New at Princess - some questions

Hello,

In October my boyfriend and I will be on our first Princess cruise. We did 2 celebrity cruises before and are excited to try princess and go to the Caribbean for the first time.

I have 2 questions and hoping to get some answers here.

First one is about the internet on Princess. I am considering buying a package but I just read on the Princess website that 'wireless network is available is some staterooms'. Does this really mean that some staterooms have wireless connection and some staterooms don't. And if so, how you know if your stateroom has the wireless network. Also wondering if the internet is that slow or bad as I read in some threads.

Other question is about the temperature onboard, like for example in the MDR. Is there a lot of air conditioning and is it a bit chilly? My experience with Celebrity was that is was a little chilly from time to time.

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Lindsay (&Siegfried)

You need to have internet minutes to access the ship's wifi. It is available for purchase as a package, or provided as free minutes to Elite and Platinum level guests, not to the stateroom.

The temp in the MDR is generally fine. We didn't need a sweater even in October. But it also depends on your tolerance level for low temps.

WiFi is available all over the ship including the staterooms. However it is stronger in certain areas than in others such as ends of the ship (bow and stern cabins). The internet connection is indeed slow particularly if you are downloading a page with graphics. Pages with no graphics download the quickest. The ship is using satellite to access the internet and it can and will be slow compared to what you experience on land. Think about how it was back in the dialup days - not that slow but approaching it. Disconnections do occur far too frequently making it difficult to download email or a page.

Temperature is a personal viewpoint. I am accustomed to higher temperatures living in the southwestern part of the US and find the MDR to be cold most times. Others from the more northern parts of the hemisphere find it to be warm. Women particularly who wear clothing exposing the shoulders or exposed legs many times find it to be cold while men with long pants and shirts don't always agree. As a result women will many times bring something to wrap up in during the meal.

If you get cold easily bring a light sweater. It can be cool in certain places on any of the ships depending on where you sit. My wife always goes prepared. ;)

I find three quarter length sleeves are great when moving around the ship. On the deck you could be fine in a bikini or need a sweater depending on the weather conditions/season/ region you're sailing in. Be prepared for anything.

Thank you for the replies!

We will be in an aft cabin (C752) so I assume the connection in our stateroom will be poor. Don't know what I will do. Seems a bit silly to buy a package I can't properly use in my own stateroom.

We get the free internet minutes. Some cabins have better connections to the internet than others. Sometimes I've taken my laptop to the atrium area to read my emails there. I usually do a "live" thread as well on our cruises. I type everything offline and go online just to upload my text and read any new responses. I also download our hometown newspaper to read offline later. I usually have a lot of my free minutes left over.

Internet

If you have difficulty in the cabin prop your door open some, it should help. There is a specific procedure to log out. Don't forget to do it, or you will be charged for all the time you are connected. If you purchase one set of internet mins. then you will have only one log in. While you can both use the same log in you can not be on line at the same time. The ship's intranet is free and can be used to send messages to each other on the ship, access ship's activities and more. You can also send a Princess e-postcard for free. It is hard to find that site, just ask the internet cafe manager. The e-postcard is a good method to tell people your doing fine, having a good time, etc.

We always have a sweater and a zipper sweatshirt even in the Caribbean. On most ships the DR is fine, but we find the theater cooler. Don't forget your rain jacket.

Internet

If you have difficulty in the cabin prop your door open some, it should help. There is a specific procedure to log out. Don't forget to do it, or you will be charged for all the time you are connected. If you purchase one set of internet mins. then you will have only one log in. While you can both use the same log in you can not be on line at the same time. The ship's intranet is free and can be used to send messages to each other on the ship, access ship's activities and more. You can also send a Princess e-postcard for free. It is hard to find that site, just ask the internet cafe manager. The e-postcard is a good method to tell people your doing fine, having a good time, etc.

We always have a sweater and a zipper sweatshirt even in the Caribbean. On most ships the DR is fine, but we find the theater cooler. Don't forget your rain jacket.

+1. The Wifi strength always improves noticeably when I prop open the cabin door. Also, make sure to put your devices in airplane mode and turn the wifi back on to avoid unpleasant surprise bills from your cell phone carrier.

Thank you for the replies!

 

We will be in an aft cabin (C752) so I assume the connection in our stateroom will be poor. Don't know what I will do. Seems a bit silly to buy a package I can't properly use in my own stateroom.

A lot will depend on the proximity of the Wi-Fi equipment stationed in the ceiling throughout the ship. Many Princess ships have gone through extensive Wi-Fi wiring throughout the cabin corridors.

A lot will depend on the proximity of the Wi-Fi equipment stationed in the ceiling throughout the ship. Many Princess ships have gone through extensive Wi-Fi wiring throughout the cabin corridors.

Most times I just go to the atrium to get a strong signal. The cabin is usually so weak it takes extra time on line just waiting for pages to download.

Thank you for the replies!

 

We will be in an aft cabin (C752) so I assume the connection in our stateroom will be poor. Don't know what I will do. Seems a bit silly to buy a package I can't properly use in my own stateroom.

I checked the location of C752 on the Caribbean & when we had a cabin on Riviera deck in a similar location on the Crown the in cabin WiFi was the worst we've had on any Princess ship. Our cabin had portholes & not a balcony like your cabin but I haven't had great success on most balconies.

It not only required opening the door but also required standing in the doorway for reception so it wasn't convenient to use WiFi in our cabin.

If I was in your cabin, I wouldn't pre-purchase an internet package which can be bought onboard & during the first 2 days there are bonus minutes added to a internet package. From your cabin you could attempt to connect to the free Princess@Sea system to test the in cabin WiFi connection. If the connection is sufficient for you then you could purchase an internet package; if insufficient you could decide if you wanted to use your device elsewhere on the ship.

Here's a link that describes the P@S system:

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/activities/princess-at-sea/

If you're wondering what the white space is next to your cabin, it was a crew stairway for our cabin. There was never any noise from that area & it's usable in an emergency for passengers.

When you walk down the hall, look for the "repeater" on the ceiling.

If you're close to the repeater, you'll be fine. If not, go to the buffet in the early AM or anywhere that you get a good signal.

Early AM and late evening are the best times to go online. Everyone is in bed, eating or at a show.:D

I bring a sweater and pashmina when we cruise. The pashmina is especially useful because it's so easy to pack/carry.

It's a good idea to take a light wrap of some sort.

The dining room and other public areas can get chilly.

Enjoy your cruise! :)

Thank you for the replies!

 

We will be in an aft cabin (C752) so I assume the connection in our stateroom will be poor. Don't know what I will do. Seems a bit silly to buy a package I can't properly use in my own stateroom.

While we've never had your cabin, we also have never had an issue with Wi-Fi in our cabin on Caribbean Princess. It will, however, be much slower during peak usage times. Early afternoon and late evening are usually the best times, although there are times with bad response times.

Once on Emerald Princess I asked at the Internet Café why the response time was so bad in my cabin. The attendant told me that my cabin didn't have access to Wi-Fi. I have to call bullsh** on his answer as off peak had no issues. I think they tell you that so you won't complain about their throughput.

The key to getting decent download speed is a strong (preferably "excellent") connection to the local network. Otherwise pages take forever. Areas near the atrium have a strong signal and it may or may not be good in your cabin. There are plenty of areas near bars that also have good signals. If the cabin doesn't work well, go elsewhere. And as others have said, either log out with the page button or go to logout.com every time you use the internet.

Thank you for the replies!

 

We will be in an aft cabin (C752) so I assume the connection in our stateroom will be poor. Don't know what I will do. Seems a bit silly to buy a package I can't properly use in my own stateroom.

Be aware that the internet can be very unreliable/slow onboard regardless of where you are.

Remember there are at least 2800 passengers and 1000 or more crew that use it as well.

I just never count on it and the last few cruises have left a big chunk of our free minutes unused.

Great cabin by the way!! :)

Thank you all for the replies, they are very useful. I think I will wait until we are on board and check the princess @ sea connection in our cabin first before buying a package.

Thanks again everybody!

Unless being connected is a 'must'. I suggest skipping it. While we get a handful of free minutes from status, the connection on Princess is VERY slow.

For those used to instant gratification, it can be a tedious affair trying to get online and wait for pages to load. If one 'needs' to get on for an important reason, by all means, buy an overpriced package. If simply wanting to browse or keep up on social media...I recommend bringing a device ashore and find a place that offers free/public wi-fi....Or, do all of your email composing offline, and then log-in to send it.

Going on Emerald Jul 23, and booked guarantee cabin....still don't have cabin assignment...Do I really have to wait until boarding to find out....even tho they are all booked? How will the porter know where to send the luggage?

As far as interior temperature in public areas, it can vary greatly. On port days, the gangways are open, letting in lots of warm air in the Caribbean. The ship in general warms up. I have never been cold in a dining room on the Caribbean Princess, but just take along a light wrap if you are concerned.

As far as internet, we use it because we really have to stay in touch with business and family. Speeds will vary, and as others have said, speed is really variable. There is an internet café, you can use one of the connections there to access sites if you wish. They tend to have the strongest and best connections on the ship. We haven't ever really had a problem connecting from a stateroom, but some places are better than others.

Going on Emerald Jul 23, and booked guarantee cabin....still don't have cabin assignment...Do I really have to wait until boarding to find out....even tho they are all booked? How will the porter know where to send the luggage?

Keep checking the personalizer, you should see it pop up sometime before you sail. We got a nifty upgrade to a suite just a few days before sailing once. And, the final manifest is something the porters can access at the pier, they also have luggage tags, just in case you don't have a cabin assignment until the very last moment.

We had traditional dining on the Caribbean Princess, and maybe we were right under a vent, but it was quite chilly. Our waiter told me that the dining rooms are kept cool so the servers don't overheat.

Going on Emerald Jul 23, and booked guarantee cabin....still don't have cabin assignment...Do I really have to wait until boarding to find out....even tho they are all booked? How will the porter know where to send the luggage?

You will probably get your assignment any day now. Very rarely is the assignment not made until embarkation day.

The latest we have received a cabin assignment was 24 hours before embarkation started.

To all the internet users, the ship uses satellite to connect to a land based terminal. The latency for satellite use is 1/2 second which means that it takes 1/2 second for the signal to leave the ship and return from the land based station. It does not sound like a lot but it actually is and remember this is not present in your land based internet connection (there are exceptions as always). The ship is moving and may not be in an ideal part of the world some of which is not even covered by satellite and it may be rocking/rolling. Anyone who has had satellite TV knows about satellite reception and the disruptions that can occur due to atmospheric conditions etc. So the bottom line is internet on the ship is not nearly as great as land based and to expect less than normal access and sometimes frequent disconnects.