Dan
Contributor
Great report as always. It reminds me of my trip there in December 2016.
Trip Report Humboldt Explorer Jan 13-20, 2020
- Thread starter drrich2
- Start date
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OP
drrich2
Contributor
Just remembered something that may be of interest to some people.
Per Explorer Venture’s Humboldt Explorer FAQ on whether there’ll be phone or communication onboard they claim WhatsApp access; I e-mailed asking the specifics for using WhatsApp. Their answer from Jennifer Cumming:
“Hello Richard,
The satellite phone is available most of the time but is for emergency use only. We have time available but if someone intends to use it a lot we need to prepay additional time.
Whatsapp is available all week as text only. The wifi is not strong enough for video messages or photos.
If everyone onboard is using at once it does not work well. Usually it is not a problem. We have it for use for emergencies and for people to contact family. It is not intended for other use.
It is free and is only available via use of your cell phone. I will check if it works on other devices. IT should.
Regards
Jennifer”
About mid-way into the trip, I checked this out. I was given the password to access the wireless system, and in addition to WhatsApp, I could also use my iPhone 7 Plus's Apple Messenger app. I could not get e-mail or web surf with Safari, nor could I log onto my credit card account with the app. on my phone, but somehow I got those little 'notices' that show up on my phone automatically (like when I make a credit card purchase).
Including one showing a purchase for a few grand...that I hadn't made. A fraudulent charge. I texted my wife with relevant info. and she contacted my credit card company and got the card cancelled, then I dealt with the issue later when I could.
Oh, and I was able to text even when the boat was stationed at Wolf and at Darwin, if memory serves.
I know some people are concerned about being cut off from communication on live-aboard trips (aside from satellite phone access, such as in emergencies).
Per Explorer Venture’s Humboldt Explorer FAQ on whether there’ll be phone or communication onboard they claim WhatsApp access; I e-mailed asking the specifics for using WhatsApp. Their answer from Jennifer Cumming:
“Hello Richard,
The satellite phone is available most of the time but is for emergency use only. We have time available but if someone intends to use it a lot we need to prepay additional time.
Whatsapp is available all week as text only. The wifi is not strong enough for video messages or photos.
If everyone onboard is using at once it does not work well. Usually it is not a problem. We have it for use for emergencies and for people to contact family. It is not intended for other use.
It is free and is only available via use of your cell phone. I will check if it works on other devices. IT should.
Regards
Jennifer”
About mid-way into the trip, I checked this out. I was given the password to access the wireless system, and in addition to WhatsApp, I could also use my iPhone 7 Plus's Apple Messenger app. I could not get e-mail or web surf with Safari, nor could I log onto my credit card account with the app. on my phone, but somehow I got those little 'notices' that show up on my phone automatically (like when I make a credit card purchase).
Including one showing a purchase for a few grand...that I hadn't made. A fraudulent charge. I texted my wife with relevant info. and she contacted my credit card company and got the card cancelled, then I dealt with the issue later when I could.
Oh, and I was able to text even when the boat was stationed at Wolf and at Darwin, if memory serves.
I know some people are concerned about being cut off from communication on live-aboard trips (aside from satellite phone access, such as in emergencies).
Dan
Contributor
OP
drrich2
Contributor
Noticed an error - I mentioned "Sales are common! The week before mine was a Black Friday $3,300 off!" Actually it was $2,000 off, so the normally $5,395 trip was down to $3,395. Sorry about the error. Still a big sale. That was the week before my week; I got $700 off.
Here's the link to My Research Notes from Planning Galapagos Trip. It's a broader, more detailed look at the destination with links to others' trip reports and other resources, and also links to trip reports for the Socorros, Cocos Island and Malpelo, since people interested in one of these may be interested in the rest.
Some won't get to do them all, so making the best choice amongst the big 4 matters.
Here's the link to My Research Notes from Planning Galapagos Trip. It's a broader, more detailed look at the destination with links to others' trip reports and other resources, and also links to trip reports for the Socorros, Cocos Island and Malpelo, since people interested in one of these may be interested in the rest.
Some won't get to do them all, so making the best choice amongst the big 4 matters.
OP
drrich2
Contributor
Fixed. Thanks for catching that. It’s been kind of wild around here since I got back.
I seem to have missed how your cc got hacked?
OP
drrich2
Contributor
We don't know. I got a notice of the charge, texted my wife to get the card deactivated, then dealt with the credit card company when I got home. Likely had nothing to do with the trip. I Googled the vendor that showed up on my online statement and it's one other people have 'voted' as suspicious in the past few years.
I would have suspected it's due to dealing with online vendors, but a family member a few years back had fraudulent charges on a bank debit card she didn't use online, despite it being one of the microchip cards. It's scary how easily credit or debit card fraud can happen; I check our accounts online pretty much daily.
I wonder how many other live-aboards now, or in the near term future will, have enough data availability to let guests text like the Humboldt Explorer does? That little convenience proved its value to me.
Richard.
I would have suspected it's due to dealing with online vendors, but a family member a few years back had fraudulent charges on a bank debit card she didn't use online, despite it being one of the microchip cards. It's scary how easily credit or debit card fraud can happen; I check our accounts online pretty much daily.
I wonder how many other live-aboards now, or in the near term future will, have enough data availability to let guests text like the Humboldt Explorer does? That little convenience proved its value to me.
Richard.
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The Nautilus Explorer to the Revillagigedos has satellite WiFi. For $100 for the week, I had good email and reasonable internet. It was a bit slow, certainly no streaming, but a lot better than having access only with cell coverage. As per Cocos, more remote Galapagos, Revillagigedos is in the middle of nowhere. My wife and I just got back from a cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia, Antarctica, and the South Shetland Islands. We had internet access 95+% of the time with satellite WiFi. So, this is the new standard
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