Skype on Enchantment

[Cloud9 Bob]

Recently cruised Enchantment. I took my own wireless equipped laptop. I consider myself fairly computer saavy. Had no problem getting a strong wireless connection in the Internet cafe and the library. I was able to check my webcams at home and watch my pets being fed. I had perfectly functioning, delayless live chat with my friends at home via MSN Messenger...BUT...I couldn't get Skype Out to work at all. It may be due to the slight delay as the signal beamed up to the satellite, but all I got were connection errors. If anyone has successfully used Skype from a wireless satellite connection I'd love to hear how and which ship it worked on. On a side note, I tried Messenger from the Internet Cafe computers and they all had an outdated version that would not connect to newer versions of MSN. My laptop had a newer version and it worked beautifully. It was a lot of fun. Now if the price RCL charges could be a bit lower than 0.33 per minute. My Internet charges were $75.00 for a four nighter. ;)

[takeavacation]

.33 per minute doesn't sound too horrible - I was on the Navigator in September and the rate was .50/minute. How did you get it lower?

[Enchantment 04]

sorry if i sound stupid.. but whats a skype?

[Cloud9 Bob]

If you pay $50 for the package deal you get 150 minutes at 0.33 per minute.

 

Skype is a way to make a phone call through your computer and an internet connection at just pennies per minute rather than $7.95 per minute using the ships telecom system. I've seen posts here where some have claimed success with it...unfortunately, I wasn't one of them. :mad:

[JandD Mom]

Bob,

 

Could it be that RCCL is using filters to block out Skype? After all, if you could use Skype, you would't pay them $8 per minute to call home, would you?;)

[jrm9999]

I have always had poor internet service on RCI ships. I don't know how Skype could work given both the slow bandwidth and delay. Maybe I just have bad luck with it.

 

As for blocking Skype, it is possible but cumbersome to block. Skype by its very nature tries to work around blocks. It is why so many people like it. It just works.

[Cloud9 Bob]

Bob,

 

Could it be that RCCL is using filters to block out Skype? After all, if you could use Skype, you would't pay them $8 per minute to call home, would you?;)

It's very possible that they now do filter it...but...maybe on other ships/cruise lines it did work at one time. This thread link below seems to indicate that, but I'm not sure it would be a very satisfying connection. I did find that I could send a short voice clip through MSN Messenger without any problems though. I think the line is drawn between programs that send a burst of data and those (like Skype) that need an open "full duplex"* connection. The way the ships satellite service works (with delay) just doesn't seem to be Skype friendly.

*That means talking and hearing all at the same time like a normal house telephone.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=307885&highlight=skype

[wraithe]

Bob,

 

Could it be that RCCL is using filters to block out Skype? After all, if you could use Skype, you would't pay them $8 per minute to call home, would you?;)

 

RCL is quite happily equipping their ships with cell phone towers at quite a bit less than 8 bucks/min, and they're only getting a small portion of that, just like they're only getting a small portion of the internet connection money. I'll put my money on the low bandwidth and delay as the reason that skype doesn't work.

[LSM1018]

I used Skype on my Enchantment cruise in August. My Skype Out worked fine for one call. Then, just like you said, it quit working. It turned out I had 5 minutes of free credit and that it is not a free call back to the states. Once I added more money to my Skype account, I placed the calls without a problem. I think it was somewhere around 2 cents per minute. Plus the internet charges, of course. Still a really good deal for talking back to my family. :)

[Cloud9 Bob]

I used Skype on my Enchantment cruise in August. My Skype Out worked fine for one call. Then, just like you said, it quit working. It turned out I had 5 minutes of free credit and that it is not a free call back to the states. Once I added more money to my Skype account, I placed the calls without a problem. I think it was somewhere around 2 cents per minute. Plus the internet charges, of course. Still a really good deal for talking back to my family. :)

I put $10 in my Skype Out account prior to sailing, and came home with the exact same amount. I'm glad it worked for you...still can't figure why it didn't for me, unless something changed between August and November. :confused:

[Cloud9 Bob]

I would like to further add that Skype technical support is pretty much useless. I emailed them a detailed description of what I did as far as trying to connect from the ship and posed a question regarding maybe the lag between satellite transmission was the culprit and if they could possibly shed some light on why it works for some and mostly not for others? I also told them that I have already read all the FAQ's regarding SkypeOut that their website had to offer.

 

They copy and pasted the system requirements for the software installation in my return email. :mad:

 

Duh...(knock...knock) hello Skype...the software is installed and works...just not on the ship! ;)

[alexkrn46]

We use skype at home for free, but when I was on the ship Skype directed me to their pay site. The Jewel had a cell tower so a call via sprint was Less than $5/minute

[Cloud9 Bob]

We use skype at home for free, but when I was on the ship Skype directed me to their pay site. The Jewel had a cell tower so a call via sprint was Less than $5/minute

 

SkypeOut (if it worked) would have been pennies per minute (plus RCCL Internet charge of 0.33 per minute of course). That's why it sounded so attractive to me.

[Paul123]

This is a really interesting thread. I use VOIP as I believe it is better than Skype technically and cheaper....I live in the USA in the winter and the UK in the summer and have signed up to VOIP via a UK based server. They charge nothing for me to call most countries in the world but 1p (2 cents) to call a UK phone number. I have to put some money into the system to get it going incase I use non-free country/premium line calls. I put in 10 pounds ($20). The beauty of having your own laptop with you and access to one of these 'free' systems is that in many ports of call you will find that you can access unsecured wifi from land based premises like near by local hotels and yacht clubs etc. I was recently in San Juan and had access to 6 wifi sites from the port area. Off course that is free and you can e-mail and surf. Unfortunately I had not taken my earphones and mic with me so didn't try VOIP but I bet it would have been awesome if i had.

Really interested to hear if anyone is also on VOIP. I will probably re-sign up for Skype before my next cruise (in January) just in case it works there and not for VOIP. I packed up Skype cause people I didn't know or care about sometimes contacted me for no apparent reason.

 

Paul

[EllieBB]

Have any of you tried Google Talk? You can use either instant message or live chat. All you need is a microphone and the person you are talking to have the software installed...I wonder if this would work...

[Cloud9 Bob]

This is a really interesting thread. I use VOIP as I believe it is better than Skype technically and cheaper....

 

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

[Paul123]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

 

It may well be so but my and another firend's experience was that VOIP was a better product than Skype. The basic system may be the same but the actuality of using it has shown differences. My friend was very recently on a Skype conference call and reported poor quality compared with our usual VOIP exchanges. Interesting.

[Cuizer2]

...still can't figure why it didn't for me, unless something changed between August and November. :confused:

 

Did you sacrifice a phone to the phone gods before you left on your cruise? :confused:

[Cloud9 Bob]

Did you sacrifice a phone to the phone gods before you left on your cruise? :confused:

 

Aha! I only burned a coiled cord from the 1960's...that expains it! :rolleyes:

[Paul123]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

 

Cloud9 Bob....you might find this analysis interesting on the difference between Skype and Voip

 

Paul

[Paul123]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

 

Cloud9 Bob...forgot to add the analysis...lol

 

The main difference between Skype and other VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model, rather than the more traditional server-client model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralised and distributed among the nodes in the network, which means the network can scale very easily to large sizes (currently just over 100 million users) without a complex and costly centralised infrastructure.

Skype also routes calls through other Skype peers on the network to ease the traversal of Symmetric NATs and firewalls. This, however, puts an extra burden on those who connect to the Internet without NAT, as their computers and network bandwidth may be used to route the calls of other users.

The selection of intermediary computers is fully automatic, with individual users having no option to disable such use of their resources.

This fact is not clearly communicated however and seems to contradict the license agreement, which limits Skype's usage of the user's "processor and bandwidth [to the] purpose of facilitating the communication between [the user] and other Skype Software users" (section 4.1).

The Skype code is closed source, and the protocol is not standardized but proprietary; this has raised suspicion and drawn some criticism from software developers and users.[citation needed]

 

 

Paul

[Paul123]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

 

Cloud9 Bob...hope this is not a duplicate post but just tried to add the analysis that I forgot to add to my earlier posting. Hope this one goes through to the board this time.

 

The main difference between Skype and other VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model, rather than the more traditional server-client model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralised and distributed among the nodes in the network, which means the network can scale very easily to large sizes (currently just over 100 million users) without a complex and costly centralised infrastructure.

Skype also routes calls through other Skype peers on the network to ease the traversal of Symmetric NATs and firewalls. This, however, puts an extra burden on those who connect to the Internet without NAT, as their computers and network bandwidth may be used to route the calls of other users.

The selection of intermediary computers is fully automatic, with individual users having no option to disable such use of their resources.

This fact is not clearly communicated however and seems to contradict the license agreement, which limits Skype's usage of the user's "processor and bandwidth [to the] purpose of facilitating the communication between [the user] and other Skype Software users" (section 4.1).

The Skype code is closed source, and the protocol is not standardized but proprietary; this has raised suspicion and drawn some criticism from software developers and users.[citation needed]

 

 

Paul

[Paul123]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought VOIP is a protocol (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and software companies (like SKYPE) make use of this VOIP technology to transmit voice calls back and forth over the Internet?

 

I meant to post this with my previous reply to you Cloud9 Bob

 

The main difference between Skype and other VoIP clients is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model, rather than the more traditional server-client model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralised and distributed among the nodes in the network, which means the network can scale very easily to large sizes (currently just over 100 million users) without a complex and costly centralised infrastructure.

Skype also routes calls through other Skype peers on the network to ease the traversal of Symmetric NATs and firewalls. This, however, puts an extra burden on those who connect to the Internet without NAT, as their computers and network bandwidth may be used to route the calls of other users.

The selection of intermediary computers is fully automatic, with individual users having no option to disable such use of their resources.

This fact is not clearly communicated however and seems to contradict the license agreement, which limits Skype's usage of the user's "processor and bandwidth [to the] purpose of facilitating the communication between [the user] and other Skype Software users" (section 4.1).

The Skype code is closed source, and the protocol is not standardized but proprietary; this has raised suspicion and drawn some criticism from software developers and users.[citation needed]

[Paul123]

I see this has come through three times now although two of them were instigated last night and one this morning. System certainly playing up as previously happened to me recently on another thread

[Cuizer2]

I see this has come through three times now although two of them were instigated last night and one this morning. System certainly playing up as previously happened to me recently on another thread

 

You mean you didn't type the same thing three times? :rolleyes: