Internet on HAL

[Corinne Marie]

Can anyone tell me how much an internet package is? Any details would be helpful.. Thank you in advance.

[RuthC]

It costs $3.95 to set up your account. Then, you have a choice of payment plans for each minute.

If you go with the basic per minute plan, you pay $0.75 per minute.

You can also purchase a package.

It costs $55.00 for 100 minutes ($0.55 per minute). There is a 10 minute bonus if you purchase the first day.

It coses $100.00 for 250 minutes ($0.40 per minute). There is a 20 minute bonus if you purchase the first day.

Later in the cruise there are smaller packages (15 and 30 minutes, I think) at the same $0.55 and $0.40 rates. These are good for airline check-in.

[HokiePoq]

Just remember that the internet on ships...every one I've ever been on...is very slow compared to our land connections. It can take several minutes just to boot up one's email site. It's the same whether you use the ship's computers or bring your own device in terms of speed.

We do use it and briefly check email every couple of days, telling our kids to reach us in this manner.

[sail7seas]

Prices are the same whether you use ship's computers in Exploration Cafe or your own netbook/laptop/device.

 

[Crew News]

And you have to connect near a hot spot. From my experience, there is no service for the aft cabins but usually decent connections in the common areas.

[boze9999]

I always buy the largest package - before sailaway to get the bonus. Whether it's work or the family back home, the money spent is worth it! The HAL computers are easily accesible, but slow. I save money using my own computer-all my contact info, etc is in MY computer-vs the HAL computers. With your own, you can save money & minutes by writing emails, blogs, etc offline and then "sending" when online. If you do use HAL computers, do so in "off" hours when no one else is competing for bandwidth time - your speed will be much faster! Almost all of the ports have internet cafes http://www.cybercafe.com/ for incredibly inexpensive connections back to "the other world".

[woan]

I think its a shared 128 kbs for everyone connected by satellite on the ms Veendam at least. So definitely no Skype or Facetime BTW.

 

For email I just compose it all ahead of time and cut and paste to make the most of my minutes.

 

nytimes.com is free on HAL ships though...

 

Ron

 

Just remember that the internet on ships...every one I've ever been on...is very slow compared to our land connections. It can take several minutes just to boot up one's email site. It's the same whether you use the ship's computers or bring your own device in terms of speed.

We do use it and briefly check email every couple of days, telling our kids to reach us in this manner.

[JamesEM]

Check for daily specials, such as 2 for 1 minutes and free minutes during certin time periods, and there was a coupon for some free minutes in the discount book.

[DizzyDallasDi]

And you have to connect near a hot spot. From my experience, there is no service for the aft cabins but usually decent connections in the common areas.

 

I've had no problem getting a connection in the aft cabins I've been in on Eurodam and Zuiderdam.

[jtl513]

I think its a shared 128 kbs for everyone connected by satellite on the ms Veendam at least.

I've run speed tests on every ship I've been on since 2005 (including twice on the Veendam) and it usually runs in the neighborhood of 500 Kbps for downloads in the Caribbean, and maybe 350>400 Kbps in high latitudes like AK and the Baltic. That just seems terribly slow because we are used to 10 times as much on DSL or 20 times as much on cable.