Iconcierge app on Getaway

[NyYankees2k3]

Does the Getaway offer pay as you internet? Or is that gone. Used to be .75 cents per minute.

[NyYankees2k3]

I was reading you could use the app to call. Is that valid without an internet plan?

I saw from a post in 2015 that it's .79 per minute to call from the App? Anyone confirm?

[babybird626]

I was reading you could use the app to call. Is that valid without an internet plan?

I saw from a post in 2015 that it's .79 per minute to call from the App? Anyone confirm?

Just off the ship Sunday, you can not call from the app.There is a pay as you go internet option I think it was .95 per min

[norway olin]

Just off the ship Sunday, you can not call from the app.

 

When did this change?

[ravnmaniac228]

I was reading you could use the app to call. Is that valid without an internet plan?

 

I saw from a post in 2015 that it's .79 per minute to call from the App? Anyone confirm?

 

 

You can call others on the ship that have the app and purchase the plan.

 

 

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[NyYankees2k3]

Just off the ship Sunday, you can not call from the app.There is a pay as you go internet option I think it was .95 per min

 

That stinks. Thanks.

 

Do you have to pay 3.95 activation on top of .95 ??

 

Verizon just changed their phone plan.. it used to be 1.79$ per minute calling on cruise, now it's 2.99$ per minute..

[shawn419]

I just left the Getaway yesterday, and iMessage did NOT work for any of us while onboard.

 

 

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Did you use the app instead, if so how much was it? Also who was your cruise director?

[shawn419]

Just off the ship Sunday, you can not call from the app.There is a pay as you go internet option I think it was .95 per min

You can call others on the ship with the app though right? Also, who was your cruise director?

[stickey_mouse]

Did you use the app instead, if so how much was it? Also who was your cruise director?

 

Sorry, I didn't use that feature. Silas was the cruise director.

 

 

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[babybird626]

You can call others on the ship with the app though right? Also, who was your cruise director?

I don't think you can call from the app. that was not a feature of the app. I did not try imessage. It was good for reservations,checking your account, and finding out activities ect.

[margie1221]

"They" read these boards - only a matter of time before the "loophole" was fixed - oh well!!

 

PS to mking8288 - awesome detailed, technical explanation - although, I must admit, I felt like JJ Watt in the Bose commercial :)

[reno3]

That stinks. Thanks.

 

Do you have to pay 3.95 activation on top of .95 ??

 

Verizon just changed their phone plan.. it used to be 1.79$ per minute calling on cruise, now it's 2.99$ per minute..

 

I would like to know this also. I will do the early bird check in with SW but I would like to print out

my boarding passes before I get to the airport.

[mking8288]

"They" read these boards - only a matter of time before the "loophole" was fixed - oh well!!

PS to mking8288 - awesome detailed, technical explanation - although, I must admit ...

Sure they do - at least sometimes - & maintain their silence, then quietly do their thing. Whatever intel & tips I can find and confirm to squeeze out every last bit of usage out of our data plan, the better we are ... nothing is really free, all priced into the bottomline we paid.

 

If others & you can make use it, brings a smile & smirk on my face - will be on NCL ship again this Spring & do more scouting to see what's new & different. Until they update/upgrade their APP, some of the "ports" will remain un-fixed, enjoy while it last. Either my Andorid and iPhone has fixed matters on this end or NCL patched theirs - I am no longer remotely "connected" to their fleet's ship-based WiFi system, even when the nearest ship is at least 20 or 25 miles away - can't even do that via repeaters from portable ham radio :D

 

I would like to know this also. I will do the early bird check in with SW but I would like to print out

my boarding passes before I get to the airport.

 

AT&T was (is ??) a major partner with MTN and Cellular At Sea, seemed like VZW and AT&T Wireless all decided to make cruise ship pax "captive audience" and charge "amazing" prices for their satellite internet connection ... Royal & Carnival are much better on speed & pricing. It is what it is. Nowadays, we do our best to minimize paying for WiFi access onboard unless it's a must and/or for emergencies - once we are in ports and onshore - our regular plan got us covered, 20 cents a minute for voice calling but lowered to 2 cents or 4 cents over WiFi, free if calling USA and $10 per 1GB of roaming 4G-LTE fast data.

[babybird626]

I would like to know this also. I will do the early bird check in with SW but I would like to print out

my boarding passes before I get to the airport.

Yes you pay the $3.95 and the .95/minute. If you have to check your bags you can print your boarding pass then.

[reno3]

Yes you pay the $3.95 and the .95/minute. If you have to check your bags you can print your boarding pass then.

 

Thank you, I think I will just do the onboard check in since there are 4 of us. Early bird checkin would be $60.00. I don't think it will cost me that much to do it on the ship. I can't think that it would take more than 15-20 minutes to check in on SW.

[reno3]

I see on the dailies that the iconnect managers hours for the Internet Cafe are from 8:00am - 10:00 am. I would like to pay by the minute for internet. How does this work? I need to sign in at 11:15 am to print out my boarding passes. Do I have to start paying at 10:00am if I purchase at that time????

[reno3]

My cruise is over and now in a snow storm.....I wanted to update on the pay by the minute internet.

All I needed the internet for was to get my boarding passes for SW which I did in the internet cafe.

There is a $3.95 activation fee.

30 minutes $19.99

250 minutes $125.00

Pay as you go $0.99/minute

I did the 30 minute since I figured it would take a long time if the internet was slow. I did talk

to a woman that was just finishing and she said it was very slow. From the time I logged on to

the time I finished it was less than 15 minutes to check in 4 people and print boarding passes for each.

[claven]

Just got off the Getaway last week.

 

You can not text ANYONE while on board, unless you pay for some sort of service. I have an iphone, and tried and you have no cell service. I was able to connect to the ships wifi but could not do anything with it. I did use the iconcierge app and after paying the 15.99 fee was able to message others who also paid the fee. BUT, you have to use the device ID number not the actual phone number to do this. I was able to call and text, ALSO, the coverage was horrible and very spotty. Now, by each elevator you can use the house phone to call the cabin and talk to people.

 

d

[MizDemeanor]

So the solution is to get some sort of a plan on board that allows text messaging to others back home...do I have that right?

[mking8288]

Just got off the Getaway last week. You can not text ANYONE while on board ... I have an iphone, and tried and you have no cell service. I was able to connect to the ships wifi but could not do anything with it. I did use the iconcierge app and after paying the 15.99 fee was able to message others who also paid the fee. BUT, you have to use the device ID number not the actual phone number to do this. I was able to call and text, ALSO, the coverage was horrible and very spotty ... d

It sounds like the services worked as advertised, intended and as described by fellow CC users.

Apparently, NCL closed that backdoor or loophole to use iMessage free, to text ... not a surprise. It's been discussed that iConcierge user will be assigned an unique 8 digits ID for calling/texting other registered/activated user on the ship's WiFi inTRAnet system, never to other land-based or cellular-based users not on the system.

$15.99 fee is high - is that per device or for 2 devices ?

 

So the solution is to get some sort of a plan on board that allows text messaging to others back home...do I have that right?

Yes, with a paid WiFi data plan - one can do texting or SMS while connected to the ship's system ... it can get rather expensive. Popular postpaid cellular plans usually allow for texting/SMS (without using or getting charged for data, including data roaming at sea ... as it'll involve costly satellite relays) There's always a possibility of delays or messages not getting thru, however.

 

We use Google's Hangouts and it works across different platform over both cellular and WiFi data, and about as reliable as it can get, free Apps that work on iPhones & iPads.

[uneamie]

Well....since we choose the "free Wifi" bonus of 250 minutes...I think I will connect to home via FB messaging to check in with my son and family. That's all we really need. It would be nice to be able to text my 2 brothers who are cruising with us as they travel around the ship....so we can connect or meet in certain spots and it would be a great addition if the cruise line could add to the perks of sailing with them if they could figure out how we could text each other on board... but maybe they will do that down the road somehow someday.

[claven]

That was one of my biggest annoyances was lack of communication between fellow cruisers. Yes the 15.99 is per device and you could call and text whoever paid that fee and was connected to the ships Wi-Fi.

 

 

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[uneamie]

That was one of my biggest annoyances was lack of communication between fellow cruisers. Yes the 15.99 is per device and you could call and text whoever paid that fee and was connected to the ships Wi-Fi.

 

 

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Yeah that's my biggest annoyance......if I had an Iphone I'd pay the per device but I only have a tracfone. Why does the world think everyone owns one of those? LOL. I remember when computers started to be popular and now the world expects everyone to own one.....many people don't....I do have one of those obviously. But, that will be the day that I pay over $500 for a phone and then over a $100 per month to use it. ugh! Nope, not me. I will stick with my home home and $99 per year tracfone.