Book worms?

We're so thrilled that our Transatlantic on the Eclipse is coming up in just four weeks! And the six consequtive days at sea - just what we need to unwind and relax :D

We're planning on reqding quite a few books, but due to luggage restraints we would like not to bring them all from home. And our iPad can only hold a limited number of books too... So we got to thinking about the onboard library - is it for show or is it actually a place to check out books to read onboard? Is there a shelf where we can leave books we brought and borrow other books left by other cruisers?

Thanks in advance for your inputs ;)

In my pre-Kindle days when on TAs, I always found the library aboard ship a frustrating experience. The first day or two experienced TA cruisers flocked to the ship and gobbled up anything worth reading, taking enough books at a clip to see them through the cruise. The shelves soon looked like there had been a Macy's one day sale. I've done five TAs on Celebrity and never saw a librarian type person. People didn't even sign out books. They just took a stack under their arm and left.

All I can say is to go on the first day if you can. I never bring books anymore. I'm a Kindle convert.

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I use a kindle but my DH will occasionally bring a book and leave it in the library when he's finished it. He has found books in the library even with his eclectic reading choices, he doesn't read much if any fiction.

I suggest that you do not rely on the on board library. On a transatlantic, if you are not there early, you will find them stripped bare - especially of fiction. I note you are from Denmark. If you are looking for non-fiction books, they are very US-centric. Great if you want an education in US history and politics. Not so great for anything else.

I note what you say about your iPad. May I suggest buying a Kindle or other ereader. They are relatively lightweight and hold lots of books. We purchased our Kindles as soon as they were available in the UK and love them for cruising. We read continually on board and have not, yet had to delete books to make room for more.

The shelves by the lifts (central) starboard side penthouse deck were bursting with books last week....We just noticed on passing! Not sure about selection but certainly lots of volume! This was on Eclipse.

If I was you I would follow the advice of others to look at a kindle or iPad. Not only easier to carry less chance of you disturbing your better half early in the morning if you are wide awake!

If you do choose books as others have said, visit early!

We're planning on reqding quite a few books, but due to luggage restraints we would like not to bring them all from home. And our iPad can only hold a limited number of books too...

My experience with my iPad is quite different from yours - my iPad (a basic 16GB iPad3) currently holds hundreds of books, more than I can ever read on a single cruise. Perhaps other apps are taking up all your memory? My iBooks app currently uses 840MB.

Another vote for Kindle. I read voraciously on vacation ( seems the only time I get to pleasure read anymore), and I couldn't be without the Kindle. I was the guy that lugged books for years but no more. I do make sure I download what I want, anything new for example, at home prior to boarding. No fussing with on board internet.

I was on Eclipse last week, ans there was a decent amount of books to be had in the library. Trouble is will these books be to your taste? The E reader, in my humble opinion is the way to go

Thank you for all your advice :)

Perhaps I just don't know enough about getting books into our iPad... we subscribe to a Danish e-book service, but it will only allow us to download three books at any time... and going online on the cruise will busy our budget :(

An advice on where to download books without breaking the bank? :D

Thank you for all your advice :)

Perhaps I just don't know enough about getting books into our iPad... we subscribe to a Danish e-book service, but it will only allow us to download three books at any time... and going online on the cruise will busy our budget :(

An advice on where to download books without breaking the bank? :D

You can buy books from the Apple Store or from Amazon and then download to the Kindle App on your iPad to read, prior to sailing. Books would be cheaper than buying hard copy in a shop. If you can afford to go on a cruise I'm sure you can manage to buy all the books you need.

BTW, the library on the Eclipse is not a good place to read. It is open to the atrium and very noisy, particularly in the evening when a live band is playing at the customer service level.

An advice on where to download books without breaking the bank? :D

I'm not sure how things work in Denmark, but my local library has a good selection of ebooks that I can download for 2 weeks.

Amazon has Kindle Unlimited with thousands of books free with annual subscription, though sometimes its not the best or latest best sellers that are on the list...but the limit for downloads is, I believe 10 books at a time.

if you consider a kindle, I'd recommend the paperwhite model because the screen is easily seen in bright daylight (sometimes a problem with the ipad and other ereaders)

Public libraries have books that can be downloaded.

DW and I are very active readers and DW still loves the feel of a real book. But when we travel, our Kindles are always close at hand and can easily hold over 2000 books. I have my own home library of more then 20,000 books....all on a single DVD. We find that HAL has the best at sea libraries on its older (smaller ships).....but they have recently terminated all their librarians so we suspect they will no longer update the selections. The Queen Mary 2 also has a wonderful library. The libraries we have visited on Celebrity did not have a particularly good selection of hard backs....but sometimes folks from the prior cruise will leave some decent paperbacks in the library. This is a case where the early bird gets the worm....so we still visit the library soon after boarding.

Hank

For low cost or free ebooks: Try subscribing to 'Book Bub' or some other similar services. ( google: free ebook subscriptions)

In a weekly email you get a listing of free or very low cost ($0.99) ebooks for download. It appears that authors promote their books this way for a short time to get reviews to spur future sales.

It is hit or miss re: quality. ( some good, some really awful!) but every genre is usually offered.

Amazon prime members also have access to a few free ebooks, offers differing each week.

While there is risk you may not like a particular book after you download it, at least you can have quantity! And with public libraries, you can only check out popular titles for a short time, which requires downloading just before you go, adding another item to your packing checklist.

Better to have too many than not enough!

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We use both our IPads and books from the ships library. Yes, the selection is limited early on as people took multiple books, however we find by checking the library throughout the cruise the selection increases as the books people finished reading are returned.

I'm not sure how things work in Denmark, but my local library has a good selection of ebooks that I can download for 2 weeks.

Amazon has Kindle Unlimited with thousands of books free with annual subscription, though sometimes its not the best or latest best sellers that are on the list...but the limit for downloads is, I believe 10 books at a time.

if you consider a kindle, I'd recommend the paperwhite model because the screen is easily seen in bright daylight (sometimes a problem with the ipad and other ereaders)

Do you know that if you have not finished a library book in the allotted time it will stay on your Kindle as long as you do not go on line with it. I end up doing it often on my paper white because I don't use it to go on line except to down load a book.

If you should choose to go with a Kindle ereader, spend a little more and get one with 3G as well as wifi. Then you can go to the Kindle store and download/buy books anywhere without needing wifi. EM

My local library offers tons of e-books, all included in the tax dollars I pay to support it. Don't your libraries in Denmark provide this service? And I've never had a problem with capacity on my iPad. The BookBub suggestion was a good one for low-cost books.

Hope you can resolve this issue and enjoy your cruise with lots of reading!

I use my Ipad for my kindle , I buy all my books from amazon. I load up before so I have many books. If I had books at home I would bring them to leave behind. I would never find books in the libraries to read.

Why don't you go on to your roll call and ask if anyone is bringing books and see if you can do a swap . That way you will have the best option . Also maybe have someone to talk about it with.

We're so thrilled that our Transatlantic on the Eclipse is coming up in just four weeks! And the six consequtive days at sea - just what we need to unwind and relax :D

 

 

 

We're planning on reqding quite a few books, but due to luggage restraints we would like not to bring them all from home. And our iPad can only hold a limited number of books too... So we got to thinking about the onboard library - is it for show or is it actually a place to check out books to read onboard? Is there a shelf where we can leave books we brought and borrow other books left by other cruisers?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your inputs ;)

We are on the same cruise. The Eclipse has a really nice library but on the first day there is usually a run on books. There is also a paperback exchange where people leave the books they are finished with and hope fully find another.

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I have found a few times that the books were limited because of the Noro Virus being on the previous cruise.

So I wouldn’t count on having anything that you may like.

Load up with what you want.

Our local library has books that can be downloaded or checked out to your tablet. There is a expiration of 2 weeks or so and then they are “returned”. You may want to check with your local library.

Happy reading 📰📙📚📕📗📘

Buy a Kindle Fire. Less than $50 and will, to a large degree, do everything an IPad will do at 1/10 the price. Email, web browsing, movies (Amazon prime gives hundreds of thousands of movies/.TV shows for download.) Look for free books on Amazon or borrow from your library.

Mission accomplished.

Bring paperbacks...they are MUCH lighter than hardback books! I'm not an "electronic" reader fan at all...especially at the pool, in the sun!

Buy a Kindle Fire. Less than $50 and will, to a large degree, do everything an IPad will do at 1/10 the price. Email, web browsing, movies (Amazon prime gives hundreds of thousands of movies/.TV shows for download.) Look for free books on Amazon or borrow from your library.

Mission accomplished.

I am not a big fan of the Kindle Fire....for reading. The problem, for DW and me, is that we like to spend a lot of time in the sun...be it on a cruise or land. Try using a Kindle Fire in direct (bright) sun light. Hence our love of basic Kindles (we especially like the Paper Whites) which cost less then a Kindle Fire. Granted, a normal Kindle is only good for one thing....reading books. On the other hand, it is possibly the perfect instrument for reading books...in any kind of light. We go to the beach with a lady who has a Kindle Fire...and she does fine as long as she is in the shade.

Hank

Bring paperbacks...they are MUCH lighter than hardback books! I'm not an "electronic" reader fan at all...especially at the pool, in the sun!

We hear ya, CB...and used to agree. But no more. DW and I used to choose a group of paperbacks that we both wanted to read...and drag them on our trips. But many of our trips now last about 2 months...and that takes a lot of paperbacks. Those paperback used to fill up a good part of a piece of luggage...but that is not a good thing with the airline luggage rules. And I used to ruin many paperbacks...because a few drops of water (after swimming) are not a good thing on a paperback. So a single Kindle (that weighs less then 1 paperback) can hold thousands of books. Get a few drops of water on a Kindle and its no big deal. If I want to read my Kindle Paperwhite on a plane at night...its no problem and no need to mess with the small overhead light which never seems to be aimed at the right spot. or,..I can lay in bed next to DW and read my Kindle (with no room lights to disturb DW).

So hear's the thing. My Grandfather told me he missed having a horse.....after cars took over the world. And yes, I sometimes miss the feel of a real book. But times have changed. We now cruise on ships that use real engines.....and perhaps some miss sails (try a transpacific on a sail boat). Paper books are quickly becoming the sail boats and horses of the reading world.

Hank