Hooray! Voom takes RCL to the future.

[serialcruiser48]

I'm totally addicted to Internet. I'm much happier on a cruise with fast Internet. From now on I'm totally RCL and I plan on cruising more than in the past. At least now, I can pick any RCL ship and enjoy Voom

 

I experienced Voom on the Allure for 19 days and got the following test results.

286 ms ping rate. The ping rate is extremely important since it's the fetch component of getting web pages to appear. The HIGHER the ping rate, the SLOWER Internet is going to seem. Regardless of bandwidth.

I was at times able to get 25 Mbps download. But the Internet was for the most part just like being at home, and this was during the crossing from BCE to FLL.

 

Here is the announcement from the RCL website.

 

 

THE FASTEST INTERNET AT SEA NOW AVAILABLE FLEETWIDE ONLY ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN

VOOM Rivals Wi-Fi on Land and Enables Streaming From All 24 Ships Worldwide

 

MIAMI, May 2, 2016 – Beginning today, Royal Caribbean International is making VOOM, its exclusive, high-speed internet service – the fastest at sea – available fleetwide on its 24 innovative ships sailing to the most popular destinations around the world. VOOM allows guests vacationing with Royal Caribbean to always stay connected and to stream their favorite music, movies and TV shows to stay up to date on the latest happenings. Whether they are posting envy-inducing vacation photos on Instagram or Snapchat, or video-chatting with loved ones back home using FaceTime or Skype, travelers can share their adventures in real-time with family and friends. Guests can even relax or chill poolside while catching up on their favorite TV show or the newest movie.

 

“VOOM is revolutionizing the onboard experience for our guests as well as for our crew and it is truly a game-changer for the industry,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Everything our guests and crew can do online at home, they will now be able to do from onboard all of our ships around the world.”

 

Known for the most innovative ships at sea, the cruise line has made a significant investment to enhance guests’ internet connectivity experience outfitting its newest smart ships with the latest and most advanced in technology and continually upgrading its existing fleet. Through a combination of Wi-Fi service providers, Royal Caribbean is able to deliver more overall bandwidth fleetwide than any other cruise line. The enhancements will provide speeds at least twice as fast as before and also have enabled the cruise line to provide service at prices that are less expensive than ever before – comparable to most land-based resorts.

 

Travelers sailing on all Royal Caribbean ships can enjoy the fastest internet at sea at a flat price with guests choosing from two packages:

 

Surf, which provides guests the opportunity to surf the web, stay in touch via email, and share their vacation photos on social media. Surf packages start at $12.99 per device per day with additional devices added at a discounted cost. Family packages – 5 devices or more – start as low as $8.99 per device per day.

Surf and Stream, which is ideal for guests looking to do more than connect via email or social channels, but also want the capability to stream movies and music from Netflix or Spotify, and to connect using video chat apps such as Skype. This package is available for $17.99 per device per day. Additional devices can be connected at a discount and family packages – 5 devices or more – start as low as $11.99 per device per day.

This pricing is a significant improvement from the standard programs currently offered throughout the industry, many of which charge on a per-minute basis.

 

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 46-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea. The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike. Onboard, guests are catered to with the cruise line’s world-renowned friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service by every staff and crew member. Royal Caribbean has been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 13 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

 

The cruise line sails 24 of the world’s most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in Bermuda and the Caribbean, Europe, Canada and New England, Alaska, South America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. Media can stay up-to-date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter, and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should call their travel agent; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

[Ourusualbeach]

Don't believe everything that you read. All ships do not yet have VOOM.

[Vigilant007]

Don't believe everything that you read. All ships do not yet have VOOM.

 

My Liberty of the Seas cruise has the "VOOM + Streaming" as a definite option. I'm going to be testing this pretty heavily on the ship.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Here is the announcement from the RCL website.

 

 

THE FASTEST INTERNET AT SEA NOW AVAILABLE FLEETWIDE ONLY ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN

 

Known for the most innovative ships at sea, the cruise line has made a significant investment to enhance guests’ internet connectivity experience outfitting its newest smart ships with the latest and most advanced in technology and continually upgrading its existing fleet. Through a combination of Wi-Fi service providers, Royal Caribbean is able to deliver more overall bandwidth fleetwide than any other cruise line. The enhancements will provide speeds at least twice as fast as before .

 

This is the critical paragraph and confirms what some of us have been suspecting. VOOM does not necessarily equate to the super-fast O3b service, it can mean an upgraded conventional satellite service (it talks of a combination of providers). Let's be honest, "at least as twice as fast as before" is a pretty low bar! RCI have been rolling out upgraded kit for a couple of years at least, I believe, so it seems that VOOM is more about marketing than the new technology :)

Edited May 4, 2016 by Cotswold Eagle

[Biker19]

My Liberty of the Seas cruise has the "VOOM + Streaming" as a definite option. I'm going to be testing this pretty heavily on the ship.

Every ship has the option - not every ship has the equipment.:cool:

Edited May 4, 2016 by Biker19

[alwaysflyin]

I'm on the Jewel right now and the internet speed has been fantastic--really no difference than what I experience at home. This is a game changer for me and means that I can cruise a lot more than I currently do.

 

My only question is how can we keep track of which ships actually have VOOM up and running and which don't?

[Cotswold Eagle]

I'm on the Jewel right now and the internet speed has been fantastic--really no difference than what I experience at home. This is a game changer for me and means that I can cruise a lot more than I currently do.

 

My only question is how can we keep track of which ships actually have VOOM up and running and which don't?

 

There's a VOOM roll call thread - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2351143

 

It would be really good to have a speed test result, especially the ping, to confirm if this is O3b, e.g. using speedtest.net

Edited May 4, 2016 by Cotswold Eagle

[Flickster83]

I'm hoping someone can help me with Voom and surf. When I look at the Internet package it says per device but then when you go into the cart it says per adult. So if me and my husband wanted 1 device is it £9.09 per day or £18.18. Makes a big difference on a 2 week cruise.

If it is the more expensive option we are at sea for 6 days. Is there anyway of adding it for 24 hours onboard and does anyone know roughly how much.

 

Thanks

[Biker19]

I'm hoping someone can help me with Voom and surf. When I look at the Internet package it says per device but then when you go into the cart it says per adult. So if me and my husband wanted 1 device is it £9.09 per day or £18.18. Makes a big difference on a 2 week cruise.

If it is the more expensive option we are at sea for 6 days. Is there anyway of adding it for 24 hours onboard and does anyone know roughly how much.

When you get the one device package, you can use it on any one device for the whole cruise. You could have 5 devices but as long as only one of you is one device at a time, either of you can use it on one of your 5 devices. You can get one day at a time and I think the last reported price was at least $20.

 

BTW, the SURF package at £6.99 will probably be enough for most uses. The SURF+STREAM at £9.09 might be more than you need.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Biker19