VOOM will be Fleetwide beginning May 1

[lovesthebeach2]

I just hung up with RCCL C&A and the agent told me this is a new promotion starting today for the 30% discount packages and as of May 1 all ships will have VOOM.

[gowensricks]

Really??!! Well that makes me excited, as I will need internet when I go on Adventure next month! Thank you...

[pharaoh]

Doesn't VOOM require a system/equipment upgrade and installation?

[lovesthebeach2]

Doesn't VOOM require a system/equipment upgrade and installation?

 

I don't know that, but she checked and that's what they are promising. As of May 1 all ships will have VOOM, so they announced the 30% off promotion, and that's why lots of us are seeing the discount in our cruise planner today.

[Clarea]

Doesn't VOOM require a system/equipment upgrade and installation?

Yes, completely different satellite antennas.

[John&LaLa]

What I saw only listed Freedom other than newer ships

[manders175]

Is voom used like wi fi? Trying to decide if I should get it for my cruise this September.

[John&LaLa]

Is voom used like wi fi? Trying to decide if I should get it for my cruise this September.

 

Correct, but very high speed

[pharaoh]

I wouldn't trust what a rep says regarding the ships that don't currently have VOOM. A lot of the reps didn't even know about the new packages yesterday.

[manders175]

What I saw only listed Freedom other than newer ships

 

The Voom package is in my cruise planner for my Adventure sailing in September.

[lovesthebeach2]

while we talked on the phone, the agent was reading to me, I don't know if it was from a memo or email or what, but she read that they plan to have ALL ships done by May 1. I'm hoping they will follow thru with it, because I'm sure lots of us are scooping up the discounted rate.

[HappyCampers3]

OMG I can only hope this is true for our upcoming 23 nights to Europe on the Serenade!

[John&LaLa]

The Voom package is in my cruise planner for my Adventure sailing in September.

 

I can see September working. It took Freedom team three Sunday's in PC to install the antennas. It was up and running about two weeks after that.

[lovesthebeach2]

I wouldn't trust what a rep says regarding the ships that don't currently have VOOM. A lot of the reps didn't even know about the new packages yesterday.

 

That may be because I was told that the promotion started today, not yesterday.

I can't imagine they would be offering it to so many of us if it weren't going to happen.

[BermudaBound2014]

ALL ships by May 1st seems lofty to me (but I'd be delighted). This morning I purchased the Voom package form my rhapsody sailing in August @ 9.99 per day-one device-unlimited. I honestly don't expect it to be Voom speed, but I hope rcl will honor the price for "Gloom" speed on rhapsody (aka the slow speed).

 

My guess is that "voom" may be a new term for rcl internet service regardless of actual speed (since "high" is relative); but that's just a guess.

[lovesthebeach2]

OMG I can only hope this is true for our upcoming 23 nights to Europe on the Serenade!

 

Check your cruise planner......

[lovesthebeach2]

ALL ships by May 1st seems lofty to me (but I'd be delighted). This morning I purchased the Voom package form my rhapsody sailing in August @ 9.99 per day-one device-unlimited. I honestly don't expect it to be Voom speed, but I hope rcl will honor the price for "Gloom" speed on rhapsody (aka the slow speed).

 

My guess is that "voom" may be a new term for rcl internet service regardless of actual speed (since "high" is relative); but that's just a guess.

 

It's advertised in my cruise planner as the fastest high speed internet at sea. I bought it too..... Crossing my fingers.....

[John&LaLa]

Here are some pics of the second week installing equipment

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[manders175]

Just got my voom internet package. :)

[Durkman]

It is possible the Voom engineers (third party engineers) have been able to come up with a software modification or internal circuit/hardware modification that allows the existing satellite hardware to connect to Voom without requiring the new satellite receivers to be installed. That could allow Voom to be retrofit into older ships without having them go into drydock/etc. Maybe it just took a while for that solution to be found and tested. Just throwing darts here as to a possible explanation.

 

Of course another possible explanation is that Voom isn't really going active on these ships in May. I guess we'll find out soon enough...

[Clarea]

It is possible the Voom engineers (third party engineers) have been able to come up with a software modification or internal circuit/hardware modification that allows the existing satellite hardware to connect to Voom without requiring the new satellite receivers to be installed. That could allow Voom to be retrofit into older ships without having them go into drydock/etc. Maybe it just took a while for that solution to be found and tested. Just throwing darts here as to a possible explanation.

 

Of course another possible explanation is that Voom isn't really going active on these ships in May. I guess we'll find out soon enough...

Seriously doubt they could transition to the O3b (Voom) technology without new antennas. I would think that going from a synchonous (fixed point in the sky) satellite to multiple fast moving low earth orbit satellites would require a completely different antenna system.

Edited April 22, 2016 by clarea

[John&LaLa]

It is possible the Voom engineers (third party engineers) have been able to come up with a software modification or internal circuit/hardware modification that allows the existing satellite hardware to connect to Voom without requiring the new satellite receivers to be installed. That could allow Voom to be retrofit into older ships without having them go into drydock/etc. Maybe it just took a while for that solution to be found and tested. Just throwing darts here as to a possible explanation.

 

Of course another possible explanation is that Voom isn't really going active on these ships in May. I guess we'll find out soon enough...

 

I would go with the second.

 

It's not likely some miracle has happened in the last 6 weeks.

Edited April 22, 2016 by John&LaLa

[Ship faced]

I've been on Freedom the last two weeks, and VOOM is onboard. When it is working, it is extremely fast, but it has it's glitches still on Freedom.

 

Still a darn site better than what we had on Serenade three weeks ago.

I wouldn't put much faith in what was told to the OP, but we all know that RCI has a crack IT group, and with them, anything is possible.

 

Gerry

[BermudaBound2014]

I can't imagine they would be offering it to so many of us if it weren't going to happen.

 

I hate to be a Debbie downer, but please don't get your hopes up for "voom" speed. In order for all ships to have voom by May 1st they would need to install it on the Rhapsody while she is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (as she is doing a transatlantic at the moment and will only be in barcelona day between now and May 1st). I do think you will have some type of Internet, but speed has never been quantified by RCL- so I would count on "gloom" speed on the older ships until passengers actually report zoom. Even gloom speed is infinitely better than the dial up we had for so many years. It will get the job done.

[Durkman]

Seriously doubt they could transition to the O3b (Voom) technology without new antennas. I would think that going from a synchonous (fixed point in the sky) satellite to multiple fast moving low earth orbit satellites would require a completely different antenna system.

 

Well, this makes sense. Sounds like you are a lot more familiar with the technology than I am. It is just strange that suddenly RCI would launch a big promotion for a service that is not even going to be available. Seems like a lot of work when the simple solution is to just leave the website the way it is and not offer any promotion at all. And then to have an agent provide May 1 as a launch date for the service; that info had to come from somewhere.

 

In the end it doesn't matter. Either the service launches on these ships or it doesn't, if it doesn't and what I get instead isn't satisfactory I'll ask for a refund...although maybe I'll get some screen shots now just to document what I purchased. :)