Laptop on Board or a place to upload pictures?

[nk918]

Hello, I am a first time cruiser and will be on the Carnival Elation and I am curious how I can upload my pictures, my digital does not hold too many and I don't think I can afford an upgraded memory stick right now. So are there places on board that I can upload pics or is it safe for me to bring my laptop so that I can upload onto that. Any help with this would be GREATLY appreciated. THANK YOU!!!

[10X]

I bring my laptop and have never had a problem. I create separate folders for my wife and myself, for each day of the cruise. Every night I download to the laptop in the appropriate folder. That way we know exactly when and where each photo was taken and by whom. There is another couple that travel with us frequently and I also download his pictures, so the laptop gets lots of use.

[familycruzer]

I bought extra flash cards off ebay for my last cruise and with enough space to hold 300 pictures I was sorry I did not have more. I will be bringing along the laptop this time around to download pictures each night. Along with more flash card space, I can get a better idea of how the pictures are coming out. If they are of something on the ship, I can go back and retake them.

[K&RCurt]

We brought my laptop. It was great to upload pics daily, even though we had 2 huge memory cards, they can get messed up and we felt better having the days photos burned on a CD right away.

 

 

In addition, for us (on HAL) the internet time on board was cheaper with using the laptop and WiFi that it would have been using the internet center. We kept in touch with the Kids and the person wathcing the 2 kids at home via email. Also, it was nice having the ability to watch DVD movies on the laptop on the plane and while waiting in the airport.

 

The only negative was having 1 more thing to lug around.

[Happy ks]

We prefer to pack light and take along extra memory cards. I don't want to be bothered with computer work at all when I'm on vacation, too little time. You can also have your pics burned to a cd at the photo lab, but I understand it is a bit pricey.

[BuckGuy]

I sometimes wonder if I would be able to survive in a country that didnt have computers available. With that in mind, there are carry-on luggage that have special compartments for your laptop computer and accessories, and then you can also pack some of your smaller clothes and other accessories, underwear, socks etc.

 

The cruise ships I've been on have 110V electrical outlets. But you've got to be careful in hotels overseas. I discovered that your high-definition laptop screens use an awful lot of power (I'm not an electrician, I think the relevant number was the amps), and if you have to have an electrical converter (going from 220 European outlets to 110) then make sure that it meets the specifications of your computer's power draw. My converter lasted about 5 seconds in my post-cruise hotel room, and then just burned out (I'm glad there was no damage to my computer.) If you are lucky, some laptops have a switch where you can go from 110 to 220. And I've been told that some laptops can switch between 110-220 automatically. Hmmmm, I don't know if I would ever risk my laptop to see if it really switches automatically.

 

Oh, one other thing. When you walk by the computer center(s) on your cruise, do some people watching and check out the faces of your passengers reading their email. They have smiles on their faces as if their friend/loved one at home were right there beside them.

 

Ah computers.......My laptop is just a fact of life for me. I luv it.

[nk918]

THANK YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I greatly appreciate it all!!! :) :D :)

[PurpleCow]

I bring my laptop, so I upload my pictures daily. Remember to put the card back in your camera after uploading the pictures, It's not a nice moment when you whip out your camera on a shore excursion far from the ship and get the "NO CARD" message. Ask me how I know . . . .

[serene56]

I got a memory card from a walgreens on sale for 19.99 after rebate. It was a 256 mg card. I now have enough cards to get me through a week of a cruise.. lol

[LeftatGator]

I bring my laptop. We like to plop on the bed and look at all our pictures from the day. Plus - I dump pictures into movie maker and make a goofy movie that's finished by the time we get off the ship. I'm a geek, I know.

 

jim

[10X]

Serene56, are you sure a 256MB card is big enough? My wife and I both use a 1GB card, along with a friend of mine. It's not unusual for me to download over 300 pictures in one day to my laptop.

 

I always take photos in the highest resolution possible, which decreases the card capacity but gives the best pictures.

 

Another thing about taking the laptop is that, if you are travelling with friends, you can burn their photos to CD for them before they go home. You can also give them copies of your photos on CD as well. It not only saves them the cost of doing it onboard, but everyone gets a copy of everyone else's photos to take home with them.

[SPI_Rick]

It looks like this subject has been fully covered, but I'll add a couple of comments....please note these comments are based on my experience on Princess Cruise Line:

 

 

I've brought a laptop with me on my last 2 cruises and have never had a problem with it. I generally leave it in a drawer or in a locked suitcase under my bed when I am not using it. I'm not worried about the cabin steward, but sometimes I do worry about the possibility of a fellow passenger seeing a target of opportunity if the cabin steward were to leave the door open for a moment while getting ice or other things, so I don't leave it out in the open when we are not in the room.

 

I use the laptop to download pictures every day, to burn backup CDs or DVDs as needed, to edit pictures, to connect via wireless access to the internet for email, to send email with attachments (on Princess you cannot send your own files as attachments from their computer stations), and finally to play DVD movies occasionally if we don't want to go to the shows in the evening.

 

Having said that, if downloading photos were my only reason for the laptop then I probably wouldn't take it. It is a pain in the neck to lug through airports and on shuttle buses. Also, many large ships will have an on-board photo shop that can download your photos and burn CDs for you.

[vmom]

On the Caribben Princess this month I noticed signs in the photo area for just under $10 they would download you pics onto disc.