Kindle on a Cruise

I usually bring 5 books when I cruise. I'm thinking of getting a Kindle, so if anyone has used one on a cruise ship I would appreciate some info.

My main question is, does the whispernet work on board or do I need to download all my choices beforehand?

Thanks

I love my Kindle! I definately plan on taking mine with me in October. I plan on downloading a few books beforehand. The whispernet downloads within a few minutes but it takes time to "surf" at Amazon to decide what book you want. I prefer to shop on Amazon and then instantly download. It's the Sprint network area and I would not count on getting a reception at all the places cruise ships go. You could download to your own laptop if you take it with you and then transfer over but it will be a lot easier to choose and download before your trip. Dont forget to take your charger. I love the featue that makes the print bigger. My eyes are getting older.

My wife and I both have Kindle 2s and love them. We're taking ours on our upcoming cruise (mostly for airplane/airport time) and generally don't travel without 'em.

Definitely download all your books before you travel - I believe that Whispernet is continental US only - downloading books while traveling probably won't work for you.

Going to the Amazon Kindle store is MUCH easier than shopping from the Kindle itself - just use your PC to shop, buy whatever books you want, then turn on and sync your Kindle - your books will download in about a minute each. I rarely, if ever, shop directly from the Kindle.

As a final tidbit, be sure to turn off the wireless on the Kindle if you're not actually shopping/syncing/surfing - your battery life will go WAY up. . .enough that you may not even need to bring your charger (although I would - better safe than sorry!)

Enjoy!

Bill

:D

You won't be able to download anything on the ship or in most ports of call so do it beforehand.

I too love my Kindle. Yes you need to download the books before you leave the U.S. Do take the charger and like another poster said, your battery lasts longer if you leave the "whisper net" off. You can try sample chapters of books for free too, then buy them if you wish. (before you go) Order the Kindle soon, some of them are back ordered.

Myra

Thanks!

My DD has the original Kindle, but I see only used ones are for sale on Amazon. I don't want to get caught with limited choices by getting the older model. Are all of the books in the Kindle store available for the Kindle 2?

We aren't leaving until February so I have a few months, but I will probably order in July. ( Unless my DH has listened to all of my comments about wanting one and gets it for my birthday!)

 

Definitely download all your books before you travel - I believe that Whispernet is continental US only - downloading books while traveling probably won't work for you.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Bill

 

:D

I've been under the impression that Whispernet is available in Puerto Rico and other US islands in the Caribbean. Does anyone know definitively?

I have the SONY instead of Kindle -- LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. Yes get any books before hand -- you pay for internet use on the cruise -- I have about 8 books loaded on it for upcoming cruise -- not sure how much i will read as i like to play games and participate in activities -- maybe with a cup of coffee early in the a.m. and car ride down to baltimore i'll read.:o

I just got the newest Kindle and I love, love it. Much better reading with the larger screen because the newspapers and magazines work much better on the newest Kindle. I had the first version of the Kindle---gave it to my cousin---and liked that one, but I really love the new version.

You absolutely have to download everything you need before you leave because nothing will download on the ship or in any port.

I've been under the impression that Whispernet is available in Puerto Rico and other US islands in the Caribbean. Does anyone know definitively?

I've read that too also if you look at the coverage map it does show the USVI. I'd still do it before hand though.

I also have the Sony and love it. Couldn't travel without an e:reader

Here's a link to a coverage map - no mention of anything outside of the continental US:

http://www.showmycoverage.com/mycoverage.jsp?id=A921ZON

Your mileage may vary.

Bill

Just checked Puerto Rico (type in San Juan in the address block in the link above) and there's pretty comprehensive coverage there!

On our recent cruise we were talking to a lady about her Kindle. She said that she had downloaded some books while we were in St. Thomas VI.

I have the SONY instead of Kindle -- LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. Yes get any books before hand -- you pay for internet use on the cruise -- I have about 8 books loaded on it for upcoming cruise -- not sure how much i will read as i like to play games and participate in activities -- maybe with a cup of coffee early in the a.m. and car ride down to baltimore i'll read.:o

I had the original Sony & just upgraded to the newer model. (only because I wanted the cover with the built in light) Never leave home without it!

Would someone tell me what a kindle is? What is the size of a kindle? I am an avid reader and take paperbacks on cruises. At home I get 2 or maybe 3 books a week from my local library but paperbacks are smaller and don't weigh as much as hardcover books.

I had the original Sony & just upgraded to the newer model. (only because I wanted the cover with the built in light) Never leave home without it!

Does anyone know how the Sony compares to the Kindle price wise and ease of use?

I was looking at the specifications for the Kindle 2 and it looks like you can't replace the battery, but you have to purchase a plan and then it covers part of that.

Oh that's another question I had.. does the Kindle light up so you can read in low light or do you have to have a reading light?

Does anyone know how the Sony compares to the Kindle price wise and ease of use?

I was looking at the specifications for the Kindle 2 and it looks like you can't replace the battery, but you have to purchase a plan and then it covers part of that.

Oh that's another question I had.. does the Kindle light up so you can read in low light or do you have to have a reading light?

Pricewise the Sony is cheaper, but books are slightly cheaper on the Amazon site. However, there are more places that you can buy Sony books other than just the Sony site. Ease of use, probably about the same. Sony allows you to sort your books into "Collections" the Kindle has no folder support which is starting to drive a lot of people nuts over on the Amazon chat groups. Kindle's biggest feature is the Whispernet. You can surf the Amazon store and wirelessly download your books. The Sony, you download to your PC and then sync to your reader, just like an IPOD.

Help me out here. I am missing something I suppose. You buy the Kindle for $350 or so. Then you have to buy the books to download. I can buy a lot of books for that amount of money. What is the appeal of this device? Not trying to start a fight, I just don't see it. I never leave home without my Iphone and that is just about a tech as you can get. So I am not afraid to technology, just curious.

Help me out here. I am missing something I suppose. You buy the Kindle for $350 or so. Then you have to buy the books to download. I can buy a lot of books for that amount of money. What is the appeal of this device? Not trying to start a fight, I just don't see it. I never leave home without my Iphone and that is just about a tech as you can get. So I am not afraid to technology, just curious.

If you go through a lot of books, then it would pay for itself. Kindle/Sony books are usually cheaper than the hard covers when the come out. Also, if you're into classics, Dickens, Austin, Bronte, Twain, Dumas etc.... they're all free. So you could be reading Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Moby Dick, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice all for free. Sony teamed up with Google a little while back and Google has a 500,000 title bookstore, all free of the classics. Amazon has less than that but still a significant amount. There's also specials all the time. I got an e:mail last night to download Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood for free through July. Other specials to buy the new Jeffrey Deaver book and get a code to download one of his other books for free. Harlequin was giving away 15 books in Feb. There's tons of free stuff or under $2.00 out there.

After owning my Sony for a year, there's no way I could ever go back to Paperback. I have 130 books (unread) on my reader and about another 100 on my computer waiting be loaded. I'd say half of whats on my reader and all 100 on the computer were free. I"m not sure when I'll get to War and Peace ;) but I got it for free and it's on my computer waiting to be loaded. :)

If you go through a lot of books, then it would pay for itself. Kindle/Sony books are usually cheaper than the hard covers when the come out. Also, if you're into classics, Dickens, Austin, Bronte, Twain, Dumas etc.... they're all free. So you could be reading Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Moby Dick, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice all for free. Sony teamed up with Google a little while back and Google has a 500,000 title bookstore, all free of the classics. Amazon has less than that but still a significant amount. There's also specials all the time. I got an e:mail last night to download Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood for free through July. Other specials to buy the new Jeffrey Deaver book and get a code to download one of his other books for free. Harlequin was giving away 15 books in Feb. There's tons of free stuff or under $2.00 out there.

 

After owning my Sony for a year, there's no way I could ever go back to Paperback. I have 130 books (unread) on my reader and about another 100 on my computer waiting be loaded. I'd say half of whats on my reader and all 100 on the computer were free. I"m not sure when I'll get to War and Peace ;) but I got it for free and it's on my computer waiting to be loaded. :)

Thank you, That is exactly the kind of information that I needed. I had not idea that much free copy was available. War and Peace, now that is a challange. I still remember having to read it in school.

I have the Kindle App downloaded on my iPod Touch and absolutely loved using it on a vacation in May. Didn't have to worry about carrying extra weight in my checked luggage or carry-on.

I just didn't "get" the whole Kindle thing. My DH kept saying I should get one since I read so much, so he got one for me for my birthday. I have to say, it is great and I love it. So much easier to read. I also download some newspapers and he enjoys reading those. I still read "books" but I do prefer reading on the Kindle now. Also, if you have an IPhone or ITouch, you can read whatever you have on your Kindle.

Here's what I know about Kindle:

There are 3 generations: the original (what I'll call Kindle 1), Kindle 2 and the newest: the Kindle DX.

Any book available in Kindle version can be downloaded and read on any Kindle device.

None of the Kindles (to my knowledge) have a back-lit screen, so you must purchase a separate booklight. I got a cover for my Kindle 2 from buymedge.com and they are developing a boolight for it; unfortunately, last time I checked, it wasn't yet available (their website says SUMMER 2009!). To have a backlit screen would degrade battery life in a huge way.

The Kindle 1 and 2 have the same size screen (6" diagonal, I think), while DX screen is larger at 9.7" diagonal, and the DX will change orientation when you turn the device 90 degrees (that is, it moves from portrait to landscape mode). I think that would be super for reading newspapers, www browsing, etc.

The combination battery charger/USB is a neat device. As long as you turn off the whispernet, and use sleep mode when not reading, the battery should last 2 weeks. I've never heard of having to pay for a 'plan', so I don't know what that's all about.

As for paying for itself, there is a break-even point (I calculated it once, can't remember what that point is), but, for me, the first time I took it on vacation, instead of 10 lbs of books, I considered it $$ well spent.

One of the features of the Kindle 2, is the TTS (text to speech). It has its limitations. I sometimes use this feature when I'm on the elliptical at the gym. It will pronounce words incorrectly, based on the context of the sentence. For instance, it will pronounce 'read' as 'reed' instead of 'red'. One time, the printed sentence was 'It was hard to miss.' and the device pronounced that as 'It was hard to mississippi." I literally laughed out loud at the gym.

I haven't found too many free books, but I did get The Iliad/The Odyssey for $0.99.

I bought my Kindle 2 about four months before the DX was announced. I honestly don't know which one I would have bought, had they both been available for purchase.

I plan on taking my Kindle, with books pre-loaded, on my Med trip this fall. Can't wait.

Hope all this helps.

I travel solo so I don't need the extra weight of all the books I'd like to read on the cruise, plus I have lost more than one of them on a plane, etc. I have the Kindle 1 and have not yet found a reason to upgrade to Kindle 2. I keep my Kindle in my purse and it is always there for me for whenever I have to sit or stand and wait. When the Kindle starts using color, then I might consider upgrading. I have most of the free classics downloaded and I love the idea that when I see a book I want, I don't have to hesitate to have it, and many of them are a real bargain. I haven't checked out the Sony, but I feel that, until I have a problem with my Kindle, I'll keep what I have. I also have the Ipod Touch and most of my books are also downloaded there so even if I forget and leave the Kindle at home - I like to read in bed - I still have my books with me.

There are only a few type books where I want the actual book as it is easier for me to go back and forth looking for stuff like a cookbook, or a book with some passages I really want to go over and maybe underline. I know I could do it on the kindle, but I do like the real book for stuff like that. But I would never take the hardback books with me on a cruise any more. Spoiled? You bet.

There are some types of books that are NOT best read on a Kindle. Ironically enough, for this conversation, travel books, because of the maps, are best read 'old school'.

I belong to a book club, and even if the reading assignment is available on Kindle, I still buy a used softcover because we often refer to passages on certain pages, which don't align with 'locations' on the Kindle.

I have the Kindle 2. The books that really don't work with Kindle would be anything with a lot of graphics. There are pictures on Kindle but very few and not the best quality although I kind of like the "screensavers" they use. Children's books, travel books with pictures and maps, and any kind of art books are not Kindle friendly. If you like your cookbooks with pictures of the food then it work well either. If you like some of the classic literature by the older famous authors the downloads are really cheap. Free to 99cents!!