Wi-Fi QM2

[JSR]

Is there any Wi-Fi included? We are in Queens grill? 

[Host Hattie]

No, wifi is available to purchase in 24 hour blocks, details in this post.

Recent reports from the ship is that performance is poor.

 

New wifi prices

 

 

 

 

 

[JSR]

Very old school. Seems a ridiculous amount of money in this day and age. 

 

Is their public access anywhere on the ship that is complimentary?
If we need to simply check email is there an Internet cafe? 
Is there a LAN that is complimentary that can be used to communicate between Wi-Fi cell phones between two passengers?
 

[Host Hattie]

There are computers available to use but you will still need to buy a package to check email.

I'm afraid I don't understand what the third of your questions means but the answer is probably no.

If you really need to be connected a Cunard ship in Mid-Atlantic isn't the best place to be.

[JSR]

We are going to be in the middle of the Atlantic and only need to check email every couple of days for about 15 minutes. Seems crazy that we have to pay for 24 hours to do this. We also use Wi-Fi calling to communicate with each other (think iPhone on airplane or WhatsApp) with each other so we can easily meet up if we have gone our separate ways. Do not need a satellite feed for that just a LAN (local area network) which is what the ship uses so you can book dinning reservations etc through their app. Just wondered through their app if there was a way to communicate with fellow passengers. 
 

I hope that makes more sense. 
 

thanks for the help. We paid a forums for this cruise on one hand what’s another $100 and on the other it is very annoying when no one charges for Wi-Fi any more. We are on Silversea right before this cruise and it’s complimentary and we are in the lowest possible cat. Cabin. 

 

again, thank you. 

[njguy_south]

I also posted this on another thread, but you might also have insight. My main use of the internet is for wifi calling and texting others on my cruise.

 

Has anyone experienced the difference (on Cunard) of the Essential Plan and the Premium Plan? Is the later actually faster?

 

Also, am I correct that now Cunard Club members do not automatically receive wifi (minutes based on level) but must purchase a plan and will be provided credit based on Club level?

 

So, if Platinum and I want Essential internet all week, I pay $15 per each 24 hour period x 7 24-hour periods = $105 minus Platinum Level $80 credit = I pay $25.  
 

OR I pay $20 for one 24 hour period, and if wanting only free internet, I can only use 4 24-hour periods — and they are not selling by the minute, but a full 24 hour period PERIOD.

[ak1004]

Please remember that $20/day is for one device only, so if you want to communicate on WhatsApp, it will be double. On our last TA sailing, the internet was almost unusable. It worked only in the certain areas and the connection was very bad. Since my mom is 87 with hearing problems, it was very frustrating.

[masscruiser2010]

On our Trans Atlantic earlier this month on Queen Elizabeth, internet connectivity was quite good -- better, for example, than our recent experiences with Silversea or Holland America.  We had the premium plan, and I was able to use DropBox to move files back and forth to my office.

[mcloaked]

On the QE cruise to Norway (Northern Lights) in March this year, the internet was occasionally erratic, but the service was way way superior to that experienced on QM2 last week - which tends to suggest that the IT hardware on QM2 is inferior to that on QE.  Hopefully Cunard will take the time to get the internet connection on QM2 up to a better quality of service so that the connections are optimised even if some of the time there may be a loss of satellite signal due to 'geographic' location!

[Victoria2]

If I wanted to stream Spotify [not premium], would I need to purchase the premium or standard package?

[mcloaked]

For music streaming it takes less bandwidth than for video streaming, but it depends whether the standard package is built to filter music streaming or not if the service has the capacity.  However the service needs to be reasonably decent to support it irrespective of which package you buy - the available bandwidth on the Norway cruise would not have supported any kind of streaming regardless of the package used.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, mcloaked said:

For music streaming it takes less bandwidth than for video streaming, but it depends whether the standard package is built to filter music streaming or not if the service has the capacity.  However the service needs to be reasonably decent to support it irrespective of which package you buy - the available bandwidth on the Norway cruise would not have supported any kind of streaming regardless of the package used.

Thank you

[transatlantic fan]

Can you not just use one device and use it as a hotspot ?

[JSR]

3 hours ago, transatlantic fan said:

Can you not just use one device and use it as a hotspot ?

Yes, and we can simply pay for the wifi as the cost really is minimal in the scheme of things, I admit I got  wrapped up in the principal as well as trying to understand how it works. For instance on RCCL when you use their app you can text fellow passengers on the ship without needing wifi. I was trying to find out if that was the case on the QM2 since Cunard states that you do not need wifi to use their app. Since no one responded to that part of my question, I assume either no one has tried or it is not available. 

[lissie]

On 5/30/2022 at 5:24 AM, JSR said:

Is there a LAN that is complimentary that can be used to communicate between Wi-Fi cell phones between two passengers?
 

There is a couple of simple options of keeping contact with your other half - call your  cabin and leave a message saying where you are - even if he's not there he will get it if he checks.  Or leave a note in the cabin to the same effect. Or make a booking to meet at the Commodore at 4pm . Its all variations of how we all managed meeting up pre cell phones LOL 

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, lissie said:

There is a couple of simple options of keeping contact with your other half - call your  cabin and leave a message saying where you are - even if he's not there he will get it if he checks.  Or leave a note in the cabin to the same effect. Or make a booking to meet at the Commodore at 4pm . Its all variations of how we all managed meeting up pre cell phones LOL 

 

And I know QM2 is a big ship, but it is a ship, not a city the size of London. You surely can't get very lost?

[Yaldi]

7 hours ago, JSR said:

Yes, and we can simply pay for the wifi as the cost really is minimal in the scheme of things, I admit I got  wrapped up in the principal as well as trying to understand how it works. For instance on RCCL when you use their app you can text fellow passengers on the ship without needing wifi. I was trying to find out if that was the case on the QM2 since Cunard states that you do not need wifi to use their app. Since no one responded to that part of my question, I assume either no one has tried or it is not available. 

I might have the IT language wrong here but the Cunard “app” isn’t strictly speaking an app you download from Google play or whatever it’s more like a intranet site which connects to the Wi-Fi system while you are in range of the hotspots. You are provided with the “myvoyage.Cunard.com” web address when you board which you save as a favourite in your browser.
 

You can view your onboard account, read bar menus and make certain bookings but that’s about it.
 

I’ve not been with RCCL but on MSC for example it is a true app which you download before your voyage, it connects to the LAN and you can chat to family members through it amongst many other functions. I didn’t use the chat option but believe it was available. So if I understood the question correctly in comparison with “MSC for me” app as an example there is no such chat function with Cunard.

[mcloaked]

Yes you are quite right about the My Voyage being a relatively simple local-only web page that is served from the ship's computer (server) and not an App.  It has no messaging capability between passengers' phones or tablets.

 

However there are apps available that allow you to message(securely) between devices attached to a local area network such as the wireless system on board, with no need for any external internet connection. Two Android apps that seem to have good user feedback are:

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.briarproject.briar.android&hl=en_GB&gl=US

 

and

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mesh_&hl=en_GB&gl=US

 

that should allow you to communicate with your fellow passengers/spouse/SO etc whilst on board, with no need for the ship's satellite signal to be present.  I haven't used either of those, and I communicate with my wife on board using audio voice only (!), but there may also be equivalent apps for Apple devices too.  If anyone has used either of those I have referenced perhaps others might like to know if they work well, or not.

[JSR]

@Yaldi thank you. That is precisely the information I was looking for so we can plan accordingly and not waste time trying to do the impossible. 

@mcloaked thank you for the apps. I will check them out. 

Thank you to those that chose to respond with info outside the question, which put a smile on my face. Never hurts 

 

 

[rakkor]

On 5/30/2022 at 6:05 PM, Victoria2 said:

If I wanted to stream Spotify [not premium], would I need to purchase the premium or standard package?

 

I wouldn't stream, rather download my required playlists to my phone in spotify, that way you have them available when not on line, essentials would be fine for this if somewhere like the Commodore Club with good WiFi coverage.

[Victoria2]

16 minutes ago, rakkor said:

 

I wouldn't stream, rather download my required playlists to my phone in spotify, that way you have them available when not on line, essentials would be fine for this if somewhere like the Commodore Club with good WiFi coverage.

Thanks for the advice.