Cruising With Alexa

[morfred]

I have unlimited internet on my next cruise and I would like to bring an Amazon Alexa (Echo dot). I mainly use it for white noise or soothing sounds when I am going to sleep. I am wondering if it is possible to easily connect to the wifi and if anyone has done so. Thanks

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, morfred said:

I have unlimited internet on my next cruise and I would like to bring an Amazon Alexa (Echo dot). I mainly use it for white noise or soothing sounds when I am going to sleep. I am wondering if it is possible to easily connect to the wifi and if anyone has done so. Thanks

I never have trouble sleeping on a cruise. Alexa is the last thing I’d think about bringing. 

[waterbug123]

11 hours ago, morfred said:

I have unlimited internet on my next cruise and I would like to bring an Amazon Alexa (Echo dot). I mainly use it for white noise or soothing sounds when I am going to sleep. I am wondering if it is possible to easily connect to the wifi and if anyone has done so. Thanks

 

Another option:  Save yourself the trouble and look into a white noise app for your phone.  I use one called Storms Pro, which is actually various rain sounds....my fave is one that has the sound of steady rain with occasional low rolling thunder sounds.  I'm sure there are plenty of apps with generic "white noise" as well.

[NeroliGirl]

We've got a number of Echo Dots around the house so pretty familiar with their setup. Our conclusion is that you won't be able to connect the Dot directly to the ship's wifi (which you'd need to be able to do in order to register it to the wifi network), so you'd need an intermediate device (like a laptop or a TPLink, with appropriate bridging software) to act as a bridge between the ship wifi and the Dot. You'd connect the 'bridge' device to the ship's wifi, and then the Dot would be able to 'see' the bridge device as a true wifi network, which it could then register to. I think from memory you have to refresh the ship's wifi each day by re-entering the password, which might mean you'd need to re-pair the bridge device on a daily basis (the Dot should remember its relationship with the bridge device and would 'wake up' once the bridge device was re-paired).

An interesting question - we might try it when we're on the Silhouette in September!

One other point to think about is that the ship's wifi point of presence is in the US so the wifi network would pick up the US time zones etc. Possibly not a problem for a Caribbean cruise but could throw you off if you're going to Europe.

Hope that helps!

[cangelmd]

If all you need is white noise, the phone white noise app works well and is free. If you don't think it will be loud enough for you and partner, you can get a small white noise generator that is louder.

[Mike981]

14 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I never have trouble sleeping on a cruise. Alexa is the last thing I’d think about bringing. 

Okay

[G.M.T.]

16 hours ago, morfred said:

I have unlimited internet on my next cruise and I would like to bring an Amazon Alexa (Echo dot). I mainly use it for white noise or soothing sounds when I am going to sleep. I am wondering if it is possible to easily connect to the wifi and if anyone has done so. Thanks

I think your requirements could easily be covered with a Drink Package, make full use of it and sleep like a baby.

 

I have never had any luck with Alexa when the dear MiL come to stay and starts on one of her nagging crusades (no white noise or soothing sounds for me), but The Home Drinks Package certainly helps in drowning out all that extra non requied noise.

 

When dear MiL is staying a 747 could land in our lounge and I wouldn't hear it.

 

The conversation with Alexa goes something like this:

Me: Alexa, can you make MiL disappear.

Alexa: Permanently or only for the duration of her stay.

Me: Alexa don't tempt me.

 

PS. It should be deer MiL as she also has horns.

 

[morfred]

Neroligirl, thanks for taking the time for in-depth help. Let me know if you do try it . We sail in November. The other ideas using a phone are something to think about. Mike981, I love your answer. Also, if anyone has successfully used one please let me know.

 

ps  GMT-  White noise is for afternoon naps, drink package is for night sleeping. THAT works every time

[mayleeman]

@morfred

If you get an Android phone app, be aware there are two kinds. One streams white noise choices from the internet (there can be the "liquid video" screen with these, so it is essentially a series of movies), while the other has white noise recorded on your phone (requiring no internet). My wife used up half our data plan one night at a hotel in FL because she did not know the app she chose did the streaming.

Edited August 3, 2019 by mayleeman
OP name added

[andyfriend80]

3 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

I think your requirements could easily be covered with a Drink Package, make full use of it and sleep like a baby.

 

I have never had any luck with Alexa when the dear MiL come to stay and starts on one of her nagging crusades (no white noise or soothing sounds for me), but The Home Drinks Package certainly helps in drowning out all that extra non requied noise.

 

When dear MiL is staying a 747 could land in our lounge and I wouldn't hear it.

 

The conversation with Alexa goes something like this:

Me: Alexa, can you make MiL disappear.

Alexa: Permanently or only for the duration of her stay.

Me: Alexa don't tempt me.

 

PS. It should be deer MiL as she also has horns.

This really made me smile 🙂 🙂 

3 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

 

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

45 minutes ago, morfred said:

White noise is for afternoon naps, drink package is for night sleeping. THAT works every time

That explains it. We get up early, don’t normally nap, play hard all day, enjoy some cocktails, and fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. 

[DENIE]

My SIL downloaded an app ahead of time on her android phone.  She used it every night, and it did not use any data.  It worked for her.  My wife and I don't usually need any white noise...we are too relaxed already! 🙂

 

[FreestyleNovice]

App on smart phone and perhaps a small bluetooth speaker when the phone's speaker is insufficient? The bluetooth connection might also be handy when the phone is charging out of reach on the vanity.

[FreestyleNovice]

I do get the replies of others on bringing a dedicated home setup, on something as short as a cruise. There are less complicated solutions and much more obvious too.

 

But NeroGirl's post would be a good start. Maybe user mking8288 might chime in, active on NCL but not sure if he's active on the X board.

[Iamthesea]

We travel with the following (see below).  We have tried traveling with Alexa to have music in rentals.  For the most part she works as long as there is a good WiFi signal.  On a recent beach trip our rental house had poor reception.  Alexa would cut off frequently.  She would do the same on the ship.

 

Google:

Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Sound Machine

Also purchased the case to protect it when flying. 

 

We sleep with a white noise machine at home.  Have so for years.  We have tried the iPhone/iPhone apps and prefer the sound coming from a machine.  However, have used the apps when accidentally leaving our machine at home.  They work OK.  We are very light sleepers.  Something that NCteacher may discover as she gets older. ;)  We too used to sleep like the dead when we were younger.

Edited August 4, 2019 by Iamthesea

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

We are very light sleepers.  Something that NCteacher may discover as she gets older. 😉 We too used to sleep like the dead when we were younger.

 

Oh, I hope not.  I’d hate to lose that talent!  😜  I’ve been practicing 😴 all summer whilst I’ve been able to wake without multiple alarms set on my phone and the 5:30 AM gym routine. Reality check time is fast approaching and my days of leisure are nearing an end once again. 

[morfred]

Thanks Iamthesea. If I cannot use an Alexa this looks like a good alternative. The brand has great reviews.

[Tourist1292]

First, the wifi connection is not very reliable on the ship. Second, you will need a travel router to set it up. Bringing the Echo is not a very good or practical idea, however, bring a travel router regardlessly is very useful.

[morfred]

A travel router may be a good idea but my technical skills prevent me from taking advantage of one. By the time I figured out how to set it up (or bribed someone) the cruise would be over.

[njcanuck]

We’ve taken our echo tap with us a couple of times and hooked it to my hoo too travel router.

 

https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-Performance-TripMate-Hotspot/dp/B00HZWOQZ6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=HR94TTVNFSY7&keywords=hootoo+travel+router&qid=1565231213&s=gateway&sprefix=Hoo+too+tra%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-4

 

Allowed us to use pandora and amazon music on the balcony.  

 

 

[Ma Bell]

26 minutes ago, njcanuck said:

We’ve taken our echo tap with us a couple of times and hooked it to my hoo too travel router.

 

https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-Performance-TripMate-Hotspot/dp/B00HZWOQZ6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=HR94TTVNFSY7&keywords=hootoo+travel+router&qid=1565231213&s=gateway&sprefix=Hoo+too+tra%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-4

 

Allowed us to use pandora and amazon music on the balcony.  

 

 

Do you use headsets to listen to your music on the balcony?

[goofysmom99]

I use the app called "White Noise" which downloads to phone.  Plug phone in for charging on desk and bluetooth to a Bose Mini (tiny but mighty) on nightstand to mask hotel or ship noises, especially if cabin is next to room that is near a steward's closet.  If no power for Bose available, I have an external battery and charge them both up the next day.  (I finally have settled on the sound named Pink Noise as the one that works best for me.)😉  This setup lets me stream anything (Amazon, Pandora, My Music) with my phone to the Bose with nothing else.  The Bose Mini is kind of pricey but a one and done and not much bigger the an Echo Dot or Google Mini. 

Edited August 8, 2019 by goofysmom99

[Oville]

We’ve never have had an issue using white noise through a phone on a cruise.  The app is on the phone and does not use data or WiFi.  We used to bring a Bluetooth speaker but decided on our last few cruises a phone speaker works just as well.  Our fav is “Rain, Rain”.

 

 

 

 

[goofysmom99]

2 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

.....bluetooth to a Bose Mini (tiny but mighty)

My bad, it's a Bose Micro.  The Mini is huge in comparison and weighs about 3x more.