Kindle2 on Cruise

Hi Everyone, First of all I apologize for asking a question that I know has already been asked. But, I did a search and I cannot find what I am looking for.

I am considering purchasing a Kindle2 for cruising/travel/home use and I would like to hear from those of you who use this item. Is it something you really use and like, does it work well on a cruise and other travel and are you still enjoying it after having it for awhile, or is it sitting around on a shelf or junk drawer? Thanks for your help. :p

Depends on how much you read. I have one and I love it, but between business and leisure trips plus general reading its not uncommon for me to read 200 books in one year. The kindle is a LOT lighter and easier to carry than the 8-10 books I would normally bring on a week to 10 day trip.

If one novel will last you the entire cruise its probably not as useful or cost effective. (Then again they were $400 when I bought it. There are some savings per book so at the current price it will pay for itself a lot sooner now).

Functionally, it's just like reading a book once you get used to it, except it has an entire library. And on US based trips (and some locations overseas), if you want a new book. its a 30 second download (or if no wireless you can just hook up to a PC and get new books.)

Drawbacks - you are limited to e-books from the Amazon store unless you want to be creative. Okay, that's 300,000 plus books, but the one book you want may not always be there, or it may come out later than the hardcover.

Personally, I can't imaging traveling without one anymore.

Hi Lynda90....I don't have the Kindle, but I do have the Nook (Barnes and Noble version of the Kindle) I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Right now I'm getting it to pay for itself by "buying" free and very inexpensive books.

I too am interested in knowing if it will work on a cruise. I know it works on planes, just got back from a trip and it worked great. One of the reasons I got it was for travel, so I don't have to lug several books with me. I now use it exclusively, no more paper books at all for me. Hopefully, someone with this fantastic "toy" will have some good info for us as to cruising!

Leanne.

Depends on how much you read. I have one and I love it, but between business and leisure trips plus general reading its not uncommon for me to read 200 books in one year. The kindle is a LOT lighter and easier to carry than the 8-10 books I would normally bring on a week to 10 day trip.

 

If one novel will last you the entire cruise its probably not as useful or cost effective. (Then again they were $400 when I bought it. There are some savings per book so at the current price it will pay for itself a lot sooner now).

 

Functionally, it's just like reading a book once you get used to it, except it has an entire library. And on US based trips (and some locations overseas), if you want a new book. its a 30 second download (or if no wireless you can just hook up to a PC and get new books.)

 

Drawbacks - you are limited to e-books from the Amazon store unless you want to be creative. Okay, that's 300,000 plus books, but the one book you want may not always be there, or it may come out later than the hardcover.

 

Personally, I can't imaging traveling without one anymore.

Thank you so much for your help. Amazon is selling them for $189 and that seems pretty reasonable to me. Question: If I want to read books by a certain author, am I able to load many books by the author so they are all just ready to go when I want to read them? Hope that made sense.

Hi Everyone, First of all I apologize for asking a question that I know has already been asked. But, I did a search and I cannot find what I am looking for.

I am considering purchasing a Kindle2 for cruising/travel/home use and I would like to hear from those of you who use this item. Is it something you really use and like, does it work well on a cruise and other travel and are you still enjoying it after having it for awhile, or is it sitting around on a shelf or junk drawer? Thanks for your help. :p

Lynda, I'm surprised you didn't notice me with it since it's practically attached to my hip. I have it almost a year and I don't leave home w/o it. I even read it in the car going thru the drivethru at the bank. And no folks, I don't read and drive or at red lights.

Mike liked it so much, that I got him one too. Now is the time to buy since it's priced at only $189 for the global. Mine was $299 w/o global; Mike's was $259. Bought one for our DIL in October as a combo B-day and Xmas gift and she hasn't bought a Real book since. I of course still buy paper, but for long cruises this is the way to go.

Lynda, I'm surprised you didn't notice me with it since it's practically attached to my hip. I have it almost a year and I don't leave home w/o it. I even read it in the car going thru the drivethru at the bank. And no folks, I don't read and drive or at red lights.

 

Mike liked it so much, that I got him one too. Now is the time to buy since it's priced at only $189 for the global. Mine was $299 w/o global; Mike's was $259. Bought one for our DIL in October as a combo B-day and Xmas gift and she hasn't bought a Real book since. I of course still buy paper, but for long cruises this is the way to go.

Hi Pia, I guess I was concentrating more on your charming personality than noticing what you were carrying. :p But, thanks for all the information; I am convinced!! Say hi to Mike from me and I look forward to cruising with you guys again sooner or later--maybe Hawaii/Tahiti in 2012?

I don't think you can go wrong with a Kindle at the new price of $189. Makes me almost embarrassed at what I paid for DH's a couple of years ago, and what mine cost one year ago!!

It will work perfectly on a cruise. You cannot download on the ship, but you can load as many books as you want ahead of time. I think it's supposed to hold something like 1500 books. And the ones you don't want to keep on your Kindle you can archive on Amazon and can re-download them instantly if you want to.

One of the best features is that, unlike the iPad (so I've heard), the Kindle works perfectly in bright sunlight!!

Dh and I both use ours daily!! I have also found many free or nearly free books, too, as well as my favorite authors! I can't think of a single book I've looked for that I haven't been able to get on my Kindle.

Lynda,

I've had my Kindle for 2 years AND 5 cruises. I love it!!! It takes so much weight out of my suitcase and I have the exact books I want to read- often multiples by the same author.

At home I often read bestsellers in hardback from the library and now I am struck by how heavy they are! Also when reading a "real" book I miss the "look-up" feature. If you see a word you don't know, on Kindle you just press "look-up" and it defines it for you. I really miss that when reading a "real" book, the dictionary in the living room seems too far away. :rolleyes:

I am sure you will be a Kindle fan too, if you choose to get one. Welcome to the club.

Assuming those books are available for Kindle. Yes you can. The kindle can hold about 1500 books/newspapers at one time. Or, if you don't want to lay out the cash and will be traveling in the US, you can buy as desired.

Another thing the Kindle lets you do is subscribe to various newspapers. On a cruise I get the latest issues of my local paper by connecting to a netbook and using a few of my package minutes on sea days to catch up.

Thank you so much for your help. Amazon is selling them for $189 and that seems pretty reasonable to me. Question: If I want to read books by a certain author, am I able to load many books by the author so they are all just ready to go when I want to read them? Hope that made sense.

Thanks, everyone! You are all such a wealth of knowledge. How about the case? Any recommendations? There are many out there at all different prices.

Thank you so much for your help. Amazon is selling them for $189 and that seems pretty reasonable to me. Question: If I want to read books by a certain author, am I able to load many books by the author so they are all just ready to go when I want to read them? Hope that made sense.

FYI, I just bought the iPad and sold my Kindle, but I can still access all of my Kindle books, buy new ones, download and read them on the iPad.

I recently read a book, "Day After Night" by Anita Diamont that I thought was terrific. Very interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Day-After-Night-Novel-ebook/dp/B002NT3B70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1277664279&sr=1-1

I have looked at both and now have an iPad.

And my laptop is staying at home next time on my cruise as I will be checking email/surfing on the iPad plus reading books.

And my laptop is staying at home next time on my cruise as I will be checking email/surfing on the iPad plus reading books.

To answer your question: yes, you can download a lot of books to your Kindle and read them while you're away. Here's a link to the Best Sellers page which includes a list of 100 books for free. Some are junky, others are classics. My local library is starting a "Classics" book club in October so I might be able to download at least a few of them for free. :) http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text?linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393193&tag=neonpageswebdesi

 

FYI, I just bought the iPad and sold my Kindle, but I can still access all of my Kindle books, buy new ones, download and read them on the iPad.

 

I recently read a book, "Day After Night" by Anita Diamont that I thought was terrific. Very interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Day-After-Night-Novel-ebook/dp/B002NT3B70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1277664279&sr=1-1

Pam, thanks for all the great information. I have bookmarked the "free" page and it appears there are several good books on the list. Now I can't wait to get my Kindle. :p

I have the iPad as well and find it's too heavy to be a regular e-reader. Also, it doesn't work anywhere near as well in the sun, so I'll bring both iPad and Kindle. The netbook will probably stay behind on US trips tho.

As far as case, I have a basic sleeve, as well as the M-Edge for use in the hot tub or pool: http://www.medgestore.com/products/kindle2-guardian.psp

Thanks, everyone! You are all such a wealth of knowledge. How about the case? Any recommendations? There are many out there at all different prices.

I have improvised, using a neoprene case that I found in Target (a red one) and Marshall's (a green one). Soft, hardly weights anything and goes thru airport screening w/o being removed.

I have the iPad as well and find it's too heavy to be a regular e-reader. Also, it doesn't work anywhere near as well in the sun, so I'll bring both iPad and Kindle.

 

I recently read a book, "Day After Night" by Anita Diamont that I thought was terrific. Very interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Day-After-Night-Novel-ebook/dp/B002NT3B70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1277664279&sr=1-1

Thanks. Will look at this one. I read another one of Diamont's; The Red Tent.

Thanks. Will look at this one. I read another one of Diamont's; The Red Tent.

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I have improvised, using a neoprene case that I found in Target (a red one) and Marshall's (a green one). Soft, hardly weights anything and goes thru airport screening w/o being removed.

Thanks, this sounds like the way to go. I don't need anything fancy.

I bought a Kindle for DW as a birthday gift so she'd have it, and get used to it before the two week Alaska cruise we just completed. As others have said it's convenient, light weight, and beats packing 3-10 books in this day of weight restrictions on luggage. What DW likes about it is being able to pre-order new books before they are released on Amazon, then the day they are released they automatically download on her Kindle. I bought her a basic Kindle cover for it, but before it even arrived I realized (after talking to other Kindle owners) that I had made a mistake. The basic Kindle cover, along with some other problems holding the device, doesn't have room for the optional light kit to fit inside when you close it. So I ordered her a different cover, and the light, and she uses it just about every day. Sitting on the balcony of our last cruise, with glaciers in the background, wine on the table, and her enjoying reading, life was good!

I bought a Kindle for DW as a birthday gift so she'd have it, and get used to it before the two week Alaska cruise we just completed. As others have said it's convenient, light weight, and beats packing 3-10 books in this day of weight restrictions on luggage. What DW likes about it is being able to pre-order new books before they are released on Amazon, then the day they are released they automatically download on her Kindle. I bought her a basic Kindle cover for it, but before it even arrived I realized (after talking to other Kindle owners) that I had made a mistake. The basic Kindle cover, along with some other problems holding the device, doesn't have room for the optional light kit to fit inside when you close it. So I ordered her a different cover, and the light, and she uses it just about every day. Sitting on the balcony of our last cruise, with glaciers in the background, wine on the table, and her enjoying reading, life was good!

Aw, what a sweet DH! You paint a lovely picture for us. Is there a link you could provide for what you ended up getting? Thanks! :p

I bought a Kindle for DW as a birthday gift so she'd have it, and get used to it before the two week Alaska cruise we just completed. As others have said it's convenient, light weight, and beats packing 3-10 books in this day of weight restrictions on luggage. What DW likes about it is being able to pre-order new books before they are released on Amazon, then the day they are released they automatically download on her Kindle. I bought her a basic Kindle cover for it, but before it even arrived I realized (after talking to other Kindle owners) that I had made a mistake. The basic Kindle cover, along with some other problems holding the device, doesn't have room for the optional light kit to fit inside when you close it. So I ordered her a different cover, and the light, and she uses it just about every day. Sitting on the balcony of our last cruise, with glaciers in the background, wine on the table, and her enjoying reading, life was good!

Just an aside, those covers also have no place to put the cord and you do want your charger with you on extended trips.

Aw, what a sweet DH! You paint a lovely picture for us. Is there a link you could provide for what you ended up getting? Thanks! :p

Here is where I got her cover and the light attachment. They normally have a free shipping offer.

http://urlapp--medgestore--com.rtrk.com/products/kindle2-prodigy.psp

DH and I both got the M-Edge Go. I like it because the front cover folds back flat and it feels more like a real book. When I was using the Kindle by itself, it felt kind of insubstantial in my hands.