Ovation of the Sea's -- HDMI Port Access on TVs?

[LoznLuke]

Hey there! Going on our first cruise and its a 10 dayer! Little bit worried the other half might get ill so wanted to prepare a HDMI device with Netflix/Downloaded movies and such so she can be entertained if such a thing happens.

I was wondering if anyone knows what exact model of TV they use in their Balcony Suites (so i can get a remote) and if they have physical access to HDMI ports?

Thanks all!

[LoznLuke]

Here are the remotes i am looking and and just want to guarantee I'm getting one

1st remote compatibility:
BN59-01266A, BN59-01312A, BN59-01312G, BN59-01310A, BN59-01259E, BN59-01330A, BN59-01329A, BN59-01298A, BN59-01298H, BN59-01292A, BN59-01241A, BN59-01293A, BN59-01357A, BN59-01199F, BN59-01301A, BN59-01315A, BN59-01289A

2nd remote compatibility:
 

• UE32H6400 UE32H6400AKXXU UE32H6400AWXXC UE32H6400AWXXH UE32H6400AWXXN UE32H6400AWXZF UE32H6470SSXZG UE40H5000 UE40H5000AWXXN UE40H6400 UE40H6400AKXXU UE40H6400AWXXC UE40H6400AWXZF UE40H6470 UE40H6470SSXZG UE40H6590SVXZG
• UE40H6600SVXZG UE40H6620SVXZG UE40H6670STXXU UE40H6675STXXE UE40H6690SVXZG UE40H6740SVXZG UE40H6750SVXZG UE40H6770SVXZG UE40H7000 UE40H7000SLXXC UE40H7000SLXZF UE40H7005SQXXE UE40H7090SVXZG UE40HU6900 UE40HU6900SXZG
• UE48H6750SVXZG UE48H6770SVXZG UE48H8000 UE48H8000SLXXC UE48H8000SLXXH UE48H8000SLXXN UE48H8000SLXZF UE48H8000STXXU UE48H8090SVXZG UE48HU7500LXXC UE48HU7500LXXH UE48HU7500LXXN UE48HU7500LXZF UE48HU7500TXXU UE48HU7505TXXE

[Biker19]

4 hours ago, LoznLuke said:

I was wondering if anyone knows what exact model of TV they use in their Balcony Suites (so i can get a remote) and if they have physical access to HDMI ports?

Welcome to CC.

If you are going to get a remote, get a universal one. You can discuss with your cabin attendant about changing in the input to HDMI. Yes, you should have physical  access to the HDMI port though some OS cabin TVs may be a bit more difficult. On some ships that input is just another channel on the TV, so no change to the input required.

[BallFour4]

Here's an option you might consider:
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/sgp/en/faq/questions/can-i-connect-devices-into-my-stateroom-television

Guests may not plug any DVD players, gaming consoles or any other electronic devices into their stateroom television.

Your mileage may vary.

 

.

[LoznLuke]

2 minutes ago, BallFour4 said:

Guests may not plug any DVD players, gaming consoles or any other electronic devices into their stateroom television.

You best believe if they’re charging me $26 per day for internet I’ll be getting Netflix on that TV, one way or another.

[Biker19]

32 minutes ago, LoznLuke said:

You best believe if they’re charging me $26 per day for internet I’ll be getting Netflix on that TV, one way or another.

In full suite (GS and up) on Ovation, you should get a Voom package included in the price of the cruise.

[psumother]

The tv is Samsung.  You will be able to physically connect the firestick to the tv BUT you will not be able to connect to your internet package to log in. They block that feature.  My cabin was a balcony, not a suite.

[orville99]

1 hour ago, psumother said:

The tv is Samsung.  You will be able to physically connect the firestick to the tv BUT you will not be able to connect to your internet package to log in. They block that feature.  My cabin was a balcony, not a suite.

Not necessarily. We used our Roku streaming stick on Serenade for our entire 28 night Panama Canal B2B in November. The only downside was that it used my single device internet access, so I couldn't use my iPad at the same time.

 

We use this remote to control the TV in the stateroom - connects automatically without any code lookup fiddling:

GE Universal Remote Control for Samsung, Vizio, LG, Sony, Sharp, Roku, Apple TV, TCL, Panasonic, Smart TVs, Streaming Players, Blu-ray, DVD, 4-Device, Silver, 33709

Visit the GE Store

 

 

\

Edited December 26, 2023 by orville99

[psumother]

Internet thru the Amazon firestick was blocked on the Allure in July, 2023.

[RobInMN]

We travel everywhere with a Firestick and a universal remote (and a 10ft HDMI cable, just in case).

 

We had no issues using my Firestick on Allure in September, but I always use my phone to hotspot it's WiFi connection. We use Samsung Galaxy phones. You can not hotspot a WiFi connection on iPhones. This way, I don't have to try to get to the sign in page on any ship or hotel on the Firestick as it is not very user friendly to "type" addresses, and navigate web pages. So much easier on my phone.

When not watching TV, Airplane mode and WiFi are on, Hotspot off, Firestick unplugged. When we want to watch TV, Airplane mode off, WiFi on, Mobile Data Off (just in case), Hotspot on. Plug in Firestick - Auto connects to the phone's hotspot.

 

Anyway, as previously noted, just get a Universal remote. You will need this in order to change the input source.

 

I also recommend a VPN. Not only is this handy if the internet gets routed through a foreign country, but some things like YoutubeTV are GPS locked. Most cable channels (including "recorded" stuff) are not available outside your home country via your home service provider and the local stations are not available outside your home area. without a VPN, if you try to watch a local network in another city, it will force you to that city's affiliate. Luckily, Firesticks don't have GPS's, and so as long as I have the VPN turned on, I have had no issues watching the local station (even though my home is the Twin Cities and the closes VPN city is Chicago).

 

The other trick on the newer ships is that you may have to disconnect the wired internet connection and reboot the TV. When plugged in to the hardwired internet, it launches custom RCI software, which does not allow for the source to be changed. Unplugging and rebooting prevents that software from launching.

[Ashland]

We've had no trouble using our Firestick on several ships to watch Netflix, Amazon etc etc.

 

OP if you have any trouble just ask your cabin steward for help and if they can't they'll call for one of the electricians onboard. This is actually a very common request now.

[Ashland]

5 hours ago, psumother said:

Internet thru the Amazon firestick was blocked on the Allure in July, 2023.

Hmmm...Why would this be on only Allure. We've had no trouble recently on 

Navigator, Explorer, Harmony, Jewel, Serenade and Liberty.

[RobInMN]

3 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...Why would this be on only Allure. We've had no trouble recently on 

Navigator, Explorer, Harmony, Jewel, Serenade and Liberty.

Like I posted in my response. No issue on Allure in Sept

[critterchick]

27 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...Why would this be on only Allure. We've had no trouble recently on 

Navigator, Explorer, Harmony, Jewel, Serenade and Liberty.

How did you gain access on Navigator? DH has tried to connect our firestick in several cabins and has found that at some point he needs a password to proceed. We have a Samsung remote but it doesn't help. Thanks for any guidance - we really want to stream the Rose Parade in the cabin on New Year's day.

[GimmeOcean]

On Anthem, in the middle of our sailing, they upgraded the TV (new remote & everything). One of the features of the new software that I found interesting was the ability to select the HDMI input. Hopefully they are going to roll this out fleetwide.

[psumother]

I will try again next month on Vision since the internet has greatly improved and I have been able to stream without buffering on my iPad (on the Vision in an inside inside cabin - 3331).  It would be nice to use a larger screen.

[Pinballs83]

I brought a GE universal remote on Odyssey.  It does everything except switch inputs!  Does anyone know a universal remote code for Royal where the input button works?  I used this same remote successfully on Princess.

I can get still switch to HDMI, I just have to fuss with button under the TV every time I turn it on.

Edited January 13 by Pinballs83

[RobInMN]

17 hours ago, Pinballs83 said:

I brought a GE universal remote on Odyssey.  It does everything except switch inputs!  Does anyone know a universal remote code for Royal where the input button works?  I used this same remote successfully on Princess.

I can get still switch to HDMI, I just have to fuss with button under the TV every time I turn it on.

Did you unplug the network cable and power-cycle the TV?

The newer interactive TV systems launch software via the network that doesn't support the input switching. You should get it to work if you unplug the network cable and unplug the TV and plug it back in again.

[LoznLuke]

My plan has come together well.

 

$10 Amazon Samsung remote and my nvidia shield with a travel router.

 

$10 10ft HDMI cable 

 

4 people all sharing access, Netflix, Amazon prime video, YouTube all working well on one voom.

speeds about 15mbit, which is enough for a few devices to stream if you set content to 720p

 

The router is so small it fits in my partners purse with a mini power bank and we get voom wherever we go if we’re within about 150ft of each other.

 

 

[Pinballs83]

I never tried unplugging the network cable. I do that on the next cruise (icon, woo) . It wasn't a big issue to switch to hdmi via the TV button. Just kind of a hassle. 

 

The 4k firestick worked fine all week on odyssey. The USB port on the TV provided enough power. I did a mobile hotspot from a laptop. Starlink had an ip address from the USA the entire week so YouTube TV worked. On a cruise with princess star link switched to a Mexico ip address for about half the time and YouTube TV wouldn't work. 

[RobInMN]

4 hours ago, Pinballs83 said:

I never tried unplugging the network cable. I do that on the next cruise (icon, woo) . It wasn't a big issue to switch to hdmi via the TV button. Just kind of a hassle. 

 

The 4k firestick worked fine all week on odyssey. The USB port on the TV provided enough power. I did a mobile hotspot from a laptop. Starlink had an ip address from the USA the entire week so YouTube TV worked. On a cruise with princess star link switched to a Mexico ip address for about half the time and YouTube TV wouldn't work. 

I use a VPN when I travel. Takes care of that😉

 

[Pinballs83]

Can you do VPN from wireless hotspot on a windows 11 laptop? Basically the firestick is connected to the laptop hotspot, but how do I get it on the VPN? 

 

It seems like wireless hotspot is on hardware level of the network adapter. I guess I can test at home before next cruise. 

[RobInMN]

I have the VPN on the Firestick, and enable it when travelling. (I use ExpressVPN)

As an extra layer, I always connect my Firestick to a WiFi hotspot from my phone (Samsung Galaxy phones allow this), and turn on the VPN on my phone also. Should be no different than a laptop hotspot.

When you are using a VPN, all network traffic should be going out over the VPN regardless of whether or not it originates on the device itself or coming in through a hotspot.

 

 

[Pinballs83]

Ahh OK. I did not think about a VPN app on the firestick itself. I will try that next time starlink gives me a Mexico ip that YouTube TV doesn't like. 

 

Thanks!