Learning the Ins and Outs of Cruising with Wifi

It's been about 6 years since we've been on a cruise and the cruising industry has changed quite a bit.  Six years ago, people unplugged when they cruised.  They only using their phones in ports where they could find wifi available.  Or they paid high fees from their mobile plans to use their devises while they were away.  Data fees were outrageous. 

I remember locking my phone in the safe for the 7 days, and realizing to late that I didn't bring a watch so I had no idea what time it was because I depended on my phone to tell me.   Then on that 7th day bringing my phone out and spending the whole drive home catching up with the real world.  What happened while I was away on vacation.  And uploading tons of photos to store forever in clouds somewhere for safe keeping.

Now, wifi plans is available on most ships.  We are going to cruise with Carnival and the ship we will be on, the Glory, offers 3 different plans:  Social, Value & Premium.   This is how in touch with the world everyone has to be, 3 different plans so everyone's needs are met.  We don't unplug, even when on vacation anymore.  I've always kept a journal on our vacations to remember the great times we had, the places we visited and the people we met.  This time I've decided to blog our trip instead, which brings me to having to learn about wifi on cruises.  I've never dealt with using digital devices while on a cruise.  We cruised fairly often for several years, but then haven't cruised in the last 6 years.  Sometimes life happens and plans change.

I've posted on the Shipmate app with some questions regarding which plan would be a good choice for our ship and my plan to blog to get input from people who have cruised recently on the Glory.  I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just trying to learn about what people do every day without racking up crap tons of data charges. One person says Glory has extremely slow and non-existent in places wifi, another person says getting the value package should work fine and that they are going on the Glory in July and will try and remember to update me on the speed/accessibility of the wifi.  Which it's not the end of the world if I can't post as the cruise goes along.   I'd like to be able to communicate with my kids occasionally during the week but if I can't post my blogs until we disembark that's fine.

It's been so long since we've cruised and almost a year since our last vacation, I'm definitely ready for a weeks vacation.  I read an article about a company that started paying their employees $2000 to go somewhere for vacation.  They only received the money if they actually scheduled a trip and went away for a true vacation.  If they didn't have the money to afford a plane ticket up front, they could put it on the company credit card and then the remainder of their trip would be reimbursed up to the $2000 limit.  It was a way of encouraging their employees to take scheduled time off and recharge their batteries.  Some people work and work and never take more than a day at a time.  Then you have others that are always off.  The ones that never take a week of vacation will experience burn out in their positions.  So this was their way of controlling employee turn over.  And if you think about it, the cost of training new employees, not just to that employee, but for the other employees that are picking up the work load while the new employee is training is quite significant.  so compare that to $2000 to hold on to your already trained employees.  I could see how that would benefit companies.

Not sure how I got off on that topic, but it is an interesting thought.  I've always been one to take at least 1 solid week vacation per year.  I need time to recharge completely.  And actually going on a cruise and turning off the email, skype, texts is the only way I will truly leave work at work.  If I stay in the country, I'll continue to work so cruising is a perfect vacation.  With the WiFi package this time I'll have to make a conscious decision to not check in at work.  I'll speak to people there as friends, but I'm truly check out this year on vacation.  So be prepared in about 51 days for hopefully daily blogs.  If there are no blogs happening after I say I'm on vacation, then there will be 7 blogs all at once when I get back because I look forward to sitting on the Lido deck, or in one of the picture windows staring out at the ocean on a sea day and blogging away.  Lost in my own world. 

Happy Birthday Jimmie

Today is a special day.  The love of my life turns 59.  I'll never be able to say with words how special he is to me, or how much he means to me.  He spoils me and treats me like a princess.  But those aren't the reasons that I love him.  I love him because he will sing to me when I least expect it.  He knows what my favorite things are even when I don't.  He understands that I'm never still and sometimes get lost in my head.  And he's ok with that.  He's a family man and not afraid to let anyone know it.  He's stood by my side through the best of times and through the worst of times.  We've ridden together on 2 wheels, 4 wheels, 6 wheels and sometimes even no wheels.  He may say he HATES my driving, but I think secretly he's a fan of it or he wouldn't have me drive so often.

Now we both have a strong personality, so when we disagree, you can bet we strongly disagree, but we know at the end of the day we'll be there for each other.  There's nothing that is going to come between us.  Just because I don't know the correct names of a X screwdriver and a flat screwdriver or the difference between a wrench and pliers or wire cutters and he just doesn't understand it, don't mean he doesn't love me, he just might not have much patience with me sometimes.  Lol  Like after he's told me fifteen times to bring him the blue handled pliers and I bring him needle nosed something or others.  Why you gotta have so many tools anyway.  I can be a pain in anyone's behind with all my questions and suggestions on how we could do things faster or better.  I don't mean to be bossy, I was just born that way.

In a couple more months we'll be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary.  He's planned a vacation to celebrate it.  (see I am spoiled)  So anyone that runs across my husband today, tomorrow, this week or heck even the rest of this month, wish him a Happy Birthday.  He deserves it for putting up with my speeding, daredevil driving, opinionated, bossy self.

Happy Birthday to my husband. You are the best!