Kindle 3G

[lilpepper]

Does anyone know if the Kindle 3G network is available on board Celebrity Solstice? I've read about the internet that the ships have that isn't very quick but wondered about the 3G signal on a personal device. Since we will not have international cell phones, we were hoping to send email (if necessary) via Kindle.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

[CruisinManiac]

If you pay for a wireless Internet package, you will be able to get a signal - sometimes. :rolleyes:

 

Before my recent cruise, I tried to check email from my Kindle. Honestly, it was a hassle, as I could barely read it because it was so small.

 

Luckily, we had free Internet service on the Equinox, but it is very slow.

[mandream]

If you pay for a wireless Internet package, you will be able to get a signal - sometimes. :rolleyes:

 

The wireless Internet package will only help with a WiFi Kindle, not a 3G. I highly doubt you will be able to use the 3G Kindle with the ship's cellular service, but I'm not sure. It will probably work when you are in Port if your cruise is in the US, or you have the International 3G Kindle.

[julia]

Does anyone know if the Kindle 3G network is available on board Celebrity Solstice? I've read about the internet that the ships have that isn't very quick but wondered about the 3G signal on a personal device. Since we will not have international cell phones, we were hoping to send email (if necessary) via Kindle.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

 

 

The speed of your device is irrelevant if the speed of the ship's wireless signal is slow. The wireless signal is TRANSMITTING, and your device is PROCESSING. I was able to use my Kindle 3G in the So Pacific on the Sapphire Princess, but I only downloaded several books to the device. That took 15 minutes to accomplish (but we each had 250 free minutes of internet). Using it to send/receive e-mail could be a bit taxing. I suggest you try this at home first, to see how it interfaces with your own wireless router.

[Wookie01]

Not sure but I think that some of these replies are getting confused between using the wireless facility of a Kindle with the 3G facility of a Kindle.

As I understand it when using the 3G on your Kindle you are effectively using a mobile device over the cellular (mobile for us non-U.S. folks) telephone network which is totally separate from the wireless service.

 

We will be taking our 3G enabled Kindle with us on our first cruise, and it had crossed my mind that we might be able to use it to access the net, will be interesting to see how it goes. :)

[lopar]

I used my Kindle on the Eclipse last month and to my surprise it connected via 3G - I didn't connect it using the wireless. I'd signed up for a free 2 week newspaper subscription so used the 3G to download them each day. Whilst the email / internet access will work via 3G it's going to be painfully slow. A newspaper would download in seconds at home, but took a couple of minutes on the ship. I think your patience may wear out first!

 

Denise

[lilpepper]

Thank you all for your input. Yes, it is not the wireless connection that we were concerned about but the 3G network and I'm glad to hear that it might work. We would only check our email, just for emergency contact about our pets, so if it's painful, at least it will come over the pond sooner or later.

 

I sure hope it works. I've got the kindle loaded up so I definitely won't need additional books to read. :D

[kat228]

My fiance (who is in RF communications) believes that the 3G would only work if the tower Celebrity has is a 3G tower. And it'll be slow. When you're in port you'll definitely be able to use it. So if you'd be able to go without it on sea days, it's probably a good enough solution.

 

You should note that when you use the 3G in Europe you will see a charge on your Amazon account, it's not like using the 3G in the States. Because of that, especially on Sea Days, you'd be better off using the ship's wifi because it will be slow and pricey. (He has the 3G version of the Kindle, I have just the wifi version.)

[black forest]

My fiance (who is in RF communications) believes that the 3G would only work if the tower Celebrity has is a 3G tower. And it'll be slow. When you're in port you'll definitely be able to use it. So if you'd be able to go without it on sea days, it's probably a good enough solution.

 

You should note that when you use the 3G in Europe you will see a charge on your Amazon account, it's not like using the 3G in the States. Because of that, especially on Sea Days, you'd be better off using the ship's wifi because it will be slow and pricey. (He has the 3G version of the Kindle, I have just the wifi version.)

 

Very interesting. We have the kindle here in Germany, too, and it is free here. Do you thing, that Amazon will make a difference where you bought the kindle? You can buy English e-books via Amazon.de or better Amazon.uk. So then, it should be free? In Germany Amazon offers this service for free.

[Project_gal]

Our Kindles were bought from Amazon in the US before they were sold from the UK and we have never paid for using the 3G connection in the UK either before or after Kindle was sold here. My understanding is that we can use either the UK or the US Amazon sites from our Kindles so I cannot see why a US customer would be charged in Europe.

 

Sue

 

PS Tip:- We load our cruise documentation [PDF format] onto our Kindles so that we always have a backup copy.

[mandream]

It depends when you bought your Kindle and (to some extent) which one.

 

The original Kindle was US Only. It would not "roam" so there would no additional charges in other countries, it simply would not work.

 

For a while they sold both a US only and an International 3G Kindle. The International would work in many countries - free of charge.

 

Now it seems they only offer the International version (couldn't find the US only on the site) - not sure when this changed.

 

Of course there is also the wifi only version, but that works on regular wifi and has nothing to do with 3G / cellular service.

[Pat.bz]

I own multiple models of Kindles and cruise alot. Using Kindle to keep in touch isn't a good option. We either text on cell phones (nothing else) or use internet cafes ashore or our complimentary minutes onboard on our netbook.

[lillabella]

We are also traveling internationally with our Kindles and your question brought out information that I had not considered (fees w/ 3G International) Here is the link for information that I found on Amazon there is nothing that specifically states fees for connecting to the internet via 3G but my guess is there would be:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_T1_1-2?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200375890&qid=1309533527&sr=1-2

 

 

 

Does anyone know if the Kindle 3G network is available on board Celebrity Solstice? I've read about the internet that the ships have that isn't very quick but wondered about the 3G signal on a personal device. Since we will not have international cell phones, we were hoping to send email (if necessary) via Kindle.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

[daveb82]

Just off Equinox Med cruise. My second generation US-bought Kindle did not work on 3G. My wife's 3rd generation US-bought (the current model) Kindle did work on 3G - although I'm not sure if it picked up the shipboard cellular or the Italy/Greece cell networks (most of the time we were cruising so close to land that the land-based cellular networks worked).

[mandream]

We are also traveling internationally with our Kindles and your question brought out information that I had not considered (fees w/ 3G International) Here is the link for information that I found on Amazon there is nothing that specifically states fees for connecting to the internet via 3G but my guess is there would be:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=help_search_T1_1-2?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200375890&qid=1309533527&sr=1-2

 

Actually that page does provide information on fees when using your Kindle 3G service internationally.

 

Note: If you are a U.S. customer using Kindle (Free 3G) connected to Whispernet while traveling outside the United States, fees may apply. Please see Whispernet Service Options and International Fees for more information.

This is contrary to what I had thought and stated above - unfortunately CC policy only let's you edit posts for 20 minutes from the time submitted, so I'm not able to correct the inaccurate information provided in my post 11 above:o

 

Thanks for the link