Current Internet prices

[VermeulT]

What are the current packages offered & prices please?

 

My sister's house is flooded and she might have to cancel our cruise this weekend. And even if she goes, we'll need to be in contact with home a lot.

 

(THIS is why you get trip insurance!)

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Krazy Kruizers]

Internet Prices

The advantage of having your own laptop is that you can work off-line and then just copy and paste once you are online -- will save minutes.

 

 

It doesn't matter whether you use the ship's computers or you take your own lap top -- the price is the same for Internet:

 

You will be charged a one-time activation fee of $3.95.

 

Satellite Internet Time Plans:

Pay as you go $0.75 Per Minute

Time Plan 1: 1000 Minutes -- $250.00

Time Plan 2: 500 Minutes -- $175.00

Time Plan 3: 250 Minutes -- $100.00

Time Plan 4: 100 Minutes -- $55.00.

 

Many times you can get bonus minutes for the various plans -- it is not always advertised -- you have to ask -- and it has to be done on Embarkation Day.

Also look for other specials advertised in the daily program.

 

Warning -- the Internet can be sloooooow at times.

Some of the ships are now using a new "Harris" and people have had many problems with getting onto the internet.

[VermeulT]

Thanks Krazy! You always have these details at your finger tips.

 

I'm guessing that FaceTime will not work?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Krazy Kruizers]

What are the current packages offered & prices please?

 

My sister's house is flooded and she might have to cancel our cruise this weekend. And even if she goes, we'll need to be in contact with home a lot.

 

(THIS is why you get trip insurance!)

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

In 2010 we had extreme major damage to our house because of a century snow storm. We had insurance. We had to cancel a cruise and the insurance would not pay us one dime!! We had our TA check into this as well another TA that I knew at that time. MANY insurance policies will not pay you anything if there is at least ONE room in your house that you can live in.

They expected us to walk away and go on a cruise with many parts of the house exposed to the elements -- could not use our alarm system, etc.

Check your insurance policies carefully!!

[mtnmusic]

What are the current packages offered & prices please?

 

My sister's house is flooded and she might have to cancel our cruise this weekend. And even if she goes, we'll need to be in contact with home a lot.

 

(THIS is why you get trip insurance!)

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I can't answer your question exactly but I will pass on how to lower your internet cost. Logon to check for any email messages, logoff while reading and composing responses and then logon again to send your replies.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks Krazy! You always have these details at your finger tips.

 

I'm guessing that FaceTime will not work?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Sorry -- I don't know what FaceTime is.

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks Krazy! You always have these details at your finger tips.

 

I'm guessing that FaceTime will not work?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

As slow as the on board internet is, I don't believe FaceTime will work. Also, I believe I've read others say it won't work with the ship's system.

[VermeulT]

Krazy... Face Time is an Apple software/app that let's you make video calls via wifi or cell.

 

My TA called. If they can stay in one room, etc then I'd get 80% back. If its a full loss, I'll get 100% back.

ServePro will be able to determine tomorrow if they can stay in the house.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Kona921]

Sorry -- I don't know what FaceTime is.

 

Apple Facetime...video chat. would probably work better in port with a stronger faster connection.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Krazy... Face Time is an Apple software/app that let's you make video calls via wifi or cell.

 

My TA called. If they can stay in one room, etc then I'd get 80% back. If its a full loss, I'll get 100% back.

ServePro will be able to determine tomorrow if they can stay in the house.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Apple Facetime...video chat. would probably work better in port with a stronger faster connection.

 

 

Thank you both for the explanation.

I just learned something new today.

The only thing I have Apple related is my iPad which I rarely use.

[taxmantoo]

We have used Face Time from our iPad without any problems in the Caribbean and in the Mediterranean from the Explorer's Lounge, our stateroom and even our balcony.

[Kona921]

Thank you both for the explanation.

I just learned something new today.

The only thing I have Apple related is my iPad which I rarely use.

 

:). It only works if you have a friend or loved one with an ipad or iPhone. It's fun and could be good in port to avoid a roaming charge on a cell phone since you use wifi....

 

For me...I always think...whoa...that's what l look like? Yikes!

[Marigold252]

Also to save minutes when using a smart phone, turn off automatic updating because it slows down whatever you are trying to do. We look for free WiFi in port and Skype is great.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[Krazy Kruizers]

:). It only works if you have a friend or loved one with an ipad or iPhone. It's fun and could be good in port to avoid a roaming charge on a cell phone since you use wifi....

 

For me...I always think...whoa...that's what l look like? Yikes!

 

Since I have to use wheelchairs to get through the airports and different terminals, I have stopped taking my laptop and I wouldn't even consider taking my iPad.

One less thing to worry about.

[alwaysfrantic]

I had a coupon in a booklet for 15 minutes extra on a package. I used that and once I got the hang of using it on the iPhone it worked actually quite well. Oddly, iMessages would load once I turned on wifi even before I logged in. Not always, but multiple times I would get a string before the account was verified and minutes began to count down

[pcur]

I have messages turned off in my ipad, but have FaceTime alerts turned on. I just tested the FaceTime audio with my son, who happened to have his ipad sitting on his desk at work. He was really surprised to receive the call from me. The audio quality was excellent.

 

So, instead of buying a Skype international subscription, we will use FaceTime. My other son is a Mac-ophile, so he has FaceTime on his Mac, too.

[VermeulT]

I have messages turned off in my ipad, but have FaceTime alerts turned on. I just tested the FaceTime audio with my son, who happened to have his ipad sitting on his desk at work. He was really surprised to receive the call from me. The audio quality was excellent.

 

So, instead of buying a Skype international subscription, we will use FaceTime. My other son is a Mac-ophile, so he has FaceTime on his Mac, too.

 

Ya learn something new every day!

I didn't know you could do Facetime Audio only... never occured to me to look. Thanks!

[pcur]

Ya learn something new every day!

I didn't know you could do Facetime Audio only... never occured to me to look. Thanks!

 

It's new with iOS 7. I found it today, too!

[VermeulT]

FYI - here is the internet pricing that was on my Eurodam Caribbean cruise (3/2-3/9)

[POA1]

FYI - here is the internet pricing that was on my Eurodam Caribbean cruise (3/2-3/9)

 

Look for bonus minute specials the first day or two of your cruise. Also watch the daily programs for specials mid voyage.

 

FWIW - We found the speeds to be faster on the Noordam in early March. The ship was still on MTN. I did a speed test and found that the connection sucked about 30% less than it did in 2012. (These are strictly technical terms, of course. ;))

 

That's a pretty good improvement and the speed was closer to ISDN than dial up. (In layman's terms.)

[kjw869]

Look for bonus minute specials the first day or two of your cruise. Also watch the daily programs for specials mid voyage.

 

FWIW - We found the speeds to be faster on the Noordam in early March. The ship was still on MTN. I did a speed test and found that the connection sucked about 30% less than it did in 2012. (These are strictly technical terms, of course. ;))

 

That's a pretty good improvement and the speed was closer to ISDN than dial up. (In layman's terms.)

 

 

It was much faster January 27-Feb 7 on the Noordam then it was two years ago on the same cruise. Each morning, there was a long line of people waiting to get adjustments on their from the Internet Manager. Mine was 146 total minutes. While we were on the cruise, techs came aboard in Barbados as I recall and were working on the workstations. When they opened the desk cabinet door to where the computers were, there sat ASUS EeePC netbooks on a platform with the monitor cable, and the keyboard and mouse plugged into USB ports. This is the same equipment that was on the Zuiderdam last May.

[VermeulT]

Look for bonus minute specials the first day or two of your cruise. Also watch the daily programs for specials mid voyage.

 

FWIW - We found the speeds to be faster on the Noordam in early March. The ship was still on MTN. I did a speed test and found that the connection sucked about 30% less than it did in 2012. (These are strictly technical terms, of course. ;))

 

That's a pretty good improvement and the speed was closer to ISDN than dial up. (In layman's terms.)

 

It was Dial Up on the Eurodam. Sucked just as much as it did in 2011. Even in the Explorations Cafe/ Crow's Nest.

We had no bonus minute specials and no "happy hours" (use 2 min but get charged for 1) as I've seen in the past.

[VermeulT]

It was much faster January 27-Feb 7 on the Noordam then it was two years ago on the same cruise. Each morning, there was a long line of people waiting to get adjustments on their from the Internet Manager. Mine was 146 total minutes.

Fortunately no line for me. The first night after 20 min of being connected in our room still not one email sent. I went up there knowing the connection could be better, and was surprised that the Internet Manager gave me the 20 min back without blinking.

Going forward, I connected in public areas (ie Lido, Crow's Nest...) and didn't have those issues... tho it was still slow.

[POA1]

Fortunately no line for me. The first night after 20 min of being connected in our room still not one email sent. I went up there knowing the connection could be better, and was surprised that the Internet Manager gave me the 20 min back without blinking.

Going forward, I connected in public areas (ie Lido, Crow's Nest...) and didn't have those issues... tho it was still slow.

 

I noticed signs on the walls of the Noordam that indicated where the Hotspot access points were on our most recent cruise. I don't recall seeing them before. My laptop has a triangulation program that uses its two antennas to help point you toward the AP, but the signs made it easier. I saw about 138kbps downstream on this trip. You definitely wouldn't mistake it for DSL or cable modem speeds, let alone fiber, but it was more workable than in the past.

[kjw869]

I noticed signs on the walls of the Noordam that indicated where the Hotspot access points were on our most recent cruise. I don't recall seeing them before. My laptop has a triangulation program that uses its two antennas to help point you toward the AP, but the signs made it easier. I saw about 138kbps downstream on this trip. You definitely wouldn't mistake it for DSL or cable modem speeds, let alone fiber, but it was more workable than in the past.

 

We were on the Zuiderdam last May, and we were told by the Hotel Director that this was the first ship to have equipment installed for MTN’s Terrestrial Broadband Services, which installed 35 ground stations in popular Caribbean and Alaska ports.

 

There was a Cisco repeater in our cabin and soon as I logged on, I saw a difference especially cruising the Inside Passage. There were times we had broadband speeds of 2.62 Mbps using speed test sites I use in my IT work. I see that Carnival Corp. extended the agreement with MTN for the terrestrial services in January for their ships that sail in Alaskan waters. We will be on the ship in the same cabin in 45 days, and I hope the ship still has the same service and equipment.

 

See: http://wetravel2u.wordpress.com/tag/mtn-satellite/

 

The article stated it was for use in port, but we had that service starting when we passed Prince Rupert, BC. I wonder if that was one of the seven ground stations MTN installed for the Alaskan cruises. The Internet Manager said that a few of the antennas were placed high on the mountains near the ports to give it longer range.