internet scheme

[Ktuluorion]

Hey all.  I'm on breakaway on a an upcoming TA.  Since it's a long trip,  internet is pricy.  I'd like to use free wifi during the port intensive first part of the cruise, then upgrade in the second half.  My question is-- will it be "pro- rated" if I wait and upgrade halfway through onboard?  i.e. 400$ instead of 800$?

[davencl]

10 minutes ago, Ktuluorion said:

Hey all.  I'm on breakaway on a an upcoming TA.  Since it's a long trip,  internet is pricy.  I'd like to use free wifi during the port intensive first part of the cruise, then upgrade in the second half.  My question is-- will it be "pro- rated" if I wait and upgrade halfway through onboard?  i.e. 400$ instead of 800$?

I can relate my experience in August on the GEM for an 11 night Mediterranean sailing.  Once onboard and perhaps a day or two later there was an offer when logging in to upgrade for the remainder of the trip for $65.00. I did not upgrade since there was a port stop every day on that trip but price was certainly good.

Edited October 12, 2023 by davencl

[Ktuluorion]

10 hours ago, davencl said:

I can relate my experience in August on the GEM for an 11 night Mediterranean sailing.  Once onboard and perhaps a day or two later there was an offer when logging in to upgrade for the remainder of the trip for $65.00. I did not upgrade since there was a port stop every day on that trip but price was certainly good.

 

was there an option to move from the free 250 minutes to the unlimited streaming package?  recall how much that was?

[davencl]

32 minutes ago, Ktuluorion said:

 

was there an option to move from the free 250 minutes to the unlimited streaming package?  recall how much that was?

Unfortunately I don't recall. I don't think there was an offer for the streaming package.

[hallux]

11 hours ago, Ktuluorion said:

I'd like to use free wifi during the port intensive first part of the cruise,

 

51 minutes ago, Ktuluorion said:

was there an option to move from the free 250 minutes

If you use the 250 minutes you get no credit for that when upgrading.  Once you use the free minutes you pay full price for any internet you buy for the rest of the cruise.  Additionally - any discount for the unused (never activated) FAS internet minutes will only be available in the first couple days of the cruise.

[Ktuluorion]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

 

If you use the 250 minutes you get no credit for that when upgrading.  Once you use the free minutes you pay full price for any internet you buy for the rest of the cruise.  Additionally - any discount for the unused (never activated) FAS internet minutes will only be available in the first couple days of the cruise.

so in order to qualify for the upgrade offer referenced earlier in the chain you can't use the 250 fas minutes at all?  why would you be logging in if you weren't using the minutes?

[hallux]

It's an upgrade cost, not an extension cost.  The upgrade involves a 'surrender' of the initial plan to get credit for that toward the unlimited.

 

Additionally - how long ago did you book?  250 minutes hasn't been the offer for several years, it's been 150 minutes per passenger for cruises 7-11 nights (300 per per passenger for longer cruises) for quite a while now.

[Ktuluorion]

You are correct - it's 300 per passenger (my sailing is 16 nights).

[mking8288]

18 hours ago, Ktuluorion said:

... to qualify for the upgrade offer referenced earlier in the chain you can't use the 300 fas minutes at all?  why would you be logging in if you weren't using the minutes?

Since you have 300 FAS minutes x 2 for the cabin, the other 300 FAS minutes can be used & is still available after you do the upgrade.  You just cannot upgrade to unlimited on the line/account with airtime/data minutes already in use or active, being subtracted.

 

In order to see the offered options & pricing, you need to log into the account to activate first (verify your DOB and create your own unique password) - while connected to (only to) ship's WiFi inTRAnet, not the inTERnet to review the choices, prices and that's the "free" portal and is not counted against your online usage to the inTERnet.  For example, you can access ncl.com to browse and you can access CruiseCritic, free at no extra charge while logged in and not "online" to access other external sites behind the firewalls.  

 

There is a printed mini-guide on paper that you can pick-up free at the iCafe onboard, with specific instructions & details for those less tech savvy 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by mking8288

[Ellaleah]

9 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Since you have 300 FAS minutes x 2 for the cabin, the other 300 FAS minutes can be used & is still available after you do the upgrade.  You just cannot upgrade to unlimited on the line/account with airtime/data minutes already in use or active, being subtracted.

 

In order to see the offered options & pricing, you need to log into the account to activate first (verify your DOB and create your own unique password) - while connected to (only to) ship's WiFi inTRAnet, not the inTERnet to review the choices, prices and that's the "free" portal and is not counted against your online usage to the inTERnet.  For example, you can access ncl.com to browse and you can access CruiseCritic, free at no extra charge while logged in and not "online" to access other external sites behind the firewalls.  

 

There is a printed mini-guide on paper that you can pick-up free at the iCafe onboard, with specific instructions & details for those less tech savvy 

 

 

I really could use a little more clarification.  I’m in a solo balcony for 15 days.  I have FAS and I’m thinking that I will want to upgrade to the premium unlimited.  It is best to do that before boarding?  Are you stating that I should absolutely do that be I use any minutes?  Thank you for your help.

[hallux]

@Ellaleah if you can wait until you wake up on day 2 you can save some money as you won't be paying for internet on embarkation day, where you'd have use of land-based cellular data while still in port (if outside, generally) and as such would only be without connectivity for a couple hours (once out to sea and until you go to sleep).

 

I'm debating buying internet on my cruise in January - it's a 2 week cruise and the second week is almost all port calls.

[metrygal]

We’re on a 2 week cruise with 7 port days (one being Mexico which would be free calls/texts to USA on Verizon, I need to check on internet) but my question is:

if I enable the Verizon $10.00 per day plan in foreign countries, will it be okay to log onto the internet from my balcony or other outdoor areas of the ship while in port… or do I actually have to be off the ship in the country?

I'm only interested in deleting the hundreds of useless emails as often as possible so my mailbox doesn’t explode before we get home!  I think I could divvy up the 300 free minutes over the 7 sea days as long as the Breakaway’s internet is working. Thanks very much!

[hallux]

@metrygal I believe the 'cellular at sea' tower is turned off within a certain distance of shore, so you'd be fine sitting on your balcony and doing that.  In fact - I stood on deck using my cellular data (mine is no extra charge in 200+ countries) as we passed an island on my last cruise, I got a good signal from the island.  I have a different carrier than you do.

[cruiser2015]

30 minutes ago, metrygal said:

We’re on a 2 week cruise with 7 port days (one being Mexico which would be free calls/texts to USA on Verizon, I need to check on internet) but my question is:

if I enable the Verizon $10.00 per day plan in foreign countries, will it be okay to log onto the internet from my balcony or other outdoor areas of the ship while in port… or do I actually have to be off the ship in the country?

I'm only interested in deleting the hundreds of useless emails as often as possible so my mailbox doesn’t explode before we get home!  I think I could divvy up the 300 free minutes over the 7 sea days as long as the Breakaway’s internet is working. Thanks very much!

Radio (phone) signals don't care where you are standing (or sitting).

Just make sure what network you are connected to, as in not the ship's.

Edited October 15, 2023 by cruiser2015

[davencl]

2 hours ago, metrygal said:

We’re on a 2 week cruise with 7 port days (one being Mexico which would be free calls/texts to USA on Verizon, I need to check on internet) but my question is:

if I enable the Verizon $10.00 per day plan in foreign countries, will it be okay to log onto the internet from my balcony or other outdoor areas of the ship while in port… or do I actually have to be off the ship in the country?

I'm only interested in deleting the hundreds of useless emails as often as possible so my mailbox doesn’t explode before we get home!  I think I could divvy up the 300 free minutes over the 7 sea days as long as the Breakaway’s internet is working. Thanks very much!

We do this all the time and have never had a problem.  

[pacmancruise]

So I was just on the Sky.  I had the 150 free minutes that came with the Free at Sea offer.  I waited until 12:01AM the next day (Didn't use any wifi minutes from the 150 bank, just used cellular since still I was still connected to Verizon at 12:01AM)  and was given a $100 discount offer to upgrade to unlimited when I signed in.  So at that point it was $399-$100=$299 for the rest of the trip.  (11 Day cruise total and 10 with internet)

 

I'm looking to book another cruise, but using the Sail Away Inside offer this time.  So it comes with no perks.  I still need unlimited wifi during the cruise however.  Will I get an offer when I sign in at 12:01AM the second day like with Free at Sea?  Or is it best to sign up for wifi before I get on the ship?  Anyone know the costs/day?  If it's quite a bit higher, I'll just go with Free at Sea offer.  I just want to figure out the difference in price between Free at Sea and Sail Away Inside when upgrading to unlimited on day 2. 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

On 10/15/2023 at 6:32 PM, cruiser2015 said:

Radio (phone) signals don't care where you are standing (or sitting).

Just make sure what network you are connected to, as in not the ship's.

Radio (phone) signals do care about you sitting or standing in a big metal box. If you can receive land-based signals, the ship's cell tower should be off. 

[Ima Ginaree]

Great question. I want to expand on it and ask anyone who has cruised the Suez Canal if you can pick up much land based internet during the passage.  On a 15 night cruise, I’ll have 1 full day in the Suez Canal and another 6 full sea days, so I am confident I’ll need more than my 300 mins Free at Sea allowance.p so I can stay in touch with home.  I like to plan ahead so any tips are welcome.
 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Ima Ginaree

[cruiser2015]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Radio (phone) signals do care about you sitting or standing in a big metal box. If you can receive land-based signals, the ship's cell tower should be off. 

Well, if we're going to be technical, it's not he signal that "cares" (it's all around you) - it's your phone that does or does not get the connection.

And if you are truly inside of that big metal box, I wouldn't count on connecting  successfully all of the time either.