The Inside Cabin - Live on the Koningsdam Coastal California

[dchip]

22 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

I’ve been reading various reports of not great wifi experiences.  We have a long cruise booked next year to the South Pacific and I was thinking whether to purchase internet or relax and go without.   Sounds like it would be a waste of money.  

We are on two South Pacific cruises for 2022. Even though the Wi-Fi is expensive and not as good as we could hope for, I’ll still purchase it. I can’t be out of touch with family for that long. 

[canadianbear]

10 minutes ago, dchip said:

We are on two South Pacific cruises for 2022. Even though the Wi-Fi is expensive and not as good as we could hope for, I’ll still purchase it. I can’t be out of touch with family for that long. 

Do you think maybe in some ports there will be wifi in a cafe  or something?   Are you going in Feb ?  If so please let us know how the ship wifi is.  If decent we’d purchase; if not, we wouldn’t.   Thanks! 

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, canadianbear said:

I’ve been reading various reports of not great wifi experiences.  We have a long cruise booked next year to the South Pacific and I was thinking whether to purchase internet or relax and go without.   Sounds like it would be a waste of money.  

I really think you'll be fine.  I'm spending far too much time on line and it's been fine.  If you are looking to post videos or a lot of pics that may be a problem.  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Internet Situation Update - 

There is a 500MB per day limit - after which they throttle your account.    The problem is that the limit is not displayed very well.   The front desk today was unable to produce for me a copy of the terms and conditions that state this limit.   They say it appears on the screen when you purchase the package but can never see it again.   They can't produce a copy of the screen.    You can't see you daily data usage unless you ask the front desk.

 

I just realized that I had my cloud folder synching in the background which was using massive amounts of data.   I need to configure my computer for ship use which I didn't do this cruise since I thought the data limit wasn't an issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by The-Inside-Cabin

[canadianbear]

13 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I really think you'll be fine.  I'm spending far too much time on line and it's been fine.  If you are looking to post videos or a lot of pics that may be a problem.  

It would be photos on FB so our family could see and keep in touch & messenger.  I know in the South Pacific from reading reviews wifi can be problematic.   Not sure it’s worth the cost for a 50 day cruise if it can’t be used a lot of the time.  
 

 

[canadianbear]

6 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Internet Situation Update - 

There is a 500MB per day limit - after which they throttle your account.    The problem is that the limit is not displayed very well.   The front desk today was unable to produce for me a copy of the terms and conditions that state this limit.   They say it appears on the screen when you purchase the package but can never see it again.   They can't produce a copy of the screen.    You can't see you daily data usage unless you ask the front desk.

 

500 MB isn't very much if you are trying to blog.   I just checked and opening up my blog and the media library consumed 591 MB!   This was according to windows 10 which can track usage per connection .

 

If this limit is real, I am going to have to rethink my whole approach toward the blog.   There may be a way I can limit what is automatically uploaded on wordpress etc etc etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

That isn’t much for sure-even the premium package only has 500MB?  Not being able to see daily useage is crazy too.  Last time we had internet on our 2 week cruise December 2019 it was included in the promo in our Neptune suite-was unlimited and worked quite well.  
 

I can understand rethinking your blog for sure.
 

I do wonder if it’s because their last promo included wifi for all.  We did not sign up for that promo we have the other one that included gratuities (instead of wifi) for 50 days.  As a Canadian that helps us more than having wifi. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

2 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

That isn’t much for sure-even the premium package only has 500MB?  Not being able to see daily useage is crazy too.  Last time we had internet on our 2 week cruise December 2019 it was included in the promo in our Neptune suite-was unlimited and worked quite well.  
 

I can understand rethinking your blog for sure.
 

I do wonder if it’s because their last promo included wifi for all.  We did not sign up for that promo we have the other one that included gratuities (instead of wifi) for 50 days.  As a Canadian that helps us more than having wifi. 

The advertising I received when inquiring was misleading -

 

Quote "  Each package comes with an unlimited volume of date on each day of your voyage.  For a current listing of the amount of data provided for the superior  speed see the purchase an Internet Plan Page - End Quote 

 

Of course - there isn't anyway to check this since I already purchased the plan.     

 

I turned off my cloud sync and windows has a very nice data usage tracking feature under settings.   You can even set a data limit to give you a warning etc...

 

But even when you are throttled after 500 MB , you can still muddle thru - so unless you are trying to run a you tube channel or forget to turn off you cloud sycn you should be fine.      

 

Bottom line - you can manage 500 MB a day if you are aware it needs managing.   The ship can give you a date usage printout on request.  

[Florida_gal_50]

28 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

It would be photos on FB so our family could see and keep in touch & messenger.  I know in the South Pacific from reading reviews wifi can be problematic.   Not sure it’s worth the cost for a 50 day cruise if it can’t be used a lot of the time.  
 

 

I haven't had any problems posting pics to Facebook.  That said I'm only posting a few at once.

Edited November 11, 2021 by Florida_gal_50

[Florida_gal_50]

I believe it's always been limited even though it says unlimited.  I'm.pretty sure @POA1has mentioned this before but I could be wrong.

[Florida_gal_50]

I want to thank the op and @VMax1700for mentioning the standard for room cleaning should be twice a day and if hal makes the standard once they will continue to roll out these "improvements" unfettered.  I came on board thinking it  was fine to have it once a day.  Now I realize I don't like it.

[highscar]

I don’t know your itinerary but if you are in American Somoa go to McDonald’s for wi fi.  The password is “cheeseburger “.   

[The-Inside-Cabin]

13 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I believe it's always been limited even though it says unlimited.  I'm.pretty sure @POA1has mentioned this before but I could be wrong.

Yeah....not new, but I think enforcement of the throttle varies by ship and total usage....If the ship is not using a lot of data they may not worry about random users 

 

This is the first time I ran into this.   But now I know and I can manage it....

Edited November 11, 2021 by The-Inside-Cabin

[canadianbear]

10 minutes ago, highscar said:

I don’t know your itinerary but if you are in American Somoa go to McDonald’s for wi fi.  The password is “cheeseburger “.   

We stop in Pago Pago, American Samoa-never been before to SP so is that it?  If so, good to know, thank you. Lol!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On 11/9/2021 at 10:12 PM, zgscl said:

Oh I am so glad you liked the crab risotto! I will be having it again Sunday. Great to hear about Club Orange. For next week I am planning 6 nights specialty dining and one night in Club Orange just to say I tried it. The menus have been quite uninspired and I would rather just pay for the specialty dining which I love. Trying Tamarind and Sel de Mer for the first time. Can't wait to meet the hostess at Canaletto, she sounds lovely. 

I loved the crab risotto in Canelleto.  They called it a small plate but it was definitely a full sized plate.    The server told me that when they charge $12 for it people expect a large plate 

[canadianbear]

7 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I loved the crab risotto in Canelleto.  They called it a small plate but it was definitely a full sized plate.    The server told me that when they charge $12 for it people expect a large plate 

I don’t think I recall seeing that in Canelleto.  It’s something I think  I’d enjoy.  

[Florida_gal_50]

9 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I loved the crab risotto in Canelleto.  They called it a small plate but it was definitely a full sized plate.    The server told me that when they charge $12 for it people expect a large plate 

For sure it’s a large portion.  If I order it agin that is  going to be my meal.  I had branzino that night so it wasn’t like I followed it up with pasta.  That would be a mistake.  Still it was plenty.

[Stakeout]

FYI... might save some time and bandwidth uploading pics.. I download my pics to my laptop from my camera and phone on a daily basis while onboard-- makes for an e-z daily backup..  I don't use cloud syncing onboard.. I also backup daily to my external portable SSD drive.. and yop I do a lot of pics :)

 

re: Images uploaded onboard and when traveling..  when I have a number of pics to upload I use FastStone Photo Resizer at https://download.cnet.com/FastStone-Photo-Resizer/3000-2192_4-10319476.html

or download it directly from the FastStone site with plenty of Info about it  https://download.cnet.com/FastStone-Image-Viewer/3000-18488_4-10324485.html

 

it gets a pretty decent rating.. e-z to use.. batch resizing.. and it's FREE..  I resize all my pics when cruising on my Laptop to 1280 x 800  under settings in the lower right.. also set quality at 90%.. do the new conversion as .tn  or any rename you want as a JPEG-- saves it as a copy resized and downsized.. then I choose which ones I want to upload to My Blog or to FB.. no editing--it's just a resizer..

 

if anyone has the need ...FastStone also has an Image Editor--FastStone Image Viewer for those in need of a FREE image editor https://download.cnet.com/FastStone-Image-Viewer/3000-18488_4-10324485.html  also found on the FastStone site https://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

 

 

[zgscl]

7 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Internet Situation Update - 

There is a 500MB per day limit - after which they throttle your account.    The problem is that the limit is not displayed very well.   The front desk today was unable to produce for me a copy of the terms and conditions that state this limit.   They say it appears on the screen when you purchase the package but can never see it again.   They can't produce a copy of the screen.    You can't see you daily data usage unless you ask the front desk.

 

I just realized that I had my cloud folder synching in the background which was using massive amounts of data.   I need to configure my computer for ship use which I didn't do this cruise since I thought the data limit wasn't an issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this. Which internet package are you on (sorry if I missed it)?

[zgscl]

9 hours ago, dchip said:

Good Wifi is the only thing Princess has over HAL in my opinion. We cruised from Pier 27 last week. Wifi was fast then and the entire cruise to Ensenada and back. Our 2019 South Pacific cruise on the Amsterdam was hideous when it came to Wifi. We had no service for several days on the way back from Nuka Hiva. 

Do you find the onboard activities similar? HAL has really invested quite a bit in the Music Walk & EXC talks. Does Princess have some kind of equivalent? I believe they still have production shows so that could be a plus for them in addition to the wifi. 

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

For sure it’s a large portion.  If I order it agin that is  going to be my meal.  I had branzino that night so it wasn’t like I followed it up with pasta.  That would be a mistake.  Still it was plenty.

I will be having it Sunday. They were really pushing the Spaghetti Alstice also on our last cruise, but I really don't think pasta after risotto would be good. Oh well, maybe I need to plan more trips to Canaletto. 

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I loved the crab risotto in Canelleto.  They called it a small plate but it was definitely a full sized plate.    The server told me that when they charge $12 for it people expect a large plate 

That makes sense. I was surprised at how generous the amount of crab was in the disk. Both on top as well as mixed in. 

[dchip]

9 hours ago, zgscl said:

Do you find the onboard activities similar? HAL has really invested quite a bit in the Music Walk & EXC talks. Does Princess have some kind of equivalent? I believe they still have production shows so that could be a plus for them in addition to the wifi. 

Unfortunately, activities and entertainment aren’t are thing. I do like HAL’s Exc talks a lot. On our 2016 South Pacific cruise we didn’t miss one. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

13 hours ago, zgscl said:

Thanks for sharing this. Which internet package are you on (sorry if I missed it)?

Premium

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Who can name this sculpture? 

[TiogaCruiser]

On 11/11/2021 at 10:19 AM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The advertising I received when inquiring was misleading -

 

Quote "  Each package comes with an unlimited volume of date on each day of your voyage.  For a current listing of the amount of data provided for the superior  speed see the purchase an Internet Plan Page - End Quote 

 

Of course - there isn't anyway to check this since I already purchased the plan.     

 

I turned off my cloud sync and windows has a very nice data usage tracking feature under settings.   You can even set a data limit to give you a warning etc...

 

But even when you are throttled after 500 MB , you can still muddle thru - so unless you are trying to run a you tube channel or forget to turn off you cloud sycn you should be fine.      

 

Bottom line - you can manage 500 MB a day if you are aware it needs managing.   The ship can give you a date usage printout on request.  

Before I did South America last time, which was my first time blogging heavily, I took my iPhone and Windows 10 laptop to their respective “homes” (Apple Store and the Microsoft Store at our local mall) and went through both with a tech, to confirm I knew where ALL the controls where so neither would “call home”. ( I never have set up One Drive. I use a different back up strategy.) The Microsoft tech couldn’t believe I wanted everything- even the active tiles- off. He also didn’t understand the ship being like “dial up”. I don’t think he was old enough to understand that one.😫