Volendam - Internet & Cellular @ Sea

[Sparticus]

Just off the Volendam today. We were last on in September 2005. Since then, the ship's satellite Internet gear has been replaced and MTN's Cellular At Sea service has been added. (You will have GSM cellular coverage ALL the time, even on sea days. - More on that in a future post, but we're Cingular customers with their $5.99 "World" add-on, so calls were $1.69/min at sea and in all S. Carib. ports.)

 

The Internet speeds is VASTLY improved. In Sept. '05 it was slower than dial-up. Last week, I was averaging just slightly higher than ISDN speeds - 140 kbps. Wireless coverage was greatly expanded. We were in a Cat. S outside the Neptune and I could work from the room, saving me time each day. Also, I used a mere $300 of Internet access time on a 10 day trip. On our 9/05 Alaska cruise, I used over $400 on a 7 day cruise. Same amount of work, just faster speeds.

 

We'll post some more on post-dry dock improvements when we get home from FLL later in the week, but suffice to say it's all good.

[Sage]

Thank you so much for the internet information. This will make DH very happy. We are near the Neptune Lounge on our upcoming cruise, so maybe his notebook will work from the suite as well. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise, and I look forward to your additional comments.