Voom Surf vs Surf and Stream

[CatLadyFemme]

Folks who have been on board lately; I hear rumors that even just Surf is not good enough to check email and upload here and social media. I don’t need to use Zoom or make any video calls, nor do we plan to stream movies, but I do need to be able to use email, including to download and upload docs and PDFs, plus would like to be able to post here and on social media.

 

For my three sailings this year, I got Surf for us for a good deal on Black Friday, so I’d prefer not to have to repurchase, but if it is indeed making email difficult, I probably should.

 

[Will be on Allure, Quantum and Voyager this year, if useful]

 

thanks!

[LeeW]

We don't ever get Stream.  We look at email, news sites and this board all the time.  Folks have reported uploads of photos here doesn't work well with Surf.  We haven't tried that.  I've certainly downloaded documents with no issues.

 

The real key is finding a spot on the ship with excellent signal strength.  Even different spots within a cabin can mean success or failure.  A good or fair signal may result in dropping the connection or taking so much time that you get a timeout from wherever you are connected to.  Drives DW nuts - I get a good signal and can do anything I want, pass the laptop to her, and she keeps dropping the connection.  Rotating the laptop can even cause a difference.

 

We have a single Surf device purchased for next five cruises.

 

Potentially you could have a problem on Voyager.  Think that still has old style satellite system.  It is possible to upgrade onboard.  Cost likely to be difference between onboard Surf and Stream costs.

Edited March 6, 2022 by LeeW
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[DeputyDawg46]

Before I was able to get Surf and Stream free on all my cruises, I always used the basic Surf and there were times when it was not very good.  Depending on location of ship.  But most of the time I could do emails, look at my camera links, schedule hotel/flights, and watch videos (sometimes w/buffering).  However, the Stream option does provide a better quality and less buffering when watching videos, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, You Tube, etc.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, CatLadyFemme said:

I hear rumors that even just Surf is not good enough to check email and upload here and social media

Temporary issues on some ships are always possible - don't go by that to determine what may happen on your sailing nor what tier of Voom you will need. Surf will be fine, if a bit lower performance on Voyager.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Biker19

[livingonthebeach]

I recently sailed on two older ships - on Freedom I had just the surf package and it was painfully slow. My last sailing I purchased the surf + stream on the Jewel and it was just a tad better.  Tip: if it doesn't work for the intended purpose you purchased the package for, they will credit your account.  On the ships you mentioned you shouldn't have any problem on the two newer ships with just the surf package.

[Lane Hog]

We had the lower package Surf as part of the soda+wifi package, and it was entirely adequate for reading news, checking social media and watching the occasional YouTube video.  My daughter managed to download Amazon Prime videos without complaining as well, which is slightly different than streaming.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Lane Hog