Your recent experience with premium internet reliability and speed on HAL ships?

[dfish]

4 hours ago, Moriah said:

 

Hmmm. Was afraid that might be the case.... Well, I do adore Amsterdam, so will try to focus on her positives and figure out a way to be a little more internet-free than I usually am! As said I'm going to post in a few weeks to see if we can get some first hand reports on Amsterdam's wifi in Alaska. Thanks!

I would follow through with the question to Amsterdam passengers.  I had the unlimited package a few  years back (2015) on Westerdam to Alaska out of Seattle.  I never had a problem with it.  I was able to get on when I wanted and it never seemed excessively slow.  

Last summer on the Rotterdam I had the unlimited internet again.  I was able to use it everywhere along the route with no issues.  Both times I had the middle or Surf plan.  

On the Koningsdam I had a limited plan (250 minutes) for a Norwegian cruise.  Although there were disclaimers about reception in the fjords, I never had an issue with it.  

[tuolumne couple]

everyone i have been near or around never complained, much, about the service they received. i agree, it depends upon location and usage. me? i can wait to unplug from everything, so i wont be affecting anyone's bandwidth 🙂 

[ziawater]

CurlerRob, I thank you profoundly for your excellent reporting and analysis, especially since you are a tech professional (which I am not).  Holland America charges premium fares for their World Cruise on their flagship, the Amsterdam, so the abysmal internet service they gave you on it is particularly disturbing.  That, plus the fact that it immediately improved when their CEO got onboard, says to me that we have here not only a technological deficit, but a deficit of ethics and good will, as well.  A culture of lies to both their customers and their executives.

 

It is understandable that technology upgrades require both time and capital expense (though HAL is running about three years behind their competition regarding internet).  What is never acceptable is deliberately lying to your customers and prospective customers, promising and charging for service which you know you either cannot or will not give them.  

 

I am a lifelong business owner, entrepreneur and investor.  I understand the necessity of profit and cash flow and shareholder returns.  But I also know right from wrong and good from evil, the most important things of all. The HAL internet policy is both wicked and stupid (from the standpoint of alienating customers).  This is how you kill a venerable old cruise line with proud traditions.  

 

I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with HAL, but they don't blink an eye at running me off.  None of their executives have ever returned my calls, letters, or emails.  This is not how I run my businesses.

 

You asked which cruise lines I have been using with better internet.  Mostly Celebrity.  I've now been on most of their ships in many parts of the globe, including both Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific cruises.  Since they switched their whole line to a new provider with totally new generation of low-level satellites and radically-improved technology, their internet service level has worked well for me, with occasional brief exceptions (mostly severe storms).  I still miss Holland America's great itineraries, classic art and decor, the glorious flowers, and above all, the smiles and friendliness of the crews.  But at least I can do my work and thus pay for the cruises.

 

I have done just a few cruises in recent years with Royal Caribbean (whose internet is like Celebrity's), P&O (UK, owned by Carnival Corporation), and MSC.  All have significantly better internet than I ever got on HAL (and often cheaper to boot).  Cunard has gorgeous ships, but their internet is still in the Dark Ages.

 

From what I have read, it would seem that these lines have also switched to the new-generation marine internet:  Viking Ocean, Regent, Oceania, and Windstar.  I haven't tried them yet.

 

HAL's parent company, Carnival Corporation, has reputedly introduced greatly-upgraded service (called "Medallion") on a few of their ships in recent months:  Regal Princess, Caribbean Princess, Carnival Horizon.  I don't know how this compare to HAL's "new" service, but hopefully it is a step in the right direction which will eventually make it to HAL and their other lines.  We shall see.  I note that one of our responders above testifies to excellent internet on the Royal Princess.

 

I understand that some of the new satellites are able to serve ships in very remote or difficult locations by beaming their signal directly to a particular ship and the beam following that ship.  Also, they use more satellites in more places, at lower elevations.  Of course, the ships need to have plenty of strong routers properly placed throughout the ship.

 

But regardless of the technology, this is all predicated on a true commitment of a cruise line to providing really fast and reliable service at fair prices, and being honest about their limitations.  This appears to be missing from Holland America still, but let's be grateful for the improvements on some of their ships.

 

I remember the day when having internet at all on a cruise ship seemed miraculous, and it was very legitimate for cruise lines to say that sporadic and slow service should be expected at sea.  However, with the current state of marine internet technology, cruise lines which continually make that excuse today are uncompetitive and/or dishonest.  As they say in Texas, "That ole dog won't hunt no more."   I grieve to hear that my beloved Holland America Line is among them.

 

Thanks to everyone who has reported their experiences, whether positive or negative.  Please keep them coming, so I can compile a list of HAL ships which have good enough internet for me to try again.

 

 

 

[mrselhombre]

I am booked on the Koningsdam next month so I am hoping that the internet will be decent. It’s our first cruise with HAL. I have been predominantly a Princess cruiser. I can attest that the internet on the Royal Princess was outstanding. We just sailed on her in January. It was as good as home.

[crystalspin]

We had Premium for one device on Zuiderdam this Apr-May from FLL to CPH. My husband was able to log on to his electronic medical records to review labs and consults and answer e-mails. It probably was slower than land-based and sometimes would drop out, but come back in a few minutes. He had to join a university conference phone call (using VOIP) off the north coast of France (i.e. pretty far from the equator) and it was less than stellar -- breaking up somewhat. OTOH, he says it was "fine" in retrospect; the hems and haws I was hearing (as he used speaker phone) may have been from the microphone/speaker in the room where the other people were? That I don't know.

 

He also checked bank and credit card tallies just fine.

 

When he wasn't using the service, I would check my email and texts and even browse Cruise Critic! It never failed but might have been a little slow to bring up new pages... but I was in the Crows Nest on a Dam ship, and not in any hurry!

[VMax1700]

On 5/25/2019 at 11:11 PM, ziawater said:

 

VMax1700, thanks.  Great news.  Which ship were you on?

Koningsdam