Anyone use the computer package?

[gojojo]

I am thinking of taking my laptop on the Sapphire so I can better keep in touch with my kids. Any experience using their wireless package?

 

Joanne

[Essiesmom]

Plenty. I cruised two weeks on Diamond in Alaska and pre-purchased a package, getting extra minutes. I had no trouble accessing the internet in my cabin. I also used it on Emerald in Caribbean, although I did not pre-purchase then because I was platinum and had 150 free minutes, so package had to be purchased onboard. EM

[caribill]

The Internet packages can be used both on your own computer with WIFI and on the ship's computers.

 

Speed on either is about the same as dial-up is at home, sometimes a little faster, and sometimes a little slower.

 

So, yes, you can happily use your laptop in your cabin. To minimize use of internet minutes, download all your messages and then sign off the internet while you read them and compose any responses, signing on again to send the messages.

 

Be sure to signoff the internet on your laptop by going to address 1.1.1.1 as otherwise your minutes may continue to be used up.

[IECalCruiser]

I haven't been on the Sapphire but within the last 18 months we have spent 14 days on the Golden and 23 days on the Star with my laptop. Wireless speed was not fast but acceptable. If you use an e-mail client (I use Outlook) you can read and write e-mails off line. The actual time required to log on, send and receive e-mail and then log off was between 2-3 minutes. The 23 days on the Star was actually two cruises. My wife and are are both Platinum and we never came close to using our combined 300 free minutes on any of the cruises. Forgot my laptop on our last cruise to Alaska and I was totally frustrated by the slow speed of the Princess computers as they were almost useless. Cruise was port intensive in US ports so used our iPhones with the ATT network to communicate most of the time. That was our experience.

[Pam in CA]

We were on the Sapphire for 10 days, disembarking ten days ago. Internet service was very slow and spotty, sometimes non-existent. It didn't matter whether you were on your laptop or using the ship's computers. The satellite coverage area didn't seem to be too great.

[chipmaster]

Internet on a ship is slooow. Figure slower than your phone 3g, something faster than dialup and slower than DSL.

 

Also just remember they stick you with high / minute fees too. Fine for quick and urgent email, but I'd not surf or plan to upload/download video/pictures. I'm amazed at the people who I now see surfing on the ship. As much as I do it from home its refershing to be without :D

[fairsky1984]

Ditto Pam! Our internet connection experience was also pretty bad on the same ten-day cruise, but it improved somewhat on the second cruise of our b2b ending this past Saturday. It took forever to log on and then another forever to actually connect to a web page.

 

I used a lot of precious minutes just trying to get to my email account. Even though we're Elite and have a free internet package, I ended up needing to buy more minutes because of the sloooooowness. The internet manager was friendly, but not much help when it would take 13 minutes to get to a web page.

 

And it wasn't just me.....the troops were getting pretty restless with the situation.

 

In fact, even the free-access princess.com was unavailable during the final days of the cruise. I honestly wanted to check some cruises to possibly book via the Future Cruise Consultant, but couldn't.

[BigGuy25]

This must be a somewhat new problem on the Sapphire. We were on in mid-December and, while the service in the cabin was only available about 75% of the time (other times too weak to be stable) it was always good and relatively fast (by ship's standards) in the common areas of the ship.

[SiBreeze]

The Internet packages can be used both on your own computer with WIFI and on the ship's computers.

 

Speed on either is about the same as dial-up is at home, sometimes a little faster, and sometimes a little slower.

 

So, yes, you can happily use your laptop in your cabin. To minimize use of internet minutes, download all your messages and then sign off the internet while you read them and compose any responses, signing on again to send the messages.

 

Be sure to signoff the internet on your laptop by going to address 1.1.1.1 as otherwise your minutes may continue to be used up.

 

I found when I used my own laptop in the cabin the speed was faster than in the internet cafe. If you disconnect without using the 1.1.1.1 you will automatically be logged off in 2 minutes according to the internet cafe manager.

[Pia1913]

This must be a somewhat new problem on the Sapphire. We were on in mid-December and, while the service in the cabin was only available about 75% of the time (other times too weak to be stable) it was always good and relatively fast (by ship's standards) in the common areas of the ship.

 

We were on the Sapphire from September 19th to November 20th and I totally agree with what you said about common areas. Cabin access was on and off, so I usually used Horizon Ct in the AM and Wheelhouse late afternoon. I found that aft cabins were getting better service than ours which was near the forward elevator on Baja.

[Rockymountainsparky]

I like the fact that with a full suite, you get unlimited internet service.:D

[Rick&Jenny]

The internet on the Sapphire has always been very slow at best. We just got off the ship last Saurday (22nd) and it was the slowest that we have experienced on her. Several times we gave up trying to connect to Yahoo for e-mail this trip. Princess is obviously cognizant of this problem. They should reduce their internet fees until the service is improved.

 

Rick&Jenny:):)

[gojojo]

Thanks everyone for your comments. The basic package to purchase is 120 minutes. I didn't think I'd ever get to use that many. Now it sounds like with the slowness that will be just get me for basic use. I am travelling with my mom who I think is a platnium member and we talked about sharing the computer. I wasn't planning on using the internet/email very much, more of a way to stay connected with my kids - I am leaving them on their own for the first time. I plan to do the ATT international option with my phone as an additional way to connect when we are in port, but I was thinking of doing skype as a way to connect on sea days. I know they are not really going to want to communicate much with me, but I wanted to be somewhat available if an issue arose.

 

I remember the internet cafe on other cruise lines as being slow.

[Pia1913]

Thanks everyone for your comments. The basic package to purchase is 120 minutes. I didn't think I'd ever get to use that many. Now it sounds like with the slowness that will be just get me for basic use. I am travelling with my mom who I think is a platnium member and we talked about sharing the computer. I wasn't planning on using the internet/email very much, more of a way to stay connected with my kids - I am leaving them on their own for the first time. I plan to do the ATT international option with my phone as an additional way to connect when we are in port, but I was thinking of doing skype as a way to connect on sea days. I know they are not really going to want to communicate much with me, but I wanted to be somewhat available if an issue arose.

 

I remember the internet cafe on other cruise lines as being slow.

 

If your mom is platinum then she gets a free package. Use hers.

[jayevee44]

We also where on the January 15-22 cruise on the Sapphire Princess. Not having a laptop, I used the ships computers on Deck 7.

 

I found that speed is a function of time of day. I logged on between to 6:00 am and 7:00 am and found the speed to be decent. On the other hand, 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm is the slowest time because this is the time that so many crew members are online in their internet café, according to the internet manager.

 

On the first night, I gave up after fifteen minutes trying to connect to my e-mail. Once I started checking in the early morning, log on and connection took less than five minutes.

[LBrandy]

How many mins. do you get with platinum?Or is it unlimited?

[geoherb]

For a one week cruise, it's 150 minutes. For a 10-night cruise, it's 250 minutes. When we took a one-week cruise on the Sapphire, my DH paid the extra $25 to upgrade from 150 minutes to 250 minutes. He ended up using all of his minutes plus some of mine. But he's not as good about composing responses to emails offline.

 

Since you're traveling with your mother and she'll be getting the 150 minutes, you may want to upgrade her package to 250 for $25 and share the minutes.

 

On the Sapphire, our cabin location on the Plaza Deck did not have great reception. The Internet guy told my DH to try leaving the cabin door propped open. That worked sometimes but did not always work.

[bev'sid]

..I found that speed is a function of time of day. I logged on between to 6:00 am and 7:00 am and found the speed to be decent. On the other hand, 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm is the slowest time because this is the time that so many crew members are online in their internet café, according to the internet manager...

 

Completely agree! I was on the 1/5 - 1/15 cruise, and am an early riser, so the speed was fine! Log on late at night & it's pretty good too, but 5 - 6 am was speedy!

 

I did make the mistake of trying to get something done during the "busy hours" (most of the rest of the day & early evening), and that used up so many minutes, I had to buy a supplementary package - that was conveniently offered at the end!

 

 

How many mins. do you get with platinum?Or is it unlimited?

 

The minutes allowed, depend on the length of your cruise. We had 250 allowed on our 10 day & it turned out to not be enough for what I had to do...alas, it used to be unlimited, but no longer!

[IECalCruiser]

Hope they get the Sapphire's problem solved and that they don't wait until her drydock in 2012. We will be on her twice this year although will be in many US ports so we can use our iPhones at normal ATT speed in port. People attempting to use Skype may be eating up bandwidth and causing some of the slowdown.

[robtulipe]

Hope they get the Sapphire's problem solved and that they don't wait until her drydock in 2012. We will be on her twice this year although will be in many US ports so we can use our iPhones at normal ATT speed in port. People attempting to use Skype may be eating up bandwidth and causing some of the slowdown.

I believe most cruise lines are blocking the use Skype because of this.

[Pia1913]

How many mins. do you get with platinum?Or is it unlimited?

 

Internet is unlimited for those in full suites.

[LBrandy]

Internet is unlimited for those in full suites.

Ah no full suite this time,maybe next time.We are going for 10 days Panama Canel ,on the Coral .So I get 150 mins? But if I want 250 just pay $25.00 is the right?

[Pia1913]

Ah no full suite this time,maybe next time.We are going for 10 days Panama Canel ,on the Coral .So I get 150 mins? But if I want 250 just pay $25.00 is the right?

 

No. Ten days gets you 250 minutes. You need not buy anything. Those who get 150 minutes are for cruises of 7 days or less.

[Pia1913]

Complimentary Internet Packages

Each Platinum Member will receive a credit towards the purchase of a package in our Internet Cafés or on a personal laptop! Our current Internet packages onboard have now been expanded fleetwide to include wireless Internet!

 

 

VOYAGE DURATIONMINUTESVALUE

 

7 days or less150$75

 

8-20 days250 $100

 

21+ days

 

Those on 21+ days get two 250 minute packages.

[LBrandy]

Complimentary Internet Packages

 

Each Platinum Member will receive a credit towards the purchase of a package in our Internet Cafés or on a personal laptop! Our current Internet packages onboard have now been expanded fleetwide to include wireless Internet!

 

 

VOYAGE DURATIONMINUTESVALUE

 

7 days or less150$75

 

8-20 days250 $100

 

21+ days

 

Those on 21+ days get two 250 minute packages.

Great Thanks