Email/Computer Question

[JLDMED]

I see that Celebrity offers each guest their own "unique" email address to send and receive email from the ship. Is that the cheapest route to take, or should I just log on to an internet server, then to my Verizon account and just check my email that way?

[superjerryw]

Just use your regular E-Mail account since you will probably want to check it anyway. The cost will be the same either way.

[tbelian]

should I just log on to an internet server, then to my Verizon account and just check my email that way?

 

Yes, you should take that approach, with one caveat: Remember that when checking your regular email account, you will see 'all' of your emails. Perhaps while 'away' you would not necessarily want to spend time browsing through everything (think SPAM!?). However, you could accomplish the same thing as Celebrity's unique email by just setting yourself up with a yahoo mail/gmail/hotmail account that you only use while on vacation.

[canderson]

I see that Celebrity offers each guest their own "unique" email address to send and receive email from the ship. Is that the cheapest route to take, or should I just log on to an internet server, then to my Verizon account and just check my email that way?

If you're looking for the cheapest route:

 

Log into one of the cafe computers and compose your outbound emails using Word or Wordpad there. There is no charge for using the applications that are already mounted on these computers. You're only charged when you're logged in as "internet connected". It'll become clearer when you go to use these machines.

 

Once you have your outbounds ready, then and only then log into the "internet" where you'll be charged $0.75/min for access time (less if you buy a package of minutes). Go immediately to your webmail account on Verizon and quickly copy/paste your text from your Word document into emails and send them, then log out of the "pay for play" internet access. If you're not familiar with this, it may also help: you can copy just about anything in Windows by highlighting it with your mouse and pressing Control-C. You can paste that same information into just about anything with Control-V.

 

Inbound mail -- you may find it OK to read in realtime at $0.75 a minute, but if you have verbose friends or relatives that go on for pages, you may find it useful to copy and paste those into Word (reverse of above) and read and compose replies to them at your leisure.

[JLDMED]

Great suggestions canderson -- thanks. Have fun in Panama -- we're taking the same cruise in February! We'll be in SS 1203. Will you be writing a review?

[canderson]

Great suggestions canderson -- thanks. Have fun in Panama -- we're taking the same cruise in February! We'll be in SS 1203. Will you be writing a review?

More than likely. Will see what else has been doing in this regard and see what we can add this time around. Will be across the way in 1202.

[Justthe2ofus]

is now on the carnival valor. when will celebrity catch up?

[canderson]

is now on the carnival valor. when will celebrity catch up?

If you mean "throughout", my guess is that it'll be a long time, if ever. It'd be nice if the cabins were covered. But please define "throughout" as regards Valor.

 

On the other hand, if you didn't realize that the Celebrity ships are all now Wi-Fi equipped (covers a fair bit of the public space where you can sit down with a notebook), it's not Celebrity that needs to get caught up!

[JuWolf43]

Have you actually tried the wireless connections. I really am panicked about being without my computer for 2 weeks in April and would be willing to pay for the wireless package if i knew someone had used it successfully. Please let me know.

Thanks,

Judi Wolf

Sailing Infinity April 2, 2006

[PattyMichael]

My TA told me that if I bring my lap top. I can go to the coffee cafe and sit at a table and log on the internet for free. I am not sure this is true. I don't really understand this wireless thing. Just got my lap top for Christmas. Does anyone know whats up? Should I bring my laptop?

[canderson]

My TA told me that if I bring my lap top. I can go to the coffee cafe and sit at a table and log on the internet for free. I am not sure this is true. I don't really understand this wireless thing. Just got my lap top for Christmas. Does anyone know whats up? Should I bring my laptop?

NO, it's not true! You still wind up paying the same charges as if you were using one of the Internet Cafe machines to do the same thing. However, you do have the advantage of using whatever application software and connectivity software (e.g., VPN) software that you use on a regular basis. You can't load diddly onto any of the Internet Cafe machines.

 

You say you don't understand "this wireless thing". Have you used WiFi before anywhere else (e.g., airports, Starbucks, wherever)? If not, you should familiarize yourself with that a bit first. Find a free "hot spot" and experiment a bit with whatever software was supplied with your notebook or it's 802.11 card.

[lysolqn]

Keep in mind the internet charge on X is a steep $0.75/minute (it comes down a bit if you purchase a bulk minutes package) whether you opt to purchase an in-cabin connection, use the wireless hot spots or use the computer lab and/or cafe. The speed of service, while decent considering you're using a satellite connection, is a heck of a lot slower than you're probably used to and internet charges can rack up pretty fast.

[PattyMichael]

Thanks for the infor. I knew that free internet on the ship was to good to be true. I will take my lap top out into the world and try a hot spot to see whats up. Also I was someone cruise photos there were some crew members on the port side deck with their lap tops. I think maybe they were tapping in on the shores wireless is that possible?

[PattyMichael]

One more question, do lap tops fit in the cabins safe? If not shoud we check with the purser's desk. When we go ashore? Is it safe to leave in the cabin. I know the room steward would ever take anything from the room, but other crew members might have access. Just woundering if anyone ever had a problem.

[Andy]

Hi Patricia !

 

The laptops definately do not fit in the safe. The safes are VERY small.

 

I left my laptop in my cabin for the entire cruise, but I did not leave it out for anyone to see. I had no problems at all.

 

I was on Century a few weeks ago, and the Wi-Fi was awful. For the most part the service is very limited, and that is IF you can get it to work.

 

However, I do think the Wi-Fi Service is probably better on the M-Class Ships. I know I probably wont bother taking my laptop again on Century. Hopefully, after her refurbishment in April, the Internet services will improve.

[tbelian]

We used WiFi anboard Mercury in Oct-Nov 2005 and it worked just fine.

 

We only tried it in one area of the ship where it was offered, specifically, 'rendevouz', but had no real problems. Information said it was also available in Michael's club, and, I think, Cova Cafe.

 

There was one 'weird' situation regarding their configuration. When you looked on your laptop to see what networks were 'available' there was a 'port side' connection and a 'starboard side' connection. We knew about this ahead of time based on instructions from the staff in the computer center. The 'trick' was to connect to the 'right' one based on which side of the ship you were on, even though the pc could see both of them. If you connected to port and were on starboard there was a greater chance of having the connection dropped. This is how it was set up on Mercury. Can't say regarding other ships. My guess is, for C-class, it would be similar.

[canderson]

Thanks for the infor. I knew that free internet on the ship was to good to be true. I will take my lap top out into the world and try a hot spot to see whats up. Also I was someone cruise photos there were some crew members on the port side deck with their lap tops. I think maybe they were tapping in on the shores wireless is that possible?

Yes, it's possible they were tapping into a WiFi connection somewhere shoreside. Just about anything they could connect to what was land based would be cheaper than the satellite service, although the crew does get a discount on shipboard internet service.

 

As to the notebook - no way it fits in the safe, but I've always left mine out, hooked up and working, during the course of a cruise, and never had any sort of problems. While 1MB cards are a lot cheaper than they used to be, if I start getting silly in "Movie Mode" on my still camera, it can eat through the memory pretty quickly, so I bring the notebook along to dump the camera daily.

[bsdmhutch]

You're only charged when you're logged in as "internet connected".

 

That's not entirely true. On the Zenith last month, you were charged for using Word also. It was also only $.50/minute to get internet access.

[DeltaOne]

One more question, do lap tops fit in the cabins safe? If not shoud we check with the purser's desk.

 

Normally I'm very cautious with valuable electronic devices (I guess it's a guy thing) but we've taken five cruises and left the laptop out on the vanity on each cruise. No problem whatsoever.

 

The easiest way to hide the laptop would be to place it in one of your suitcases (that's stored under the bed).

[Lsimon]

I also have never thought twice about leaving my laptop in the stateroom along with my camera, etc. But if you want to be extra cautious about this I think your only option would be to buy one of the cable locks designed to fit into most laptops. I presume that somewhere in the room would be something you could loop the cable through to lock up. These are available most all places that sell laptops and I think just about every laptop made in the last 6 years or so has a slot for the cable lock to fit in (just a very small slot in exterior - usually on the side)

 

Here is one brand as an example - there are many to choose from: http://us.kensington.com/html/1434.html

[Jim_Iain]

I have used the wireless connection on Millenium, Mercury and Constellation. Generally the WiFi box is located near the center of the ship at least on the deck with the internet cafe, the internet training room which use to be Notes on teh M-Class ship. Speeds are faster than the old telephone hook ups but slower than internet cafe.

 

The onboard account can be a good way to go if you are only sending a couple e-mails (they charge $2.00 per e-mail inbound and out bound + extra if over a certain size). Your normal web access coudl be a good alternative but as other's have said at .75 cents a minute it is rather steep. I have composed e-mails onboard then taken my laptop to a hotspot or internet Cafe and sent. Probably your best bet.

[Sky Sweet]

In light of how expensive it is to be online aboard a Celebrity Ship, I am surprised that so many people post on Cruise Critic during their cruises.

[canderson]

In light of how expensive it is to be online aboard a Celebrity Ship, I am surprised that so many people post on Cruise Critic during their cruises.

Just using up our 10 free minutes, Sky.:o

[Sky Sweet]

Just using up our 10 free minutes, Sky.:o

 

That I can understand :)

[Shmobo]

I was on infinity 2 weeks ago and the connections is really slow...

 

I cannot even have time to go through my emails within the free 10 minutes...

 

But if some one has to attend to business while at sea I guess they have no choice but to pay the steep prices.