Beware of slow internet for transatlantic and Europe cruises

[gullgeorge]

We are on the Enchanted Princess and had excellent internet for the first three days.  Then it was next to unusable, except in the middle of the night, for the next 6 days.  Princess added additional bandwidth on the 7th day and during the day you can now get to some web sites, with 15 seconds to minutes response time, and very limited or no video or WIFI calling.  The internet is free (which is now adding to the problem) and there was a waring email and letter in the state room that the internet would not be good for the Atlantic crossing.  But according to what Princess is saying on the ship, this is as good as it is going to get and that all Princess ships in Europe will have the same slow internet.  Hopefully this is not true but we will find out over the next 2 weeks.

[Steelers36]

This situation has been well-publicized.  What we would all like to know is the root cause and what, if anything, can be done to fix it.  Should not be this way.

[c-boy]

well hopefully there's other activities on board to keep guest preoccupied. 

[Lady Arwen]

We are sailing to the British Isles on Emerald in September and it’s crucial that I have internet access.  Our elderly dogs are being taken care of by family at our house and it’s very difficult for me to be away from them.  My son has assured us that the dogs will be fine, but I need to know everyday that is so.  I know it probably sounds silly to some people, but these dogs are family, too and their mama worries about them!  If I do not see any improvement in the internet fiasco by final payment in June, I will have to cancel our cruise with Princess.

[NoWhiners]

5 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

We are sailing to the British Isles on Emerald in September and it’s crucial that I have internet access.  Our elderly dogs are being taken care of by family at our house and it’s very difficult for me to be away from them.  My son has assured us that the dogs will be fine, but I need to know everyday that is so.  I know it probably sounds silly to some people, but these dogs are family, too and their mama worries about them!  If I do not see any improvement in the internet fiasco by final payment in June, I will have to cancel our cruise with Princess.

 

I completely understand, we have a similar issue. I don't need to hear every day but I do need to have access so I can participate in any decisions that might have to be made. I don't understand why this is happening all of a sudden. pre-covid, internet on Princess was fine.

[GatorGirl1313]

Some people are relying on the advertised "best" internet at sea.  Many of us are unable to fully cut the cord from work emails and calls even if we want to.  This would make me very hesitant to book the European cruise I've been considering 😥

[cruiser419419]

Was on a transatlantic recently and the internet never worked, including when we were sailing around Europe. Have heard that other cruises in the region have had better internet, so you might be luckier than we were.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Whether or not one feels that internet access is an integral part of a cruise vacation, the bottom line is that the president of Princess should not be touting that high speed WiFi is available anytime, anywhere on their ships if that product cannot be reliably delivered. If it’s ship and location and demand dependent, then say that and sell it with those caveats. 

[Steelers36]

25 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Whether or not one feels that internet access is an integral part of a cruise vacation, the bottom line is that the president of Princess should not be touting that high speed WiFi is available anytime, anywhere on their ships if that product cannot be reliably delivered. If it’s ship and location and demand dependent, then say that and sell it with those caveats. 

Hear, hear.

[kiwimum]

Currently on the Emerald, absolutely no

issues so far with internet.  Princess did send an email to all guests around 14 days prior indicating the possibility of internet issues and they would refund the cost.   For those on Princess Plus $150 of refundable OBC was posted to our account prior to departure.  

[High C's]

16 hours ago, c-boy said:

well hopefully there's other activities on board to keep guest preoccupied. 

Access to the internet is not always for "entertainment purposes".   

[theborders]

I would like to know the root cause of the problem as we sailed the Regal last August on a UK staycation cruise the WiFi was great, currently in the Med on the Regal again and the WiFi is verrrrry slow. I am not one that needs the internet but would like to know the real reason why it is so slow.

[PescadoAmarillo]

12 minutes ago, High C's said:

Access to the internet is not always for "entertainment purposes".   

In my case, it largely is, and I won’t apologize for it. Have fun with your trivia and egg drop contests (my husband’s favorite); I am happiest looking at maps as we sail past land, or researching the difference between dolphins and porpoises or even streaming YouTube videos of an upcoming port. 

[High C's]

Just now, PescadoAmarillo said:

In my case, it largely is, and I won’t apologize for it. Have fun with your trivia and egg drop contests (my husband’s favorite); I am happiest looking at maps as we sail past land, or researching the difference between dolphins and porpoises or even streaming YouTube videos of an upcoming port. 

Nor should you.  Everyone's usage of the internet is entirely their own choice.  I was merely pointing out that in some cases, it goes beyond entertainment, for reasons unique to everyone.  Its not just a matter of replacing activities to keep oneself occupied or entertained.

[Lady Arwen]

36 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

Currently on the Emerald, absolutely no

issues so far with internet.  Princess did send an email to all guests around 14 days prior indicating the possibility of internet issues and they would refund the cost.   For those on Princess Plus $150 of refundable OBC was posted to our account prior to departure.  

Thank you!  It seems there’s hope for our Emerald cruise in September!  I’m surprised that Princess refunded your internet cost before you even sailed.  That does seem quite reasonable of them.

[SinbadThePorter]

12 minutes ago, theborders said:

I am not one that needs the internet but would like to know the real reason why it is so slow.

 

I'm guessing, but it seems likely that the internet on the ship was going though GEO satellites, not MEO satellites.

 

The GEO satellites are much slower in speed, but easier to track. While the faster MEO satellites require a much more complicated tracking system on the ship. More complicated means more likely to break down.

[Bgwest]

Also presently on the Emerald and have been presently surprised with the ship’s Wi-Fi, so far. Especially given the correspondence from Princess warning to expect otherwise and their refund of our entire prepaid funds. 
 

We’ve been able to stream videos and otherwise go about our normal usage patterns. That said, I expect that we are still within MEO coverage and things will go to …heck…when we get far enough north to be solely within GEO coverage. 

Our present position and speeds:

[Bgwest]

4 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Also presently on the Emerald and have been presently surprised with the ship’s Wi-Fi, so far. Especially given the correspondence from Princess warning to expect otherwise and their refund of our entire prepaid funds. 
 

We’ve been able to stream videos and otherwise go about our normal usage patterns. That said, I expect that we are still within MEO coverage and things will go to …heck…when we get far enough north to be solely within GEO coverage. 

Our present position and speeds:

Sub 5 speeds certainly aren’t ideal, but on past Emerald sailings, by comparison, these speeds are awesome. 

Having used Wi-Fi on many Princess ships since MedallionNet was first introduced, I am firmly of the opinion that the Emerald has the absolute WORST Wi-Fi of all. Sub 2 speeds aren’t at all unusual. Even in the MEO world. 
 

Hence, my surprise at the current state of Wi-Fi aboard. 

[Steelers36]

57 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

I'm guessing, but it seems likely that the internet on the ship was going though GEO satellites, not MEO satellites.

 

The GEO satellites are much slower in speed, but easier to track. While the faster MEO satellites require a much more complicated tracking system on the ship. More complicated means more likely to break down.

IF this is the case, they should state so and why aren't they using the MEO's?  Are they off-line?  Did they forget to pay the bill?  What's really going on here?

[Bgwest]

All about MedallionNet Wi-Fi

Learn how MedallionNet Wi-Fi works and discover how speed and connectivity may be affected while sailing in different regions.

 

https://youtu.be/CQbdvvRVynA

[Bgwest]

Surprisingly, today is a bit better despite being a day’s travel further northeast. 
 

[vjmatty]

On 4/20/2022 at 9:48 AM, PescadoAmarillo said:

In my case, it largely is, and I won’t apologize for it. Have fun with your trivia and egg drop contests (my husband’s favorite); I am happiest looking at maps as we sail past land, or researching the difference between dolphins and porpoises or even streaming YouTube videos of an upcoming port. 

 

Thank you for that.... it amazes me how presumptuous people are about why people get on the internet.  It's not like we're all playing video games, some of us do use it to learn a thing or two.

[vjmatty]

On 4/19/2022 at 5:45 PM, Lady Arwen said:

We are sailing to the British Isles on Emerald in September and it’s crucial that I have internet access.  Our elderly dogs are being taken care of by family at our house and it’s very difficult for me to be away from them.  My son has assured us that the dogs will be fine, but I need to know everyday that is so.  I know it probably sounds silly to some people, but these dogs are family, too and their mama worries about them!  If I do not see any improvement in the internet fiasco by final payment in June, I will have to cancel our cruise with Princess.

 

Absolutely not silly, we have three dogs and all are 14-15 years old.  I don't want to be a downer but I did once have to make a painful decision while on vacation regarding a dog who is no longer with us.  I not only was able to allow the vet's office to end her pain, but was able to see her one more time which would not have been possible had there not been internet service.  Don't let people judge your choices, they don't know everyone's situations.  You do you.

[Lady Arwen]

3 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Absolutely not silly, we have three dogs and all are 14-15 years old.  I don't want to be a downer but I did once have to make a painful decision while on vacation regarding a dog who is no longer with us.  I not only was able to allow the vet's office to end her pain, but was able to see her one more time which would not have been possible had there not been internet service.  Don't let people judge your choices, they don't know everyone's situations.  You do you.

You are so kind…..thank you.  You really made my day.

[NoWhiners]

On 4/20/2022 at 11:06 AM, Bgwest said:

All about MedallionNet Wi-Fi

Learn how MedallionNet Wi-Fi works and discover how speed and connectivity may be affected while sailing in different regions.

 

https://youtu.be/CQbdvvRVynA

 

That was an interesting video, thanks for posting. However, it makes me question even more why the internet is so bad all of a sudden, especially in the Med and on a TA.