Today is a quiet sea day and I enjoyed afternoon tea.
Each person has free Wi-Fi for one device and it works quite well for short texts and emails. It hasn’t worked so well for much else unless you are in port.
Notes about on-line access:
- There is no cell service unless we are at port so when you need to enter the ‘text verification code we’ll text you’ you can’t logon.
- Some institutions do not like it if they can’t tell exactly where you are which happens when we’re in the middle of the sea/ocean and they will report a random error that says you can’t logon.
- Sometimes the ship’s time isn’t the exact time that would match your location. The ship changes the time in increments. For example they will have three(3) days of one(1) hour time changes instead of one(1) day with three(3) hours time change. This also causes some institutions to report a random error that says you can’t logon.
- Google mail works great while google drive, sheets and documents will hang or report an error.
- The wi-fi is slow so something that takes a few minutes while in port will take over 30 minutes while at sea- many websites don’t know what to do when responses are very slow and, as you guessed it, they will report a random error
- Don’t really understand why Wi-Fi is faster when we are docked at port than when we are at sea
All those issues magically go away when we are at port- the time matches, the location matches and if your phone has cell service you can get the verification code.
There are over 1100 people on board and most will take excursions. Destination services is in charge of these excursions. When you have a paid excursion, they give you a ticket with the meeting date & time. You turn in your ticket and get a small laminated bus/van number. When your bus/van number is called you leave the ship and walk to your bus/van which takes you on your excursion. Many of the islands stops on this cruise use small vans instead of large busses because the roads are narrow, steep & twisty therefore each excursion can use many(4 or more) vans. There are frequently multiple departures for any given excursion e.g a morning departure and an afternoon departure
There is lots and lots of counting and recounting involved(count the tickets, count the bus tags, count the people in the vans, count the people leaving and returning to the ship) to be sure everyone is accounted for in the vans and on the ship. Everyone is happy when the last excursion returns to the ship and everyone is accounted for.
