Internet cost

[css]

What sort of packages are offered for Internet use? Do most ports have Internet Cafes?

[newlywedcruisers]

What sort of packages are offered for Internet use? Do most ports have Internet Cafes?

 

I think per minute it starts out at $.75, then goes down per package of 100 and 250 (I think)

 

Internet cafe's would depend on your itinerary.

[shoreguy]

What sort of packages are offered for Internet use? Do most ports have Internet Cafes?

 

http://www.ncl.com/more/internet_cafe.htm

[AZ_Roy]

What sort of packages are offered for Internet use? Do most ports have Internet Cafes?

 

Stay away from the Internet on the ship unless you HAVE to do something critical. The best rates published for NCL are 40 cents per min.

 

Internet cafes in the ports are pretty common depending on the ports. You will likely have to get a bit more into town to find one depending on the port. There was one right next to the ship when I was in Puerto Villarta Mexico with great rates and in Kona Hawaii there are at least two internet cafes within a short distance of the tender dock.

 

I have never quite understood why cruise lines feel they have to gouge thier customer for internet acces onboard nowadays. Considering they have to have it on the ship to book their tours and such charging 40-75 cents per min for time is crazy. Take a look at BlueSky for land based satelite internet, $49.99 per month for unlimited use is not bad. Yeah, the ship has to have special gyro stabilized antennas, but like I said they HAVE to have it for their use so why gouge the passengers like they do.

 

Actually, a list here on cruisecritic.com (with ports, location, cafe name, rates, user rateing on speed) would be a very handy thing to have. And considering we are all here on the internet anyway and MANY of us take laptops along. :)

[heelfan94]

Agreed on the cost of internet. It's outrageous. I remember Disney being much more reasonable. Is it just NCL that is so high?

[electricron]

Agreed on the cost of internet. It's outrageous. I remember Disney being much more reasonable. Is it just NCL that is so high?

 

No. RCI is even higher.

Here's NCL internet cafe rates:

http://www.ncl.com/more/internet_cafe.htm

Cheapest rates are 40 cents per minute (up to 250 minutes).

 

Here's Carnival internet cafe rates:

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/On_Board_Internet_Cafes.aspx

Cheapest rates are 40 cents per minute (up to 250 minutes).

 

Here's Royal Caribbean internet cafe rates:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/cruiseline.cfm?CruiseLineID=32

Cheapest rates are 50 cents per minute.

 

Here's Disney internet cafe rates:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/onboard/more/detail?name=InternetCafeDetailPage

Cheapest rates are 35 cents per minute (up to 300 minutes)

They also have unlimited services available.

[sandancer]

http://www.ncl.com/more/internet_cafe.htm

Shoreguy, I understand Latitudes members get a discount on internet charges, do you have any info on this. You seem to know EVERYTHING!!

[shoreguy]

Shoreguy, I understand Latitudes members get a discount on internet charges, do you have any info on this. You seem to know EVERYTHING!!

 

They normally do depending on what package is selected. The usual is a 10% increase in minutes also there is often an offer of bonus minutes for everyone who signs up the first day.

[garycarla]

Not sure about the comment to stay away unless critical. Yes, it is expensive, but for some of us, checking in is needed so that we CAN RELAX. Yep, $.50 a minute for slow connection is rough, but it is what most of them charge. Even more if you use it only a little. The shoreside cafes are good if:

a) You use webmail and not mail based on your pc, also known as POP mail.

or

b) You have entended at sea days, like when you cross the Atlantic.

 

By the way, use of webmail on the ships computers can be painfully slow. Be warned.

 

Want to talk about highway robbery - using your cell phone at $2.49 per minute. Ouch!

[shoreguy]

Want to talk about highway robbery - using your cell phone at $2.49 per minute. Ouch!

 

I think it is a bargin - pick up the phone in your cabin for $7 a minute:eek:

[garycarla]

I think it is a bargin - pick up the phone in your cabin for $7 a minute:eek:

 

It is all relative.

 

And I hope none of mine are on our cruise!

[fin]

You can look for discounts or sales toward the end of the cruise as well.

[AZ_Roy]

Not sure about the comment to stay away unless critical. Yes, it is expensive, but for some of us, checking in is needed so that we CAN RELAX. Yep, $.50 a minute for slow connection is rough, but it is what most of them charge. Even more if you use it only a little. The shoreside cafes are good if:

a) You use webmail and not mail based on your pc, also known as POP mail.

or

b) You have entended at sea days, like when you cross the Atlantic.

 

By the way, use of webmail on the ships computers can be painfully slow. Be warned.

 

Want to talk about highway robbery - using your cell phone at $2.49 per minute. Ouch!

 

LOL, yeah, that is one thing I did like about doing Hawaii this year. Since we were in port for 96 hours of the trip I was not roaming on T-Mobile thru the ship with my cell phone/Blackberry. That gave me at least cell phone, any critical email, and limited web access. All that is part of my normal T-Mobile bill anyway so surfing the net while in Kona looking for flightseeing trips on Kauai was a snap at an internet cafe and only cost a few bucks vs the 75 cents per min for access via the ship.

 

It would be cool if NCLA was able to have a shore based provider while in port at a VERY reduced rate. Maybe that could be an interesting business idea for someone. Offer WiFi connectivity right at the port like they do in truck stops. Travel Centers of America (TCA) and Flying-J Truck Stops both offer WiFi at most of their stops with several plans starting at about $4.95 for a few hours, $9.95 for a day and $29.95 for a month of service. The monthly service is nationwide too, not just the center you started at.

 

Having WiFi in port where you were up on deck or balcony with your laptop and had access would cure the net surfing craving for most people. I know the Pride of America has WiFi in many public areas and wired access to all cabins for the access offered by the ship. I think most of NCL & NCLA's newer ships have the same.

 

I travel with a laptop and did learn a painful lesson on the Wind. I had an magnetic external WiFi antenna for my laptop, and since the cabin walls were magnetic I stuck on the wall near the cabin window. I think I was fine until I needed to charge the laptop so I plugged it into the 110 socket. Probably since the ship is 220V & 120V there must have been something that my laptop did not like as it killed the PCMCIA slot on the laptop sometime during the cruise and it died. The rest of that laptop still works so it gets used at home for a few tasks. I don't blame NCL for that one considering it is one that woudl be hard to anticipate happening.

 

Now I travel with a suction cup mount for the antenna as well as the GPS antenna. Having the GPS running while up on deck on the POAM while we were cruising to the Volcanoes National Park was a blast. We had several passengers and crewmembers that kept running over and looking at the map display so they knew where we were.

 

We had a GPS receiver with us on the Wind our Panama Canal Cruise in 2003 and ran into the Captain up on deck one evening. He was fascinated that we had brought along a GPS and he asked us about it whenever he saw us throughout the rest of the 17 day cruise. Sure had people wondering how we knew the Captain. :)