What does everyone do for internet access?

[angel2931]

I want to bring my laptop on our next trip to upload pics and skype with family. What does everyone do for internet access? Pay the $9.95 for 24 hours? Any other suggestions? TIA!

[queenmom9497]

DH had to take a class during one of our trips. Had to **** up the cost and go to the Business Center at our resort.

Consider a smartphone?

[Buttercup]

I was recently looking at Intercot's Info Central on internet services, and found something strange. I'm not doubting that it's true -- but it seems odd to me.
For most of the resorts, it says that it's

$9.95 for 24 hours continuously.

But to use the business centers at

Disney's Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Yacht and Beach Club and Coronado Springs Resorts. Their hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The cost is $40 per hour or $10 for each 15 minutes of internet access. There is also a charge of $1 per page to print. The Center's equipment can be used for business purposes only.

Forty dollars an hour??? That seems mind-boggling that anyone would pay $40.00 an hour, or $10.00 for 15 minutes to use a resort's computer. Wow. :eek: :jaw: Note to self: Bring my own laptop if I ever forsee needing a computer for business purposes while at WDW!

We usually do bring our laptops along and will pay for the internet for 1 or 2 days while we're there, just so we can check in on things, send emails with pictures to our friends, etc. But we try not to waste our vacation staring at a computer screen so we limit ourselves quite a bit!

[faline]

I've only taken a netbook on two trips. I paid for Internet access for 24 hours on one of them and only because I needed a piece of information contained in my e-mail that helped me decide to take advantage of a bounceback offer in our room. Otherwise, I would simply have done without internet access for the duration of each trip. (By the way, I brought the netbook so I could do my trip reports and have them ready for when I got back home).

[KennyandKim]

I take my laptop and upload photos and as previous poster stated make notes for my trip reports but have not paid for the internet access. Im on vacation and don't want to spend it with my laptop. My DH would probably throw it out the door if I did

[mook3y]

see if you can tether through your cell phone.

[angel2931]

I am probably better off just doing it for 1 day for the $10. Otherwise if I am on it too much my DH will kill me. LOL :mickey:

[finaldynasty]

Thankfully, my DW and I have made a pack to put our lives on hold for a week to truly take a vaction. Having a blackberry helps with checking e-mail. My job issues iphones this year, so it was a huge help to have internet access without paying for it on my phone. I did post a few times to intercot from my phone. What we realize is the world will not crumble if we don't respond to an e-mail for a week, but I am glad my wife and I finish our grad classes before we started going to WDW, cause we would have had to pony up the $10 a day...:mickey:

[forever a child]

Took one lap top and it sat there for the week and collected dust. :thumbsup: That NEVER happens anywhere else other than at WDW. :D

[CaptSmee]

I don't use the 'net when I'm on vacation other than on my IPhone

[kakn7294]

I use my cell phone to check weather reports, email, and facebook. In August, we were staying at OKW on DVC points with friends. She had to practically force me to take a turn using the internet and all I did was check email and facebook. There's really just no need for me. We leave in 6 days and all 3 laptops are staying home.

[WDWCrazyKaren]

We too, use our Android phones. Love them more than any other "toy" we have! Weather, sports scores, local news from home...anytime we are waiting for a bus or sitting on a bus was a great time to use them. But NO work! :cloud9: That's the rule.

If you have one, take it along!

[Mogie]

I take a long break from the internet. I'm in Disney.

[Ian]

Since I don't have a choice particularly and I really have to stay connected to the office even when on vacation, I always bring a laptop with me and connect in the room.

That's one of the things I love about belonging to DVC ... free Internet. I even bring along a wireless router to hook up, so I can connect wirelessly in our villa.

Before we joined DVC, though, I typically paid the $9.99 per day. That's really not that bad for Internet ... I've stayed in many places on business trips where the fees are as high as $19.99 a day.

In regards to the costs in the business center, remember that there you're paying for both the computer use and the Internet service. Also, anything that vendors know are going to most likely be expensed always get marked way up.

[GottaLvDisney]

Last time we took DH Verizon card so we'd have access if we wanted it. I think I used it all of two times, which is unheard of for me. Even during the kids down time, if I wasn't napping myself there was too much Disney magic to absorb rather than spend my time online.

If it weren't for worrying that I'll fill my camera's memory card, I'd leave the whole thing home.

[AllDisney]

We don't take a computer on vacation to WDW. It's our chance to leave the "real" world behind:thumbsup:

[rubato]

We plugged into the land line. It's free and SLOW!!!!! But, we could get the weather and hubby was able to follow my progress during the half and full marathons. That's about all we used it for. He would check email occasionally on the phone.

[luvdiznee]

For me it would be a necessary thing when going on vacation to take my netbook, since I am taking college courses online. So as long as I have the "thingy" that you plug into the netbook (can't think of the name of it but was looking at them at BestBuy) and pay the $10/day while even staying at POP I will be all set!:surf:

[kakn7294]

You can use the internet for 2 days for 1 $9.95 charge as long as you do not exceed that 24 hr limit. So technically, if you are careful about how you use it, you could only be charged for every other day.

[alaMode]

(Virgin Broadband 2go) but next time I'll just use my iPhone4 for everything. I'm really excited about having less to carry!

[johnO]

I bring a laptop, but not for staying connected to the 'real world', but to download my pics to the harddrive and clear space of the cameras memory cards...

Stay off the internet on vacation! or, just use your phone to upload a few shots top FB so people can be jealous..

[gallifreyan]

I'll probably bring a small laptop out of habit, and my DROID smartphone. How are Verizon and Clear coverage in the resorts? We'll be at Wilderness Lodge and I remember from 3 years ago that my AT&T phone was suboptimal in the resort for data purposes.

[Ilovemesomedisneymom]

I'm going in 20 days and with 3 college students. I told them under no circumstances was anyone bringing a laptop. We are on vacation and emails, facebook, etc,etc would be put on hold!

As for downloading pictures, I have invested in more memory cards :blush:

[luvdiznee]

Leaving today, got my Netbook:surf: and Ethernet Cable. :fingers:I have to keep up with my "online" courses. :thedolls:

[princessjojo]

We'll be taking a lap top or two for our next trip, but only because DS15 is taking an online class this summer and summer school doesn't care when you're on vacation. Thank goodness for DVC and free internet.

[brivers222]

offsite i paid 9.99 a day for internet and used it at night to upload my pics from the day for people back home to check out. For our honeymoon, i am still going to bring the laptop because its the best storage facility for my pictures throughout the trip haha. i love having fully charged batteries and an empty memory card every morning.

but then again, it does make it very easy to take well over 2,000 pictures during 7 days. haha i love taking pictures :)

[gallifreyan]

I think I'm going to bring my 4g phone and something with Wimax, just in case...

SO and I both have smartphones with good cameras and email in case, although mine is the only one that pays for the trip :)

I'll have to do a trip report including 3g/4g coverage. And bring spare batteries.

And WDW is the only place I've ever filled up a 4GB memory card--Nikon D70 and 4GB microdrive about 4-5 years ago, raw+jpeg. :)

[Pop Centurion]

I phone is perfectly fine for me (Blackberry Torch) it does everything I need while at WDW.

@ gallifreyan, I'm the same way. For the past 4 years I fill up two 2GB cards & about half of a third one. I did that 1 year shooting all Jpeg but now I'm more selective since I've shot things so many times previously. Now I shoot pics with characters & night shots in NEF & everything else as a Jpeg. I'm considering going back to all jpeg though since most of the time I don't need much processing plus after the trip I get lazy & don't get around to processing/converting them for a while. Matter of fact I still didn't touch my raw files from last Sept. :blush:

[Dopey's Girl]

iPhone! Before I had a phone with Internet, I just went without. Even with the phone, I don't spend much time on it. I'll check in here and email a few pics, but that's it. I'm on vacation... The real world isn't intruding!

[Disney Doll]

I usually bring my laptop to upload pictures and if we stay DVC I hook it up for free. Mostly though I use my phone. The worst part of taking a vacation is coming back from work and having so much to catch up on. I much prefer to keep on top of things if I can. It's amazing how much down time I find. Several times in our past trip I found myself babysitting a sleeping child in a stroller while DH took the older child on rides. Might as well be answering email.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

We are DVC members so, our internet is "free". However, we can also use our phones as hotspots for laptop internet connection

[Mr_Increddieble]

If at a Deluxe Resort why not just scoot down to the lobby and use the free access available there? You can quickly check emails, etc and not miss any fun.
One year our room was near the Beach Club Lobby and I had free access without having to leave the room.

(15 days to go)

[mgmnut]

see if you can tether through your cell phone.


I like Mook3y's suggestion. A lot of the smart phones have the capability of being used as a modem for your PC or MAC. I used to use my blackberry but got a 3g Sprint card I use now. I know the Iphone has an App that allows you to do this too. I think some of the new 4G phones can actually be used as a wireless hot spot.

[lighteningqueen]

The 2 times we stayed at Music and Pop I was not charged. I use aol dial up and got local numbers for dialing out for the computer. NO charges what so ever. Took it to POP and the same thing no charge.. I have to take my laptop because of our website. Customers get irate that I do not communicate status to them. Even though all over my site it says we are away until .... no one will answer the phone or email you until we return.

[gallifreyan]

I'll probably bring a small laptop out of habit, and my DROID smartphone. How are Verizon and Clear coverage in the resorts?

Back from the trip. With very few exceptions (like *inside* Splash Mountain) Verizon had great :thumbsup: coverage everywhere we went--all four parks, monorail, buses, the WL boats, etc. My Thunderbolt got consistent 20meg down outside, and pretty close to that inside WL. It also ate the battery like a Boma dinner. I didn't even remember to try Clear; Tbolt hotspot worked for laptop and my bro's room.

Ended up taking most of my pics with my phone, and uploading them automatically with Sugar... so barely needed the laptop.

[catkrazy]

I normally just use my iphone, but I am going to take the ipad this year and see if I get wifi anywhere.

[Sylvia]

It appears that I'm in the minority. The only "electronics" I take with me are my digital camera (with a couple of 2 MG memory cards) and my ordinary, "no-frills", pay-as-I go cell phone. :blush:

I took my laptop on one trip and used it once in 2 weeks. Never again!!

[gallifreyan]

I took my laptop on one trip and used it once in 2 weeks. Never again!!

Mine got more use as a dvd player for Barbie movies than as anything else... and with 8 people wanting to see videos and photos, it was more convenient than the 2" screen on the camera. :)

[i'm grumpy]

No laptop or smart phone. :(

[luvdiznee]

It appears that I'm in the minority. The only "electronics" I take with me are my digital camera (with a couple of 2 MG memory cards) and my ordinary, "no-frills", pay-as-I go cell phone. :blush:

I took my laptop on one trip and used it once in 2 weeks. Never again!!

I was like that on a couple of trips. Ended up using the Netbook for games and movies.:blush:But since I'm in school now, I take it and do my online classes from there. :thumbsup:

Though I still bring the digital camera and pay as you go phone. :secret:

[goofygirl67]

I have to bring my laptop, I am responsible for payroll and there would be alot of angry people when I got back. I use a Verizon card and it gets great reception.
Oh and a 2mg card for pictures would not do for me, christmas I maxed out an 8mg. Right now I am at DW and I already have 800 pictures (Shamu posed alot today, yes I went to Sea World) in 2 days with 5 more to go.:party:

[Disney-4-Me]

I just got a new digital camera (my first) for Mother's Day and I'm notorious for taking hundreds of pictures. I have an 8gig memory card and I'm hoping that will be enough.

I'm bringing my iPad and Sprint OverDrive to access the Internet. I like writing about my day at the end of each day. I tend to forget details and the days start to run together if I don't. I stay up late writing in a journal when I'm on non-Disney vacations.

This will be my first Disney vacation since I bought my iPad so I'm looking forward to writing trip reports while it's still fresh.:mickey:

[Ramblingman]

Some ideas

- Does someone you know well use a hotspot that you could borrow?
- Can your phone be used as a tether or hotspot?
- Could you get by just using the laptop to store the pics without uploading them? That way, you would not need internet. Of course, that would negate Skype.

I always take my laptop, to transfer pics off my memory cards, as I take a lot of pictures. We have a hotspot and might take it, but if we do, it won't get used much, if at all. Everyone in the family has a smart phone and will be using those for their internet fixes.

Plus, our phones have the Disney apps that give us wait times, etc. Now that's a great use of a phone.