Darn Darn Darn!

[Off2China]

[quote name='heidik']Unfortunately, my first experience with Kindle was my last. I bought one specifically for my last 14-day cruise, was all excited, downloaded a ton of books. Got to my hotel after flying into Ft Lauderdale the night before my cruise - the Kindle screen was all scrambled and everything was "stuck"....totally worthless. Sorry......but I am soooooo not a fan after this experience :([/quote]

[quote name='Lynda90'][B]Did you call Amazon and get a replacement. I've heard they have an extremely responsive customer service department. Wouldn't have done you any good on that cruise, but perhaps another. It's too bad you had that experience as they are wonderful devices. :p
[/B][/quote]

Definitely call Amazon! My husband's brand-new Kindle did the same thing as yours, heidik. He called them and they sent him a replacement. No problem at all. :)

[Pia1913]

[quote name='heidik']Unfortunately, my first experience with Kindle was my last. I bought one specifically for my last 14-day cruise, was all excited, downloaded a ton of books. Got to my hotel after flying into Ft Lauderdale the night before my cruise - the Kindle screen was all scrambled and everything was "stuck"....totally worthless. Sorry......but I am soooooo not a fan after this experience :([/quote]

Sorry to hear about your problem, but even new cars have problems. Amazon will be very responsive. They replaced my Kindle when the battery died more than one year later.

[Jasperdo]

[quote name='u2cruiser']Thank you. that makes perfect sense now. I'm used to reading most things online, including daily news, so I suppose it will be a fairly easy transition and very convenient. It's not that much different to buying digital music is it?[/QUOTE]You're welcome. Buying books on the Kindle is very easy. There are two ways. There's a Kindle Store right on the Kindle. Go to the page for the book you're interested in and click buy. Your Kindle is also tied in with your online Amazon account. Go to any Kindle book on the website, click the buy button, and it automatically transfers to your Kindle next time you turn the wi-fi on in your Kindle. The books download super fast too, less than 30 seconds in most cases.

[Nancyquilts]

[quote name='u2cruiser']Thanks scranger. I didn't know it had a speech facility.
Apologies for going off topic.

I always find the libraries onboard a bit sterile, probably because I am an ex primary school librarian and am used to being surrounded by exciting kids books just shouting out to be read :)[/quote]
And don't you get the urge to put everything in alphabetical order by author? I hate having books scattered all over out of place.:D

[Bob++]

[quote name='Teresa Price']Pacific Princess open 24 hours a day, great selection and fab book exchange! Small ships rule! Sorry for you though.[/quote]

Phew!!!

I was worried until I read this.

[u2cruiser]

[quote name='Nancyquilts']And don't you get the urge to put everything in alphabetical order by author? I hate having books scattered all over out of place.:D[/quote]

Well, we don't have them in alphabetical order in the Infant section, but by fact/fiction sections. In the Junior library though, I could spot one of the alphabeticized author labels out of order 10 miles off. :D

Many of our small local libraries have sadly closed down in the UK, but book sales are rocketing every week.

I really like looking at what everyone else is reading onboard. It would be great to have book clubs on itineraries with many sea days.

[Pam in CA]

[quote name='u2cruiser']I really like looking at what everyone else is reading onboard. It would be great to have book clubs on itineraries with many sea days.[/QUOTE]Princess does have a book club on every sailing. Some CDs do a good job of announcing it in the Patter and having someone lead the discussion; others pretty much ignore it. I'll have to look for it but there's a list on the Princess website of what books will be discussed on which ship by month. On our Sapphire cruise on January, the book club was announced the day after embarkation along with a notice that discussion would be that afternoon. Not much time to read the book :(

On our Crown cruise a couple of summers ago, our roll call put together our own book club and met one day at afternoon tea. It was very successful with about 20 people attending. We sat at two very large tabes at tea and eventually crowded around one table so we could have one conversation going. Since our itinerary included Guernsey, we read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society."

[The Big Booper]

We mostly take longer cruises now and DW is a voracious reader so she always brings loads of paperbacks which she leaves in the library at the end of the cruise. I don't recall seeing locked library cases on =X= and Royal and I don't take pictures of these areas so I can't verify that.

Can you see the Kindle screen in bright sunlight?

[u2cruiser]

[quote name='Pam in CA']Princess does have a book club on every sailing. Some CDs do a good job of announcing it in the Patter and having someone lead the discussion; others pretty much ignore it. I'll have to look for it but there's a list on the Princess website of what books will be discussed on which ship by month. On our Sapphire cruise on January, the book club was announced the day after embarkation along with a notice that discussion would be that afternoon. Not much time to read the book :(

On our Crown cruise a couple of summers ago, our roll call put together our own book club and met one day at afternoon tea. It was very successful with about 20 people attending. We sat at two very large tabes at tea and eventually crowded around one table so we could have one conversation going. Since our itinerary included Guernsey, we read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society."[/quote]

I didn't know that. I always read the patter and I'm sure I would have spotted it. On the website too? Good for Princess. I learn something new on here everyday!

I don't think I could read a book in one morning AND discuss it. I like how many books now have book club notes in the back, but I admit, I sometimes wonder if I've read the same book :confused:

[Jasperdo]

[quote name='The Big Booper']
Can you see the Kindle screen in bright sunlight?[/QUOTE]Absolutely. The e-ink screen gets better the brighter the setting. It is not back lit, and the screen is non-reflective. No glare from the sun at all.

[Latitude 20]

[quote name='u2cruiser']Kindle users, silly question methinks, but how do you rate reading a book on a Kindle compared to a real book? eg, i like to see how much I have left to read; does it say at a glance page 296/450 or something like that?

I'm on Transatlantic next and with 23kg allowance drastic measures are called for.

Do you think there'll ever be a place for pre loaded Kindle-type library loans on cruises? Choose from certain genres? Now there's a plan :)[/QUOTE]

I got my Kindle for Christmas and I've almost stopped reaching to the upper right-hand corner when I "turn the page" (seriously, I did that unconsciously for a while). It's a little weird at first but you get used to it. There is a "status bar" at the bottom of each page that shows as a percentage, how far you are into the book.

I like my Kindle but I find that I don't retain as much of what I read on it as I do with a paper book. My memory is super visual so the pattern of the words on the pages helps me remember things. With the Kindle, one page pretty much looks like the next. So I like it for reading for entertainment but I think I'll stick with paper books for things I need/want to remember well.

[land lover]

[quote name='heidik']Boy oh boy, I've gotta tell yuh, the way Princess operates the Library (at least here on the Sapphire) is incredibly frustrating! I love to browse and putter around a library and generally will select about 5 or so books to take out -- it is blowing my mind that Princess locks up all of their books and that the Library is only "manned" for a couple of hours twice a day! You can't even browse!!! :mad: I am on Day 7 now of my voyage and I have not been able to hit the darn library when someone was there to let me into the books....thankfully I brought 6 books with me, but I'm down to my final 1/2 of my last book with no new books in sight...gulp.....:eek: Princess - why oh why do you have to lock up your library books - don't you realize that some of us love to relax and indulge in having the time to simply browse around?? Why do you tease us with these locked glass cases???

just venting.......this is crummy.[/quote]


I like your venting made me laugh............I was on the Sapphire in December and I was surpised to see the lock up to....

[rdsqrl]

[quote name='Marian Paroo'][COLOR=darkorchid]I don't know if it is true, but I have heard that Cunard has proper trained librarians on their ships.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=darkorchid]Now that is a job to dream about![/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=indigo]Cunard's onboard libraries are truly awesome -- I could have spent hours every day in the one on the QE2. And yes, totally a dream job. Hmmmm. . . . wonder if it's too late to switch my Ph.D. over to Library Science?[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082]So here's a question for you Kindlers: how do you use this device out by the pool? My paperbacks always end up getting damp and then end up with wavy pages -- I'm thinking this isn't good for an electronic device. Plus, the thought of it breaking down mid-cruise fills me with terror. Hmm, never mind, I think I just talked myself right out it. Too big a risk to take, when reading a carefully-chosen selection of books saved for my vacation is a key element of the fun of any cruise. Heavy luggage shall continue . . . [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Jasperdo]

[quote name='rdsqrl']So here's a question for you Kindlers: how do you use this device out by the pool? My paperbacks always end up getting damp and then end up with wavy pages -- I'm thinking this isn't good for an electronic device. [/QUOTE]We're not pool people, so we don't have to worry about that. I have heard on Kindle forums that people put the Kindle in a zip lock bag when they go to the beach. Haven't tried that first hand though. My wife loves to read in the bathtub, but she's decided not to risk the Kindle. She still reads print books in the tub.

[Latitude 20]

[quote name='rdsqrl'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=indigo]Cunard's onboard libraries are truly awesome -- I could have spent hours every day in the one on the QE2. And yes, totally a dream job. Hmmmm. . . . wonder if it's too late to switch my Ph.D. over to Library Science?[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082]So here's a question for you Kindlers: how do you use this device out by the pool? My paperbacks always end up getting damp and then end up with wavy pages -- I'm thinking this isn't good for an electronic device. Plus, the thought of it breaking down mid-cruise fills me with terror. Hmm, never mind, I think I just talked myself right out it. Too big a risk to take, when reading a carefully-chosen selection of books saved for my vacation is a key element of the fun of any cruise. Heavy luggage shall continue . . . [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]

They have waterproof cases for Kindles: [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027DET28?ie=UTF8&tag=eboreagui05-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0027DET28[/url]

[rdsqrl]

[quote name='Latitude 20']They have waterproof cases for Kindles: [URL]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027DET28?ie=UTF8&tag=eboreagui05-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0027DET28[/URL][/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=indigo]Thanks -- very nice (and what girl doesn't love the chance to accessorize?!). But I still think the (no-doubt small) chance of malfunction is enough to keep me from joining the digital book trend. I shall remain a happy Luddite. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[ukbecky]

[quote name='rdsqrl'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=indigo]Cunard's onboard libraries are truly awesome -- I could have spent hours every day in the one on the QE2. And yes, totally a dream job. Hmmmm. . . . wonder if it's too late to switch my Ph.D. over to Library Science?[/COLOR][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082]So here's a question for you Kindlers: how do you use this device out by the pool? My paperbacks always end up getting damp and then end up with wavy pages -- I'm thinking this isn't good for an electronic device. Plus, the thought of it breaking down mid-cruise fills me with terror. Hmm, never mind, I think I just talked myself right out it. Too big a risk to take, when reading a carefully-chosen selection of books saved for my vacation is a key element of the fun of any cruise. Heavy luggage shall continue . . . [/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]

The ability to read in the pool/hottub/even a raft on the ocean is my favorite thing about the kindle - no wet fingers messing up the pages, no big deal if it falls in the water.

No special case needed - just seal it in a ziplock bag! I keep extras around for 'bag fatigue'.

[Coralc]

[quote name='Latitude 20']I like my Kindle but I find that I don't retain as much of what I read on it as I do with a paper book. My memory is super visual so the pattern of the words on the pages helps me remember things. With the Kindle, one page pretty much looks like the next. So I like it for reading for entertainment but I think I'll stick with paper books for things I need/want to remember well.[/QUOTE]

That's funny you should mention that....I thought the same thing when I was going back through my e-reader library. I read more, but I don't seem to retain the plots of the novels as much as I did with actual books. :)

[Loonbeam]

The ziploc bag method works fine in most cases except for a tendency to fog or weaken in hot tubs. (use the slide zip ones to make sure they seal) That said, I have the guardian case from M-Edge, which is water resistant to 12 feet and floats.
[quote name='rdsqrl']


[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=#4b0082]So here's a question for you Kindlers: how do you use this device out by the pool? My paperbacks always end up getting damp and then end up with wavy pages -- I'm thinking this isn't good for an electronic device. Plus, the thought of it breaking down mid-cruise fills me with terror. Hmm, never mind, I think I just talked myself right out it. Too big a risk to take, when reading a carefully-chosen selection of books saved for my vacation is a key element of the fun of any cruise. Heavy luggage shall continue . . . [/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]

[caribill]

[quote name='Pam in CA']Absolutely! The Pacific/Ocean/Royal Princess have the best, and most gorgeous library afloat. Largest selection and just a beautiful room.[/quote]

As seen below

[Morgsmom]

[quote name='Jasperdo']When I was on the RCCL Mariner of the Seas a few years ago, the library was unmanned and open 24/7. I thought this was great until I checked it out and found a very limited selection of books. Most of the shelves were half empty, some completely. And this was when we first boarded the ship. So it wasn't like the books were checked out. I wondered if their library gets a little smaller each sailing because people 'forget' to return books.
.[/quote]

I was on the Mariner 2x in her first year of sailing and the library was SPECTACULAR. It was open all of the time and had lovely hard cover travel books and other fabulous selections. I am sure that over the years the selections were "borrowed" and not replaced. How truly sad....

I, too, had an issue with the Princess library's hours. I was there the last time and the surly attendant from the CD staff was manning the desk. A book came in for return that I wanted to borrow but she wouldn't check it in so that I could check it back out. She asked me to return at another time to do so. Ludicrous! Since the books are shelved willy-nilly that was like asking someone to find the needle in the haystack.

[Marian Paroo]

[COLOR="Purple"]All this makes me want to get an ereader more and more for the trip, I can always ask my US friend who I will meet up with abroad to bring one, but I have to check to see which one has the best service in my neckadawoods (Tel Aviv).[/COLOR]

[gingera]

[quote name='heidik']Boy oh boy, I've gotta tell yuh, the way Princess operates the Library (at least here on the Sapphire) is incredibly frustrating! I love to browse and putter around a library and generally will select about 5 or so books to take out -- it is blowing my mind that Princess locks up all of their books and that the Library is only "manned" for a couple of hours twice a day! You can't even browse!!! :mad: I am on Day 7 now of my voyage and I have not been able to hit the darn library when someone was there to let me into the books....thankfully I brought 6 books with me, but I'm down to my final 1/2 of my last book with no new books in sight...gulp.....:eek: Princess - why oh why do you have to lock up your library books - don't you realize that some of us love to relax and indulge in having the time to simply browse around?? Why do you tease us with these locked glass cases???

just venting.......this is crummy.[/quote]


I understand your frustration. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Barnes and Noble and walk thru the aisles of the bookstore, sipping coffee and browsing. There is something about coffee and the smell of a book store(or library) that entices me.

[Pia1913]

Even though my husband and I each have a Kindle, we have not given up on REAL books. We only use our Kindle's when travelling, since there is no way we can shlep 24 books (each of ours has 12 books loaded for our next 30 day cruise). We still like the feel of reading "paper" and turning pages when we are at home.

[BosoxI]

[quote name='Essiesmom']It's that way on every line I've sailed, although since the library isn't a grudging afterthought on Cunard, they do have the longest hours...and by far the largest libraries! EM[/quote]

How true. The library on the QM2 would do a small town proud. The library on the Pacific was wide open, honor system over Christmas, and the library on the Crown, I think it was, isn't worth the powder to blow it to...well, you know. That's why Kindles are so wonderful.