Text Feature Carnival Hub App

[wemjam]

We have never used this, but this time we are doing a family cruise with a few rooms.  I have seen it on the app and it says $5.  I am guessing it just allows you to text people in your cruise group on the ship only, correct?

 

Can someone that has used it confirm, is it a flat $5 for the whole cruise?  Or is it $5 per day?

 

Also, I assume you can buy this and not have internet package and it still works, or do you have to have internet too and then this as well?

 

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[ultrafighter]

$5 for the cruise per device.  And you do not have to buy an internet package.

[Joe817]

It is indeed $5/person for the entire cruise, and no you don't need an internet package to access texting on the hub app. We buy it for every cruise, but rarely use it. Just for peace of mind. 

[wemjam]

Thanks all.   Will certainly get it, that way we can all stay in contact no matter where anyone is on the ship.  

 

[wemjam]

So, couple more explanations if you can please.

 

So the phone is in airplane mode and you are actually texting through the hub app, how does it know who you want to text, do you use their phone number or does it know the people in your group (as long as you are linked together) and you just select the person you want to send a text too some how?

[ultrafighter]

It knows who is in your group (who also has chat turned on), and you select your recipient.

[thenexus2k]

As mentioned, it is $5 per user for the length of the cruise. 

 

The chat app is built into the carnival hub app. I *think* you can add people to your "friends" list by folio number. 

 

Just got off a cruise a week ago (Miracle - Alaska) and honestly we found it to be highly unreliable. Some time's we get messages right away. Sometimes they comes in hours later. Sometimes not at all. Really leads to confusion when someone sends you a two part message and you only get the second part...

[wemjam]

2 minutes ago, thenexus2k said:

As mentioned, it is $5 per user for the length of the cruise. 

 

The chat app is built into the carnival hub app. I *think* you can add people to your "friends" list by folio number. 

 

Just got off a cruise a week ago (Miracle - Alaska) and honestly we found it to be highly unreliable. Some time's we get messages right away. Sometimes they comes in hours later. Sometimes not at all. Really leads to confusion when someone sends you a two part message and you only get the second part...

Well that's interesting.  We wanted it to be able to be in instant contact essential, like "hey want to go to breakfast" that kind of thing without having to actual call the room in case they are sleeping or already out of their room getting coffee or something.

 

But I guess if you get it a 3pm it might be confusing.

[pe4all]

We have used this on our last 5 or 6 cruises.  As others have said, sometimes the messages take a while to come through.  You add the person to the chat feature once they pay - very easy.

[Jelly_Toast]

I agree with the unreliability.  We always get it because it's better than nothing.  There is four of us and we don't buy an internet package so it's the only method of (sometimes) contact. I think it's worth the money as long as you manage expectations of what it can do.

[Hoosierpop]

2 hours ago, Jelly_Toast said:

I agree with the unreliability.  We always get it because it's better than nothing.  There is four of us and we don't buy an internet package so it's the only method of (sometimes) contact. I think it's worth the money as long as you manage expectations of what it can do.

Agree with this. First time we got it, my wife thought I was ignoring her. I may have been, don’t really remember. But then I tried texting her and she got them late so it saved me from any further admonitions.

 

Still worth the $5 though. And you can add people outside of your cabin if you want.

[SuzWillCruise]

We’ve used the chat feature on two cruises now, and sometimes it’s fast, but definitely not always. I started typing a time stamp with my messages to help avoid confusion.

[jemrtt]

I did not use this feature on our last cruise. However, I habitually swipe up to close open apps on my iPhone. And I kept getting this message in my notifications center whenever I closed the app. (See photo)
I kept wondering if that meant I would not get texts messages from others in my group, if in fact we did purchase the $5 text feature. Can’t say for sure. 
 

I read a few messages on CC in relation to some persons not receiving messages from others in their group. So I thought I’d post this, just in case it might be a plausible reason why some were not receiving messages in a timely fashion. 

If it’s not helpful, feel free to disregard. 😊

[ultrafighter]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:54 AM, SuzWillCruise said:

We’ve used the chat feature on two cruises now, and sometimes it’s fast, but definitely not always. I started typing a time stamp with my messages to help avoid confusion.

That's a good idea!  I'll start doing that on Thursday.