GPS Navigation

[ohCanada]

We have been looking at buying a GPS Navigation device(Magellan, Garmin, Sony, Cobra etc.). We thought we would buy one that also has Caribbean coverage as we have rented a jeep in St. Thomas. I see that the Magellan roadmate 760 has the US Virgin Islands pre loaded.

 

Has anyone used GPS navigation in the Caribbean. If so did it work well and what kind was it?

[bunduo]

I have a Garmin etrex Vista C. An awesome piece of technology. Buy the Mapsource software which gives you much more detailed maps of just about anywhere in the world.

[Jim_Iain]

I often use my PocketPC - HW6515 (PC-Phone with built in GPS). You can load any GPS software - I prefer TomTom. You can purchase maps for most locations. Works perfectly. Caution - It is addictive.

 

Jim

[steve20832]

I also have a Garmin etrex Vista C (Now discontinued but Garmin still makes other versions of Vista and etrex) It was very handy to have with us. It keeps a trail of where you have been so you can backtrack. Also, very cool to watch the speed of the ship and know what islands we see next to us as we pass them. This GPS does not come with maps so you have to purchase them seperately (Around $125 per country) I just set a waypoint where the ship is when I get off in case I get lost (Hasn't happed yet.)

[MrSchwump]

OhCanada, you should look into doing some geocaching while on your vacation. I'm bringing my GPS and have found 2 islands, Antigua and St. Martin with active geocaches.

 

You can go to www.geocaching.com for more info.

 

Your old pal,

Joe

[newbie2468]

We are sailing in March from San Juan throughout the Islands (i.e. Barbados, St. Lucia, etc) I am thinking of buying a GPS for my SO so that he can "route" the journey. Any suggestions? What about a type that would serve as an excursion GPS so we don't get lost.. I like the fact that you can see the islands you are sailing by and/or the speed, etc. What are your recommendations? He has a Magellan now for his boat but it is rather large.. Is it better to have a large screen or are the handheld ones sufficient? Thanks

[MrSchwump]

I have a Garmin eTrex Legend. It's about the size of a cell phone and it works great. Any of the handhelds made by a reputable manufacturer (Garmin, Magellan, et al.) will do a good job. It just depends on what features you want and what you want to pay. For example, a color screen will cost more than monochrome. I don't use the map feature much so monochrome is fine for me.

 

I'm interested to use it onboard to see how fast we're going etc. I confess that I have used it on a plane (which is now against the rules) and it's intersting to know speed, altitude, rate of climb and distanct to your destination. I found that you have to be sitting near a window on the south facing side of the plane for it to work at all.

 

Your old pal,

Joe

[Tater1800]

I have the Garmin Quest (basic version). It comes with the City Select North America maps. It also has a built-in world map that is less detailed but very usefull while cruising. I kept it on our balcony during most of the last cruise. I have a very detailed "track" of the cruise. With the track and it's data you can find locations on other maps. Instead of saying that we got on a bus, I can show you where the bus went using Google Earth. Here is an example from our visit to Belize.

 

[newbie2468]

Thank you for all the information.. I bought a Garmin etrex vista Cx (since the other was discountinued) and am anxiously awaiting its arrival ! If you have any other hints on its use (since I have never used one) please let me know... Thanks again !

[turbo46032]

There are really two choices - one is a GPS receiver with better GPS / positioning features but not as capable for driving navigation and the other is a PND (portable navigation device) which is not as good as a standalone 'GPS receiver' for GPS functionality (i.e. geocaching, measurements, hiking) but a better choice for driving and touristy spots.

 

The PND's have better screens (larger), one can usually enter an address on the unit itself, find Points of Interest, attractions, food, etc. and often have options like MP3 playback, real time traffic (subscriber based), and so on. They usually do not provide details that one would find in a GPS receiver (i.e. how many sat's, quality of service, ...). They also eat batteries and require a car charger. GPS receivers with navigation capability provide more basic user interfaces, but are more rugged, have more GPS information, can be used for geocaching, and are more compact and eat a lot less juice.

 

Before buying verify that the area you're in has coverage on the digital maps. There are two companies providing maps, one is NavTeq (of Chicago, IL) and the other is TeleAtlas (somewhere in Europe). Check with their web sites to see if coverage is available. Also, if you have time, check with the specific vendor of PND / GPS and email their tech support folks the question ("do you have digital maps for such and such"). If you get an answer, all is fine - if you never hear back, don't buy the device as customer support for such devices is quite important.

 

Also, before you buy, read up on reviews. Ease of use and precision in particular in downtown urban environments is very important...

[KLLund]

This thread opened my eyes .. I had asked DH if we were taking "Jill" with us and if so did he download the appropriate maps. I was thinking about getting around the ports ... but what fun it will be to see what that land mass is or where we are in relation to the total trip.

 

"Jill" definetly gets to cruise this year.

 

thanks

[Tater1800]

This thread opened my eyes .. I had asked DH if we were taking "Jill" with us and if so did he download the appropriate maps. I was thinking about getting around the ports ... but what fun it will be to see what that land mass is or where we are in relation to the total trip.

 

"Jill" definetly gets to cruise this year.

 

thanks

 

I am so glad to see others that think as I do. I have always been a chartographer at heart. At 51, I must look strange with my GPS. I will frequently go on deck to get a GPS fix, no pun intended. Even on formal nights my GPS will be on my belt. We had a balcony on the last cruise so the unit stayed out there keeping a track. Best of all, when you get home you can download the tracks and waypoints for future reference.

[Teriyaki]

We always carry a GPS with us on each cruise. I have a Magellan Map 330 and a Magellan Meridian color. We usually go off the beaten path and can easily track where the ship is docked and how far we have to go to get back. It is great to chart your travels once you return, and I usually insert these maps into our videos when we edit them on the computer.

 

I also have an external antenna with a 15 foot wire and magnetic base. I can simply stick the antenna on the side of the ship just below our balcony and run the line into the cabin and connect to the GPS. I have two sets of rechargeable batteries and track the entire cruise. This will give me total miles traveled, average speed, and a great map for the video. The antenna is only about 2 inches square and maybe 1/2 inch thick.

[rjack22]

If you leave your external antenna stuck on the outside of the balcony, how do you close your sliding door without hurting the cable?

[AlainBob]

I also carry my GPS on every cruise (Meridian Gold)... Take a look at the pictures from our last 2 cruises (2005 - Dawn, 2006 - Sun). You'll see a picture of the path of those cruises.

 

I also carry it on land to do some Geocaching and to track our way around the island.

 

As others said, I also use it to know the ship's speed, what is the name of the island we are passing by etc...

 

Very usefull, very funny, very informative... verry addictive !

 

Alain R.

[Teriyaki]

If you leave your external antenna stuck on the outside of the balcony, how do you close your sliding door without hurting the cable?

 

To rjack 22,

The antenna cable is very small, just slightly bigger than a No. 2 pencil lead. I have never had a problem on RCCL or Holland.

[bunduo]

Thank you for all the information.. I bought a Garmin etrex vista Cx (since the other was discountinued) and am anxiously awaiting its arrival ! If you have any other hints on its use (since I have never used one) please let me know... Thanks again !

 

Congratulations and welcome to the club! The handheld GPS' are amazingly user-friendly. Read the manual because there is a ton of stuff built into it. Mess around with it until you are familiar with all the features. Take it for walks, go for rides in the car around town with it, geocache with it. Try it out on the plane. Its fun to see the altitude, mph, and the small towns and rivers etc. It's totally addictive. You're going to love it.

[lovethewater1214]

OK-what am I doing wrong. I bought a Garmin nuvi 350 and on a recent Carribean cruise it only picked up occasionally. Do I need to leave it out on the balcony?

We bought it for an upcoming Med cruise (we still have to buy the European map), but now I am wondering if it is worth the additional expense.

Thanks for any help you can throw my way.

Pam

[newbie2468]

I also carry my GPS on every cruise (Meridian Gold)... Take a look at the pictures from our last 2 cruises (2005 - Dawn, 2006 - Sun). You'll see a picture of the path of those cruises.

 

I also carry it on land to do some Geocaching and to track our way around the island.

 

As others said, I also use it to know the ship's speed, what is the name of the island we are passing by etc...

 

Very usefull, very funny, very informative... verry addictive !

 

Alain R.

 

 

What kind of camera did you use on the pictures of the Sun Princess? Great resolution ! WOnderful pictures !

[Princessone]

OK-what am I doing wrong. I bought a Garmin nuvi 350 and on a recent Carribean cruise it only picked up occasionally. Do I need to leave it out on the balcony?

We bought it for an upcoming Med cruise (we still have to buy the European map), but now I am wondering if it is worth the additional expense.

Thanks for any help you can throw my way.

Pam

 

My husband could help with this....he works for Garmin ....

 

I love having all the different items around...my kids love it too. We will be bringing GPS's with us for our next cruise...

 

Do you have any contact information...??

[rjack22]

If you are trying to use your GPS inside your cabin it won't get any reception. You must go outside somewhere or else have a external antenna that you could leave out on your balcony as another poster mentioned.

[steve20832]

OK-what am I doing wrong. I bought a Garmin nuvi 350 and on a recent Carribean cruise it only picked up occasionally. Do I need to leave it out on the balcony?

We bought it for an upcoming Med cruise (we still have to buy the European map), but now I am wondering if it is worth the additional expense.

Thanks for any help you can throw my way.

Pam

 

The GPS must have a direct line to the satellites so you must be outside for it to work. It may take a minute or two after you turn it on for the GPS to locate satellites and figure out where you are.

Our last cruise, I took it to swimming pool deck and was picking up 9 satellites. It was really cool watching the ship moving at 18mph.

[Teriyaki]

Another interesting thing to do with the GPS. As mentioned above, you will always be able to lock on 9 to 12 satellites when on the upper decks of the ship unobstructed view of the sky. In the 3D mode, the GPS will also measure elevation in addition to you location. So you will get a fairly accurate measurement of how high you are on the ship in relation to sea level.

[runner1909]

We always take our GPS with us, too. We love to geocache while in port, if we can, and it is fun to use on deck to see how far it is to where we're going, exactly where were are, etc. On night, we were standing on the deck just below the bridge just looking at our course, etc. and one of the officer's looked down at us and good-naturedly mouthed "how are we doing?" My SO gave him his approval with a thumbs up and we all laughed. It is also a great conversation starter, as some people are curious about it and what we're doing.

[lovethewater1214]

My husband could help with this....he works for Garmin ....

 

I love having all the different items around...my kids love it too. We will be bringing GPS's with us for our next cruise...

 

Do you have any contact information...??

 

My email is lifonedg@bellsouth.net

Thanks for all the helpful tips. I could not get it to pick up on our balcony on the 10 floor last cruise.

Pam