New Wifi system on Oceania

[Travelcat2]

What should we expect in terms of internet connectivity andwhat would that cost Regent?

Very approximate order of magnitude calculations only.

What is acceptable?? Very subjective but in UK 10Mb/s is deemed by government to be virtuallya “right”. (Expected to increase to 20Mb/s in 2 years and then some time beforefurther increase as limit on non-fibre reached)

Contention ratio is fundamental (number of subscriberssharing this same “supply pipe). Generally,for domestic consumers the ratio is 40:1 and for small/medium commercial 20:1with large users having no contention at all. The rationale behind this thatdomestic users are disparate with non-aligned usage whereas commercial usersare far more aligned, thus concentrating their usage patterns. Large commercialmanage their own contention. At higher speeds, the contention ratio can beincreased as uploads/downloads take up less time. Latency (delay) also has aneffect and at long latency times (i.e. satellite) the contention ratio shouldbe decreased to give the same service integrity. Taking all this into account, I suggest thatcontention ratios should be say 30:1 for an “average” service on board and 20:1for a “good” service.

So taking the above two aspects together I put forward thesuggestion that:

10Mb/s and 30:1 wouldbe average

20Mb/s and 20:1 wouldbe good.

Next to calculate what capacity of link would supportthat:

Number of users – (Navigator) – 500 pax of whom say 2/3 goldor above so get log in each and 1 log in per cabin for the rest - 400 in total – Figures for other 3 ships willbe 50% greater.

Average Service- 400 users, 10Mb/s and 30:1 results in 130Mb/sservice being required (again 50% more for non-Navigator)

Good service – 400 users, 20Mb/s and 20:1 results in 400Mb/s(+50% for non Navigator)

 

Cost

Costs of purchasing satellite time vary significantlydepending on frequency band, contract length, delivery point etc, but are generally in therange of 600 USD to 2,500 USD per month per Mb/s. Using a figure of 1,500 USDthis would incur costs to regent of:

200,000 USD per monthfor an “average” service for the Navigator. Plus 50% for each other ship

600,000 USD per monthfor a “good” service for the Navigator, plus 50% for each other ship

 

What Regent appear to have done is open up the service toall and as a result the integrity of the service has suffered. I do not believe that the service isacceptable, due to its integrity (unreliability) for anything more than casualuse. If you need to rely on internetconnectivity during your cruise then Regent do not provide it at present.

 

Your posts are amazing - thank you! I have highlighted th portion that means the most to me. I would like to add that Regent likely thought that the new/expensive upgrade would be able to accommodate all passengers - even those with four log-ins. They obviously were wrong but their intentions were good.

[Jonoro7]

Thanks TC2.

 

A further thought, Regent is either not caching or its not effective.

I have checked and a repeat request for the same data is still delivered at the slow rate.

Providing an effective onboard cache would ameliorate the problems a little.

A local cache stores copies temporarily of downloaded data then if another uses requests the same data it can be delivered immediatey from the cache store.

No use for emails of course but can be very effective for things like news reports, sports, weather etc.

This not a fix just a little help.

[wcsdkqh]

Wonder what size pipe is currently being used?

[Jonoro7]

2 years ago it was 50Mb/s and that included Regent operational data on it. Don't know if it has changed.

[BarbarianPaul]

All his technical talk is a little confusing. All I know is that a year and a half ago on the Explorer the internet was unusable. The only worse internet we’ve ever had was on Holland America recently in Antarctica. Great, fun cruise...just bad internet, and I was a little more forgiving because the ship did not purport to be the most luxurious vessel on the planet!

 

 

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[wcsdkqh]

As you indicated previously, that certainly isn't enough bandwidth to support hundreds of concurrent users/connections. I would also suspect operational data is prioritized above general passenger data.

[rallydave]

Paul there are good reasons for poor internet in Antarctica. With all of the satellites over the equator the satellite dishes have to be almost vertical so the many mountains can easily block the signal plus again based on the satellite locations a lot more of the earths atmosphere to go thru and that disrupts the signal as well

 

Just look at satellite tv dishes far north or south being virtually vertical while close to the equator they are close to horizontal.

 

 

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[BarbarianPaul]

Paul there are good reasons for poor internet in Antarctica. With all of the satellites over the equator the satellite dishes have to be almost vertical so the many mountains can easily block the signal plus again based on the satellite locations a lot more of the earths atmosphere to go thru and that disrupts the signal as well

 

Just look at satellite tv dishes far north or south being virtually vertical while close to the equator they are close to horizontal.

 

 

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rallydave—

 

Interesting! So Holland America has a perfectly good reason for the troublesome internet I experienced in Antarctica. Sadly, I’m not sure there is an adequate justification for Regent substandard internet, though some of us have certainly been trying. It might, however, be fun to hear from that mysterious and much remarked upon TA who’s been on Regent a 1000 nights and never experienced a single issue! Maybe she has some secret she could share with all of us to solve our problems! :)

 

 

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[BarbarianPaul]

Is anyone else wondering how long this thread can possibly continue? I’m starting to feel like we’re on some kind of endless loop.

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

+1

 

 

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[CruisetheCs]

Is anyone else wondering how long this thread can possibly continue? I’m starting to feel like we’re on some kind of endless loop.

 

 

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Yes, I do believe we are engaged in an internet version of circular reasoning!. My favorite part is the post saying that an anonymous friend with over 1000 nights onboard has said that "there have been no issues whatsoever with the wifi onboard." This was followed by a post that says "No one is saying that there is no problem on any of the ships." Something seems a bit contradictory to me. Sort of like "free unlimited wifi" package and a separate costly package for something greater than unlimited.

 

But at least we now know that Regent had good intentions or so it has been declared. I seem to vaguely remember some old saying about good intentions.:halo: But it does leave the question of why the good intentions didn't work out. Could it be that someone in management didn't do the proper homework before promising the fiber optic speeds?

 

This thread might have been put to bed several days ago and several pages back if Regent just took a few seconds of their time to explain what happened with the upgrade and whether they plan to do anything meaningful in response to all the internet complaints.

[Travelcat2]

Paul, just for clarification purposes, the TA has not had issues on the Voyager - I’m not stating that they have never had issues. We have had very few issues with the internet - only at 11:00 p.m. Again, it depends upon where the ship is — where the satellite is and how many people are online.

[mikenbob]

The bottom line is that many of us have a horrible experience with the internet on various Regent ships. We can choose to travel on them or not. They can chose to address the problem or not. Is it the end of the world as we know it? Probably not. However, all the excuses or fancy explanations will not change the reality that at times the internet on some Regent ships at some times of the day in some parts of the world are suboptimal. It is not my job to analyze and resolve the situation...I am the paying customer. If Regent cares about this segment of travelers, they will hire the necessary experts and deploy the required capital to resolve the issue. Now, can we move on to more important topics like extra tipping, free laundry, and priority boarding?

[vlinbin]

Concur with Barbarian Paul's statement "Is anyone else wondering how long this thread can possibly continue? I’m starting to feel like we’re on some kind of endless loop."

 

Fortunatelysome humor was introduced in posts 105 and 123.

[BarbarianPaul]

An interesting fyi...I just noticed in a Silversea brochure that, though suite guests do receive “unlimited free WiFi,” everyone else just gets an hour free everyday. Not sure if it’s per person or cabin, and also not sure how they define a suite. But doesn’t sound like a great deal.

And as a side bar, I was surprised to see that they don’t offer free excursions either. Instead, and this is kind of ridiculous, the selling point at each port is “free transportation into town.” Are they kidding? That’s provided at most of the ports we’ve visited, usually paid for by the communities themselves.

And I also wonder if the offer holds true for cases where the port and City are substantially far apart, such as Tianjin and Beijing. This makes Regent look like a bargain, which it’s not...

 

 

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[Carol From California]

An interesting fyi...I just noticed in a Silversea brochure that, though suite guests do receive “unlimited free WiFi,” everyone else just gets an hour free everyday. Not sure if it’s per person or cabin, and also not sure how they define a suite. But doesn’t sound like a great deal.

And as a side bar, I was surprised to see that they don’t offer free excursions either. Instead, and this is kind of ridiculous, the selling point at each port is “free transportation into town.” Are they kidding? That’s provided at most of the ports we’ve visited, usually paid for by the communities themselves.

And I also wonder if the offer holds true for cases where the port and City are substantially far apart, such as Tianjin and Beijing. This makes Regent look like a bargain, which it’s not...

 

 

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It's free for all now. https://www.silversea.com/other-resources/press-releases/2018/march/silversea-rolls-out-unlimited-free-wi-fi-for-all-guests.html

[BarbarianPaul]

It's free for all now. https://www.silversea.com/other-resources/press-releases/2018/march/silversea-rolls-out-unlimited-free-wi-fi-for-all-guests.html

 

 

 

As of two weeks ago, I guess. Maybe my expectations are a bit high, but touting a free shuttle ride into every port as if it’s some grand Silversea benefit strikes me as kind of silly.

But then, I just got a Seabourn brochure that showed a bunch of waiters waist deep in water on a beach serving champagne and caviar that frankly looked kind of insane.

 

 

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[Sailor Sam 407]

The Internet came up during a Town Hall meeting with Jason Montague on the Navigator on Monday, according to a blog from one of the passengers.

“He said they are working on it and that there are several issues ranging from the wiring on the older ships to the provider not delivering what was promised.”

[Travelcat2]

The Internet came up during a Town Hall meeting with Jason Montague on the Navigator on Monday, according to a blog from one of the passengers.

“He said they are working on it and that there are several issues ranging from the wiring on the older ships to the provider not delivering what was promised.”

 

Thank you for that very important information!

[CruisetheCs]

The Internet came up during a Town Hall meeting with Jason Montague on the Navigator on Monday, according to a blog from one of the passengers.

“He said they are working on it and that there are several issues ranging from the wiring on the older ships to the provider not delivering what was promised.”

I don't know whether Mr.Montague offered any more detail than reported, but if not, this is another example of failed communication. What does working on it mean? That phrase is an old one used by business that covers everything from we are thinking about possibly doing something to we will have it fixed overnight. It basically is a meaningless response.

 

If Mr. Montague can say something onboard the ship about the internet, he can certainly say something on CC or on the website.

 

A reasonable response would detail what customers can expect and when. The wiring issue on the older ships is certainly not new. If part of the problem is the provider, what went wrong and what action is Regent taking? Regent lets the internet issue drag on and on without any clarifying information for customers. It really is a disrespectful and losing communication strategy that is bad for business. After years of promises to fix the internet issues, and promises of fiber-optic speeds and unlimited internet, Regent seems no closer to a solution than years ago.

[flossie009]

The Wi-Fi on Mariner today seems to be better than it was yesterday :)

Not quite sure why accessing the Internet was so poor yesterday, but doing these two TransAtlantics has shown that all the theories that some posters have about the ship not being able to “see” the satellite etc have no credence.

 

The Internet came up during a Town Hall meeting with Jason Montague on the Navigator on Monday, according to a blog from one of the passengers.

“He said they are working on it and that there are several issues ranging from the wiring on the older ships to the provider not delivering what was promised.”

I am glad to hear that JM has reported that Regent and its providers are working on the issues.

If it is a case of Regent’s providers not delivering what was promised then Regent should be able to improve service without further expenditure simply by insisting on getting what they contracted and paid for.

Not quite sure about the problem of wiring on the older ships when the worst internet service we have experienced was on Regent’s newest ship, Explorer.

 

Finally, I cannot believe that Regent have not purchased any wireless airprinters so that passengers can have the opportunity to print a limited number of pages from their own devices.

[rallydave]

Yes Flossie seeing satellites on a TA is a non issue as no buildings mountains etc to block the dish view of the satellites and the location of the satellite serving the part of the world you are sailing never changes. It takes only 3 satellites to cover the entire world and the tv/internet satellites remain relatively stationary over an assigned longitude over the equator. Thus no problem finding the correct satellite as it remains in a fixed position relative to the earth. Great post flossy.

 

 

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[mamapirk]

But then, I just got a Seabourn brochure that showed a bunch of waiters waist deep in water on a beach serving champagne and caviar that frankly looked kind of insane.

 

 

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But is insanely fun...lol!

[BBWC]

On the Navigator right now and they have a wireless air printer. I can print from my Ipad without any problems.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

I have been able to print from my own devices for a long time - this isn't something new. In terms of better connectivity, we have done several TA's and atmospherics, etc. can affect the signal. Two of our TA's have been on Explorer and the signal was great in some places and not others. There are articles about this available online.