Internet pricing question

[magictam]

 I really really did search and I found a lot of information about the Internet. Some of it seem to be older and I wasn’t real sure about getting the latest information.  So then I emailed my PCC  i’m asked him and really got no real answers.  I’m hoping y’all can help me again. 

 I leave on Sunday Mexican Riviera new Amsterdam .  And even though I was on a HAL cruise just last October I cannot for the life of me remember if I even purchased an Internet package.   I remember the ones I get on Carnival because they offer social packages,  full blown, Internet unlimited etc.  

 So my questions to my PCC was

1.  Does HAL offer the same type of packages the carnival?

2.  Did he by any chance know what the pricing was. 

3.   If it’s by minutes how do you determine how many minutes you should buy?  This question is really just for you folks 😂

 

 For those wondering here is his response:

HAL does offer internet packages – this will be specific to the internet manager on board, as it’s a 3^rdparty company that runs the internet.

 

When you get onboard, they will have a desk with sheets listing the packages you can purchase.

 

Again, if you can wait to get into ports of call, you can simply find a coffee shop and use free wifi to message and save the money. 

 

Any help/Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[richwmn]

44 minutes ago, magictam said:

 I really really did search and I found a lot of information about the Internet. Some of it seem to be older and I wasn’t real sure about getting the latest information.  So then I emailed my PCC  i’m asked him and really got no real answers.  I’m hoping y’all can help me again. 

 I leave on Sunday Mexican Riviera new Amsterdam .  And even though I was on a HAL cruise just last October I cannot for the life of me remember if I even purchased an Internet package.   I remember the ones I get on Carnival because they offer social packages,  full blown, Internet unlimited etc.  

 So my questions to my PCC was

1.  Does HAL offer the same type of packages the carnival?

2.  Did he by any chance know what the pricing was. 

3.   If it’s by minutes how do you determine how many minutes you should buy?  This question is really just for you folks 😂

 

 For those wondering here is his response:

HAL does offer internet packages – this will be specific to the internet manager on board, as it’s a 3^rdparty company that runs the internet.

 

When you get onboard, they will have a desk with sheets listing the packages you can purchase.

 

Again, if you can wait to get into ports of call, you can simply find a coffee shop and use free wifi to message and save the money. 

 

Any help/Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, but that is a really bad answer from your PCC. As of the first of the year all HAL ships are on a 3 tier plan similar to what you describe on Carnival. The cost of the package is based on how many days your cruise is.

There does not seem to be a speed difference, just what you are able to access.

 

[POA1]

Ship's Services at Holland America has a list of the allowed sites on the social plan. We had the middle plan on our cruise which was fine for most everything we needed. As Rich said, there's no speed difference between the tiers. 

[magictam]

3 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

Sorry, but that is a really bad answer from your PCC. As of the first of the year all HAL ships are on a 3 tier plan similar to what you describe on Carnival. The cost of the package is based on how many days your cruise is.

There does not seem to be a speed difference, just what you are able to access.

 

 

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

Ship's Services at Holland America has a list of the allowed sites on the social plan. We had the middle plan on our cruise which was fine for most everything we needed. As Rich said, there's no speed difference between the tiers. 

 

Thank you Richwmn and Poa1 for the great information. Much better then my PCC provided. 

 

I'm sure I'll be good with the social plan. Just to check in w/my family occasionally since this is my first solo trip.

Thank Again!

[dfish]

8 hours ago, magictam said:

 

 

Thank you Richwmn and Poa1 for the great information. Much better then my PCC provided. 

 

I'm sure I'll be good with the social plan. Just to check in w/my family occasionally since this is my first solo trip.

Thank Again!

I don't think Social includes e-mail, which is why most people want internet.  I always go with the Surf plan for the e-mail.  

[tv24]

Thank you Richwmn, useful for budgeting for our upcoming Pacific crossing on the Noordam.  Thanks.

[POA1]

12 hours ago, magictam said:

 

 

Thank you Richwmn and Poa1 for the great information. Much better then my PCC provided. 

 

I'm sure I'll be good with the social plan. Just to check in w/my family occasionally since this is my first solo trip.

Thank Again!

 

3 hours ago, dfish said:

I don't think Social includes e-mail, which is why most people want internet.  I always go with the Surf plan for the e-mail.  

Correct. The social plan doesn't include email. However, if you and your family use FB messenger or one of the supported services, you can get away with the social plan. 

 

Bonus hint: If your entire party has iPhones, iMessage runs on the intranet for all connected devices. You cannot iMessage people off the ships for free, but iPhones on the ship can message one another - with alerts, just like texting. (I'm in a mixed marriage. She's iPhone; I'm Android. We don't have kids, so there's no conflict as to how to raise the children. ) 

[magictam]

3 hours ago, POA1 said:

 

Correct. The social plan doesn't include email. However, if you and your family use FB messenger or one of the supported services, you can get away with the social plan. 

 

Bonus hint: If your entire party has iPhones, iMessage runs on the intranet for all connected devices. You cannot iMessage people off the ships for free, but iPhones on the ship can message one another - with alerts, just like texting. (I'm in a mixed marriage. She's iPhone; I'm Android. We don't have kids, so there's no conflict as to how to raise the children. ) 

 

I really don’t have a need to check my emails. I was hoping the social plan would work for Facebook and just do it through instant messaging on Facebook.  I’m taking my first solo trip and leaving all the children and grandchildren are home. 😂🤪

[Moriah]

4 hours ago, magictam said:

 

I really don’t have a need to check my emails. I was hoping the social plan would work for Facebook and just do it through instant messaging on Facebook.  I’m taking my first solo trip and leaving all the children and grandchildren are home. 😂🤪

 

Yes, that will work just fine.  Just enough communication to keep them from worrying about you, and not too much so you can enjoy the solitude! Have a great solo cruise!!

[POA1]

22 hours ago, magictam said:

 

I really don’t have a need to check my emails. I was hoping the social plan would work for Facebook and just do it through instant messaging on Facebook.  I’m taking my first solo trip and leaving all the children and grandchildren are home. 😂🤪

FB messenger will work fine. If you need email or other functionality, you can always upgrade at a prorated price. 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

So ..... HAL is either now offering a discount to buy the Premium plan in advance, or rates have come down since this thread started.  I can purchase a 14 day Premium package on my 7/29 cruise on the Amsterdam for $175.99 if I book through the cruise planner online.  That's $44 off the above pricing for Premium and only $10 more than surf ..... interesting

Edited May 18, 2019 by AtlantaCruiser72

[crystalspin]

Buy it post-haste, if you're going to. On Mar20, I happened to notice $199.99 for 16-day Premium on our  Apr21 sailing, $50 off the table above price. I snapped it up! I didn't keep checking so I don't know how long that flash sale lasted, but the funny thing is: On the invoices printed onboard, the internet PRICE and the PREPAYMENT were both listed as $249.99! As if they didn't want to admit they discounted it.

 

The service was pretty good, too. 

[caribill]

Is there any discount on the surf or social package if purchased pre-cruise?

[yerdua]

this will be my first cruise with a smart phone. My main objective is to be able to receive emergency calls or texts from home while we are away. Is it possible to piggy back on the ship's Wi-Fi without purchasing an internet package?  CC  has taught me to turn off mobile data (thank you... Would have just put in in airplane mode) and turn on wifi. I don't need the internet during the cruise, just wifi. If I do have to buy a plan, are there limits on minutes or can I leave my phone on continuously?

[shrimpboat123]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

Is there any discount on the surf or social package if purchased pre-cruise?

 

It looks like they're only allowing you to book Premium pre-cruise. Unless you plan to do video streaming, there is no advantage to purchasing the Premium plan.

[shrimpboat123]

1 hour ago, yerdua said:

this will be my first cruise with a smart phone. My main objective is to be able to receive emergency calls or texts from home while we are away. Is it possible to piggy back on the ship's Wi-Fi without purchasing an internet package?  CC  has taught me to turn off mobile data (thank you... Would have just put in in airplane mode) and turn on wifi. I don't need the internet during the cruise, just wifi. If I do have to buy a plan, are there limits on minutes or can I leave my phone on continuously?

 

You have to buy a package if you want to receive text calls from home. The ship's intranet only allows you to connect to certain web sites free of charge (HAL site, NY Times).

 

I believe all ships offer the unlimited internet plans now. Once you have signed up for a package, you can leave your phone logged into the internet continuously.

 

[cawpaw]

I just pre-purchased internet for a 17 day cruise for $211.  Premium was the only choice offered.

[PRPLE]

Was curious so checked our cruise in September and premium and 1 day pricing offered... just under $112 for our 7 day.  

 

At the moment I'm going to attempt to stay offline while onboard... I may crumble but that’s the plan

[yerdua]

3 hours ago, shrimpboat123 said:

 

You have to buy a package if you want to receive text calls from home. The ship's intranet only allows you to connect to certain web sites free of charge (HAL site, NY Times).

 

I believe all ships offer the unlimited internet plans now. Once you have signed up for a package, you can leave your phone logged into the internet continuously.

 

 

Thanks shrimpboat123. 

Edited May 20, 2019 by yerdua

[shrimpboat123]

2 minutes ago, yerdua said:

this will be my first cruise with a smart phone. My main objective is to be able to receive emergency calls or texts from home while we are away. Is it possible to piggy back on the ship's Wi-Fi without

 

The ships wi-fi is not connected to the internet unless you purchase a package. When you connect to the ships intranet, you communicate with the internal Navigator app either by downloading the HAL Navigator app beforehand or using a web browser and typing in Navigator.com. Once you create your account on the intranet, you can decide if you want to connect to the internet by purchasing a package from HAL. That is the only way you will be able to receive text messages unless you use Cellular Data to connect to the internet. Don't recommend this unless you have a Roaming package from your Cellular provider.

 

 

[TAD2005]

I can't believe the ridiculous response the OP got from HAL's PCC.   Totally wrong or incomplete responses.  Which shows you that very few of HAL'a Seattle employees have actually been on a HAL ship.  You would think that to be a "Cruise Consultant", you should have sailed on at least a few HAL cruises and go through the same routine their clients will do.  

And the shocking thing was the response that the OP should avoid the expense of the ship's internet and use the free wi-fi in restaurants and bars in ports.  A HAL employee is telling you to NOT spend money on a HAL ship ???   That is a first !! 

[DougK]

Does anybody know whether the Surf plan's definition of email includes POP3 access? I'm an oldtimer who still downloads my email rather than reading it on the Web. Or is Surf limited to Web access? I don't have any desire to stream (and doubt whether streaming will even be successful with satellite Internet in Alaska), but POP3 access would be very helpful.

[shrimpboat123]

12 minutes ago, DougK said:

Does anybody know whether the Surf plan's definition of email includes POP3 access? I'm an oldtimer who still downloads my email rather than reading it on the Web. Or is Surf limited to Web access? I don't have any desire to stream (and doubt whether streaming will even be successful with satellite Internet in Alaska), but POP3 access would be very helpful.

 

The Surf Plan supports POP3 mail accounts. I have one myself and it worked fine with the Surf Plan.

 

[BVsmurfette]

We have never paid for the onboard internet, luckily we've been able to get buy with our T-mobile plan (free 2G data in most countries), plus free wifi in certain ports.  BUT, I just saw that HAL is offering the Premium plan for $175.99 for our upcoming 14-day if you buy in advance, which works out to $12.57 a day. Not great, but not terrible either, and much cheaper than the $29.99/day i've quoted for the Premium plan. Makes me wonder if we should try it out, even if it is spotty... so we can test it out. One question though - can anyone confirm if there's a limit on the number of devices that can connect?  I saw in someones post that it was only ONE device at a time, which seems so archaic! that would be a deal breaker for sure.

[richwmn]

55 minutes ago, BVsmurfette said:

One question though - can anyone confirm if there's a limit on the number of devices that can connect?  I saw in someones post that it was only ONE device at a time, which seems so archaic! that would be a deal breaker for sure.

That price is for one device at a time. When you try to activate the internet on a second device it will give you the option of kicking off the other device or not connecting.