Taking a GPS ON A CRUISE

[BillOh]

I think techincally it is just a receiver, so I dont think they should mind,

 

Mike

 

That's not accurate. Most all receivers have oscillators in their mixer section that generate RF signals, they can be strong enough to interfere with some electronics. Probably they won't, but they tend to err on the side of safety. I was not allowed to turn on my radio scanner.

[steve20832]

I also bring my GPS on cruises to see which islands we are passing and the speed we are traveling. I also use it on planes so I know where we are. The list below changes frequently so check with the airline before using it

 

The Airlines which OFFICIALLY APPROVE the use of GPS receivers during CRUISE.

This actually means pilot discretion in all cases.

Aer Lingus

Air Canada

Air China

Air New Zealand

Air Malaysia

Air Tanzania

Alitalia

Braathens

British Airways

Cathay Pacific

CAAC

China Southern Airlines

Continental Airlines

CrossAir

Delta Airlines

DragonAir

EasyJet

Egypt Air

FinnAir

FlyBe Airlines

Icelandair

Jet Airways

JetBlue Airways

KLM

LAN Airlines Argentina

LOT Polish Airlines

Maersk Air

MidWest Express

Nationwide Airlines

NorthWest Airlines

Precision Air

Olympic Airlines

Qantas

Singapore Air Lines

SAS

SN Brussels Airlines

South African Airways

SouthWest Airlines

Sun Country

Swiss (Was Swissair and CrossAir)

Tunis Air

United Air Lines

Vanguard Airlines

WestJet Airlines

[bionicman97]

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.

 

Often times you can find an adapter that converts a car charger to a wall charger.

[Mysticks1]

Never thought to bring my GPS for my car on a cruise - a great idea to know where you are. As for charging I have a cable with a USB port and it charges from my computer.

 

My husband brings his hand held GPS and marks our path as we travel.

[bionicman97]

. . .As for charging I have a cable with a USB port and it charges from my computer. .

 

Forgot about that :eek::)

[bmarchal]

We took one when we went through the Panama Cannal. It was kind of fun to watch.

[Ohunion Cruzers]

We have collected waypoints for every port of call we have visited, since 2004.

[mrbill62]

Thanks too all for your input.I will take my gps with me. Mrbill

[eccruise68]

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.

I ask the captain to plug it into the cigarette lighter on the bridge

 

Actually mine stays charged for about 4 hours of use, which is good enough to check speed and location a few times during the cruise.

[scottbee]

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.

 

Automobile GPS receivers plug into 12 volts, but they're not the only type that exist.

 

I have a small handheld Garmin that lasts 20ish hours on a set of batteries that I've used on board aircraft (both as a passenger and as a pilot), at sea, on land.. Everywhere. I'm quite looking forward to cracking it out and getting a nice speed reading on the AVE train from Madrid to Barcelona (300kmph)

[Mark_K]

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?)

It might, might not. Get a window seat if you can, and don't be surprised if the FA tells you you can't use it. There is no FAA rule against it, but airline policies vary.

[picsboy]

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?)

 

I have a Garmin Colorado 400t, and it works on airplanes. However, you do need to be at a window seat. I get no GPS signal if I'm sitting in a middle seat.

 

Southwest Airlines is okay with GPS receivers, but only when the plane is above 10,000 feet. What I do is keep the GPS receiver on during take-off, but I leave it in the seat-back pocket in front of me. I do NOT take it out until we're above 10,000 feet. And when we're about to land, I still keep it on, but I, again, hide it in the seat-back pocket until we land.

 

My wife is threatening to rat me out to the flight attendants one of these days, but so far, I've been able to get away with it. Yes, she "loves" when I pull out my Garmin in the middle of the flight to see what mountain / lake / city / highway is right below us.

[izzyvet]

I bring my GPS with me too. Mostly for Geocaching. I left mine on though the whole time we went down the Mississippi from New Orleans, and then uploaded the resulting track into Google Earth. That was very cool! You could zoom in on the exact path the ship took out to sea.

 

Mine runs on batteries, I use the lithium batteries and they stay charged for a long time.

 

I've used mine quite a bit on planes too. No one had ever said turn it off, but it is up to the pilots and flight attendants.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

[Originally Posted by CruiseDivaNJ

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.

 

quote=eccruise68;24381235]I ask the captain to plug it into the cigarette lighter on the bridge

 

Actually mine stays charged for about 4 hours of use, which is good enough to check speed and location a few times during the cruise.

 

 

.....Awwww, now I am really going to miss Captain Ryan! If he were Master on Explorer, Id ask! LOL

[TPKeller]

Lots of info on this thread so far. :)

 

Here is a good source for some background on the airline issue.

 

There is a link at the bottom of that article which lists the airlines which do and do not allow GPS usage during flight. As noted, the list is subject to change, and no matter what you might have in writing from anyone, the final word is the pilot. Sort of like ships at sea, the pilot's word is the one and only law.

 

As later posted, it is never OK to use a terrestrial radio receiver on an airplane (AM, FM, TV, VHF, etc...) I think some airlines are allowing XM/Sirius radio receivers, but again, you would need to check with each one to be sure.

 

Anything that does two-way communication is going to be a big no-no, so that includes any cellular based communication device.

 

The GPS radio frequency has line-of-sight characteristics. That means that you do need a window in order to get a signal. Some of the newer receivers are very sensitive, so once you get a lock, you may be able to move the receiver a little bit away from the window, but generally it needs to stay pretty close.

 

The advantages to having a GPS on a cruise are numerous! On my first cruise, we were redirected by a hurricane, and I knew about our change of plans quite some time before the captain made the announcement to the rest of the passengers.

 

I also have quite an extensive set of cruise maps that I have assembled over the years, with some of the points of interest being supplied by my personal visits. Some of the maps also have course tracks showing the path that the ship took. A couple of the more interesting ones were our return to Baltimore, up through the Chesapeake Bay on Grandeur, and also, a map I have showing the channels into Hamilton and Kings Wharf Bermuda, through the reefs all around the island.

 

Granted, you may have to be a little bit of a map geek to really get a kick out of all the technical side, but I've always found it handy to have for these and other reasons. :)

 

Theron

[picsboy]

The advantages to having a GPS on a cruise are numerous! On my first cruise, we were redirected by a hurricane, and I knew about our change of plans quite some time before the captain made the announcement to the rest of the passengers.

 

...

 

Granted, you may have to be a little bit of a map geek to really get a kick out of all the technical side, but I've always found it handy to have for these and other reasons. :)

 

Yes, on my Alaskan cruise, I found out that going from Icy Strait Point to Tracy Arm (our next destination) was going to be a relatively short hop. As we left Icy Strait Point, we ended up going really slowly in the *opposite* direction for several hours!!! That's what my GPS receiver was showing. None of the other passengers on the ship knew this.

 

Oh, I was so tempted to run up to the bridge to tell the captain we were going the WRONG WAY, and to turn the ship around 180-degrees so that we'd be heading in the RIGHT direction! A few hours later, our ship did end up turning around and we were finally headed toward Tracy Arm. *whew*

 

Oh, the stresses of carrying a GPS receiver during a cruise.

 

:D

[prc]

On some cruises I will leave Microsoft Streets & Trips running on a laptop and tape the receiver to the railing. Aside from the real-time info, I have a nice recorded track of the voyage!

 

PRC

[Cruising Forever!]

I can't wait to try my Garmin Nuvi 265 on my next flight/cruise! I didn't think they would be callibrated to keep up with plane speeds. My "car" icon will look strange zooming over land and oceans (well, not so much "zooming" on a cruise ship... they only get 20 to 30MPH)! :D

 

I did just find out that there is a global map in the Garmin... detailed road maps of the US only but good enough maps of everywhere else... even a few roads on those maps.

[smoosh21]

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.

 

I took my handheld GPS on my Antarctica cruise. It worked really well, even at 65 degrees S.

Plus, I was able to save the points and plot out the course of the sailing.

[Ohunion Cruzers]

I can't wait to try my Garmin Nuvi 265 on my next flight/cruise! I didn't think they would be callibrated to keep up with plane speeds. My "car" icon will look strange zooming over land and oceans (well' date=' not so much "zooming" on a cruise ship... they only get 20 to 30MPH)! :D

 

I did just find out that there is a global map in the Garmin... detailed road maps of the US only but good enough maps of everywhere else... even a few roads on those maps.[/quote']

 

Yep, on the plane, mine will register the speed we are traveling (I've seen 550 mph) and the altitude (38,000 ft) as well as the roads/cities/rivers/lakes/etc. below.

[audome78]

For the past few years, I have always cruised with a small, handheld GPS and marked all the waypoints. It's a lot of fun on Sea Days to see where we are, and how far we have to go, and how fast we're sailing. I have mapped all of our waypoints on Google Maps.

 

Here's a link: My Caribbean Cruises