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Reading on a cruise.


Jerel

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Iv become a huge fan of reading on cruises and just wanted discuss it.

I'm new to reading novels, just started in early October but can't stop. I'm now on my 19th, just averaging above one a week. I spend about 1-2 hours in evening reading and more on weekends (gave up tv).

I started to read in order help drag me away from useless time spent on my tablet, I was getting bad.

I really enjoy it, you feel much more involved and attached than in movies and tv for some reason. And it's easy, I stick to recent popular bestsellers mainly and they are a breeze to read. For some reason I thought a popular book would be a slow read, not so.

Plus after a day of work this involves two of my favorite things, laying down and peace n' quiet.

It really mixes well with cruising for me. First there is waiting in the airports and flying, reading makes time fly (pun intentional).

For me the main upside is how I hate sitting in deck chairs, way to boring. My wife likes to but I just can't, untill now. Having a book makes deck chairs a great time. It helps me relax and enjoy the day. When on Anthem in December, when we didn't know what to do we just went and found a couch or chair, it was great.

If you don't read novels or haven't in many years it's worth another shot. I started by finding books that take place on ships and thought they were great. I'll post some thoughts on the ship based books sometime.

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What is it like reading at a bar? Asking for a friend.

Tell your friend I find it hard reading in a bar, it's too distracting.

Having to listen to people in bad English accents rave about how their drink tastes 'just like Dr Pepper', or the constant ramblings about the fine nuances of a good Scotch.

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Guest toodle68

I listen to audio books a lot.. to and from work, at the gym etc..  When on a cruise, I go down to the lower outside deck (4) and circle the ship listening whilst burning off enough calories to try several deserts at dinner.  I just can't get into reading books since it stops me from doing anything else..

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I enjoy reading at home..but I find that on vacation there is too much else to see and do. I brought a book ONCE with me to an all-inclusive(which is even quieter and less to do and see) and I ended up forgetting about it and left it on the nightstand for  the whole week.

 

That being said, I always see lots of ppl reading on a cruise, usually in some quieter areas...I am sure there is something about sitting there, looking out over the sea, feeling the breeze and enjoying a good book!

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I enjoy taking my Kindle on board as someone else has said, it is a WHOLE lot lighter and easier to tote around than books, especially hardbacks. I also like using the Schooner bar tables near windows as a relaxing place to read (assuming Trivia, etc. is not going on) plus libations are easy to get to!

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Iv become a huge fan of reading on cruises and just wanted discuss it.

 

I'm new to reading novels, just started in early October but can't stop. I'm now on my 19th, just averaging above one a week. I spend about 1-2 hours in evening reading and more on weekends (gave up tv).

I started to read in order help drag me away from useless time spent on my tablet, I was getting bad.

I really enjoy it, you feel much more involved and attached than in movies and tv for some reason. And it's easy, I stick to recent popular bestsellers mainly and they are a breeze to read. For some reason I thought a popular book would be a slow read, not so.

Plus after a day of work this involves two of my favorite things, laying down and peace n' quiet.

 

It really mixes well with cruising for me. First there is waiting in the airports and flying, reading makes time fly (pun unintentional).

But for me the main upside is how I hate sitting in deck chairs, way to boring for me. My wife likes to but I just can't, untill now. Having a book makes deck chairs a great time. It helps me relax and enjoy the day. When on Anthem in December, when we didn't know what to do we just went and found a couch or chair, it was great.

 

If you don't read novels or haven't in many years it's worth another shot.

I started by finding books that take place on ships and thought they were great. I'll post some thoughts on the ship based books sometime.

If you like scary mystery stories Rick Murcer wrote his first mystery called Caribbean Moon. It's all about murders on a cruise vacation. Great fun! 

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If you like scary mystery stories Rick Murcer wrote his first mystery called Caribbean Moon. It's all about murders on a cruise vacation. Great fun! 

I read that one, great read!. Here's one I read years back while on the Navigator of the Seas: Deep Descent by Kevin F. McMurray. All about scuba diving on the Andrea Doria which went down in 1956 after a night time collision off and rests at 250' on the bottom. It was interesting for me to walk around the Navigator and think about these divers swimming through the corridors, ballrooms, kitchen, etc. I'm a diver, but that depth is nuts for me!

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Just remembered a really good sci-fi thriller -- Sphere, by Michael Crichton. If you saw the movie with Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L Jackson, just forget that and give the book a chance. As typical, the book is WAY better than the movie. Not set on a cruise ship, rather it's about people who have to dive to the ocean floor to investigate a mysterious object that appeared out of nowhere.

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I agree about the portability of a Kindle vs. a set of physical books. But I still prefer the feel of a real book as well as the better experience with my aging eyes. (needing trifocals sucks!) Maybe if I invested in a Kindle Paperwhite...

. Kindle paper white can give you better light and you can increase the font to suit your vision!
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I think because even though retired ( well supposedly ) my days can at times be pretty hectic and shutting myself away on a ship, mobile switched off in the safe is just heaven. 

I do however like to walk a mile each morning on sea days and another mile late afternoon, trying to spot any Ocean friends.

On one occasion, I stopped and watched Dolphins swim by then following behind were Whales ---- of course I didn't have me camera did I !!! 

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I am a huge fan of reading on cruises. Anywhere really. Days at sea are made for it in my opinion. Quiet reading on my balcony is a favorite pass time. I have an author suggestion for you. James Patterson. I have no idea how many books he has published at this point but the man is prolific. I find him especially great for travel because he writes in short chapters. Great for travel when you find yourself in queue at the airport or pre-boarding or customs lines or in between waiting for your next cocktail. I can typically read a chapter or two and never feel like I am restarting a chapter mid paragraph. 

 

I tend to bring a bit of mixed media with me. A hardcover book, my kindle and typically one audio book loaded onto my phone for convenience.

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I love reading on a cruise, especially while sitting on the balcony or by the pool. I prefer the old style with a "real" book. On my last cruise I've read six books, four of them from the ship's library. And I always leave purchased books in the library, so other folks may enjoy the books also and I don't need to take the books home.

 

The bars are not a good place for reading, when I am sitting at a bar (especially the R-bar on Navigator) I prefer people watching :-)

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Tried reading on board, but I'm used to moving non-stop for work, 8-14hrs, so I tend to wander the ship, rock climb, etc. However, after reading this thread I think I'll try calming down during my next cruise and try some reading again (currently reading LOTR: Return of the King, again).

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I've found that the reading app on my iPad allows me to adjust text size.  Sadly, I had to make the jump to a larger text last week...

 

 

I agree about the portability of a Kindle vs. a set of physical books. But I still prefer the feel of a real book as well as the better experience with my aging eyes. (needing trifocals sucks!) Maybe if I invested in a Kindle Paperwhite...

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Kindle Paperwhite is my choice. Wouldn't cruise without it. And here's a faily exhasutive sometimes repetitive list of books taking place on cruise ships:

CRUISE SHIP MYSTERIES (YA) Deadline by Eric Weiner (YA) Mystery Cruise by Gertrude Chandler Warner A Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh A First Class Murder by Elliot Roosevelt Birds of Passage Bernice Rubens (not quite a mystery but interesting) Birds of Prey by J.A. Jance Board Stiff by Tony Alexander Buzz Cut - James Hall Charlie Chan Carries On by Earl Derr Biggers Cooks Overboard - Joanne Pence Damned in Paradise - Max Allen Collins Dana Chambers' THE BLONDE DIED FIRST Death in a Deck Chair - K.K. Beck (1984) Death in the Middle Watch by Leo Bruce Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie Death Takes a Passage - Sue Henry Decked by Carol Higgins Clark Don’t Blame the Snake by Tony Fennelly Inspector's Holiday by Richard Lockridge Jane Heller: PRINCESS CHARMING Killed in Paradise - William DeAndrea Lori Avocato: DEEP SEA DEAD Maddy Hunter: HULA DONE IT Murder in Absence by Vincent Starrett Murder on "B" Deck by Vincent Starrett Murder on Deck - (ed.) Rosemary Herbert Murder Sails at Midnight - Marian Babson Nancy Fairbanks: BON BON VOYAGE Nancy J. Cohen: KILLER KNOTS  Night Train to Memphis - Elizabeth Peters No Honeymoon for Death - Mary Kruger Nobody Cared for Kate by Gene Thompson Risk by Dick Francis Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman Shelley Freydont: HIGH SEAS MURDER Singing in the Shrouds - Ngaio Marsh Susan Sussman: CRUISING FOR MURDER The Angels Will Not Care - John Straley The Case of Sonia Wayward by Michael Innes The Cruise of a Deathtime - Marian Babson The Fennister Affair by Josephine Bell The Goddess Affair by Lillian O'Donnell  The Informant - James Grippando The Midas Murders - Margot Arnold The Patient in Cabin C by Mignon Eberhart The Trouble with Going Home- Camilla Crespi The Widow's Cruise by Nicholas Blake To Davy Jones Below by Carola Dunn  Too Much of Water - Bruce Hamilton Voyage into Violence by Frances and Richard Lockridge You Belong to Me - Mary Higgins Clark
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Kindle Paperwhite is my choice. Wouldn't cruise without it. 

 

 

I'm wavering between a Paperwhite and the Voyage. The newer model of Paperwhite gets rid of the screen resolution advantage the Voyage had, but Voyage still has the automatic light sensor to adjust screen brightness and the PagePress feature that I kind of like, so my potentially food-coated fingers aren't grunging up the screen.

 

But that price difference! :O

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They AREN'T that much different, really.

 

Voyager, as noted, is only Different from the latest Paperwhite model by way of an ambient light sensor that auto-adjusts the brightness of the screen, plus PagePress buttons that you can use in place of the touch screen for page turns. Not the same as the old Kindle's physical buttons, in that it's all haptic feedback now (pressure sensors for the "buttons", plus a vibration from the device after pressing so you know it took). And the screen uses six LED lights instead of four on the Paperwhite, for more even lighting.

 

The Oasis model is their premium / luxury model, with a genuine leather snap-on case that, when attached, gives two to three MONTHS of battery life instead of the six week estimate of the latest Paperwhite and Voyager models. Also has the automatic brightness adjustment, and is thinner and lighter and supposedly more ergonomic. And it uses eight LEDs for supposedly even better evenness of the lighting.

 

But the screen on all three is the same size and resolution, and all three use the same display fonts and settings. So it comes down to whether you're willing to pay for the bells and whistles.

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I invested in an otterbox for my Kindle Paperwhite, so it's considerable heavier then the unit alone. However, the otterbox also boasts a two setting easel, so I can read at the table without holding the thing up. I'd like to think it's virtually indestructible, but I'm hoping not to put it to the test. I really wouldn't mind terribly if Amazon upgrade the "experimental" web browser built into the device. I sort of imagined one day I could use the Kindle as sort of a scaled down tablet. But at the same time, part of the attraction is that it's primary purpose is reading.

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Love Reading at home by the pool relaxing or on a cruise relaxing in a deck chair in the sun!  My nook (paperwhite) or my ipad with kindle and nook apps goes with me on a cruise.....much easier than carrying a couple books and I have an endless library when I finish one and need another.

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I'm wavering between a Paperwhite and the Voyage. The newer model of Paperwhite gets rid of the screen resolution advantage the Voyage had, but Voyage still has the automatic light sensor to adjust screen brightness and the PagePress feature that I kind of like, so my potentially food-coated fingers aren't grunging up the screen.

 

But that price difference! :o

Check out the weight of each also. I like my light weight for older lazier readers :-D

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Jerel,

 

I read approximately 4 books on a 7 day cruise. I only bring one with me for the airport, plane and terminal waiting. The rest of the books I get from the library. As soon as my feet hit the deck of the ship I am off to the library to pick up several books. My last cruise, not Royal but begins with a P, the library had only 150 to 200 books, what a let down. The first morning I went to the library to see if any more had been added and James Patterson, about 10 different novels were added and I grabbed 4 of them and read them all. I find it calming, relaxing and if I am not going to port I can spend hours reading. I don't like ereaders, for some reason I want the hard cover novel in my hands when I read.

 

Candie

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I download several books from my local library to my Kindle fire. On Transatlantic cruises, I enjoy spending some time in the afternoon reading them on my balcony or in the Solarium. I can also read on those looooooooong flights over the pond. I can adjust the font size to suit my liking, it is lightweight as others have already pointed out and the screen auto adjusts to the light.

 

Thanks to many of you for some book suggestions for my upcoming T/A in April!!

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I am a voracious reader (love history and nonfiction) and can't imagine a sea day without a great book (whether it be Kindle, iPhone or hardback) and a deck chair next to the adult pool, looking out at the ocean.  What a relaxing way to spend the day, complete with coffee in the morning, lunch brought back to my lounger from the buffet and a couple of rum drinks in the afternoon.  I even sit in the pool and read when I want to get some sun.  In fact, it's part of the reason we cruise.

 

It's definitely not high literature by any means, but if you want a fun read try "Cruise Confidential" by David Bruns.  A non-fiction look at the crew behind the scenes.

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The Oasis model is their premium / luxury model, with a genuine leather snap-on case that, when attached, gives two to three MONTHS of battery life instead of the six week estimate of the latest Paperwhite and Voyager models. Also has the automatic brightness adjustment, and is thinner and lighter and supposedly more ergonomic. And it uses eight LEDs for supposedly even better evenness of the lighting.

 

But the screen on all three is the same size and resolution, and all three use the same display fonts and settings. So it comes down to whether you're willing to pay for the bells and whistles.

I've owned just about every Kindle model since the Kindle 2. Most recently I've owned the Yoyage and use the Oasis currently.

 

The price of the Oasis is very high and it took me a while to justify it. I ended up collecting a few Amazon gift cards and using that to offset it.

 

The Oasis does NOT have the auto light sensor. It also doesn't have the haptic page press buttons. In using the Voyage, I ended up not using the auto light sensor anyway - wasn't useful to me. I ended up adjusting the light manually all the time even with the auto sensor turned on. I did like the haptic feedback, though.

 

Ultimately it was the size and weight of the Oasis that swayed me. The screen is the same size as the other models, but the device is physically smaller and much lighter. I read quite a bit in bed and being able to do it one handed is important - size and weight are important.

 

The Paperwhite is probably the best device Amazon has ever made. It is the right balance of features and price. For every day reading it is perfect and I still use mine (I handed my Voyage down to my wife) quite regularly. I may end up bringing it vs my Oasis on my next cruise.

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