WIFI on FRAM?

A friend will be on the Fram later this month, and is wondering how good the WiFI is.

Any information?

When we were on the Trollfjord last month, WiFi was great except in the bedroom of our suite.

But that was in the far corner of the ship. In the LR area, there was no problem.

In case it matters, I think he'll have an inside.

Thanks!

GC

The wifi itself is allright, although I don't think it's working in the cabins, only in the public areas (my last experience is a few years back though, so they may have changed the system). However the signal will depend on where the ship is sailing (for instance, there is virtually no internet reception in Svalbard).

The wifi itself is allright, although I don't think it's working in the cabins, only in the public areas (my last experience is a few years back though, so they may have changed the system). However the signal will depend on where the ship is sailing (for instance, there is virtually no internet reception in Svalbard).

Thanks!

This is what I call part of the relocation from Antarctica. The ship will be sailing up the Northeast Coast of the USA, something like up to Montreal (and perhaps back; I'm not 100% sure).

But although there might be some times with intermittent signal loss, it certainly won't be like Svalbard :)

We were actually pleasantly surprised with the WiFi off the Norwegian coast the full way on the RT. Our problem seemed to be just in one far corner, and in the LR area, which was also all the way aft but it was also "center", unlike the bedroom area.

Given that we weren't sure how good the WiFi would be at all, this was a nice surprise.

Because he has an inside, he definitely plans to spend more time in the public areas, enjoying the views and ambiance of the ship, so if the WiFi there is good, that should be fine.

The entire cruise on the Trollfjord was a wonderful surprise.

I think I "overcorrected" in "warning" DH that this was "just a ferry" and not to expect too much, although I did show him photos of the suite and also of much of the public areas on the ship.

But so much better to have him be delightfully surprised, rather than the opposite!

We strongly encouraged our friend to take this cruise, although we haven't ever seen the Fram.

(Too bad it wasn't the Midnatsol, which is the sister ship to the Trollfjord. We'd have had more info/experience in that case. But the reports seem to be relatively similar for all of the more modern ships. I know you prefer the Lofoten, however.)

Thanks again!

BTW, how similar/different is the Svalbard sailing to the Coastal RT?

DH is interested in seeing polar bears. Is that something one commonly (?) sees in certain seasons in Svalbard? (I think I've seen promo photos showing at least "one polar bear".)

And is there NO Internet during most of a Svalbard cruise? That could be a problem for DH, who has zero interest in retiring. Our "deal" is that I'd rather he be "online on a ship" (or other vacation) than refuse to go on vacations :D

We are both interested in returning to the area during summer, to see the scenery in a different season.

GC

Wi-fi on Fram is more than adequate and we found it to be best from the seated area on deck 4, though don't expect to be indulging in any streaming! Web and email are fine.

Internet, though, is poor around Svalbard as you are in such high latitudes and any land tends to get between the ship and any satellite that might offer a connection.

Svalbard is very different from the Norwegian coast. Much, much more ice (think glaciers and some sea ice) and no 'large' settlements other than Longyearbyen, Barentsburg (enjoy the theatre and vodka on a landing) and Ny-Ålesund which, even so, are quite small.

Polar bears on Svalbard? 3,000, so more than the human population! We did the circumnavigation on Fram and saw three: one on an ice floe and a female and her cub who swam across to where we had landed (and had abandoned prior to their arrival!) and proceeded to entertain us as we watched them from Fram from just offshore. The next sailing saw seven. It's down to the polar bears as to how many you see, though the ship can improve your chances a little.

As digitl said, internet altogether is poor around Svalbard (has to do with the orientation of the various satellite in relations to this very polar area, I think). However a cruise around Svalbard is about the only chance to see polar bears in the wild from not too far, so that is a trade-off your husband will have to work out! :)

Fram is an awesome ship, very modern and comfortable. An exploration cruise is vastly different from the coastal voyage. It is a purely "pleasure" trip (only tourists, no locals) and the itinerary is subjected to ice and weather conditions, so no advance planning possible. You may be told something in the morning that will change by lunch time. So nothing is ever guaranteed (even polar bears) but if you go with a flexible mind you are sure to have a great time as Svalbard is such a special place.I have also circumnavigated Svalbard onboard MS Fram and we saw a handful of bears, including a mother and 2 cubs from quite close (we were on zodiacs and they were on the shore) : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2011/09/spitzberg-freemansundet.html