Will be going on a cruise next week with my iPad 3G. Will the maps app work without internet connection? I would like to be able to turn it on as we are passing land or islands to see where we are. If the built in app is not going to work is there one that will?
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Going on Cruise with iPad 3G
- Thread starter SunnyFL
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You might want to check MotionX GPS HD. Not the easiest thing to work with, but it's supposed to cache maps and stuff. You'll need to cache everything before you lost data coverage.
Some ships have wireless internet access so that would be the way to go. I wouldn't even think of using the incredible data charges the ship charges so my 3G would be off while out to sea.
I've been researching ship board internet options for an upcoming Mediterranean cruise and I have learned that most ships have multiple wi-fi hotspots. The wi-fi usage is based on time. You can pre-pay for a $50 card which gives you 120 minutes or so of use. One tip I read is that you should log on, download your emails, log out and compose your emails at your leisure, reconnect and send them in a batch. Also, most ships block skype but many allow other voip programs to work. And there may be some issues with getting the ipad on the network as there is a log in / log off page to track minute usage so be prepared for a little pain.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php - a worthwhile website to research in preparation for your trip. there are people on the forums who have a lot of experience cruising on your ship and will have lots of advice about what to expect.
I own this, and have maps downloaded, but had to turn off my 3G on a search & rescue flight recently.... And it quit working. I got an error message to turn it back on.
I haven't looked into why it did this, I had forgotten about it until I read this, but I was surprised!
Anyway, not overly helpful.... But thanks for the reminder! I will try to see what was up tomorrow. Maybe I wasn't using the right maps?
ETA: ok, it looks like that was the issue, I had it on google maps instead of what I had downloaded. Duh!
The built-in maps app won't work without internet.
There are lots of Apps that download the maps onto the device. It depends on where you are going (which you havn't said.)
Check with the Crusie ebste to find out about WiFi charges, as most ships have Wifi avaliable.
Work out what is most effective.
If your stopping in multiple countries then God knows what your best option is.
I have data roaming turned off so that should prevent it from usung the ships 3G service. The WIFI on the ships is always VERY SLOW and I have only used it for email on my own laptop by logging in d'loading/sending and logging out then do all reading and writing offline.
We will be on a cruise out of NYC that goes to Saint John and Halifax, Canada. This will onlt be a 5 night cruise so I do not plan on using the ships WIFI service and will most likely take the iPad ashore in our ports and find a hot spot for a quick email check.
I do have the Motion X GPS and d'loaded some of the maps and even d'loaded one right here where I live but it still seems to be using the internet eventhough the maps are downloaded.
We will be on a cruise out of NYC that goes to Saint John and Halifax, Canada. This will onlt be a 5 night cruise so I do not plan on using the ships WIFI service and will most likely take the iPad ashore in our ports and find a hot spot for a quick email check.
I do have the Motion X GPS and d'loaded some of the maps and even d'loaded one right here where I live but it still seems to be using the internet eventhough the maps are downloaded.
That's weird. I used it when I was Jeeping in a national forest (with no 3G coverage) and it worked great. Maybe it does still keep trying for a data connection. If you put the iPad into airplane mode where you live, does Motion X GPS work at all?
Offmaps will let you download map data in advance and use it offline. I used it on my last trip to Beijing (where I knew I wouldn't have Wifi access). Just highlighted the area I wanted in advance before I left the US and had it download the maps. Took a little bit to download them over Wifi, but once I had all the data stored I had everything I needed. I think I was also able to download POI's off of Wikipedia as well and store those.
The second I got off of the plane in Beijing, I had map data as the taxi took me from the airport to my hotel ... and every business I visited while I was there.
The second I got off of the plane in Beijing, I had map data as the taxi took me from the airport to my hotel ... and every business I visited while I was there.