In the Laptop of Luxury on the Ocean

Looking to get away from it all on a cruise? Evidently many people aren’t. Riding a wave of techno-advances in the industry, high-end Crystal Cruises now offers dial-up Internet access directly from ship cabins.

For $5 per day, passengers can rent laptops to take to their staterooms. Accessing their Internet-based e-mail or surfing the Internet costs $1.25 per minute, with a 10-minute minimum. As an alternative, for $3 per e-mail, passengers can send or receive mail through an account provided by Crystal Cruises. Either way, there’s a $5 one-time set-up fee. Passengers can also watch CNN and ESPN 24 hours a day at most destinations and follow their investments via a personalized stock-tracking e-mail service.

At sea about how to explore cyberspace? Free computer classes, from basics to digital images, are available on all cruises.

With such easy links, Crystal Cruises hopes to attract “a greater variety of travelers, perhaps those who are hesitant to be away from the office more than a few days,” to cruises of 10 days or longer, said Adam Leavitt, senior vice president of marketing.