WiFi reception

[asmody]

We're sailing on Quest August 17 out of Athens. Does anyone have experience with the WiFi reception onboard? I might have to attend to some business while on board, and review a couple of spreadsheets, but don't want to schlepp my laptop all the way from New York if the reception will be spotty or bad.:)

[zorro90068]

We're sailing on Quest August 17 out of Athens. Does anyone have experience with the WiFi reception onboard? I might have to attend to some business while on board, and review a couple of spreadsheets, but don't want to schlepp my laptop all the way from New York if the reception will be spotty or bad.:)

 

I was on the Quest as recently as June and will be back onboard as of Aug 7th and the Wifi was hit and miss as on all other ships. A lot depends on how many people are connected at once eating away at the band witdth whihc tends to be slow most of the time.

[Steve007NY]

On the sojourn we had generally quite good reception especially anywhere near computer center. Since seaborne offers a "One price your entire cruise For unlimited use package", it wasn't As frustrating as it sometimes is for us when we're paying ridiculous rates per minute. Even in the Falklands and Chilean fjords, never had a problem.

[CraftyEC]

And if you don't want to lug your laptop with you there are computers available in Seabourn Square. The people using them seemed quite satisfied, but we tended to use a laptop (don't think DH could bear to be parted from a computer, even when travelling!) We bought a 'small' package which was perfectly satisfactory for a 1 week port-intensive cruise, but on our next longer cruise, with lots of sea days, we will probably purchase an unlimited one.

[T&C Fulham]

I am new to cruising and was surprised to read that access to WiFi was an extra charge.

 

Most of the hotels I stay at these days throw it in free as a goodwill gesture.

 

Can anyone give me a feel as to the rates being charged by Seabourn?

 

T&C

[CraftyEC]

It is likely to be a long time before any cruise line offers free Wi-Fi to all its passengers. The cost to a hotel of offering free Internet access is now fairly insignificant, but costs of access at sea, for the cruise lines, remains very high. There are technical issues and no economies of scale.

 

For that reason Internet access at sea remains expensive for most passengers. On most lines you can pay per minute (perhaps 60c per minute) or, more economically, buy a package. These range from a one hour package (which you can use in bits) to unlimited access for the duration of your voyage.

 

Of course, if you are very fortunate, you may have access to at least some free Internet time by reason of booking a high-end suite or through a loyalty program!

 

And access is nothing like the broadband access to which most of us have become accustomed, it's closer to old dial-up speed, and may be decidedly patchy at times, as satellites may not be plentiful.

[T&C Fulham]

I can understand the reasoning.

 

Presumably on something like a 14 day Caribbean cruise one can update one's emails when in port over a cellphone link.

 

Tony

[rols]

I can understand the reasoning.

 

Presumably on something like a 14 day Caribbean cruise one can update one's emails when in port over a cellphone link.

 

Tony

 

You could, but watch the roaming charges. A few minutes connection on a roaming data connection can add up to an eyewatering amount which can easily dwarf the charges you would have racked up on the ship by choosing their smallest package and being very economical about when you log in.

 

On our last cruise, which was 15 days from Dubai through Suez and up to Rome I bought the full cruise package and was pleased I did. Usually I've found that satellite data speeds are ok on ships, it was dreadful on this particular cruise, never found out why, even in port, even when everyone else was off the ship it could be dire. Had I been paying by the minute, when it was taking 10 minutes to even get a few mails downloaded, I would have been a bit fed up. I'd say 1/2 the cruise it was great, the other 1/2 I swear the packets were being flown to and from the ship by carrier pigeons, very tired ones.

 

One other thing sort of WiFi related. We used to cruise and get a daily newspaper printed and delivered, only on vacation do I get the time to read one and it was nice. That however costs a lot and it's amazing that almost every ship we tried it on in the last 5+ years had issues with the printer at some point during the cruise, it was very hit and miss. This trip I did the research before we left, found that the company (I think it's newspapers direct) does an online version, quite reasonably priced, and some of the newspapers themselves have iPad or android apps and a fairly low subscription fee for a month, and you got the thing every day and it was far more current. I mentally defrayed the cost of the unlimited internet by the newspapers I wasn't buying and that made it a bit easier to stomach. It also meant that when I saw the 'newspapers not available today' sign in Seabourn Square for basically the second half of the cruise, I was happy I still had mine.

[T&C Fulham]

You could, but watch the roaming charges. A few minutes connection on a roaming data connection can add up to an eyewatering amount which can easily dwarf the charges you would have racked up on the ship by choosing their smallest package and being very economical about when you log in.

 

Ah, here I may be able to help.

 

Firstly I now travel with a Truphone sim in my cellphone.

 

http://www.truphone.com/UK/Personal/Truphone-SIM/Overview/

 

I have not had it long but it worked fine for me, a Brit, travelling in the Deep South in April - when our hotels were not offering free WiFi.

 

Secondly I use Caxton FX currency cards.

 

http://www.caxtonfx.com/currency-cards/currency-cards-for-you/

 

Again I used it all the time in the US and you can top it up from your bank account using text messages from the cellphone with any sim, Truphone included.

 

I am not sure what is the US equivalent to the currency card but I am sure there are lots.

 

T&C

[MillieMeter]

Just a? Where were you traveling in the Deep South? Business or pleasure ?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[T&C Fulham]

Business or pleasure ?

 

 

Pleasure.

 

A lovely trip. Charleston, Savannah, Orange Beech, New Orleans.

 

T&C

[commodoredave]

Many restaurants and bars in port offer free internet to their patrons. On a recent Windstar cruise in the Caribbean, this is how I downloaded most of my emails and attachments, thereby saving my expensive shipboard internet time for only the most necessary use.