Free internet in Suites?

[singinglizzie]

I read on NCL's website that free internet may be available in some suites? But in reviewing most of the posts on this board, I don't see anyone mentioning this as a suite benefit. My sister is taking an online class, and must access the internet while she is on board, so I'd like to be able to let her know what her options are. We will be on the Star, in an AJ suite, traveling to the Mexican Riviera. Thanks.

[bakerintn]

Here is a link to the NCL Internet Cafe information. I have never read here about free internet connection onboard any NCL ship, so don't count on it.

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=InternetCafe

 

An option is to use internet cafes in the ports that you visit.

 

The shipboard internet is satellite fed and there is a single sat connection for the whole ship (passengers, crew, official ship buiness), so things can get really slow. If her online class in graphics-intensive, it may not even work well enough to get any work done at all onboard. She should find out if there is a different log-in for her course that is meant for low-speed connections (ie, dial up) and take that information with her

[Cubechick]

Nope. No free internet on the ship even for suites.

[singinglizzie]

My Sister is going to be surprised when she realizes how expensive internet access is gonna be. BTW, I couldn't find the reference about internet access on the suite amenities chart. I must have read about it on the OS category where that the room has "access" but from what I can tell - it isn't free either. Oh well.

[garycarla]

When somebody says you have access to something, that usually means there is a cost involved.

 

Never, ever heard of free internet on NCL. Some cabins have a laptop computer in the room, but that is of marginal value. Usually very slow, maybe old, and you have no access to store or upload anything.

[erdoran]

A trick to save $$$$ on Internet is--if you have a Verizon smartphone that speaks GSM, sign up for the International Data Plan for $64.95/mo (you are already paying $30/mo for data service and they pro-rate so it costs you 25% of $34.95 extra, whatever that is, for the week). Next, see if you can download PDANet for your device. This permits tethering of your smartphone to your laptop so that the smartphone acts as a wireless modem for your computer. You can use it free for some time, I forget how long, after which you have to pay to access anything with https (secure sites). If it's a one-shot and she will never need it again then wait until very close to the cruise to get it set up & working, and perhaps the free period will cover the entire cruise.

 

As was said before, the ship wifi (and 3G) are very very slow, so it may still be painful even with this solution--but try during off-hours, and if a lot of work can be done offline and all that she needs to do is transmit finished assignments then this may do the trick!

[Why Knot Me]

Here is a link to the NCL Internet Cafe information. I have never read here about free internet connection onboard any NCL ship, so don't count on it.

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=InternetCafe

 

An option is to use internet cafes in the ports that you visit.

 

The shipboard internet is satellite fed and there is a single sat connection for the whole ship (passengers, crew, official ship buiness), so things can get really slow. If her online class in graphics-intensive, it may not even work well enough to get any work done at all onboard. She should find out if there is a different log-in for her course that is meant for low-speed connections (ie, dial up) and take that information with her

 

Also, be aware that she can't count on the internet being available. Sometimes it is not, so if the class is a set time, she could be out of luck.

[singinglizzie]

Thanks for the suggestions, she is a teacher working on her master's degree and has some kind of class where you have to blog about various questions that are posted, plus you have to respond to those who post about your blog - honestly, I don't see how she is gonna be able to do this given the slow speed of the onboard internect connection. I'm trying to see how often she is going to need to get online. Maybe if she plans ahead, she can make it work, otherwise it is going to cost a small fortune.

 

Would times would be non-peak times to get online while onboard?

[dmelman4]

Thanks for the suggestions, she is a teacher working on her master's degree and has some kind of class where you have to blog about various questions that are posted, plus you have to respond to those who post about your blog - honestly, I don't see how she is gonna be able to do this given the slow speed of the onboard internect connection. I'm trying to see how often she is going to need to get online. Maybe if she plans ahead, she can make it work, otherwise it is going to cost a small fortune.

 

Would times would be non-peak times to get online while onboard?

 

 

We were on the Star in July and I had no speed issues taking my online classes. I tried to get on in the early evening before dinner, when most people were still heading back from their excursions or at dinner already. She should be fine if she doesn't need to get on everyday.

[dtiger]

It sounds awfully expensive.

[BikerAl]

I have blogged from the ship before. I write my entry off line, sign on, send the blog, copy the comments since my last time on line, and sign back off, then read and write the answers to folks questions for later transmission. There is no reason that couldn't be done by a student. I plan to blog from the Dawn relocation cruise, and plan to do it with the $100 package.

 

Al

[downsized]

I read on NCL's website that free internet may be available in some suites? But in reviewing most of the posts on this board, I don't see anyone mentioning this as a suite benefit. My sister is taking an online class, and must access the internet while she is on board, so I'd like to be able to let her know what her options are. We will be on the Star, in an AJ suite, traveling to the Mexican Riviera. Thanks.

 

Nope, no free internet on NCL, even in the OS and GV. (The laptops in the OS and GV are ancient! We had one that was running Windows '95!)

However, there are free WiFi sites within easy walking distance in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Vallarta, if you want to carry your laptop.

 

What works for us is save your data, then send it all at once.

Although the ship's internet can be extremely slllloooowwwww, sending it all at once can save you time and money.

[babebutters]

My husband and I teach online courses for St. Leo University, so we always have to work online when we cruise. The connection is not great, but it is not ridiculously slow. If you are experiencing slowness and you're accessing from your cabin, try moving to the Internet cafe on the ship; the connection is usually fastest there...

[algaes]

Here is the source of the confusion - http://www.nclsuitesandvillas.com/pages/spapenthouses.php . If you click on Exclusive Extras tab, you'll find the following text, "•Wireless Internet access, plus personal computer". No promise of being cost free as others have noted. Similar text for other types of suites.

[singinglizzie]

Nope, no free internet on NCL, even in the OS and GV. (The laptops in the OS and GV are ancient! We had one that was running Windows '95!)

However, there are free WiFi sites within easy walking distance in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Vallarta, if you want to carry your laptop.

 

What works for us is save your data, then send it all at once.

Although the ship's internet can be extremely slllloooowwwww, sending it all at once can save you time and money.

Thank you - this is one of the suggestions I made to her!

 

My husband and I teach online courses for St. Leo University, so we always have to work online when we cruise. The connection is not great, but it is not ridiculously slow. If you are experiencing slowness and you're accessing from your cabin, try moving to the Internet cafe on the ship; the connection is usually fastest there...

Thank you - you are the first to say that it is doable for her!

 

Here is the source of the confusion - http://www.nclsuitesandvillas.com/pages/spapenthouses.php . If you click on Exclusive Extras tab, you'll find the following text, "•Wireless Internet access, plus personal computer". No promise of being cost free as others have noted. Similar text for other types of suites.

Great - I was beginning to feel I hadn't seen it somewhere!

[laxlove6]

the internet on ships is a scam. it is incredibly slow because they make it that way. satellite internet is 40-100 times faster then dial up which is faster then what the rip of cruise ship gives you. i have satellite internet at home and it only costs $60 per month. the ship throttles the internet connections and probably uses up 90% of the bandwidth for office use.

 

do you think the people managing the room accounts and credit card transactions use the BS internet speed they give passengers? not a chance

[garycarla]

the internet on ships is a scam. it is incredibly slow because they make it that way. satellite internet is 40-100 times faster then dial up which is faster then what the rip of cruise ship gives you. i have satellite internet at home and it only costs $60 per month. the ship throttles the internet connections and probably uses up 90% of the bandwidth for office use.

 

do you think the people managing the room accounts and credit card transactions use the BS internet speed they give passengers? not a chance

 

Sorry, but you are full of.....bits and bauds.

 

You have your OWN uplink and do not share it with a hundreds of other people. Sorry, but you are just wrong.

[GigCrusier]

Free unlimited Intenet access on Princess when in a Suite! Free Laundry too every day on Princess when in a suite.

[Sargent_Schultz]

the internet on ships is a scam. it is incredibly slow because they make it that way. satellite internet is 40-100 times faster then dial up which is faster then what the rip of cruise ship gives you. i have satellite internet at home and it only costs $60 per month. the ship throttles the internet connections and probably uses up 90% of the bandwidth for office use.

 

do you think the people managing the room accounts and credit card transactions use the BS internet speed they give passengers? not a chance

 

is your house on a moving boat in the middle of a moving ocean?

 

what does a ship INTRANET have to do with passenger's INTERNET usage? the two are not related and are independent.

 

just ran a speed test on my home connection - it can vary, but currently is registering 29.75Mb/s download and 5.93Mb/s upload - for way less than $60/month.

 

on cruise ships, the download speed is not limited, except by the number of users accessing the shared connection. upload speed is limited but that is for a variety on reasons not related to room accounts and credit card transactions. heck - i use a credit card once (on land) to check-in and then they are locked away in the safe.

[odblnt]

The only (mass market) cruise line that I've read about having free internet for suites is Princess.

 

It would be nice, NCL. (Hint. Hint.)