Will a VPN work on my computer through HA's internet?

[ghstudio]

I need to renew/change my VPN provider before I get on-board the westerdam.  Will the ship's internet allow VPN's?

[Nodakboiler]

We have always had to disconnect our VPN when on HAL but maybe that will change with the StarLink updates when available.

[travelers07]

Used my VPN last month on Noordam in Australia/New Zealand. Internet was usable but slow without the VPN and slowed even more when I turned it on. But it did work when I needed it- just had to have lots of patience! 
 

[Gunther1]

First connect your device to the ship’s internet without the VPN, and then turn on the VPN.

[ger_77]

Last month while we were on the Rotterdam, a fellow at Guest Services was in-your-face mad because his wife "still has to work on this damn cruise" and was unable to access her work account because she couldn't use the ship's internet if she had her VPN turned on.  Pretty sure his blood pressure count went way beyond normal.  Guest Services did their best to explain the situation to him, but he was not happy.  Last I heard, he wanted to speak with the captain about it.  Seriously.

[Cruisin'allovertheworld]

On 3/7/2023 at 2:42 AM, travelers07 said:

Used my VPN last month on Noordam in Australia/New Zealand. Internet was usable but slow without the VPN and slowed even more when I turned it on. But it did work when I needed it- just had to have lots of patience! 
 

Sadly as an Australian all I can say is you're mistaken- that's our general internet speed!!

Ha ha (but not...)

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I can usually get VPN to work, but it's never a sure thing.    Don't cruise if VPN access is essential...You may get it - you may not....

 

But to answer your question - VPN's are allowed.    Whether the internet is good enough for them to sync up is a different question.

[TiogaCruiser]

On 3/6/2023 at 11:27 AM, Gunther1 said:

First connect your device to the ship’s internet without the VPN, and then turn on the VPN.

Just curious why that would work better…

[WriterOnDeck]

5 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Just curious why that would work better…

No idea why, but for me the Navigator app doesn't play nicely with VPN already on. I'm on the world cruise and use my VPN, but I always turn it on after connected to the internet through the Navigator. If I come back later and need to re-log into Navigator (happens with irritating frequency) I make sure the VPN is off first.

[robotpony]

1 hour ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Just curious why that would work better…

 

1 hour ago, WriterOnDeck said:

No idea why, but for me the Navigator app doesn't play nicely with VPN already on.

 

I'm just guessing, but I assume that Navigator is run from the local to the ship when onboard and from the interwebs when not on ship, on top of any potential VPN differences. Network changes can cause applications to require signing in again, depending on a bunch of technical details. Holland America IT will be trying to make this as seamless as possible, but there are some technology limits that cause the sorts of issues you both mention. On top of that, most cruise internet plans filter out various services and settings, to provide fair internet sharing for thousands of people.

 

(More background that y'all can ignore, but in case you're curious) A VPN is a type of special network that routes through a computer somewhere on the global network, which probably will not be able to loop back to the onboard systems where I assume Navigator runs from while at sea. My guess is that you would need special VPN rules for the onboard system, and if I figure out what these are I will post details later.

 

I haven't bothered trying to run my work laptop + VPN while on ship, mostly because I'm on holidays and I try to leave that stuff at home when I can. I do plan to work from the seas at some point, so I'll be testing out my work setup on our next trip that has more sea days and can report back. I also want to figure out how to get my Kindle to play well with onboard internet access, for the occasion that I run out of books to read.