Cruising in the Digital Age

[txwriter]

I've only been on one cruise before, and that was in 1990. I've lived more than half my life since then, and changes have been plentiful. When we cruised the last time, there was no cell phone service (smart phones didn't even exist), no computer on board for public use, and no televisions in the room.:eek:

 

I'm booked on the Star Princess for its May 27th departure out of Whittier, AK.

 

I saw that Princess has an app and that they have WiFi on their ships, but I also saw that there are internet charges (very expensive ones at that) per minute. Is the WiFi free, or do you have to pay for internet? Also, I saw that the app included messaging. Does regular messaging not work due to being on ship?

 

Sorry to sound so dumb, but I really just don't know. I have to be able to explain it to my mom who is traveling with me. Mom loves her iPhone and would love to post on Facebook from the ship, but I don't want it to cost and arm and a leg. Please help educate me. Thanks!

[moki'smommy]

Use of the app is at no charge. Wifi and internet (in the internet cafe) are the same price--way too much. I'd much rather see charged by mb rather than minute, but for now that's not the way Princess works. While I've seen lots of complaints about the wifi, our service 2 weeks ago was quite decent.

 

One good thing. In Alaska ports, your phone contract/data will probably be available. Just check your phone to be sure you are connecting to a tower in Alaska and not in Canada. If you hit a Canadian tower, you'll be paying international roaming charges (OUCH!)

 

If by "regular messaging," you mean text messaging...it will work on the ship but you'll be charged. The amount depends on your cell plan. You can also make phone calls from the ship, but "Cellular at Sea" costs $2.49 per minute in addition to any carrier imposed charges.

 

Princess does have free wifi in some terminals.

[oskidunker]

Making a call from the ship on your I phone will cost you about $2.50 a minute. Most put their phones on airplane mode to avoid costly incoming calls. Text message are more reasonable,about .50 each.

 

The internet on the ships uses a very very slow satellite service. I have some free internet since I am Princess elite,but i rarely use it.

 

Don't even try to print an airline boarding pass the night before as it is virtually impossible when everyone tries at the same time.

 

Do yourself a favor and don't waste any of your vacation agonizing over this impossible internet.

 

There is new app,which you must download before leaving home which will allow you to communicate with people ON THE SHIP ONLY. Have not tried it but plan on using it on next cruise

[ar1950]

I've only been on one cruise before, and that was in 1990. I've lived more than half my life since then, and changes have been plentiful. When we cruised the last time, there was no cell phone service (smart phones didn't even exist), no computer on board for public use, and no televisions in the room.:eek:

 

I'm booked on the Star Princess for its May 27th departure out of Whittier, AK.

 

I saw that Princess has an app and that they have WiFi on their ships, but I also saw that there are internet charges (very expensive ones at that) per minute. Is the WiFi free, or do you have to pay for internet? Also, I saw that the app included messaging. Does regular messaging not work due to being on ship?

 

Sorry to sound so dumb, but I really just don't know. I have to be able to explain it to my mom who is traveling with me. Mom loves her iPhone and would love to post on Facebook from the ship, but I don't want it to cost and arm and a leg. Please help educate me. Thanks!

 

Sorry to say that it will cost her an arm and a leg. Cell service is available on the ship, but, is even more expensive than the Internet minutes. If your Mom can't live without it, consider purchasing an Internet package of X minutes and then plan on chewing through them quickly. The speed is pitiful so it takes lots of minutes to do just basic things. As for free, there is a ship's intranet that is free. You can set it up with someone else who is on board for messaging (not someone off of the ship). Depending on the service provider that she has there may be cell service in the ports that she can use. So, in summary, sorry to say that Princess ships are (and most other cruise lines are the same) in this digital age still a tad behind. :cool:

Edited December 22, 2015 by ar1950

[rubytue]

Regarding the pay per minute vs pay per MB of data - I chose the second last week. Rather than pay per minute for Internet, I paid per MB of data on my cell phone. Of course, even with that I really limited it. I would manually turn on roaming data, download my email, turn data off. Respond to emails, and then turn data on to send. Roaming data is $2.05/MB for international rated through my cell provider. I monitored my data usage and each email session was only about 400kb (so about $1), but connection times were about 2-3 minutes. I think I worked out better this way. FWIW, I also set up my iPhone to only download one email account - the one that gets very little spam.

[ar1950]

Regarding the pay per minute vs pay per MB of data - I chose the second last week. Rather than pay per minute for Internet, I paid per MB of data on my cell phone. Of course, even with that I really limited it. I would manually turn on roaming data, download my email, turn data off. Respond to emails, and then turn data on to send. Roaming data is $2.05/MB for international rated through my cell provider. I monitored my data usage and each email session was only about 400kb (so about $1), but connection times were about 2-3 minutes. I think I worked out better this way. FWIW, I also set up my iPhone to only download one email account - the one that gets very little spam.

 

Glad to hear how well that option worked for you. However, and irrespective of that, the Internet service on most cruise lines leaves a lot to be desired. Especially considering how spoiled (comparatively speaking) we have all become with our land-based services. Dial-up speed or less just doesn't cut it these days. :eek:

[rubytue]

Glad to hear how well that option worked for you. However, and irrespective of that, the Internet service on most cruise lines leaves a lot to be desired. Especially considering how spoiled (comparatively speaking) we have all become with our land-based services. Dial-up speed or less just doesn't cut it these days. :eek:

Oh, that I'm not denying at all! It's so terribly slow. I was just responding to the one post above that mentioned paying for data rather than time (although I didn't quote it).

[txwriter]

Thanks for all the quick replies. The information really helps. I'm sure we can limit ourselves. We're very good at being frugal. I think using the app to communicate would work for us on the ship. Off the ship, we can use our phones where there is service. Will research to see if there are zany free wifi hot spots. Lots of time until cruise, so things can change.

[ar1950]

Oh, that I'm not denying at all! It's so terribly slow. I was just responding to the one post above that mentioned paying for data rather than time (although I didn't quote it).

 

No problem at all there. I was only commenting on the poor quality of the speed no matter which option that you use. I think that we may be in agreement about that........? :D

Edited December 22, 2015 by ar1950

[Colo Cruiser]

I've only been on one cruise before, and that was in 1990. I've lived more than half my life since then, and changes have been plentiful. When we cruised the last time, there was no cell phone service (smart phones didn't even exist), no computer on board for public use, and no televisions in the room.:eek:

 

I'm booked on the Star Princess for its May 27th departure out of Whittier, AK.

 

I saw that Princess has an app and that they have WiFi on their ships, but I also saw that there are internet charges (very expensive ones at that) per minute. Is the WiFi free, or do you have to pay for internet? Also, I saw that the app included messaging. Does regular messaging not work due to being on ship?

 

Sorry to sound so dumb, but I really just don't know. I have to be able to explain it to my mom who is traveling with me. Mom loves her iPhone and would love to post on Facebook from the ship, but I don't want it to cost and arm and a leg. Please help educate me. Thanks!

 

 

No app is not needed ahead of time and one need not use any minutes/cost to log on the ships basic web service. Check the daily Patter/activities. Check your onboard charge statement etc.

[Colo Cruiser]

 

There is new app,which you must download before leaving home which will allow you to communicate with people ON THE SHIP ONLY. Have not tried it but plan on using it on next cruise

 

 

One does not need to download any app prior to boarding. I have used the system on the last 3 cruises debarking the Island last month without downloading anything prior to boarding.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[ar1950]

One does not need to download any app prior to boarding. I have used the system on the last 3 cruises debarking the Island last month without downloading anything prior to boarding.

 

The only reason that I am quoting Colo Cruiser is, that, yes, that is totally correct. And, yes, I have used the on-board service the last 7 cruises without the app. Even had the Internet manager on the Regal Cruise a year or so ago say that the Princess app was a total mess and might not be re-introduced. Whatever?

 

Hey, I agree, with Colo Cruiser, just get your device set up on the ship. Maybe just do it yourself. Easy. Go to the Internet Cafe, use one of their computers, and follow the prompts to set up your account. If you have any issues then see the Internet manager. He or she may or may not be there is the only problem that I have ever had. :cool:

Edited December 22, 2015 by ar1950

[moki'smommy]

In addition to using your cell data plan in Alaska, most ports have free or low cost wifi spots--a quick google search will show many. The problem with Alaska is that there is much to see and do while in port, so don't generally want to spend time on line.

[Thrak]

I kind of laugh at those who compare onboard Internet access to dialup. Yes, it does compare to dialup but NOT to 56k dialup. I went through 300 bps, 1200 bps, 2400 bps, 4,800 bps, 9,600 bps, 14.4 kbps, 19.2 kbps, 28.8 kbps, 33.6 kbps, to 56 kbps (which actually topped out at 53,333). Please note that, up through 9,600 bps one could use "bps" and "baud" interchangeably. After that data compression came into play and the term "baud" no longer matched the "bps" speed.) Yes, I am a geek and yes, I really did go through each iteration of speed increases. (I did NOT, EVER work at 110 bps (baud)!) I don't have ultra high-speed access at home but I am running at 179 Mbps this evening so perhaps (I hope) you can forgive me for being snarky about the speeds onboard. :P

 

What I have experienced onboard is somewhere in the 4,800 bps - 9,600 bps range and it dropped out a lot. In other words, it was VERY SLOW service. I would LOVE what most folks refer to as "dialup" speed since they mostly remember the 56K days. Fortunately, the Princess Messenger at Sea (or whatever it's called - I can't remember right now) doesn't rely on Internet access. It works via intranet access which is free. (Not faster or better than the Internet access but at least you aren't paying for it!)

 

I agree with the others that no app is needed. I dutifully downloaded and installed the app long before I went on a cruise with the service. I never used it. The service does what it is supposed to do with no app needed.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Thrak

[Womble99]

One does not need to download any app prior to boarding. I have used the system on the last 3 cruises debarking the Island last month without downloading anything prior to boarding.

 

We didn't have the app on our phone, when we went to the internet kiosk the assistant let us know we only needed wifi on and go to login.com using the browser of your choice which will redirect you to the ships home page (the free content) from there you can setup and connect to the ships internet (paid) if you wish or just use the free section to check your stateroom account, ships events, messaging etc

[Opua Kiwi]

The best time to use the ship's internet is at off-peak times.

EG: Early in the morning from your cabin before most are up or at breakfast.

In my experience the speed at those times is acceptable.

 

Also, you can send FREE e-card postcards to any email address as many times as you wish.

Limited to 400 characters per e-card but no limit as to how many you send.

 

Great for outwards communications, but obviously cannot be used to receive emails onboard.

[ar1950]

I kind of laugh at those who compare onboard Internet access to dialup. Yes, it does compare to dialup but NOT to 56k dialup. I went through 300 bps, 1200 bps, 2400 bps, 4,800 bps, 9,600 bps, 14.4 kbps, 19.2 kbps, 28.8 kbps, 33.6 kbps, to 56 kbps (which actually topped out at 53,333). Please note that, up through 9,600 bps one could use "bps" and "baud" interchangeably. After that data compression came into play and the term "baud" no longer matched the "bps" speed.) Yes, I am a geek and yes, I really did go through each iteration of speed increases. (I did NOT, EVER work at 110 bps (baud)!) I don't have ultra high-speed access at home but I am running at 179 Mbps this evening so perhaps (I hope) you can forgive me for being snarky about the speeds onboard. :P

 

What I have experienced onboard is somewhere in the 4,800 bps - 9,600 bps range and it dropped out a lot. In other words, it was VERY SLOW service. I would LOVE what most folks refer to as "dialup" speed since they mostly remember the 56K days. Fortunately, the Princess Messenger at Sea (or whatever it's called - I can't remember right now) doesn't rely on Internet access. It works via intranet access which is free. (Not faster or better than the Internet access but at least you aren't paying for it!)

 

I agree with the others that no app is needed. I dutifully downloaded and installed the app long before I went on a cruise with the service. I never used it. The service does what it is supposed to do with no app needed.

 

No offense here, just a bit of a chuckle. Being a bit of a geek myself (does being a network system engineer qualify?) all I can say is slow is slow no matter what or how you want to quantify or compare it to. I'll stand by the dial-up analogy only because I have wanted to throw my laptop off the balcony more than once due to connection and/or speed issues. :cool:

 

Just sayin'. YMMV :D

Edited December 22, 2015 by ar1950

[pablo222]

Sorry to sound so dumb, but I really just don't know. I have to be able to explain it to my mom who is traveling with me. Mom loves her iPhone and would love to post on Facebook from the ship, but I don't want it to cost and arm and a leg. Please help educate me. Thanks!

 

You have gotten quite a few answers about onboard internet.

 

But, on an alaska cruise, you should have cell data in most ports,

depending on your carrier. If your mom can just wait to post

until she is on land, you should not have any additional expenses

[skynight]

Go to your cruise personalizer 'onboard reservations' and you can see the cost of internet mins. The cost ranges from $72.95 for 120 mins. to $202.95 for 680 mins. Wi-Fi is included. You can also use the internet cafe. If you want to print you have to use the cafe. Internet on the ship can be slower than land based service. Late night and on port days you will find less people logged in and it is faster.

 

Cell service from the ship is expensive, many turn their cell to airplane mode when on the ship to avoid large charges. With most cell plans you can make calls while in the Alaska ports. Just remember to turn your cell phone back to airplane mode after you leave the port.

[pablo222]

What I have experienced onboard is somewhere in the 4,800 bps - 9,600 bps range and it dropped out a lot. In other words, it was VERY SLOW service. I would LOVE what most folks refer to as "dialup" speed since they mostly remember the 56K days.

 

I ran a script on Emerald that recorded download speed, so

I could see the results vs. time-of-day; and also so that I could

decided whether or not to spend internet minutes.

 

At good times, download speeds were good...

 

Thu 02/26/2015 06:49 AM wall=29 speed=284934.000 (bytes per second) time=28.328 (seconds)

 

 

At bad times, the script would just hang.

[Nhsaltshaker]

Star Princess should be fitted with high speed internet service by the end of 2016. I have used something similar on RC and its faster than my cable internet at home. Don't spend any money on internet packages until it's close to sailing.

 

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

[Nhsaltshaker]

Now that I'm home I can post what I've found.

 

"Following the initial launch in North America in fourth quarter of this year for ships sailing in the Caribbean – the world's most popular region for cruising – Carnival Corporation is scheduled to rollout the technology globally. Under the current plan, the expansion will continue with Alaska in summer of 2015 and will extend to the Mediterranean, Baltic, Western European and Asian regions in 2015 and 2016. The technology will eventually be available on all nine of the company's leading global brands – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises and Seabourn."

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation-unveils-cruise-industrys-first-hybrid-wireless-network-at-sea-281255641.html

 

"Carnival Corp. & plc has forged an innovative hybrid wireless network that can speed Internet connectivity 10 times above current levels. Now available on about 10 vessels, the technology will be rolled out to all 101 ships across Carnival's nine brands in a hefty $10m investment."

 

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/carnival-unveils-fast-hybrid-wi-fi-system-to-go-on-100-plus-ships.html?print=1&tmpl=component

 

I realize the OP didn't state which year the cruise was, I'm pretty sure it is 2017. :):):)

[Colo Cruiser]

Now that I'm home I can post what I've found.

 

"Following the initial launch in North America in fourth quarter of this year for ships sailing in the Caribbean – the world's most popular region for cruising – Carnival Corporation is scheduled to rollout the technology globally. Under the current plan, the expansion will continue with Alaska in summer of 2015 and will extend to the Mediterranean, Baltic, Western European and Asian regions in 2015 and 2016. The technology will eventually be available on all nine of the company's leading global brands – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises UK, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises and Seabourn."

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation-unveils-cruise-industrys-first-hybrid-wireless-network-at-sea-281255641.html

 

"Carnival Corp. & plc has forged an innovative hybrid wireless network that can speed Internet connectivity 10 times above current levels. Now available on about 10 vessels, the technology will be rolled out to all 101 ships across Carnival's nine brands in a hefty $10m investment."

 

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/carnival-unveils-fast-hybrid-wi-fi-system-to-go-on-100-plus-ships.html?print=1&tmpl=component

 

I realize the OP didn't state which year the cruise was, I'm pretty sure it is 2017. :):):)

 

 

From what I have read it has made 0 difference on Princess ships.

I would not get your hopes up. :(

[Nhsaltshaker]

From what I have read it has made 0 difference on Princess ships.

I would not get your hopes up. :(

 

"WiFi@Sea is currently on about 10 vessels of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises that operate from southern California and in the Caribbean."

 

"The system will be on Regal Princess starting this week for its Caribbean debut—which right off the bat should boost media coverage and social media communication of the ship's naming by the original 'Love Boat' cast."

 

provided in the second link.

 

Hopefully they'll have everything tweaked in the next year and a half.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Nhsaltshaker

[pablo222]

"The system will be on Regal Princess starting this week for its Caribbean debut—which right off the bat should boost media coverage and social media communication of the ship's naming by the original 'Love Boat' cast."

 

The seatrade article was from the beginning of November.

'This week' was more than a month ago.

 

There have (unfortunately) been no giddy posts from regal reporting

amazing internet speeds.