NavList:

The world is changing fast. You may be shocked to discover that the crew have regular, continuous Internet access even in the middle of the ocean. They might not, but they often do. I remember the first time I tried inflight Internet on a commercial airline flight back in May of 2012. It was quite amazing. Now it is completely normal on most any domestic flight. On your container ship, assuming that the crew have Internet access, which is a great value for crews in terms of staying in touch with family and the rest of the world and also providing entertainment and education, you as a passenger might have to pay some good money for it. Just yesterday on the radio, I heard a commercial for a Caribbean cruise, and one of the upgrades they offered was 24/7 WiFi in cabin. You just can't get away from it!

You should definitely bring a cheap smartphone. You can pick one up for as little as $30 if you shop around. Forget the phone aspect... It's a high-quality Internet access device, a GPS receiver, a pocket supercomputer capable of running any calculation you can imagine, and a magnetic compass, a starfinder, a camera, a movie player, and a reading tool capable of storing hundreds of books and reference works. 

Oh and before someone says, "no way do they have Internet on container ships... I was aboard one last year and...", just remember that this sort of service for Internet connectivity even in the middle of the ocean is advancing at a stunning pace. It's enormously valuable to shipping companies and their crews. Even if they didn't have it six months ago, the odds that they will have it six months from now are high.

Frank Reed
ReedNavigation.com
Conanicut Island, New England