Inside Passage mobile data?

[oddly excitered]

Ships wifi is always expensive, its kind of silly as it costs the cruise line next to nothing I would think. Nevertheless it is nice to be able to stay in touch.

Is it possible to use mobile data on your device as the passage is apparently in the US? Not just in port but on the ship between ports.

I have not seen this asked so I apologize if the topic is redundant.

We will be cruising round trip out of Vancouver.

    Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Actually a lot of the actual Inside Passage ( east of Vancouver Island) is in Canada. In any event,  a lot of the areas away from the towns is unpopulated or very lightly populated. So there may not be any cell coverage in a lot of the areas.

[chengkp75]

12 hours ago, oddly excitered said:

Ships wifi is always expensive, its kind of silly as it costs the cruise line next to nothing I would think.

Ship's wifi does cost the cruise line very little, as this is just to connect your device to the ship's server.  What costs the cruise line quite a bit is the satellite internet/data connection, and the associated hardware to connect the moving ship to the satellites.  And, the charges that they have to pay for this service is based on bandwidth (or how many people are using what types of apps), and they have to have a whole lot more bandwidth for their thousands of passengers compared to your corner internet cafe.

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, oddly excitered said:

Ships wifi is always expensive, its kind of silly as it costs the cruise line next to nothing I would think. Nevertheless it is nice to be able to stay in touch.

Is it possible to use mobile data on your device as the passage is apparently in the US? Not just in port but on the ship between ports.

I have not seen this asked so I apologize if the topic is redundant.

We will be cruising round trip out of Vancouver.

    Thanks

 

Technically you are correct, the cost of providing wi-fi within the ship isn't hugely expensive, as the infrastructure is installed at build. The expensive part is connecting a moving ship to the shore, which is normally by satellite. Satellite time is never cheap, especially considering the bandwidth required for the pax, ship's business and crew.

 

If you have ever attempted to set up a stationary home or RV satellite dish, you would know the challenges of keeping the dishes on a pitch/rolling ship continuously aimed at the satellite. I'll suspect this technology doesn't come cheap either.

 

You didn't mention which cruise you are considering. If departing Seattle, you are out of US waters within a couple of hours and spend all the next day in the Pacific Ocean. You may pick up Canadian cell towers transiting Juan de Fuca, but once clear, you will have no signal until the next port.

 

If departing Vancouver, you are in Canadian Waters for over 24 hrs and in the Inside passage above Campbell River cell coverage is spotty. Based on the low range of cell signals, I doubt you will find much coverage in Alaska, except in port.

[oddly excitered]

Round tripping out of Vancouver. Thank you, this is the specific info I was hoping for.

Thinking for this one we might just disconnect for the week and enjoy timeless Alaska old school and share photos once we are home.

 

[chengkp75]

20 minutes ago, oddly excitered said:

Round tripping out of Vancouver. Thank you, this is the specific info I was hoping for.

Thinking for this one we might just disconnect for the week and enjoy timeless Alaska old school and share photos once we are home.

 

The general maximum range for a signal from a cell tower (to use your mobile data) is about 25 miles.  For a good bit of the time you will be that far offshore, let alone that far from where the closest antenna is located (hilltops, etc).  Since the population is quite thin in these areas of Canada and Alaska, putting in cell towers is not an economical proposition for the phone companies.  There are vast areas of "dead zones" even on shore in these areas, let alone when offshore on a ship.  Once in port, the ship's cell tower will be turned off, so depending on your carrier and plan, you could get data while in port, to be in contact and send photos.

[wolfie11]

Your provider is also important. I get good service with ATT as they have the majority of towers.  I can get service at several spots while at sea in the Inside Passage, including around Hoonah, Glacier Bay, and Prince of Whales Island.

[RedIguana]

On 5/3/2023 at 11:01 AM, chengkp75 said:

and they have to have a whole lot more bandwidth for their thousands of passengers compared to your corner internet cafe.

I would suspect your corner internet cafe has a few gigabit connections. I was not aware (pre-starlink anyway) that satellite internet had that capability. I was under the impression pre-starlink Oasis class ships were rated at less than 400 Mbps. I know you spent many years working ships, were the connections actually gigabyte bandwidth? I don't think I was ever actually able to find a definitive bandwidth number for them.