WiFi on board

[Jayjaybee]

You are quite right, But I certainly don't pay anything like £25 per day for my full access internet so it is a rip off. I suppose the best way to go is not to buy packages onboard and to wait for the freebies in Port. However there is always a danger that as they are open and free, you are also open to be hacked fairly easily. Perhaps a tip is to follow the crew , who seem to know where every free access point is all over the world.

And as for follow up, I agree there is little opportunity on the cruise satisfaction card to make comments. However we can always write to customer services in Southampton and make our feelings known. Whether it makes a difference or not, only time will tell. One thing for sure is that I won't be getting ripped anymore and certainly not be paying these high prices for something which I think aught to be free anyway.

In the end of the day, you pays ya money, ya takes ya choice.

[Southendweather]

I suppose that's no different to your internet service at home - just more expensive [emoji53] interestingly the questionnaire only asked about the quality of service and not the value and the question was asked after the open box opportunity to add comments. P&O ask feedback questions in such a way they prevent you giving the feedback you would like to give. Any survey should provide an open comment box at the very end, if the company really cares for customer opinion. Hopefully passengers will be choosy how they invest in this service and use the increasingly good port wifi (which can be picked up on the promenade deck in some ports).

 

 

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PandO know what the fairest solution would be and that would be a similar approach as data packages (500Mb limit etc) you have on your mobile/smart phones, at a reasonable cost, but would rather exploit their customers with sky high prices. I have suggested this numerous times, but of course they have another agenda. You can get away with this approach for so long but it catches up with you in the end.

There does seem to be more *hidden* charges nowadays and I am wondering whether they are trying to claw back a reduction in profits brought about by the falling pound and subsequent fuel prices.

[Brayman]

It seems "following the crew" isn't so obvious now as I understand they get very good rates on the ship and have little need to go ashore just for wi-fi.

[Jayjaybee]

Hmmm interesting comment. Not my experience though. At the free points the crew were always there in great numbers, so maybe free is still cheaper than any preferencial rates that may or may not be given on board. I have just returned from a 24 dayer and it was the same then. Loads of crew at the free points in every port.

Two choices really. Pay the rates , or find the freebies.

[Clodia]

We were catching up with emails, along with some of the crew, in Iceland in August, when an American woman suddenly made a skype call home and started shrieking to her grandchildren, She chucked everyone else off the internet!

I have to say that murder was nearly done...

[brynmelyndavid]

I need to stay in touch for business reasons so I am prepared to pay the package, however when I called to try and pre-book an internet package I was told I could only do so once I was on board. Apparently I have to register and then I will be charged in 24 hour increments every time I activate a new 24 hour period online. The periods also run from 24 hours from the moment you first use the internet so if you start one day at 8am you will have access until 8am the following day. However if you don't then log on again until say 6pm your next 24 hours will only start from then. This may not mean you are paying the full cost every day....

[Pink-belle]

I think the new system is great, personally when on a cruise ship if my phone wasn't also my camera it would be switched off and in the safe the entire time.

On the other hand other members of our family need to stay connected to home. So I know we are all different.

 

For years people moaned about the poor connection, how many minutes of their packages were lost trying to get pages to load etc etc.

Now there is a much quicker, reliable package, people are moaning about how much it costs to use it!

 

I think P&O have it just right, a service, that works, can be purchased if you wish to use it, you pay your money you take your choice.

 

My 19 year old nephew intends to spend some of his money on Internet access, I am spending mine on Gin Cocktails, both happy :)

[Happy_Girl]

Do you know if you can move between packages?

 

Say I start with the middle package but decide one day I want to do a live broadcast on Facebook, can I go up to the top package for 24 hours, returning to the middle package in the next 24 hour period?

 

 

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[brynmelyndavid]

Do you know if you can move between packages?

 

Say I start with the middle package but decide one day I want to do a live broadcast on Facebook, can I go up to the top package for 24 hours, returning to the middle package in the next 24 hour period?

 

 

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I didn't ask that question I'm afraid, and it took me 20 minutes to get through to anyone on the P&O helpline!

[Florry]

Do you know if you can move between packages?

 

Say I start with the middle package but decide one day I want to do a live broadcast on Facebook, can I go up to the top package for 24 hours, returning to the middle package in the next 24 hour period?

 

 

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Hi yes each time you buy it's like an individual transaction so you can buy any package for a 24 hour period. Also you can upgrade it so say you have brought the smallest package and wish you'd got a larger one you can pay the difference - but it only lasts for the remainder of that 24 hour purchase.

 

 

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[Florry]

I need to stay in touch for business reasons so I am prepared to pay the package, however when I called to try and pre-book an internet package I was told I could only do so once I was on board. Apparently I have to register and then I will be charged in 24 hour increments every time I activate a new 24 hour period online. The periods also run from 24 hours from the moment you first use the internet so if you start one day at 8am you will have access until 8am the following day. However if you don't then log on again until say 6pm your next 24 hours will only start from then. This may not mean you are paying the full cost every day....

 

 

If you use the 24 hour period to your advantage you only need to buy it every other day to get access every day e.g. 2pm-2pm gets you afternoon of day 1 and morning of day 2.

 

 

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[Happy_Girl]

Hi yes each time you buy it's like an individual transaction so you can buy any package for a 24 hour period. Also you can upgrade it so say you have brought the smallest package and wish you'd got a larger one you can pay the difference - but it only lasts for the remainder of that 24 hour purchase.

 

 

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Awesome. Thank you.

 

 

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[Foxman50]

Can anyone clarify how the use of iPads works out for email under the new packages please. I see some people have used them ok, but I'm wondering if they used the native iPad App or not. Asking as new package wording suggests that one level is for 'web mail" which to me (rightly or wrongly) implies access via a browser rather than an App. This would be a real nuisance to me. Also wonder what happens if you have an email that that has attachments to it?

 

 

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[brynmelyndavid]

I have just returned from a 14 day cruise on Azuara and we paid for the middle range 'Browsing' package. We had good coverage in our cabin (R235) and moderate coverage on the balcony even. My ipad worked fine. Browsing was steady, not fast, sometimes taking 30 seconds or more for a page to load and videos were generally not possible to view, but the Facebook App worked perfectly and my email (I use the inbuilt email app) worked fine too, including attachments although they were slow loading.

[Foxman50]

Thanks for that, much appreciated.

 

 

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[Jayvee94]

I read somewhere on one of the social sites that P&O had introduced a pay per minute service because of the number if complaints but at 65p per min is still expensive. Was told by a staff member that also they now get some free wifi on board so don't necessarily go searching for the wifi when on shore.

[Foxman50]

Ok, all noted. Thanks Jayvee94

 

 

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[jessybell]

These posts got me thinking to back in the "good old days" of cruising when we had no means communicating back home apart from the ship to shore telephone which you had to pre-book. I am sure we did not suffer from not having daily updates from family and/or work. I admit to taking my mini iPad on shore these days and tracking down an Internet cafe but refuse to pay the exorbitant charges onboard for access to Internet.

[Foxman50]

I know what you mean jessybell. Unfortunately, whilst I am (mostly) retired, I will have to do several hours work during some of the sea days during our forthcoming World Cruise. This is going to mean picking up and replying to emails and downloading files etc. So no real choice I'm afraid, but I guess a small price to pay in the scheme of things, given that we get to enjoy a WC!

 

 

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[danielundecided]

I have just returned from a 14 day cruise on Azuara and we paid for the middle range 'Browsing' package. We had good coverage in our cabin (R235) and moderate coverage on the balcony even. My ipad worked fine. Browsing was steady, not fast, sometimes taking 30 seconds or more for a page to load and videos were generally not possible to view, but the Facebook App worked perfectly and my email (I use the inbuilt email app) worked fine too, including attachments although they were slow loading.

 

 

Thanks, it's nice to know I can still check faceache and every other pointless social media while I'm away.

 

Do you have to repeatedly log in everytime you use it or can you leave it on?

 

Dan

 

 

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[brynmelyndavid]

Sometimes it seemed to log me out if I was inactive for a while, other times it left me connected, but since I was sharing with my wife and you can only have one device logged in at a time we tended to 'bounce' each other offline.

[Happy_Girl]

Can anyone clarify how the use of iPads works out for email under the new packages please. I see some people have used them ok, but I'm wondering if they used the native iPad App or not. Asking as new package wording suggests that one level is for 'web mail" which to me (rightly or wrongly) implies access via a browser rather than an App. This would be a real nuisance to me. Also wonder what happens if you have an email that that has attachments to it?

 

 

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I used my iPhone with my email accounts set up in the iPhone email app. Perhaps get your accounts set up there before you go? Opened attachments fine too (I was using the £12.50 level if that matters)

 

 

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[Foxman50]

Thanks Happy_Girl. My phone is Android, but both that and iPad apps already configured, so I will try both when on board and see what works best.

 

 

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[Foxman50]

Another thing which might be of interest to some is a data sim that I have come across recently. It is on the Three network and is branded as "Internet with legs on" - it not only works in the U.K. but is advertised that the data allowance can also be used in around 40 other countries, inc. the USA, Australia, New Zealand and many European countries. The data sims vary, but the one I've purchased is a 12gb/12 month one which can be found on eBay and Amazon priced between £26 - £30. I'm going to take this and a mifi unit with me on the WC and give it a try in a few countries while we are ashore.

 

 

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[jessybell]

Shame Foxman 50 you are not doing your WC on Cunard. When we did it two years ago we had free internet the whole way. Can't see why P&O can't offer the same!

Edited December 13, 2016 by jessybell