internet access while on cruise

Aaron wrote:
We're sailing on the Celebrity Mercury. Next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aaron, there is no in-cabin access on the Mercury. There is an Internet
Cafe area on board. The rates are about fifty cents a minute. Your
best bet is probably in port.

~ Peri

Aaron,

Ok basically you can forget about in cabin internet access. The few ships
that have some in cabin access use a modem to connect via cabin phone line
and virtually operate like a slow dialup. They generally have a limited
number of modems and usually they don't work well.

The most common access at this point is via a dumb terminal in an internet
cafe. Dumb terminal means it is basically a monitor and keyboard connected
to a system, no hard drive or storage medium capability. I other words can't
download to a floppy disk or cd from their terminal or upload from one. You
can enter and check mail via internet if your service provider makes that
capability available. Take my provider, Verizon. I enter mail server via
outlook and download my mail. Obviously you cannot do that on a dumb
terminal. Verizon also allows you to enter their mail service via the
internet which you can do on a dumb terminal. The down side is that this is
much slower than simply downloading your mail and you also have to remain
connected reading and writing email ( at the per minute rate ) . From an
internet cafe the speed is comparable usually to a slow DSL line, really
depends on how good their computer people are if you ask me at maintaining
the network. Also location of ship ( satellite connection must bear on it as
well )

Now the best access that all ships I have recently sailed ( Carnival Legend,
Victory and NCL Dawn ) have offered wireless connect to the internet. With a
wireless equipped laptop you buy a minute package and get access to their
network. Since you are on your own machine you can download to it and so
forth. Hence I download my mail, go offline, answer it, go back online and
upload it. A big savings in minute usage. I do the same downloading
newspapers i am interested in and so forth. You don't want to rent their
equipment, lap top and wireless card because it is too prohibitive price
wise in my opinion.

THIS FROM my DAWN REVIEW http://members.verizon.net/~georgeny/dawnrev.htm

The Dawn has a nice Internet Cafe with numerous terminals. The also offer a
wireless connection to your laptop if so equipped. Block minutes can be
purchased, 100 minutes for $55 or 250 minutes for $100. I used my own laptop
with wireless and found that it was the same system used on Carnival Legend.
It seemed to operate much slower on the Dawn however. The Cafe Manager
assured me that they were almost T1 speed, something I know it is not, more
DSL speed. This was something like between dialup and DSL, adequate but
annoying since the same system on Legend had been so much faster. They will
rent you a lap top and wireless card but it is much too costly in my
opinion, in area of $33 a day with insurance

THIS FROM my LEGEND REVIEW
http://members.verizon.net/~georgeny/legendrev.htm

The ship offers an internet cafe/library which is small but comfortable. You
can buy minutes packages which are the most economical per minutes rates.
100 Minutes for $55

250 Minutes for $100

Basic non-package per minutes rate is $ .75 per minutes plus activation of
$3.95 for account.

Ship also offers WIRELESS connection for your laptop. I had brought my
laptop and it is equipped for wireless networks so this was the best option
for me. Using your own machine setup with outlook express or another mail
reader gives you the ability to pop on and download your mail like at home
and then pop off and answer therefore using minimal minutes. However if you
are not already equipped with a wireless card it would be easier to buy one
before you go as they range in $49-$7 area now, On board they charge you $10
a DAY to rent wireless card and then offer insurance for $3 a DAY. They also
will rent you a lap top for $20 a DAY, far too expensive especially if just
emailing home is your desire.

Now I do the Mercury has an Internet Cafe, I do not know the pricing nor
whether they have wireless access, for that someone else will have to let
you know. Although I have sailed Celebrity many, many times, I haven't
sailed them in past 2 or 3 years. I sail them next this October on Zenith to
Bermuda.

The ships that do offer wireless do so only in the Internet Cafe area and
maybe a lounge or library area. Wireless is a broadcast signal and for now
they haven't started broadcasting to cabin areas. I don't know if this is an
engineering/design problem or they just haven't bothered yet. It will be
great when they do have that capability. Wireless is growning fast so I
would think that this will become more and more asked for service. Many
hotel now offering wireless in their rooms. On recent cruise we stayed in
Hyatt Miami. Amazing they didn't advertise it even in room but they had
wireless connect in room. I like the way most hotels do it $$ wise, either
free, or a set amount for a 24 hour period. In Hyatt $10 for 24 hours of
access billed by credit card to online service.

I know I haven't answered your question specific to Mercury but hopefully I
have been of some help regarding internet access shipboard.

George in NY

"Aaron" wrote in message
...
This may be a stupid question, but I've never been on a cruise, so I
really
don't know. Are there phone lines in the rooms on a ship for internet
access? Or is there a "business office" on some of the ships that have a
few computers set up for internet access? I was debating taking my
laptop,
but I'd like to get this figured out first.

Thanks!
Aaron

"Aaron" wrote in message

We're sailing on the Celebrity Mercury. Next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If all you want to do is get some e-mails and check out the ports where you
are going, do pre-flight check in on the way home, the Internet cafe is
great and if you are a web junkie like me, get the "all you can eat plan'.
If you need it for some work (which should be banned on cruises) take the
laptop.

Scott