Emails to passengers on ships

[ColumbiaSC]

As a Cunard World Club member, Platinum Level, I am aware of how a passenger can be sent an email to, for example, qe2@cunard.com and have the passenger's name and cabin number in the SUBJECT line and the hardcopy message will be put under one's door.

 

I wanted to know if this were done on Holland America, as I am interested in the 2010 World Cruise on the MS Amsterdam. So I posted a query thread on the main Holland America thread on www.cruisecritic.com several days ago. There have been at least 111 viewers and NO RESPONSES. I write this simply to say how astonished I am!

 

Does anyone on the Cunard thread know the answer? Is it a State Secret?

[astrogirl66]

As a Cunard World Club member, Platinum Level, I am aware of how a passenger can be sent an email to, for example, qe2@cunard.com and have the passenger's name and cabin number in the SUBJECT line and the hardcopy message will be put under one's door.

 

 

 

I don't have an answer to your question, but what a ridiculous waste of paper.

[cruisegal101]

As is done on most ships other than the QE2, you will be assigned an email address that you can access on the onboard computers or on your laptop. From the HA website:

 

Guests can connect to the internet on each ship in the Holland America Line fleet, either by accessing a 24/7 wireless connection "hotspot", or utilizing the resources of the Explorations Café or Internet Café located on board. You will be able to receive electronic mail in real-time, via satellite link 24 hours a day, satellite conditions permitting.

 

Holland America Line has even set up your very own CruisE-mail address for you to use. We also have an Internet Manager on board to assist you. There is a charge for these services.

 

Your CruisE-mail address: Your first initial + last name + your four (4) digit cabin number (with no spaces in between) + @"shipname".cruisemail.net. For ships without a 4-digit stateroom number, add an extra zero before your stateroom number (i.e. stateroom 038 would be 0038).

[Norfolk Brit]

I don't have an answer to your question, but what a ridiculous waste of paper.

 

Why? Internet connection onboard ships is expensive, and very slow and time consuming, and I, for one, don't usually go online whilst on holiday. It's a splendid system.:)

 

Mary

[SeaMatesNYC]

Why? Internet connection onboard ships is expensive, and very slow and time consuming, and I, for one, don't usually go online whilst on holiday. It's a splendid system.:)

 

Mary

 

Mary,

 

Agreed. And they make nice keepsakes, especially if they are bon voyage, birthday, anniversary, and/or nuptials congratulations. Although on my QE2 voyage in April, there was some redhead who it was rumored had caused a paper shortage onboard.:D

 

Michael

[pnhmrk]

on my QE2 voyage in April, there was some redhead who it was rumored had caused a paper shortage onboard.:D

 

Michael - That Redhead caused the paper shortage :p Wasn't she the one who pointed out that any email copied to QE2@cunard.com meant that you got a printed copy without having to pay?

[Winchester]

All that is one way to go, but I think most people I have seen, just use their own E-mail and receive messages on the computers that way. I don't see the point or the need to add another way to contact.

[bobnatt]

If you need to stay in touch for business reasons or to keep track of family members the best thing to do is either bring a laptop or use the computers on board the ships and to continue to use your home email address and tap into it either through your normal mail program or the mail web site provided to you by your Internet Provider.

 

As I remember it the mail email option provided on the Cunard ships is not inexpensive and means you need to tell everyone you need to communicate with your temporary Cunard email address.

[NomDePlume]

...any email copied to QE2@cunard.com meant that you got a printed copy without having to pay?

 

I have it on good authority that she got her messages, even when the internet was down... ;)

[SeaMatesNYC]

As is done on most ships other than the QE2, you will be assigned an email address that you can access on the onboard computers or on your laptop. From the HA website:

 

Guests can connect to the internet on each ship in the Holland America Line fleet, either by accessing a 24/7 wireless connection "hotspot", or utilizing the resources of the Explorations Café or Internet Café located on board. You will be able to receive electronic mail in real-time, via satellite link 24 hours a day, satellite conditions permitting.

 

Holland America Line has even set up your very own CruisE-mail address for you to use. We also have an Internet Manager on board to assist you. There is a charge for these services.

 

Your CruisE-mail address: Your first initial + last name + your four (4) digit cabin number (with no spaces in between) + @"shipname".cruisemail.net. For ships without a 4-digit stateroom number, add an extra zero before your stateroom number (i.e. stateroom 038 would be 0038).

 

At present, HAL does not offer a complimentary internet package as part of its equivalent of the World Club, unlike Cunard and Princess (and perhaps other Carnival lines), but there are rumors that the Mariner perks program is being modified in September, so we shall see. I WANT MORE THAN A BLOODY LAPEL PIN!!!

 

If it does change, I hope for bon voyage emails in September when Ben and I are on the Zuiderdam. And perhaps you can leave us a note tucked between the stones at the Acropolis?:rolleyes: We are booked with Jordan's outfit, but will not have him:( but another of his fine guides :) for our Athens tour.

[3rdGenCunarder]

If you need to stay in touch for business reasons or to keep track of family members the best thing to do is either bring a laptop or use the computers on board the ships and to continue to use your home email address and tap into it either through your normal mail program or the mail web site provided to you by your Internet Provider.

 

As I remember it the mail email option provided on the Cunard ships is not inexpensive and means you need to tell everyone you need to communicate with your temporary Cunard email address.

 

It's nice to escape from the real world, but sometimes I have to be available in case there's a question on a work project. If I want to be certain that I can be contacted, I give the @cunard address and ask that an email be sent to both if the message is urgent. I don't check email as frequently when I travel, so the paper slipped under the door is helpful. And if it's a bon voyage message from a friend, I take that home as a keepsake! (I want to make it clear that I am NOT the redhead who used up a month's supply of paper)

 

One warning for people who use the ship's computers. You must be able to access your mail at a website, not through outlook or some other software that's on your computer at home. Be sure you take a list of any email addresses that you might need. Unless your address book is web-based, all that info will be at home on the computer you can't access. I've seen passengers paying per minute after minute while they desperately try to remember their grandkid's email addy.

[bobnatt]

 

One warning for people who use the ship's computers. You must be able to access your mail at a website, not through outlook or some other software that's on your computer at home. Be sure you take a list of any email addresses that you might need. Unless your address book is web-based, all that info will be at home on the computer you can't access. I've seen passengers paying per minute after minute while they desperately try to remember their grandkid's email addy.

 

Not true at least for the QM2. On my last two QM2 cruises (the last being this past February) I brought my laptop and was able to access all my email through my Microsoft Outlook program. Actually it was a great way to do it as I downloaded all my emails; logged off; responded to the emails I need to answer off line; logged back on line and then all the answers were automatically sent. Saved the expense of answering emails on line.

[SeaMatesNYC]

I have it on good authority that she got her messages, even when the internet was down... ;)

 

Delivered by someone in uniform?:D

[3rdGenCunarder]

Not true at least for the QM2. On my last two QM2 cruises (the last being this past February) I brought my laptop and was able to access all my email through my Microsoft Outlook program. Actually it was a great way to do it as I downloaded all my emails; logged off; responded to the emails I need to answer off line; logged back on line and then all the answers were automatically sent. Saved the expense of answering emails on line.

 

Right, if you bring your own laptop you get to have all your data with you. I do exactly what you do, and had lots of my WC minutes left at the end of 10 days.

 

But if you read my post more carefully, you'll see that my warning was about the ship's computers. I don't even think they have Outlook, and they certainly do not have your personal data loaded onto them.

[bobnatt]

Right, if you bring your own laptop you get to have all your data with you. I do exactly what you do, and had lots of my WC minutes left at the end of 10 days.

 

But if you read my post more carefully, you'll see that my warning was about the ship's computers. I don't even think they have Outlook, and they certainly do not have your personal data loaded onto them.

 

 

You're right, sorry I misread your response.

[bobnatt]

One other point regarding the Queen Victoria. If you use your own laptop on the QV there are neither any discounted packages available (meaning you pay 50 cents for each minute) nor can you use your World Club minutes on your laptop computer. On my last cruise I brought my laptop but did not use it because my wife and I had four hours of free internet if we used the shipboard computers.

 

I still haven't figured out why the QV is different then the QM2 in terms of this rule.

[3rdGenCunarder]

One other point regarding the Queen Victoria. If you use your own laptop on the QV there are neither any discounted packages available (meaning you pay 50 cents for each minute) nor can you use your World Club minutes on your laptop computer. On my last cruise I brought my laptop but did not use it because my wife and I had four hours of free internet if we used the shipboard computers.

 

I still haven't figured out why the QV is different then the QM2 in terms of this rule.

 

The first time I heard about this I thought it must be a mistake. I asked a very capable staff member at the computer centre on QE2 why QV does this. She said it's a bandwidth issue. Theyr'e afraid that too many people will travel with their laptops, sending photos and other large attachments and it will clog the bandwidth. I don't know if this is true, but it's the official explanation. I guess they don't do this on QM2 or QE2 because it's too late to set up those systems to differentiate between computer centre minutes and personal laptop minutes.

 

I think it's a cheapskate move on Carnival's part .

[bobnatt]

The first time I heard about this I thought it must be a mistake. I asked a very capable staff member at the computer centre on QE2 why QV does this. She said it's a bandwidth issue. Theyr'e afraid that too many people will travel with their laptops, sending photos and other large attachments and it will clog the bandwidth. I don't know if this is true, but it's the official explanation. I guess they don't do this on QM2 or QE2 because it's too late to set up those systems to differentiate between computer centre minutes and personal laptop minutes.

 

I think it's a cheapskate move on Carnival's part .

 

The funny part is that the Queens Grill accommodations on the QV have Wi Fi so if you did want to use your lap top you could do so directly from your cabin. I guess Carnival takes the attitude that if you can afford QG accommodations you would find the convenience of accessing the internet from your cabin to be worth the additional cost.

[Cruachan]

The funny part is that the Queens Grill accommodations on the QV have Wi Fi so if you did want to use your lap top you could do so directly from your cabin. I guess Carnival takes the attitude that if you can afford QG accommodations you would find the convenience of accessing the internet from your cabin to be worth the additional cost.

 

A couple more points that are worth noting about QV.

 

First I don't think the wifi connection is restricted to QG cabins as I was able to connect quite easily from an A4 balcony on 5 deck (however this may just have been luck).

 

Much more importantly, anyone intending taking there laptop should note that the flat rate package that you purchase for use in the computer center doese not cover wifi connection. For that, you are charged by the minute and it is absolutely essential that, at the end of any internet session, you use the log off screen to finish the seesion - otherwise the clock keeps ticking and the charge keeps mounting. Don't buy a large and expensive package for the computer center if you intend to use your laptop.

 

Jimmy

[Shrubbie]

Does anyone know if Blackberries work at sea please? I'm leaving my NY job and going back to my Sydney job and the company makes us leave the laptop behind. So I will be laptop-less on the QM2 but understand the TV is interactive.

 

Thanks

Therese

[bobnatt]

Does anyone know if Blackberries work at sea please? I'm leaving my NY job and going back to my Sydney job and the company makes us leave the laptop behind. So I will be laptop-less on the QM2 but understand the TV is interactive.

 

Thanks

Therese

 

Only when you are near land. Mine worked almost every day on my Norwegian Fjord trip. Warning; the data access fees in Europe really mount up. Unlike the USA where you pay one monthly fee for unlimited data access in Europe it is measured on the precise amount of download space you incur. I spent over $500 on my blackberry for internet and email access on my QV 12 day cruise in June. Also the European roaming charges for cell phone calls are really high.

[astrogirl66]

Why? Internet connection onboard ships is expensive, and very slow and time consuming, and I, for one, don't usually go online whilst on holiday. It's a splendid system.:)

 

Mary

 

Because the whole point of doing things on a computer is so you don't have to use paper. You can either read the email yourself or if you don't want or have the time to connect to the internet on board, then have someone send an email to you at your hotmail account or whatever you home email is and then read it when you get off the ship.

 

Printing out emails just doesn't make sense to me.

 

If you want a hard copy of something, have someone send you a letter or a postcard.

[NomDePlume]

Because the whole point of doing things on a computer is so you don't have to use paper. You can either read the email yourself or if you don't want or have the time to connect to the internet on board, then have someone send an email to you at your hotmail account or whatever you home email is and then read it when you get off the ship.

 

Printing out emails just doesn't make sense to me.

 

If you want a hard copy of something, have someone send you a letter or a postcard.

 

And when the internet is down, you don't get anything. There are many reasons why it is important to print something out--not necessarily everything you get on board ship, but in daily life and business. YOU may not have, or see, a need for it, but it makes perfect sense.

[Cruachan]

Because the whole point of doing things on a computer is so you don't have to use paper.

 

So all the zillions that have been spent in developing printers was a total waste of money then? When I first started using computers back in the early 80's we were constantly being told that the paperless office was just around the corner. We still are!

 

J

[3rdGenCunarder]

So all the zillions that have been spent in developing printers was a total waste of money then? When I first started using computers back in the early 80's we were constantly being told that the paperless office was just around the corner. We still are!

 

J

 

LOL! I remember meetings like that. :D