on board internet sevice

[lloyd2050]

Do you think it is worth my while to take the computer on board for 36 day cruise,is the internet that good?Pacific Princess Jan 20th.

[RJ2002]

Do you think it is worth my while to take the computer on board for 36 day cruise,is the internet that good?Pacific Princess Jan 20th.

 

Internet service can be hit or miss on any cruise line. Much of it depends on the ship's position. Unless you have status with Princess, your bill could be pricey on a 36 day voyage - depending on how much you use it, of course.

 

In the past year, we bought a tablet (Ipad), which is much easier to take on trips than a laptop.

[Keith1010]

I would bring it.

 

You can use it for the internet and also for photos and it just makes it a lot easier.

 

Keith

[Philob]

On board internet speed is similar to the old dial-up 1200 - 2400 baud modems, remember the AOL CD's?

 

Shipboard high-speed internet for passengers maybe on a few of the new ships, but fleet wide :confused: that's a years away.

[kcwingwalker]

I would bring it.

 

You can use it for the internet and also for photos and it just makes it a lot easier.

 

Keith

 

Agree. You will be enjoying a long cruise and likely will be able to use internet cafes while in port.

[sail7seas]

We always travel with our netbook. Lighter weight then a laptop and works great for us.

[kitty9]

Internet costs are insanely expensive. Most start at .$65 a minute unless you purchase a plan where the per minute charge can drop to .$45 a minute. BUT, wifi is very slow, especially where you're cruising----it could take 2 or more minutes to download one page. Believe it or not, the Internet is blocked in some Asian countries.

[paul929207]

I use my laptop to read and write my email off line. I only connect to receive the incoming mail and send the outgoing.

 

You can usually find free wifi in ports.

[Kartgv]

We've been taking one for years, especially on long cruises - first a laptop, now a tablet for easy portability. Reasons include:

 

Upload photos daily, edit and label them

 

Log on to the ship's internet and check email, etc., from anywhere on most ships, even our stateroom.

 

Faster than ship's computers, mainly because we have all our favorite sites bookmarked and don't need to do searches for what we want.

 

We can do a quick download of emails, then disconnect to read and answer any that require attention, then another quick connection to send.

 

We also spend a little time most days writing a travel journal - not too detailed, just a few notes while things are fresh in our minds. I don't think you'll regret taking it!

[SuitCaseBears]

This is so personal. I wouldn't go away overnight without my laptop. I am self employed, 5 minutes of checking email and knowing I have my work documents and can function if I have to, allows me to relax.

 

I don't mind paying the fees for internet access because as I said, I do my email run, and then I can really forget about it.

 

I also have a second kindle reader on my laptop, we usually take a few favorite movies to watch, we have games on it and I figure the extra weight compared with a tablet is good exercise.

 

But that's me. Only you know how important staying in touch is for you.

[Colorado Kat]

I would take it just for being able to backup photos.

[Treven]

I'm with the previous poster about going overnite without my laptop. I download the day's photos to my laptop and do preliminary Photoshopping. I also take along my iPad for some games as well as reading. I love sea days when I can sit out on deck reading and watching the waves go by. At least for that I don't need to access the internet.

Edited November 16, 2013 by Treven

[calliopecruiser]

Do you think it is worth my while to take the computer on board for 36 day cruise,is the internet that good?Pacific Princess Jan 20th.

 

I would recommend taking a computer of some variety (netbook or laptop) and a flash drive........You can compose emails or blog entries on it, then save them to the flash drive and upload them when you are online - that will save you time online (i.e. save you money), and will also allow you to write them when you're somewhere pleasant, like sitting on deck or in the bar or something.

 

Having the computer will also allow you to copy any photos from your camera to the computer for work with and for safety (as a second copy).