6787 Posted July 31, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Are the laptops for internet use only? Do they have other software for gaming, keeping a log,etc. If so, is there a charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted July 31, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Are the laptops for internet use only? Do they have other software for gaming, keeping a log,etc. If so, is there a charge? They are basically for internet only. When I was on the Marina in February, there wasn't even a version of Word available on the cabin laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 31, 2011 #3 Share Posted July 31, 2011 And there is definitely a charge, a very steep one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetocruise16 Posted July 31, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We were disappointed at first that the only function on the PH laptop was internet until it was explained to us that should they install additional programs such as Word or the ability to download photos, these computers would quickly be clogged with other passenger's information and photos, all of which would need to be erased between cruises. Who was going to do that job? Made sense to us. We bring our own computers, and wait until ports to access internet. The Oceania internet rates are too expensive for our needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 31, 2011 #5 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Especially now with the smart phones and iPads/note pads - conventional laptops (for travel) are almost obsolete. One exception may be if one needs to download pictures during the trip which is easier with a laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted July 31, 2011 #6 Share Posted July 31, 2011 The laptop in our cabin, 11020, never got a signal- nor could I get one on my ipad. The computers in the Executive Lounge got a very weak signal. We needed to go up to the internet room, to get a computer that connected to the internet - the connections varied from slow to slower, but at least you could get online there. We finally gave up and used our iphones in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aZ4me Posted August 1, 2011 #7 Share Posted August 1, 2011 The laptop in our cabin, 11020, never got a signal- nor could I get one on my ipad. The computers in the Executive Lounge got a very weak signal. We needed to go up to the internet room, to get a computer that connected to the internet - the connections varied from slow to slower, but at least you could get online there. We finally gave up and used our iphones in port. We were in 11020 (loved that location) in April. We never used the ship's laptop, but we used ours a lot. If I sat at the table at the foot of the bed, I had a (relatively) decent Internet connection. If I sat at the desk area, all bets were off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6787 Posted August 1, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We were disappointed at first that the only function on the PH laptop was internet until it was explained to us that should they install additional programs such as Word or the ability to download photos, these computers would quickly be clogged with other passenger's information and photos, all of which would need to be erased between cruises. Who was going to do that job? Made sense to us. We bring our own computers, and wait until ports to access internet. The Oceania internet rates are too expensive for our needs. Thanks for the information. Understand the concern for information that may have to be erased. Was hoping they would have a solitare game if I really got bored in middle of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted August 1, 2011 #9 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Thanks for the information. Understand the concern for information that may have to be erased. Was hoping they would have a solitare game if I really got bored in middle of the night. Perhaps to play Solitaire, you could bring your iphone to play the game and set it on "Airplane Mode" so that you do not get charged for roaming costs and data usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fam_Cruise Posted August 1, 2011 #10 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Perhaps to play Solitaire, you could bring your iphone to play the game and set it on "Airplane Mode" so that you do not get charged for roaming costs and data usage.Actually if one is from the US and with AT&T I find their International Data Plans a very good deal, especially when compared to the ship's internet. It runs $3.50-7.00 USD per day which averages out to for 3.33-6.67 MB/day. They are monthly plans pro-rated over the term for which you activate it prior to departure from the US and deactivate it upon your return. Now this is a good option if one is on a port intensive cruise, as this is for usage in most countries, and does NOT include data usage over Cellular at Sea's network. So for trans-oceanic cruise this would not be a good option. This also enables one to take full advantage of iPhone's mapping and search capabilities, email, ease of blogging and uploading pictures to Facebook, etc. I used it for 5 weeks in Australia and Asia this past December and January and never went over the allotted time. The only time I couldn't use it was on our 2 day crossing the Tasman Sea. I don't even plan on purchasing a data package on my upcoming cruise and trip to Europe in September, or for my November trip to in Fiji, OZ, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlewWater Posted August 2, 2011 #11 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The notebook computers in the rooms are basically a duplicate of the computers found in the computer center. Same screens, same log-in process. Ours did have a Microsoft Word icon on the desktop screen. When I clicked it, however, it prompted me to log on, rather than opening Word in the computer. I never explored it further since we had poor wireless connectivity from our stateroom (which I understand they were going to improve after this maiden voyage). Here are some pictures of the stateroom notebook computers, and the logon screens: http://www.1mpages.com/OceaniaMarina/StateroomComputer.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alltravels Posted August 9, 2011 #12 Share Posted August 9, 2011 the fact is that the internet service provided aboard is both horrendously slow - because the entire ship uses a single satellite link, and horrendously expensive. on our first cruise, we took our ipod touch, and on the last two, our ipad. what we've found is that there are many free wifi hotspots and, by going to the local library, you can either get free (we always leave a small donation) or very cheap internet access. this has worked for us in just about every port we've visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fam_Cruise Posted August 9, 2011 #13 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Another alternative, even better than when I posted above on August 1 (FWIW, these better plans may have been in effect then - I only found out yesterday), is AT&T International Data Plans as they have gotten exponentially better. For those AT&T iPhone, iPad, and other smartphone and tablet customers, their monthly data plans now offer 275 MB for $99.99 and 800 MB for $199.99. Monthly rates and minutes are prorated for the period of your billing cycle the data plan is activated. See this link for more details including links to countries that are included in the plans. I don't plan on using any of the ships internet on my upcoming cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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