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You can choose to either purchase wi-fi on its own or have it included in an all-inclusive package like Princess Plus or Princess Premier (more on these below). Whether it’s simply checking in back home, wanting to stream your favorite shows on vacation, or even trying to get a little work done, wi-fi may as well be a requirement. Crown & Anchor Society members receive special discounts on pricing ranging from one day of Wi-Fi free to Diamond level members and two free days for Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members. Keep your phone in airplane mode while on the ship to avoid roaming charges and other fees.
Holland America WiFi Packages
Carnival HUB is Carnival's free-to-download app and can be used onboard without a Wi-Fi package. The app offers easy access to information, such as deck plans, ship schedules, dining info and Sail & Sign shipboard account balances. Azamara has four R-Class ships, all with onboard computer centers, called In Touch, where passengers can get online via workstations 24/7. Wireless access on personal devices, such as smartphones and laptops, is available throughout the ship. Cellular services are generally supported by your home carrier; rates at sea vary by wireless company but typically reflect international roaming rates, which can be breathtakingly pricey.
How Much Does Royal Caribbean Wi-Fi Cost?
So if you want to have two devices connected at once, then it’s double the cost. When we mentioned pricing above, you noticed that it was on a per-day basis. Most plans are sold this way (similar to drink packages). You pay a set amount per day, and the plan is purchased for the entire cruise. So if it’s $20 per day, you’ll pay $140 for a seven-day cruise. Still, all cruise lines now provide wi-fi on their ships so that you can stay in touch whether it be for work or just checking in on the kids.
What Wi-Fi Packages Are Offered on MSC?
Royal Caribbean has always claimed to have the fastest internet at sea. If you ever experienced their Internet prior to Starlink, you’ll realize that wasn’t much to boast about. Fortunately, all ships in their fleet now have Starlink, so that boast now actually means something.
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MSC Cruises WiFi Packages
Lines like Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Royal Caribbean, have installed Starlink in many vessels (fleetwide, in some cases). Starlink technology provides download speeds that range from 40 to over 200 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds that come in at 8 to more than 25 Mbps. Unlock your ticket to a curated selection of experiences and upgraded access, including premium amenities and even more personalized services. Enjoy Premium Wi-Fi, unlimited room service, expedited arrival, & more.
Carriers usually offer per-day international plans that activate automatically if your phone is not in airplane mode in a foreign port. Some wireless plans include select countries in your home plan, particularly Canada and Mexico. Disney Cruise Line offers three Wi-Fi packages to suit varying needs. Their “Stay Connected” value wi-fi plan is meant for Social Media only while you’ll need Basic Surf if you want access to email and general website browsing. Unusually NCL has been known to offer heavy discounts once you have been on the cruise for a couple of days, but again this can vary depending on the sailing. If you do upgrade from the Free At Sea package you will usually get a 15-20% discount off the price.
What impressed us was that the connection was relatively stable. It’s common on many trips for it to seem to go in and out, but we experienced little of that sort of issue. When streaming video, it turned to HD quality within less than a minute and then stayed there. Browsing the web was quick (for a cruise ship), albeit slower than on land. We also like that service extends to Ocean Cay, providing more value.
When we went down to talk to the staff, we found an entire line of other passengers already there with the same complaint. So it’s possible we just cruised when there was some issue affecting the speed. While we were able to stream a show on Netflix, it was heavily pixelated for much of the program before clearing up. When calling back home using FaceTime, the video would cut in and out, but the voice quality was clear. And while we did post to this site during the trip, it took considerably longer than normal. Speed tests that we performed regularly through the cruise topped out at around 1.7 Mbps.
Demystifying Your Internet Options Onboard A Cruise
Ultimate Guide to WiFi on cruise ships 2024 - Cruise Passenger
Ultimate Guide to WiFi on cruise ships 2024.
Posted: Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
A - Rates vary, depending on your cellular service provider. Most carriers offer special cruise packages you can use while sailing. The charges incurred will appear on your regular cellular bill you receive at home. For more information on exact pricing contact your carrier or visit their webpage. The app is completely free to download and requires you to connect to the ship’s wi-fi to use. You are able to connect the app to the wi-fi and use it for free without buying a package.
Internet aboard all Viking Ocean ships is free, but the line imposes heavy-bandwidth limitations for large uploads/downloads and live streaming. All Seabourn ships have satellite Wi-Fi access in suites and most public areas, as well as via terminals located in Seabourn Square. Costa has ship wide Wi-Fi coverage throughout its fleet. Ships also offer an Internet café with computers available to use with your Wi-Fi package. The Celebrity iLounge, the first Authorized Apple Specialist at Sea, is also available for cruisers 24 hours daily.
You'd click on a website only to experience many seconds of frustration. Maybe the cruise would end while you were still sitting there. Since the rollout they have consolidated their Internet offering to just one service “Voom Surf and Stream”. Royal does offer discounts pre-boarding, but this can vary wildly. You can also purchase 24 hour packages on board if you wish.
If you don’t put your phone on airplane mode on a cruise, it will continue to try to connect to cellular networks, even though you are far out to sea. This can result in high roaming charges depending on your network in addition to a significant drain on your battery. Nothing wears out a phone batter faster than not having any bars. You will be able to post videos and photos, use streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu, browse the internet and FaceTime with friends and family back home.
Whether it’s simply checking in at work, staying in touch with people back home, or watching a favorite show on Netflix, there’s no shortage of reasons to be online… even while on vacation. We’ve tested various streaming services via the VOOM connection. According to Netflix, the absolute minimum required speed to access its service is 0.5 Mbps, with 3 Mbps recommended for standard definition streaming, and 5 Mbps recommended for HD streaming. All that said, this is no guarantee that the Internet will be the same as our experience across every ship and every cruise. Unfortunately, our limited experience on Princess was that it was a challenge doing even light work on the cruise ship due to the connection speed (see our review below). To use this app, you DO NOT have to purchase wi-fi onboard.
Often it was resolved by logging out and logging back in. Note that we haven’t checked the speed on every sailing and every ship. It could be that larger ships with more passengers connecting could lead to slower speeds. But the move to Starlink has seemed to lead to a significant speed increase. Royal Caribbean’s VOOM Internet service is billed as “The Fastest Internet at Sea.” That’s good news because gone are the days where having Internet service was considered a luxury. And even if you want to disconnect while on a cruise (which is a good idea) there are still times where you’ll want access to hop online.
