WiFi access included in package?

[silvercruiser]

Can laptop use be used as a part of a purchased package of internet minutes the same as if you used one of the ship's computers?
Is it the same on all HAl ships?

[RuthC]

Yes. Once upon a time the ship's computers were a separate package from using your own laptop. But that system has gone the way of the dodo. Thank heavens.
And yes, it's the same on all the HAL ships.

Cost is $3.95 to set up the account. Then there's a choice of
$0.75/minute or
$55 for 100 minutes or
$100 for 250 minutes.
If you purchase the first day there will be a 10 or 20 minute bonus for the packages. On my recent cruise there was also a bonus for additional packages purchased.
There were smaller packages the last couple of days, too.

[richwmn]

Yes it is now 1 package to use the internet minutes from HAL's computers or your laptop with wireless. You can even use some minutes on each.

Rich

[Krazy Kruizers]

When I did take my laptop, I found it better to prepare my "Live" reports off line first, then just copy and paste once I got online.

Saved a lot of time as the ship's internet is slooow.

[CruiseShelly]

If I bring a laptop so I can stay in touch with the office and email family, how do I know it will work on the Noordam? I am not a computer geek by any stretch of the imagination. If it runs off my wifi at home, how do I know it will run off theirs? Do I need something installed? I am thinking of buying a real simple inexpensive laptop just for email.

I know, I know. Give work a rest, but in this economy it's best for some of us to do 15 minutes work a day, than to risk The Powers That Be deciding they were able to do without you for 2 weeks, they can do without you forever.

[jtl513]

how do I know it will work on the Noordam?
All you need is a standard IEEE 802.11b or b/g adapter, which I'm sure you already have. Some browser and/or network settings may need to be changed, but the Internet Manager can help you with that. As a backup, there is dial-up in every cabin ... which in many cases will be as fast as wifi from your cabin.

[CruiseShelly]

Thanks, JTL513. I have no idea what that all means, but when I buy the laptop, I'll ask about it and make sure I'm compatible.

[O2B@C]

Yes, the ship's wifi will work on any laptop equipped with a standard wifi interface, and the minutes come out of the same account, and cost the same, as when you use the ship's computers. However, I felt that the connection - always on the slow side, sometimes like molasses - was just a little faster on the ship's computers in the Explorations Cafe than it was on my laptop. But maybe this is my imagination, or maybe the difference was due to some other factor (e.g., server load) and it just happened to occur when I was using my laptop. And, of course, if you're planning to send a long email, even with a slower connection you will save minutes by composing it offline and then just going online to send it out.

[kryos]

Can laptop use be used as a part of a purchased package of internet minutes the same as if you used one of the ship's computers?
Is it the same on all HAl ships?

Yes, you buy an internet package and you can access either through your laptop or the ship's computers, or a combination of both. I've done it and will do it again on my upcoming Statendam cruise.

One word to the wise, though. If you are going to use your laptop, make sure you get the specific instructions for properly signing off. Many people don't do this and they just close their window and yank the LinkSys card out without actually logging off. If you do this, the system doesn't realize you are no longer online and it will continue to rack up your minutes. I saw several passengers at the internet manager's desk who couldn't understand why the system was telling them they needed to buy another package when they just bought 100 minutes yesterday. In every case that I saw, it turned out they didn't properly log off and thus they expired their minutes. You need to bring up that little box and then log off from there before shutting down your windows. There's a flyer on the internet manager's desk that you can take. It will provide you with these easy instructions to avoid a lot of grief.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[jtl513]

You need to bring up that little box and then log off from there before shutting down your windows.Or "go to" http://1.1.1.1 if the little box has disappeared.

[cf_chuck]

Thanks, JTL513. I have no idea what that all means, but when I buy the laptop, I'll ask about it and make sure I'm compatible.


If you are buying a new computer, there will be no problem.

[cf_chuck]

Or "go to" http://1.1.1.1 if the little box has disappeared.


Or if your compute has "pop-ups" disabled. Most Window's Vista machines (not HAL Vista ships) come with pop-ups disabled in IE.