premium wi-fi plan, how bad is it?

[BarJen]

hello all, I normally leave work behind but that might not be an option on my upcoming cruise.

I will need to get online a few times a day to make sure a project I'm working on is moving along, I won't be able to delegate this to someone else.

 

how slow is the premium wi-fi on-board? are there options to plug in somewhere and get a better connection?

any helpful tips/suggestions would be appreciated.

[RaiderDuck]

It all depends on the ship you're on and where it's physically located in the world. I've generally had good luck with Carnival wi-fi.

[CoW mAn]

It also depends on how much bandwidth you need, if it's just e-mail without massive attachments you should probably be okay but if you need to video chat or transfer large files it could be an issue

 

I've heard mostly bad things about the wifi...

 

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[travelqueen101]

hello all, I normally leave work behind but that might not be an option on my upcoming cruise.

I will need to get online a few times a day to make sure a project I'm working on is moving along, I won't be able to delegate this to someone else.

 

how slow is the premium wi-fi on-board? are there options to plug in somewhere and get a better connection?

any helpful tips/suggestions would be appreciated.

my wi-fi...did not work at all. I gave up after 3 days and credited for the service- I did have premium. A lot of people had the same issue. As a suggestion to keep in touch with work as I had to at times- I installed the What’s Up app before I left for the cruise. worked great- texting through this app as well as sending pictures.

[mrrom92]

It’s not bad at all. It’s not going to be comparable to even basic land speeds but it seems at least stable and hasn’t given me any trouble yet. So you wait a few seconds for pictures to load. No big deal.

 

 

The only thing I would mention - if you’re using a file transfer service of some sort that can “fail” if the service is interrupted and won’t automatically resume from where it left off once it regains a connection, you’re probably going to have a hard time transferring any large files. You’ll have to keep your fingers crossed and hope it’s successful the first time. Might take a few, lengthy attempts. Unless you know for certain your service doesn’t behave like this, I wouldn’t rely on it for that.

 

 

 

Also, don’t expect GPS services to work anywhere on the ship unless you’re out on an open deck in the open air. That means any applications that might rely on an internet connection and GPS are going to have some limited use.

[mslhb]

Was on the Vista a few weeks ago and thought the premium WiFi was good. One day the service seemed spotty but overall it was much better than expected. I was surprised at which websites seemed to be blocked vs not blocked. Like you I needed to keep an eye on my work email and had zero issues accessing that.

[vamartha]

I've had the Premium on both the Sunshine and the Magic and it was adequate. I've also heard that isn't the case on all of the ships but it was fine on both of the ones I've tried it on.

[RaiderDuck]

The big thing to remember (and I know it's printed everywhere but it bears repeating): TURN AIRPLANE MODE ON first, then turn the wi-fi on and connect. We have some friends who forgot the first step and ended up with hundred$ in roaming charges on their bill (cruise ship cell data is NOT cheap).

[BarJen]

Thanks all for the responses, looks like it's hit or miss depending on location and ship.

I'll be on the Fascination (out of San Juan)

 

The 3 programs I'll need to access most are Outlook, Workday, and Box.

No large file such as photos, but some PDF.

Using my laptop and iPhone.

 

Fingers crossed I won't need to spend more more than an hour each day working if the internet connection & speed are at least adequate :)

[SRQbeachgirl]

We were on the Magic in July and the Premium wi-fi was terrible. I couldn't even post a comment on Facebook or send a text. I ended up getting a refund from guest services.

[A&Jfamily]

My college age son bought it to do research for a project due after break and said it was horrible and he would never invest in it again.

 

 

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[Shaded Lady]

We bought the premier plan on Breeze 2 years ago and it was very good, surprisingly... it was a bit slow at times, other times it was fully satisfactory.

 

This year Carnival has installed upgraded equipment on their newer ships (Breeze, Vista, Horizon) that allows for much improved speed and dependability... they say they're rolling it out to other ships, but I suspect it will be qite a while before all of them get it.

[klfrodo]

Thanks all for the responses, looks like it's hit or miss depending on location and ship.

I'll be on the Fascination (out of San Juan)

 

The 3 programs I'll need to access most are Outlook, Workday, and Box.

No large file such as photos, but some PDF.

Using my laptop and iPhone.

 

Fingers crossed I won't need to spend more more than an hour each day working if the internet connection & speed are at least adequate :)

 

Will you need to access your corporate VPN to access you internal network or use MyAppsAnywhere?

If so, you'll most likely be SOL.

[BarJen]

Will you need to access your corporate VPN to access you internal network or use MyAppsAnywhere?

 

If so, you'll most likely be SOL.

 

 

 

Yes, I will need to access the corporate VPN.

 

 

 

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[Saint Greg]

Was on the Vista a few weeks ago and thought the premium WiFi was good. One day the service seemed spotty but overall it was much better than expected. I was surprised at which websites seemed to be blocked vs not blocked. Like you I needed to keep an eye on my work email and had zero issues accessing that.

 

Probably should note that vista and horizon have a newer better internet system than all of the other ships.

[klfrodo]

Yes, I will need to access the corporate VPN.

 

 

 

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My experience only was that the connection speed was so slow that I couldn't even connect to the corporate VPN. If it did connect, going through the VPN slowed everything down so much that it would time out.

[smithop]

You might ask yourself if you are micromanaging, there is no reason for a project to stall if you aren’t there.

 

I mean this in the kindest way, as a retired IBM project manager it was important for me to get away from work to recharge. Learning how to delegate and plan is all part of being a good PM.

 

No one ever sat up on their death bed and said I wish I’d worked more.

 

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[Tyhunt]

liken it at best to the old dial up days :)

[CateV04]

I feel for you - I'm a remote-working content and copywriter. If nothing else, research locations with free WiFi at your ports of call as a possible backup plan and try to do as much of your work offline as possible. I've also heard rumors that service is fastest late at night, early in the morning and when everyone is at the hot shows or other events that tie up most of the folks on board. Off the WiFi thing won't work in port for security issues, take a look at whether T-Mobile has data in the area - they've got great free international coverage in several countries and as a prepaid service, doesn't stick you with a big contract.

[Quilcruisers]

I had the same question last month on the breeze. I was taking a class and needed to log on five of seven days. I was able to log on and post to discussion forums. I was not able to watch some videos but I was able to log on to my schools Blackboard and view and upload assignments. My phone worked well in conjunction with my laptop and I had the ability to get emails and reply. I have used the internet for work too but like others said, only send , receive emails and no large files.

 

 

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[tytanbri]

On 9/1/2018 at 10:26 PM, Quilcruisers said:

I had the same question last month on the breeze. I was taking a class and needed to log on five of seven days. I was able to log on and post to discussion forums. I was not able to watch some videos but I was able to log on to my schools Blackboard and view and upload assignments. My phone worked well in conjunction with my laptop and I had the ability to get emails and reply. I have used the internet for work too but like others said, only send , receive emails and no large files.

 

 

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Did you have to log on to an .edu account to get to your blackboard? My daughter is taking a class and she has to log in to the Florida State sit to get to her "Canvas". She has two discussion boards that don't post until after we leave.

[Cruisegirl6]

We got premium on the Elation pretty much didn't work 85% of the cruise, on the Breeze two weeks ago, very very slow and at times it didn't work.  Not worth getting the premium.

[Saint Greg]

If you’re on vista or horizon it’s great. Any other ship could be questionable.

[luv2trvlnow]

I agree with looking for internet access in port.  Since you are on the Fascination out of San Juan you will have a lot of port days.  Most of those cruises only have 1 sea day and you are in port the others. This would allow you to check in most days.

[CateV04]

We used the mid-level plan on Victory and didn't have too many problems - it was a touch slower than our country internet, but that tends to be pretty slow by most people's standards, so YMMV.