Serious Question about Internet on Princess

[DCLCrazy]

I download a season of my favorite show to my iPhone/iPad. Then I can watch it without needing internet.

 

 

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[pablo222]

What he does is download stuff from the Tivo app and then watches the shows on his phone. We're not talking about trying to use Netflix.

 

I think the best solution for your friend would be to download as much content as possible to his phone, before he leaves home;

so that he can watch while 'offline' either on a plane or on a ship.

 

Streaming video like this is not really possible on Princess. If that is essential, you should consider one

of the Royal Caribbean ships with Voom.

 

If his phone has a slot for a micro-SD card, get a large one, and fill that.

 

If his phone supports OTG, get an OTG compatiable thumb drive, and fill that.

This is an example:

 

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Android-Devices-Computers-SDDD3-128G-G46/dp/B01M0QR22B/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1500117878&sr=1-4&keywords=otg+thumb+drive

 

Least convenient is to get a wireless file hub -- this is an example:

 

https://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-Wireless-Portable-Companion-Streamer/dp/B016ZWS9ZE/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1500117738&sr=1-2&keywords=wireless+filehub

 

Put your content on the hub, and then connect your phone to it using wi-fi.

 

If your friend is an Amazon Prime member, you can save a lot of video content for offline viewing.

Movies, TV shows, etc.

(I think it has a limit of 25 items. So, 25 movies is quite a few hours of content to watch)

[GoHuskies!]

Yes, download everything you want to watch prior to the cruise, One exception: if you are really into snowboarding and want to see the same half hour of Shaun White on the halfpipe, over and over on the Star's tv 24/7 with no letup, you are in luck. That's what we experienced on a September cruise to Hawaii two years ago on the Star, filled with seniors, walkers, wheelchairs and canes. I use a cane myself for balance (though my wife insists it's a "walking stick"). I do enjoy snow sports but this was an unbelievably bad choice on Princess' part.

[pablo222]

One exception: if you are really into snowboarding and want to see the same half hour of Shaun White on the halfpipe, over and over on the Star's tv 24/7 with no letup, you are in luck. That's what we experienced on a September cruise to Hawaii two years ago on the Star, filled with seniors, walkers, wheelchairs and canes.

 

How did you tear yourself away from the endless loop of a 20-year old Tina Turner concert on MUTS??

 

I guess that's the beauty of cruising ... YOU get to choose what to do.

[travelgirl45]

It's just 90 days until my first Princess cruise! My traveling companion likes to stream TV shows. Can the internet on board a Princess ship handle this?

 

Particulars: We'll be on the Star Princess. What he does is download stuff from the Tivo app and then watches the shows on his phone. We're not talking about trying to use Netflix.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

I guess because I am not a TV watcher, why would you want to download shows to watch while on a cruise. Isn't there enough to occupy you instead of doing something that you can do at home. Try something new. In the eve. enjoy the outdoors. So much can be done rather than watching shows on your phone.

[DCLCrazy]

I guess because I am not a TV watcher, why would you want to download shows to watch while on a cruise. Isn't there enough to occupy you instead of doing something that you can do at home. Try something new. In the eve. enjoy the outdoors. So much can be done rather than watching shows on your phone.

 

 

 

I can't speak for the OP's friend but for me, I can't fall asleep without watching tv. Preferably my favorite tv show. Especially if I wake up in the middle of the night. It helps me go back to sleep instead of thinking about the day to come.

 

 

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[Tatka]

I guess because I am not a TV watcher, why would you want to download shows to watch while on a cruise. Isn't there enough to occupy you instead of doing something that you can do at home. Try something new. In the eve. enjoy the outdoors. So much can be done rather than watching shows on your phone.

 

 

 

While exercising in gym for example. I usually watch news while on elliptical, but programming is really limited.

[NavyVeteran]

I can't speak for the OP's friend but for me, I can't fall asleep without watching tv. Preferably my favorite tv show. Especially if I wake up in the middle of the night. It helps me go back to sleep instead of thinking about the day to come.

 

 

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You can always watch the Love Boat reruns on the Princess TV channel.

[satxdiver]

You can always watch the Love Boat reruns on the Princess TV channel.

:eek::eek:

 

There is at least 1/2 second signal latency between the time that an internet signal is sent and it is received by the sending station. Add to this the time it takes an online service to respond to a request. The ship is moving so the satellite dish is on a moving vessel that is perhaps experiencing rough seas making satellite connections tenuous at best. All parts of the earth are not covered the same and some parts are not covered at all so it depends on where you are located. With the proliferation of devices capable of internet capacity, 3000+ pax can load it down. Moral is to expect slow service and perhaps frequent dropped signals where the packets (signals) have to be retransmitted many times.

[peety3]

:eek::eek:

 

There is at least 1/2 second signal latency between the time that an internet signal is sent and it is received by the sending station. Add to this the time it takes an online service to respond to a request. The ship is moving so the satellite dish is on a moving vessel that is perhaps experiencing rough seas making satellite connections tenuous at best. All parts of the earth are not covered the same and some parts are not covered at all so it depends on where you are located. With the proliferation of devices capable of internet capacity, 3000+ pax can load it down. Moral is to expect slow service and perhaps frequent dropped signals where the packets (signals) have to be retransmitted many times.

Right, but in the case of a streamed show, the latency doesn't matter: if every packet is delayed by 547 ms, you're just 547ms behind "real-time" or at least what's been sent by the server. Most streams only do a cursory "yep, I'm still watching, keep sending packets" acknowledgement every so often (sub-second to multi-second), not a strict "I hereby acknowledge packets up to #157923475", and if the sending server realizes you're on a high-latency connection it may adapt to the reality of your connection. That said, in the case of a real-time protocol like what's used for VoIP, if the packet is dropped, the packet is dropped; there's no point in resending as the world has moved on from that dropout.

[Carl Nival]

This is Carl Nival again. Personally, I don't need tv or internet while I'm on a cruise. I enjoy being separated from the world. I'm going to try to pay all my bills in advance and have plenty in my checking, so I don't worry about money while I'm cruising. But my partner likes to watch TV to unwind and relax. He's also an introvert, and all of that socializing on a cruise can wear him down, and he needs to recharge his batteries.

[Amster12345]

I had done so many cruises on Princess that I thought that was the norm. Internet availability, but very SLOW and very expensive. I always buy a package for 150 minutes and use it sparingly to check email every day. The last cruise we did was on Royal Caribbean. They do it completely differently. In a way more expensive, but also much more available. Instead of paying about $1/minute, you pay $25 per day. So for a ten day cruise, it's a lot. But it is available 24/7. Use it as much or as little as you want. It's not the fastest, but it's much faster than Princess. For $35 per day, they had a quicker speed for streaming video, but honestly we didn't notice that big a difference between the two.

[satxdiver]

Right, but in the case of a streamed show, the latency doesn't matter: if every packet is delayed by 547 ms, you're just 547ms behind "real-time" or at least what's been sent by the server. Most streams only do a cursory "yep, I'm still watching, keep sending packets" acknowledgement every so often (sub-second to multi-second), not a strict "I hereby acknowledge packets up to #157923475", and if the sending server realizes you're on a high-latency connection it may adapt to the reality of your connection. That said, in the case of a real-time protocol like what's used for VoIP, if the packet is dropped, the packet is dropped; there's no point in resending as the world has moved on from that dropout.

 

It all depends on whether the sender is using UDP or TCP protocol. While VoIP certainly uses UDP as it is the most efficient, streaming video may not be so forgiving to UDP as parts may be missing.

 

Anyone who has satellite TV is well aware of the loss of signal when certain atmospheric conditions occur and that is with a stationary dish. Moral is just do not expect the quality one receives at home while on the cable or twisted pair.

[pablo222]

I can't speak for the OP's friend but for me, I can't fall asleep without watching tv. Preferably my favorite tv show. Especially if I wake up in the middle of the night. It helps me go back to sleep instead of thinking about the day to come. .

 

Blue is supposed to keep you awake.

I have one phone which has a setting to reduce blue.

 

I need some sort of blue-blocker sun glasses for late night tv viewing.

[jrblach]

get a t-mobile phone. consider adding tablet. unlimited data in 120 countries. you can do stuff in the ports = your phone is your own internet cafe. free text in and out. wifi calling via sprint for 2 cents per minute. check email, pay bills, stream etc. the new ships have better internet - connected to fast system. old ships are slooooow. try to avoid internet usage on the ships - expensive and slow.

bring movies with you and hook laptop into tv. ask about the ship you will sail if connection possible and how. new ships are getting more 20th century - oops we are 21st. maybe someday