Explorer WiFi is a rip off

[Guest TopoChico]

Even though I had the WiFi package that includes internet surfing on my phone and ipad - and an International package with Att - I still accrued $386 in overages while on the ship.  Specifically in port on ship in Antigua and St Maarten.  In Antigua, a 9 minute lapse of WiFi cost $128. St Maarten cost $247 for 22 minutes. My roaming was on, my mistake apparently, as I’ve never adjusted it on either device and it must be set to on as default. So every time the Explorer WiFi cut out, which was constantly- I accrued charges, even though I assumed incorrectly that I had covered my bases with a $10/ day backup plan (that is not included in the overages charges.)  
After speaking with Att, I received $122 refund and will have to eat the rest. 
 

The moral of  this story is make sure roaming is off before boarding and don’t bother buying the Explorer of the Seas WiFi because it doesn’t work. And though when ATT offers you an international travel plan - and texts you daily reminding you that you're “covered” - you’re not if you’re on a ship. 
 

I also found this interesting. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by TopoChico

[firefly333]

If the charges were from your provider it's not rcl fault. Blaming the wrong provider.

 

I have found sometimes near the cafe internet not as good on ships. If it cuts off I turn it off and on at settings and back on. I'm using a tablet not a cell phone.

 

Do check with your provider about fees for international calling. Nothing to do with rcl. Could be any cruiseline. 

[Guest TopoChico]

3 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

Even though I had the WiFi package that includes internet surfing on my phone and ipad - and an International package with Att - I still accrued $386 in overages while on the ship.  Specifically in port on ship in Antigua and St Maarten.  In Antigua, a 9 minute lapse of WiFi cost $128. St Maarten cost $247 for 22 minutes. My roaming was on, my mistake apparently, as I’ve never adjusted it on either device and it must be set to on as default. So every time the Explorer WiFi cut out, which was constantly- I accrued charges, even though I assumed incorrectly that I had covered my bases with a $10/ day backup plan (that is not included in the overages charges.)  
After speaking with Att, I received $122 refund and will have to eat the rest. 
 

The moral of  this story is make sure roaming is off before boarding and don’t bother buying the Explorer of the Seas WiFi because it doesn’t work. And though when ATT offers you an international travel plan - and texts you daily reminding you that you're “covered” - you’re not if you’re on a ship. 
 

I also found this interesting. 

My phone also never showed Cellular at Sea in the display.  While we were sleeping, at 4 in the morning, data I started to send on the wifi continued transferring after the wifi kicked out costing more $$

[Guest TopoChico]

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

If the charges were from your provider it's not rcl fault. Blaming the wrong provider.

 

I have found sometimes near the cafe internet not as good on ships. If it cuts off I turn it off and on at settings and back on. I'm using a tablet not a cell phone.

 

Do check with your provider about fees for international calling. Nothing to do with rcl. Could be any cruiseline. 

I made no phone calls. If you read my post, I had an international plan with AT&T but it does not cover you while you are on the ship. The ship Wi-Fi “surf and Stream” was shoddy and did not work 80% of the time. So yes, I can and will post here to warn others. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by TopoChico

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Isn't the easy solution to put your phone/tablet in airplane mode, THEN turn wifi on?   This way, if wifi drops out, you're not using data, right? 

[orville99]

From our past experience with the AT&T international package, it covers phone calls and texts, but not surfing the internet on any devices. Also, while it covers the roaming charges on those calls, you still need to go through the Cellular-at-Sea satellite hook up on board, and once the ship is within a few miles of any port, it is required to shut off that uplink and go to whatever service is available in the port itself.

[Guest TopoChico]

1 minute ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Isn't the easy solution to put your phone/tablet in airplane mode, THEN turn wifi on?   This way, if wifi drops out, you're not using data, right? 

Maybe? I didn’t know. I’ve had a cell phone since they came in a bag and were the size of a loaf of bread but I am no expert in cell usage or carrier policy.  I’ve also successfully gone on 5 cruises out of the same port and to the same islands without a dime in overages.  My point was turn off roaming if you’re going to use an unreliable wifi, which saying Explorer Wifi is unreliable is being kind. 

[smokeybandit]

Sounds like you should be blaming yourself for not putting your phone in airplane mode while at sea.

 

2 minutes ago, orville99 said:

From our past experience with the AT&T international package, it covers phone calls and texts, but not surfing the internet on any devices

 

The AT&T international day pass gives you access to your domestic plan in other countries. It does not work at sea.

[edrussell]

Reminding people to ensure they have roaming disabled is 100% a good thing.  However boiling this down to VOOM being a 'rip off' is way off base.  You made the error, not RCCL.

 

[Guest TopoChico]

2 minutes ago, orville99 said:

From our past experience with the AT&T international package, it covers phone calls and texts, but not surfing the internet on any devices. Also, while it covers the roaming charges on those calls, you still need to go through the Cellular-at-Sea satellite hook up on board, and once the ship is within a few miles of any port, it is required to shut off that uplink and go to whatever service is available in the port itself.

I just spoke to two agents and they couldn’t explain what it covers, nor could the agent who added it on before I left. The Att package specifically for cruises also does not cover “some islands.” It was an expensive learning experience for sure and obviously policy has changed in the 7 years since I cruised last. 

[Guest TopoChico]

4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Sounds like you should be blaming yourself for not putting your phone in airplane mode while at sea.

 

 

The AT&T international day pass gives you access to your domestic plan in other countries. It does not work at sea.

I wasn’t at sea, I was charged while in port in St Maarten, when hooked up to ship Wifi when it cut out randomly. And if you read, I did take responsibility so no need to get accusatory. 

[Guest TopoChico]

5 minutes ago, edrussell said:

Reminding people to ensure they have roaming disabled is 100% a good thing.  However boiling this down to VOOM being a 'rip off' is way off base.  You made the error, not RCCL.

 

Voom on Explorer of the Seas is a rip off.  There are many others who will agree and have posted about asking for and getting refunds.

Edited May 12, 2022 by TopoChico

[ARandomTraveler]

Thank you for the reminder to turn off roaming when cruising. I can imagine the frustration you felt when you got that bill and realized that it wouldn't have happened if A) roaming was turned off and B) the ship Wi-Fi was more reliable so that your phone wouldn't have gone into roaming mode in the first place.

 

 

[Cruising89143]

Sorry that you had to learn the hard way but the tittle of your thread is misleading. This was not an issue with RCI’s Wi-Fi but more of you not totally understanding how your cellular program worked. Lesson learned. Place your phone in airplane mode. The title of this thread should be changed to “Lessons Learned”.

[Guest TopoChico]

Let me just post and say the purpose of this post was to warn others to understand exactly what is covered.  And hopefully it’ll save a few people like me, who are not experts in this field, a little money.
 

There’s no need to throw blame and shame my way when I’ve already acknowledged  responsibility. 

[Guest TopoChico]

Just now, cruisingator2 said:

Sorry that you had to learn the hard way but the tittle of your thread is misleading. This was not an issue with RCI’s Wi-Fi but more of you not totally understanding how your cellular program worked. Lesson learned. Place your phone in airplane mode. The title of this thread should be changed to “Lessons Learned”.

If the Explorer wifi did what they’re advertising and charging for, there would be no post. So the title is accurate.

[tallgirl97]

Whoa, really - no Voom within 9-12 miles of land? 

 

We bought Voom for an upcoming Alaska cruise, which I assume will hug the coast most days. Did we waste that money? I assumed we'd be connected whenever we are on the ship (and recognize that it may be slow/spotty as we get further north).

[Guest TopoChico]

2 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

Thank you for the reminder to turn off roaming when cruising. I can imagine the frustration you felt when you got that bill and realized that it wouldn't have happened if A) roaming was turned off and B) the ship Wi-Fi was more reliable so that your phone wouldn't have gone into roaming mode in the first place.

 

 

Thank you!  Exactly. 

[time4u2go]

4 minutes ago, TopoChico said:

I wasn’t at sea, I was charged while in port in St Maarten, when hooked up to ship Wifi when it cut out randomly. And if you read, I did take responsibility so no need to get accusatory. 

Maybe it's just me, but I think the way you worded your first post in this thread is leading to confusion.  Instead of starting out by basically saying, "Because Explorer's wifi was so bad and my device wasn't able to maintain a reliable connection to it, I incurred a lot of roaming charges while docked...".  That wasn't completely obvious, at least to me, until I re-read the post a few times.

[Dewaldcruiser]

Royal Caribbean's wifi service is not particular fast nor reliable, but I still find it useful to stay in touch with family while cruising.  Be prepared to have wifi calling drop calls periodically.

 

That said, The key to using the ship's wifi without charges from elsewhere is to turn on airplane mode, then turn on wifi.  

[Guest TopoChico]

Just now, tallgirl97 said:

Whoa, really - no Voom within 9-12 miles of land? 

 

We bought Voom for an upcoming Alaska cruise, which I assume will hug the coast most days. Did we waste that money? I assumed we'd be connected whenever we are on the ship (and recognize that it may be slow/spotty as we get further north).

That is a screenshot from the AT&T international and cruise ship-specific plan details.

[orville99]

11 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Sounds like you should be blaming yourself for not putting your phone in airplane mode while at sea.

 

 

The AT&T international day pass gives you access to your domestic plan in other countries. It does not work at sea.

AT&T also offers a 30-day package designed specifically for use on cruise ships. This is different from their "international" package which simply allows roaming phone calls and texts in most countries at domestic rates.

[Guest TopoChico]

1 minute ago, Dewaldcruiser said:

Royal Caribbean's wifi service is not particular fast nor reliable, but I still find it useful to stay in touch with family while cruising.  Be prepared to have wifi calling drop calls periodically.

 

That said, The key to using the ship's wifi without charges from elsewhere is to turn on airplane mode, then turn on wifi.  

I wish I knew that before the trip 😉  

[time4u2go]

3 minutes ago, tallgirl97 said:

Whoa, really - no Voom within 9-12 miles of land? 

 

We bought Voom for an upcoming Alaska cruise, which I assume will hug the coast most days. Did we waste that money? I assumed we'd be connected whenever we are on the ship (and recognize that it may be slow/spotty as we get further north).

Actually it won't hug the coast as much as you might think, other than when looking at glaciers.  They want to be away from the coast so that they can open the casino.

[Guest TopoChico]

Just now, orville99 said:

AT&T also offers a 30-day package designed specifically for use on cruise ships. This is different from their "international" package which simply allows roaming phone calls and texts in most countries at domestic rates.

If you read the details, it does not cover all locations and that is a very expensive data overage charge.