using your laptop on board (my workaholic husband wants to know.......)

[disneyholic family]

my workaholic husband who is online 24/7/365 asked me to ask the following:
i understand that you can get an unlimited package at the internet cafe.......is this only for using their computers?......or can you also hook up your own laptop there?

 

[Michelle]

DCL computers only. You cannot hook up your own laptop.

 

[disneyholic family]

he can of course check his web-based backup email from the DCL computers, but i wonder if he'll be able to hookup from the phone in the room.....
i guess if it's a landline, it should be possible...

by the way, are the DCL computers readily available or is there a line? (that is, do you have to wait to use one?)...
also, are there time limits on how long you can use one at any given session?

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Yes, he can check his web-based email via the DCL terminals.

No, there is usually not a line to get a terminal. On the rare occasions when there is, it doesn't take long.

No, there are no time limits.

Believe me, he's not gonna want to connect via phone from the stateroom. That costs $6.95/minute.

 

[disneyholic family]

thanks!
i was curious how much the phones were...
believe me, he will hook up....
he'll do a combination i'm sure....
using the DCL computers for the more time-consuming things he can do from there, then logging on from the room for the things he has to use his roaming account for....
as i said, he's online, both computer and phone (and beeper for that matter) 24/7/365.......it's probably the only major irritant in our marriage....but it can be very irritating....
but then again, it's his job....so.....
we've learned to live with it while teasing him mercilessly about it...

 

[fl]

Just a word of warning to everyone who has to be wired while cruising. The Internet Cafe has some restrictions regarding the acceptance of cookies which is sometimes required to be handled for some secure web based POP mail viewers, so you either have to loggin in the clear to see your email or ask the Internet Cafe Administrator (which is not always available) for assistance. Also, it ocurred to me to browse this board just for the heck of it and to my surprise I found that someone else had logged into it just before to post some kind of trip report without loggin out from the board (but he/she had logged out from the Cafe). Also, beware of an ocasional "special" for everyone onboard which is basically the first 5 minutes free of charge that is usually offered on the last day at sea, this is not to be confused with the Cafe happy hour that is offered the during first nite of sailing. Personally, I refuse to work while on vacation (I mean, cruising) over the years enough talent and time has been dedicated to my work, and yes, a lot of people and projects depend on me. My three weeks of vacation time a year is devoted to my beloved wife and to my only daughter. But during my latest cruise I had to use the Cafe to continue with some distance education courses I am currently engaged. Total wired time: 146 minutes.

 

[disneyholic family]

that's always a problem with public access computers....
he'll do very public things while using them (surfing the net.....he feels he must stay apprised of world news at all times..)
as for private stuff, he'll go online from the room....it's his company.....he is always available...since there are offices around the world that means 3 in the morning phone calls is not an unusual occurence.....but he LOVES it.....so......when we take our vacations, the company comes with him....we've learned to live with it....most of the time....
the bigger problem on the ship may be the cellular phone...
do cellular phones work out there?...
if so, do you know what company?....

 

[fl]

I salute him. Just wish to agree with his attitude toward work but I draw the line after living the premises every day. To be in contact with mundane stuff there is always CNN in the room's TV and it is free of charge. To do the private stuff, I am afraid you have to pay the 6.95 fee for all calls (or have his company pay for it), both voice and for the laptop, which after all it will be a dial-up type of connection. Personally, I have acummulated enough experience and knowledge to gain a very high senior position at work and yes, I am on call 24/7 and always available to my juniors programmers and operators, customers, and to my boss, except when I am on vacations or riding my titanum bicycle across the city every weekend early in the morning between the hours of 6am to 10am. Regarding cellular service, no way!. I did not see any cell tower in the middle of the ocean. Just kidding!

Enjoy life,

 

[disneyholic family]

yes well.......i could say that it's because he owns the company that he's like that, but i don't believe that.....
and answering the phone in the middle of you know what is totally psychotic...but that's the way he is......we love him anyway...
as for cellular...
i know that BT (British Telecom) provides ship-baord cellular using a satellite system.....i'm sure if it exists in the states, he'll find it...

 

[Greg K.]

I booked the unlimited use package when we sailed last fall -- it was about $90, I think, for seven days -- and it was terrific.

They have six or seven computers, available at all hours.

Some periods were busier than others -- just before dinner, for example, or in mid-afternoon during sea days. They also have a computer-literate attendant on duty, to help you out.

You don't have complete privacy, btw; it's located in a busy corner of one of the cocktail lounges, on a heavily traveled stretch of deck between the elevators and the dining rooms. But you can spend oodles of time surfing to your heart's content, answering e-mails and sending your friends e-postcards from the middle of the water!

I found the best times to go down there were in the mornings, and after dinner. When people usually had better things to do. (You can also use the cafe computers without the unlimited use package. But if you plan to spend 20 minutes or more a day on line, the package is a better value.)

I should also note that we had two days of so-so weather, when it wasn't great to be out on deck, so the internet cafe was a fun alternative.

 

[disneyholic family]

thanks for the information Greg, if noone else uses it, i will.....

 

[Joelzme]

Your hubby may benefit from renting/buying a satellite phone. While the cafe an absolute must if you want to surf the web, if you are just needing email or a secure VPN connection w/ minimal bandwith, rent/buy a satphone. I use Globalstar when traveling and here are the advantages of email:

1) Do all the work on the laptop and then burst send via email, or VPN.

2) DCL is entirely in Globalstar's footprint. All calls are $1.19/minute ANYWHERE in the US, Canada, or Carribean. Some service providers offer $.99 per minute plans.

3). Data calls are billed at the same rate and there is no extra up charge for internet access. While it only cost $.75 per minute in the cafe, that clock is ticking while I'm stitting there reading and not pushing data. With my laptop and sat phone I can D/L my email in about 1-2 mintues and disconnect. Then spend hours writing whatever I want and then reconnect to reply.

4). That lovely little phone in your room charges $6.95 (at a minimum) per minute because it's thru Inmarsat M . The highest data rate you will get is 2400 bps. Thats BITS per second or 23 times SLOWER then 56k dialup. Hence alot longer. Do not use that IF there is a dataport. Iridium and Globalstar work about 3 times fater at 9.6 - 10bps. Still much slower then the cafe (at 65 - 128 kbs which is equal to ISDN) , but were only talking email and that is fast enuf to be cost effective.

5) He will have high quality voice capability that works EVERWHERE. My monthly service is $20.95 which includes voicemail. Great backup if you live anywhere a hurricane,/natual disaster threatens.

6) My phone has both cellular and satellite capabilities all in one. (Qualacomm GSP-1600 for Globalstar, $399) I could hook it up and use it as my regular cell phone. When I don't have cell service it automatically switches to satellite service.

7) You can forward your home phone, cell phone, pager, work phone, or whatever to the Satphone voicemail before you go on vacation and have all your stuff in one mailbox.

If you have questions, email me. I hate to post who I use as I don't want to advertise, but would be glad to share this info with anyone. Only down side is you must have the phone in line of sight with the sky, which means being on deck with you laptop and sat phone. Not so private and you have the occasional gawkers, but that doesn't bother me. Also could be difficult if you have rain. You will still get signal, but would not want to have your laptop out! It's all fairly easy to set up and rather cool believe it or not.

--Joel

 

[Joelzme]

... if you use globalstar you get a Texas phone number so all calls placed from the US are just long distance and not international. Calls placed to Iridium and Inmarsat can be subject to whats called Calling Party Pays... and they pay big. Some telephone network providers charge $10.95 to connect a call thru Inmarsat.

--Joel

 

[disneyholic family]

wow Joel...what a great post!!!...
thanks for the info...
we already cruised in July but i'll pass the info to my husband anyway.....i'm sure it will be useful knowledge for all his travels...

too bad we didn't know about the cellphone part of it before our trip.....we had to use the most expensive cellphone possible (the phone number was overseas as we're based overseas.....the phone company we used last year that had a US number went out of buisness)....

anyway....i was quite glad that he was, for the first time in 10 years, not able to send out an email for 3 whole days.....
my husband is normally online/on cellphone/on beeper 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year....

i picked the best weekend possible....july 4th.....so his withdrawal pains weren't as bad as they might have been on any other weekend....

although he did use the internel cafe...he signed up for unlimited use so that he could surf the net....well...i couldn't expect totally cold turkey....could i???.....

thanks again Joel.....i'll pass along the info (we'll certainly be cruising again)...