How do you use your tech gadgets at sea?

[ashley@cruisecritic]

If you love the latest in electronic devices but don't enjoy the headaches that come along with learning how to use them, Crystal Cruises can help.

As part of its ComputerUniversity@Sea offerings, the luxury line will feature the services of trained experts, known as Technology Concierges, who can help you to navigate the incredible (and often tedious) world of GPS's, smartphones and MP3 players.

One-on-one appointments with these gizmo gurus -- a first-in-industry service -- will be available to passengers at no cost, beginning with Crystal Symphony in April and rolling out on Crystal Serenity in May.

Naturally, we're dying to know how you use your tech gadgets at sea.

[paul929207]

I take my laptop so I can dwnload pictures from my digital camera.

[cb at sea]

The only "tech" item we take is our phone--and it's turned OFF for the entire trip, until the last night, when we use it as an alarm for the last morning!

[EdSails]

Of course I have my Blackberry with me-----but it goes off when I board and won't be back on again until we disembark. I do bring a digital camera with an extra card for plenty of pictures. That way I don't need to download my pics. I used to take my marine GPS with me but don't bother anymore. All I want that's high tech is the Drink of the Day!

[Aquahound]

Digital camera with at least a 2GB card. All other garbage goes in safe for the entire cruise.

[kadey]

I'm excited to be bringing my kindle on our next trip!

[ger_77]

I'm bringing my new little Acer Aspire One netbook for journaling and downloading my daily photos from my digital camera.

Smooth Sailing!

[Steve and Sharon]

Ok, I admit that my husband is a TOTAL GEEK. He took our GPS on our Mediterranian/TA cruise and mapped EVERY place we went! He had to go online before we left to make sure that every map area that we were to visit was loaded on the GPS before we left.

[wraithe]

Use GPS for a twice daily nav fix and heading plot in my laptop journal, as well as for directions in rental cars. Use my laptop (Dell Mini 9) for email, although now that I have my Blackberry, I'll probably just use it for email. I will still bring the laptop to download pictures, surf the internet in airports and watch dvds on the plane. MP3 players for music and audible books (www.audible.com).

[beachbum6264]

Originally Posted by kadey

I'm excited to be bringing my kindle on our next trip!

I'm jealous! I want one... are you listening Santa??????

[RoofingPrincess]

The closest options for me were "I don't bring any of that stuff -- I'm on vacation!" and "I'm old-school. I bring a journal and 35 mm camera to document my trip." so I chose "Other".
I bring my iPod, but only so I can listen to music on the long plane trips.
I bring my cell phone, but it gets turned off as I get on the ship.
I don't own a GPS or a smartphone or a PDA or a Kindle.
I do bring a good old-fashioned notebook and pen to journal in if the urge strikes me, but I bring a digital camera (or two!), not a 35mm. And a trashy novel - part of the cruise experience for me is sitting in a deck chair, reading and taking a little nap...

[zacc]

I bring my laptop simply to edit pictures. The cell phone is turned off as I board. Just purchased a GPS so I am sure it will go with me on the next cruise.....something new to play with!

[ancldaca]

My Kindle for reading. My lap-top for my cruise journals and picture downloading. My digital camera for the aforementioned pictures. Portable speakers and a CD player (Classical music and MP3 don't mesh well). Cel phone, in airplane mode, to act as an alarm clock. Enough rechargable batteries to light up the whole ship and a travel charger.

I used to take my blackberry but got my company to take it back (guess they must not have liked those 'at sea' roaming charges too much when I purposely left the darn thing on especially on days at sea). Yippie!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

A couple of times I took my laptop to do "Live" reports - don't do that anymore.

Only take a digital camera.

[Mezzaluna]

I bring an iPod with many books downloaded from www.Audible.com as wraithe mentioned. I listen while examining my eylids and also while knitting. It's very relaxing!

I also have a digital camera with an extra card. At least I will when DH replaces the one that broke.

My DH is an avid geek. He uses his phone whenever we can get a signal. We haven't taken the GPS yet, but I suspect we may for our next cruise on Solstice. He brings his iPod with NPR podcasts and some books.

[flamomo]

Roofing Princess! You and I must be cruising sisters. The amount and type of "tech stuff" we take are the same.

One big thing I hate about all the obsession with tech equipment (including cell phones) is wanting to sit on my balcony, trying to relax and enjoy where I am, and being forced to listen to the people of nearby balconies yacking away on cell phones in big voices. Obviously they have no idea how well their voices carry, as I have heard one side of some pretty personal types of conversations. The only alternative is to go back inside the cabin and close the door, which is NOT why I book a balcony.

Therefore I do wish more people would lock their cell phones in their safes and leave them there. OR make their cell phone calls from inside their cabins, with THEIR cabin doors closed.

HA! Fat Chance that'll happen!

[Happy ks]

The last three choices suit us best. We take our Ipod shuffles, still don't have the larger capacity kind, just the little clip on ones. Cell phone (1) turned off, only used for emergency and upon return home if we need to contact transportation service.

No laptop, done that, we found it's too much weight to lug along. If I want to journal, I write it on a notepad. No GPS, can't figure out how to use them, still use paper maps. No Kindle, although I do like the technology.

We do have a digital camera

[Host Sheila]

digital camera, Asus netbook for email and downloading pictures, smartphone for pre and post cruise telephone access and Real Books that I don't get to read onshore

[KSCPA]

Originally Posted by Happy ks

The last three choices suit us best. We take our Ipod shuffles, still don't have the larger capacity kind, just the little clip on ones. Cell phone (1) turned off, only used for emergency and upon return home if we need to contact transportation service.

No laptop, done that, we found it's too much weight to lug along. If I want to journal, I write it on a notepad. No GPS, can't figure out how to use them, still use paper maps. No Kindle, although I do like the technology.

We do have a digital camera

I dont have a GPS but a map sounds like a good idea...can you tell me a good website for printing caribbean islands??

[crule]

On my last cruise, I had my laptop - which was connected to an Icom PCR-1000 radio receiver which was tuned to receive "AIS" transmissions from ships at sea. These transmissions were then decoded and plotted to marine raster maps of the entire cruise itinerary. A bluetooth GPS was also hooked into the laptop so that the ship's position itself could equally be plotted to the same maps.

In addition to that, I had two handheld GPSs that I used when hiking in one of the ports.

I also had 3 2-way radios with me - 1 was a VHF radio tuned to marine band so I could monitor port and tender operations. The second two were UHF radios that I used to communicate with my wife either on the ship or in a port.

Yes, I am a nerd - and I enjoyed every bit of it! So there!