Ship wifi for work

[Froggitt]

Assumed that you have a cost center to charge back for reimbursement as office/work-related expenses - do what you have to do while on vacation, a cruise at high seas; and, have a plan B and plan C ;)

 

Take whatever devices you plan/need to use to go online with work to your I.T. dept at work, and have them check, review & adjust your app & system settings, including hardware level, VPN, DNS, etc. etc. - and test it to confirm that it's working, including the browser(s) & firewall configuration. Re-verify it from home/outside before leaving on a similiarly slow connection i.e. McD, Starbucks, DD, etc.

 

Plan ahead for port days to know where & how to get a cellular and WiFi signal, when I travel abroad - I do not, never count on getting a free & unsecured WiFi signal; and, most definitely, not with sensitive corporate or company emals & documents.

 

Good luck & please share on your success, hopefully - a positive outcome.

 

P.S. Are are familiar with Linix OS and ever use it - mine is portable on an USB stick, can run off someone's PC or laptop as a standalone.

 

As of November 2016, Epic, the three VPNs I tried using were all disabled by the NCL wifi configuration.

[mking8288]

As of November 2016, Epic, the three VPNs I tried using were all disabled by the NCL wifi configuration.

Well, well, well - not surprised at all. NCL has always been vague & non-committing on its broadband features and their published online info is about as reliable as believing what the call center agent's words on these technical matters ;)

 

OP is sailing Bermuda in about 9 months on the BA, based on her signature/details - lots of things can happen, more "upgrades" & pledge for enhancement ... #cough #cough

 

Sea days are the problem for OP in trying to do work onboard - just use Digicel or 4G/LTE while at Dockyard for those 2.5 island days, as the signal is stronger, better & more reliable ... even on SeaExpress while we're bouncing a little on the fast ferry to St. George, can't do that with ship's WiFi alone. We have a Project Fi line plus a data-Sim only line that's good for the iPad Mini, iPhone & Nexus devices - dirt cheap 4G international/roaming data in 120 countries (was 3G, upgraded across the board, thanks Google) at $10 USD for 1,000 MB (that's 1 GB) ... and it's encrypted VPN over WiFi. Downside, it doesn't work on cruise ships ... yet :p

 

Unless OP is expected to work on a Sunday, sea days are Monday & Tuesday, and late Friday thru Saturday - thus, I won't even bother with the unlimited WiFi plan. Specific to BA, the "Free At Sea" 250 minutes is (still) really 1GB of data or 1,000 usable minutes, plentiful (at 16+ "metered" hours) to do whatever - if, and only if the latency & signal/bandwidth, etc. is adequate to support the virtual connection. Otherwise, "buy" the 300 minutes ... I think it's $59 or $79 (pricing always subject to change w/o notice) to start, add more if needed as long as it's functional.

 

I wouldn't go out to just buy a tablet/iPad just for this and if going spent the money, get one with 4G/LTE Sim slots, unlocked for all carriers - just pop a locally activated/working prepaid Sim & "go" ... Google "Project Fi" - best known open secret among global business travelers from the US ... 120+ countries for data & voice.

Edited January 6, 2017 by mking8288

[Dayana]

Well, well, well - not surprised at all. NCL has always been vague & non-committing on its broadband features and their published online info is about as reliable as believing what the call center agent's words on these technical matters ;)

 

OP is sailing Bermuda in about 9 months on the BA, based on her signature/details - lots of things can happen, more "upgrades" & pledge for enhancement ... #cough #cough

 

Sea days are the problem for OP in trying to do work onboard - just use Digicel or 4G/LTE while at Dockyard for those 2.5 island days, as the signal is stronger, better & more reliable ... even on SeaExpress while we're bouncing a little on the fast ferry to St. George, can't do that with ship's WiFi alone. We have a Project Fi line plus a data-Sim only line that's good for the iPad Mini, iPhone & Nexus devices - dirt cheap 4G international/roaming data in 120 countries (was 3G, upgraded across the board, thanks Google) at $10 USD for 1,000 MB (that's 1 GB) ... and it's encrypted VPN over WiFi. Downside, it doesn't work on cruise ships ... yet :p

 

Unless OP is expected to work on a Sunday, sea days are Monday & Tuesday, and late Friday thru Saturday - thus, I won't even bother with the unlimited WiFi plan. Specific to BA, the "Free At Sea" 250 minutes is (still) really 1GB of data or 1,000 usable minutes, plentiful (at 16+ "metered" hours) to do whatever - if, and only if the latency & signal/bandwidth, etc. is adequate to support the virtual connection. Otherwise, "buy" the 300 minutes ... I think it's $59 or $79 (pricing always subject to change w/o notice) to start, add more if needed as long as it's functional.

 

I wouldn't go out to just buy a tablet/iPad just for this and if going spent the money, get one with 4G/LTE Sim slots, unlocked for all carriers - just pop a locally activated/working prepaid Sim & "go" ... Google "Project Fi" - best known open secret among global business travelers from the US ... 120+ countries for data & voice.

 

 

Thanks so much for the advice. Yes I do have a cruise planned for sept 2017 but I just booked another one for the upcoming winter break in Feb 2017. The ship will port in fl and Bahamas. I'm assuming I will have better chance of service in Fl as to get a good amount of work done in that one day and thereby have the rest of the time to enjoy the cruise with my kids. I wanted a data plan as opposed to using wifi that may not be secure. I have used vpn on my phone and was able to connect just fine via cellular data. Hoping if I simply add a data plan to my tablet it will work better (as it would be a bigger screen). This would be an investment exactly for this purpose (of being able to take vacations and still get 1 or 2 days of work in).

 

 

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[steven727]

Anyone ever used ship wifi for work purposes. Like to access work material online.

 

 

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going escape 2018 whats cost wi fi? cheaper use 4g on tablet?

[mking8288]

Thanks so much for the advice. Yes I do have a cruise planned for sept 2017 but I just booked another one for ...Feb 2017 ... assuming I will have better chance of service in Fl ... wanted a data plan as opposed to using wifi that may not be secure. I have used vpn on my phone ... just fine via cellular data. Hoping if I simply add a data plan to my tablet ...

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Let me explain my setup: travel with as many as 5 or 6 devices, 3 Androids, an iPhone & iPad Mini all with 4G/LTE connectivity - 2 of which dual band, 5 GHz plus the common, popular 2.4 GHz - and either a HD laptop or light travel notebook, plus assorted gadgets & cables. Project Fi is optimized for running Nexus (now, Pixel) devices but its data-only sim (as add-on) is great on the iPhone (mine 5S, unlocked) and newer iPad (as they tend to have more bands/coverage worldwide) DW's Fi line was ported from T-Mobile and unlimited calling & 1GB data monthly, taxes & fees come to about $35 a month in total, cheap & only pay for whatever data used on the spare data sims (2 of them) associated with the prime line, mainly when traveling but also in case of emergencies ... easy to do VoIP / FaceTime / Skype / Hangouts & Duo, etc. as the primary # is Google Voice #, ringing at multiple devices as needed.

 

A Pixel tablet or iPad Mini 3 or 4 (or a full size "Air") plus a bluetooth keyboard might be all you need - or, if you think you can get by, the 6+ or 7+ screen ... DW loved her Nexus 6, it's big enough to read PDF's and email, among other tasks & with a travel keyboard, great - not for "heavy" non-touchpad typing. Another option - Chromebook, it's light & excellent battery life, but at the expense of storage capacity & needing to be connected & data access a must - cellular and/or WiFi.

 

Biased on Androids over iPhones - ability to act as hotspot, especially with Fi's data sim, easy & simple, no surprises on billing; and, when we flew to South Korea last Fall for a week, just rented a local Sim for the week as visitors don't get access to prepaid Sim. Look over the last BA review that I wrote up from last May, especially last 2 pages - plenty of useful info, tips & ideas on how you can make the best of out of being on a NCL ship - with its broadband limitation ... unlike CCL or Royal. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2358922

 

If you are booked on the BA sailing FL & Nassau, consider switching one of your "Free At Sea" promo to the 250 minutes offer, it's worth it over the dining or beverage plan, IMO - you will have WiFi on the ship, just have to log-out and in when going online. From the ship, you will have land tower's cellular signal about 1 hour to 30 minutes before docking until leaving port late evening. No signal at GSC on the next day ... if tendering is successful, otherwise a fun day at sea & possibly arriving Nassau early/dock by evening & staying overnight until next afternoon for all abroad to return to NY - then, Fi network will pickup & provide cellular data access to do plenty of work.

 

Without factoring the cost of the base plan with Fi, charges for the roaming or int'l data Sim usage is just $10 for every 1,000 MB or 1 GB worth of data use. Aside from the up-front investment of the device (tablet or Pixel devices, or, get a solid pre-owned Nexus 5X or 6P for under $300 on Swappa ... half the price of one of the newer iPad/mini with a sim slot) - you would be paying as little as $30 to $35 a month for this "extra" travel voice line & 500MB to 1 GB of "home" data as used. Unlimited plan on NCL for 7 nights is about $210 now, doesn't work on land at all once away from the ship - and, enough to pay for 5+ months of Fi's monthly services. Pretty good deal, huh ... to fill the gap while "stranded" on a cruise for 2 or 3 or 4 days on longer sailings, get the "extra" WiFi at NCL's asking/going prices.

 

WiFi on other NCL ships are mostly reported to be "not as good" and/or no better than that of the Breakaway ... we are booked on the GEM later this Spring and will probably check it up, fortunately - no need for staying in touch with the office or work, just for the fun of it, to see what "upgrades" NCL promised & suggested that it was completely last August ... some of us aren't convinced, besides some caching tricks as the bandwidth isn't there.

 

Have fun researching & looking over your options - you still have time, Google will ship out your Fi sim & starter kit, if you decided to go that route, fast & easy. Then, try to enjoy your cruise & spend family time together and pack an external USB battery pack, comes in handy while ashore.

[pcakes122]

I always read these threads with interest to see what other folks' experiences have been with the ships' internet since I have honestly never encountered these issues. I am totally NOT a techie and can only share my experience - so I don't know what part of what I am doing or not doing is helping me connect successfully.

 

I travel with an HP laptop, a Samsung Galaxy tablet and Samsung smart phone and I am usually working during the day which, for me, means corporate email (with large attachments) & web conferencing accessed via VPN (Pulse Secure is the program), continual presence on instant message (Cisco Jabber.) I also get and make alot of phone calls. I always purchase the NCL unlimited wifi plan - and my phone can be used as a digital hotspot, if necessary. On non-work hours, I watch ALOT of You Tube, Hulu, etc.

 

I ALWAYS am booked in aft-facing balcony cabins or suites and I sail from New York City on either the Breakaway or Gem. On the Florida/Bahamas itineraries, I never recall having a single issue. On Caribbean or Bermuda itineraries there have been occasional times I've had to engage my phone's digital hotspot, but I have never experienced an extended (more than 30 minutes) dead spot EXCEPT for one time when NCL internet was completely down (received a credit.)

 

I don't know if my cabin location or departure port/destination makes the difference - but when I read so many accounts of bad/spotty/non-existent internet, I am always surprised.

 

Also surprised to read the news that NCL is now blocking VPNs. I didn't work during my December cruise, but my VPN access was fine on my September Gem cruise. Blocking VPNs would force me to be on vacation while on vacation (probably a good idea! :p)

[AmazedByCruising]

I'm not real tech savvy, but I do know that the ship's desktop computers, and there are probably 50 or more, are online to corporate 24/7 in real time, which I assume means a virtual desktop. As an officer types a requisition into the system onboard, that data is going to the same program on the corporate server as he/she types. We also can see keystrokes done by corporate. Also, the surveillance cameras can be accessed remotely by corporate at any time, and I'm told this video feed takes a lot of bandwidth.

 

OK, virtual desktops... That's at least 80kbps (much worse when printing), times 50.

 

I did my taxes using a virtual desktop on a ship, on a seaday just too far from land to reach a cellphone tower, and the experience was even worse than doing taxes already is.

 

Pondering "did I miss-click or are we just waiting for this item to turn blue?" or in some areas maybe no connection at all feels like a nightmare.

[mjcatlvr]

WIFI signal is VERY weak, except in U.S. ports on ALL of the cruises I have been on. Even though we ALWAYS buy an internet package, it is always slow and there is no way to do document transfers. You would be better off in port finding a Starbucks or something with free WIFI.

[PaulaSB12]

The wifi was good enough to stream netflix when I was on the epic. In port or out of port. One of the few good things about the ship.