On Edge now - REALLY slow internet speed

[Janthere]

We are currently on Edge for our 2nd B2B week. Internet speed this week is TERRIBLE. We paid extra for the streaming package for both weeks and last week was so much better. Just wanted to warn anyone that depends on reliable connection speed that it is not a given. We have a transatlantic booked on Apex next year and will likely need to cancel it as this is just not conducive for either working or even reliable browsing. Lesson learned unfortunately. 

 

It is quite a challenge to even get this comment posted 

 

[Jeremiah1212]

On sea days WiFi can always be slow but there is also a large outage with Akamai this morning that is causing all sorts of issues also.

[Janthere]

18 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

On sea days WiFi can always be slow but there is also a large outage with Akamai this morning that is causing all sorts of issues also.

I understand there are major issues this morning but the slowness I am referring to started 2 days ago 

 

[jelayne]

I have found that,  with a few exceptions,  ships Internet in the Caribbean is less reliable than many other areas of the world.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Disappointing...

Short version, cruise lines have the capability to pay for more bandwidth yet appears they're DECREASING it due to reduced capacity.

 

Longer version, I have several friends who work in various cruise line departments, it's common for cruise lines to not pay for increased bandwidth EXCEPT during media only cruises or various other media events.  While yes there are often hiccups where the ship and satellite can't communicate and various other limitations in certain parts of the world, increasing the bandwidth would speed up the internet in most cases.  This is not likely to change, unless the big lines want to take disruptors seriously.

 

Like it or not, Virgin Voyages is a disruptor, which has the fastest wifi, pays their crew salaries with benefits, had a team of Michelin star chefs create all the food offerings (not just a suite restaurant) and has lots of complimentary food offerings available during most hours (Many cruise lines including X only open the MDR for lunch for 90mins).  Nobody likes slow wifi and even for those who typically "unplug" while on a cruise, emergencies happens where you may need to unexpectedly change your travel plans on the internet while on board or your only option may be to book online or call Delta and be on hold for four hours...

 

Here's some bandwidth backup evidence during the Diamond Princess quarantine:

Edited July 22, 2021 by NutsAboutGolf

[PTC DAWG]

If you need constant communication with your work, cruising may not be for you..JMHO. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

If you need constant communication with your work, cruising may not be for you..JMHO. 

 

I do agree with you on the premise of "constant"; where I disagree is for myself, I need perhaps 20mins a day average of reliable internet during business hours.  In some cases you could use a restaurant by the port pier but with "curated experiences" that is no longer an option.

[ETHTrader]

Sorry this is happening to you. Theoretically, the internet speed should be better on newer ships but with the introduction of the AI program (where wifi is included with the fare) and the fact that the app needs to be connected to the ship's wifi on board at all times, I feel like Celebrity should address this issue and find ways to improve the bandwidth speed. 

[DUTRAVEL]

4 hours ago, janbear said:

We have a transatlantic booked on Apex next year and will likely need to cancel it as this is just not conducive for either working or even reliable browsing. Lesson learned unfortunately. 

 

It is quite a challenge to even get this comment posted 

 

It sounds like things may have changed, but on our transatlantic on the Edge the streaming internet was very good.

[countess5]

Best way to fix that………

Just retire and you will have no need to stay in touch! 🤣🤣🤣

 

I did that 3 years ago and cruising got better.😜🤣🤣

 

Cheers! 

[graphicguy]

I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the Eastern Caribbean route they’re on this week.  ON the Western Caribbean route I was on last week, internet speed was quite good.  Good enough for me to post pics from the ship to Cruise Critic.  

[bucfan2]

42 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the Eastern Caribbean route they’re on this week.  ON the Western Caribbean route I was on last week, internet speed was quite good.  Good enough for me to post pics from the ship to Cruise Critic.  

My wife will be glad to hear that, as we're on a Western tomm.  I could personally care less as my devices remain locked in the safe at home, but she likes to stay somewhat connected.  Works out well, provided she doesn't attempt to give me news.

[graphicguy]

10 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

My wife will be glad to hear that, as we're on a Western tomm.  I could personally care less as my devices remain locked in the safe at home, but she likes to stay somewhat connected.  Works out well, provided she doesn't attempt to give me news.

Have fun.  I’m sure you’ll love it!

[Janthere]

On 7/23/2021 at 7:12 AM, countess5 said:

Best way to fix that………

Just retire and you will have no need to stay in touch! 🤣🤣🤣

 

I did that 3 years ago and cruising got better.😜🤣🤣

 

Cheers! 

Haha I AM retired but my husband will never retire! I am just grateful he can work from anywhere as long as there is good reliable internet 🙂 

[Janthere]

On 7/23/2021 at 9:27 AM, graphicguy said:

I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the Eastern Caribbean route they’re on this week.  ON the Western Caribbean route I was on last week, internet speed was quite good.  Good enough for me to post pics from the ship to Cruise Critic.  

We were on that sailing as well and the internet worked fine - not super fast but decent and steady. The Eastern Caribbean week was not great and downright terrible in St Marten and St Thomas and after.  We paid extra for the streaming  wifi and I have no idea how anyone could actually use the regular surfing wifi. 

[Janthere]

On 7/22/2021 at 1:55 PM, PTC DAWG said:

If you need constant communication with your work, cruising may not be for you..JMHO. 

not constant just reliable and decent speed when we do connect.  Like I said though - lesson learned for us - we will adjust our future cruise choices with this limitation in mind 🙂

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Sorry to say we had the same issues.  Seems to be a consistent complaint, which is too bad.  Not sure if other lines have issues because we’ve done Celebrity only for many years.

[isdoo]

On 7/22/2021 at 5:41 PM, janbear said:

We are currently on Edge for our 2nd B2B week. Internet speed this week is TERRIBLE. We paid extra for the streaming package for both weeks and last week was so much better. Just wanted to warn anyone that depends on reliable connection speed that it is not a given. We have a transatlantic booked on Apex next year and will likely need to cancel it as this is just not conducive for either working or even reliable browsing. Lesson learned unfortunately. 

 

It is quite a challenge to even get this comment posted 

 

 

And what did they say when you complained? 

[Daleed77]

We had terrible WiFi on Apex’s June 30th sailing. My mobile data was always faster. Like you, I need to check in once or so a day. This is so I can be away from the office for longer 🙂. I thought we would have had better service on the new ships. But that wasn’t the case. 

[isdoo]

To think on NCL I was able to have a Zoom meeting from the middle of the Atlantic! 

[Janthere]

37 minutes ago, isdoo said:

 

And what did they say when you complained? 

Formally this is what they said... and then they credited us a portion of our streaming wifi cost (about 1/3 of what we paid in total) 

 

"We encountered ship wide internet issues beginning on July 20 that lasted

through the remainder of the cruise. We sincerely apologize for any issues this caused"

[Janthere]

24 minutes ago, Daleed77 said:

We had terrible WiFi on Apex’s June 30th sailing. My mobile data was always faster. Like you, I need to check in once or so a day. This is so I can be away from the office for longer 🙂. I thought we would have had better service on the new ships. But that wasn’t the case. 

that is exactly true - being able to check in daily meant we could do a B2B sailing

[Coochuck]

In order to use Facetime,Wifi Calling, or Whatsapp, I would assume you need the stream package.  How did that work out for you?

[ECCruise]

On 7/22/2021 at 1:55 PM, PTC DAWG said:

If you need constant communication with your work, cruising may not be for you..JMHO. 

No one said "constant."

And does this mean that I have to return the 50 or so cruises that I took needing internet most days?  And the income from said need paying all of those cruises?  In full?

[Ken the cruiser]

Here is an interesting article about the evolving internet service on cruise ships for those interested in what's going on behind the scenes. 😎

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1419