travelers07

On Rotterdam now. As has been reported, currently using Equinix. I have been on ships using StarLink and you could definitely see StarLink when using SpeedSmart to test the Wi-Fi speed. Concerning streaming- I had to upgrade to Premium to use calling. First you turn on Wi-Fi and then your vpn. I use PIA and it works fine. Netflix, YouTube TV working with vpn turned on. Apple+ works without the vpn. Amazon does not work with vpn but some shows are available. Talked to concierge in Lounge. She stated that StarLink is being installed on HAL ships during dry docks. They are all looking forward to having it.

On board Rotterdam now and agree with WriterOnDeck. I did upgrade to Premium and can even stream with no problem. As she said, remember to turn off vpn before you log in again. Also using PIA.

Stayed at Premier Inn West Quay 2 weeks ago. Covered in fabric/ construction materials due to removal of flammable exterior. Room was extremely dark- some might be fine with that but I was not. Most recent stay at Moxy was in April- several other times also. Hotel is basic but the staff are very pleasant and helpful. Tried to move here 2 weeks ago but they were fully booked. Location for both- next door to each other- is great. There is a good convenience store in front of the Premier Inn. The mall across the street has lots of restaurants and shopping. Easy to get an Uber to the ship.

Still on the Island and StarLink working well. Have been able to stream tv and use Wi-Fi calling. WhatsApp is very popular in Europe since it uses less bandwidth and most businesses have it. If you don’t have it, set it up before you leave home. Anyone at home needs to set it up to communicate with you. StarLink worked well even in Honningsvag. Today we were in Tallinn and all is good. We did not go to Iceland or Greenland. The speed just now was 2.95 download and 12 upload. Does not sound that good but sure is better than any previous cruise. I do use PIA vpn when I stream some tv channels and it is also working well.

Yes! We are just west of Honningsvag now and I am so surprised at the service. Numbers may not be great but if it works, that is all that counts!

Ship time 8am on a sea day. It is now 11:30am and still working fine- even from my balcony.

On Island right now. StarLink became active June 12 so this the first cruise. I have found the speed amazing for a cruise ship. Download is 3.66 and Upload is 4.8. Doesn’t sound great but we are in northern Norway and it is 8:15 in the morning. The surprising part is that I have been streaming tv news with a vpn and there is no problem. We lost the tv channels (off and on) a couple of days ago but using my subscription for YouTube TV and a vpn, I have access to all the channels I have at home. And surprisingly, they have been strong. We have been in 2 fjords with snow capped mountains and Wi-Fi is still good! The crew is very happy too and several have said they noticed a big difference. Websites, email, and photos seem fine. Nothing is terribly fast but certainly useable. And I am happy- and no, I do not like to disconnect while on vacation. To each her own.

Good morning from Tromso! Beautiful blue skies and we are just arriving. They tell us there is a shuttle to the Radisson downtown for $20 all day so I will do that in a bit. StarLink is amazing! Speed is not impressive in my app but I have been streaming the news with no drops. I happened to meet the head of finance last night at the Captain’s party. I asked about the missing news channels and she said they were surprised and upset about it too. She said they have told shoreside to fix it, but then she laughed so I don’t think it will change. Anyway, they are aware some passengers would like the news back. This is my first time on Island so still getting used to the layout. Crew is all very good but have heard a couple rumblings about being understaffed. Probably just the usual stuff. Everything seems good to me!

As I posted earlier, I am on Island Princess with StarLink. We were deep in a fjord in Norway today and lost live tv. But I had Wi-Fi with my PIA vpn all day. Heading further north now so hoping for the best. We were north of Bergen today surrounded by tall mountains in Olden.

OP here. Thanks to all who supplied factual info on the current channels offered on Princess ships. That is very helpful for my meeting today. I dislike being told “because shoreside said so.” As I originally said, this is my problem and I was not seeking opinions. Cruise Critic has helped me so much over the years and I have always tried to be positive and helpful to other cruisers. I don’t want to overshare but please understand this was not about the political divisions around now. Safe travels to all!

Yes, that is what I am doing. But I sure would like to know what Princess has planned for the future. I have other cruises booked and StarLink may not work everywhere. Right now, it is not about getting the news as much as the noise/anxiety help. My problem- hoping it gets better.

Only US station now on Island is CNBC.

Thanks Charles but I have done European, Australian, Canadian cruises in the past year and all have had both those channels. CNN was dropped by both cruise lines a few years ago when they changed their satellite and raised the price- per tech people on Princess.

OK- I know some will think live tv news is unimportant but to me, right now, it is necessary. I boarded Monday in Southampton and both channels are missing. I am told by passengers who have been on since Florida, doing a TA including Canada and Iceland, that the channels were there until Monday. Monday was also the day that Starlink was activated on this ship. Just got a callback from Guest Services who said that these channels have been removed from the Island for the next 5 months at least, or all of the season in Europe. He could not tell me if this is for other Princess ships also, or if the news channels will come back anytime. Please no politics! I know people may see this as unnecessary while cruising but this is something that means something to me, and on my 10 cruises in the last 2 years on Princess and HAL, both channels have been available. I have asked for a callback from someone with more info- this guy would only say this is what he was told by shoreside and there is no other info. Does anyone know if this includes other Princess ships? He said it did not have anything to do with the ship being in Norway. And he had no idea if other Princess ships are the same. Thanks for any answers- but please understand that this is something that matters to me, not politics related. Could it be Starlink?

Currently on Island Princess. Mine is not a corporate vpn but it is well known- Private Internet Access or PIA. I have not been able to use it on other Princess ships, at least not reliably. But Island just changed to StarLink this week and my vpn is staying on very nicely. The speed does not seem too fast but I have been streaming the news live and it is working fine. Hope this doesn’t jinx it!