the GPS-enabled Google Maps.

 

I used my Sprint HTC Hero Android phone our last cruise. Google Maps only worked while in St. Thomas & San Juan while I had Sprint service. It needs to download and update maps from time to time, so it does not show maps while out in the ocean. The Android Market Place has a free GPS app that shows your speed and that worked outside of ports.

[AlanFromFL]

I used my Sprint HTC Hero Android phone our last cruise. Google Maps only worked while in St. Thomas & San Juan while I had Sprint service. It needs to download and update maps from time to time, so it does not show maps while out in the ocean. The Android Market Place has a free GPS app that shows your speed and that worked outside of ports.

 

D'oh, of course, I forgot about that! No way I want to spend the big $$$ for international data roming. I have downloaded an app called "GPS Status" which provides GPS coordinates, heading, orientation, and speed; that will suffice to keep me entertained. :D