internet charges

[ciska40]

Hi,

 

My daughter of 13 would love to stay in contact with their friends while we are on the Zuiderdam. Can anyone tell me what internet cost onboard and if its possible to go on MSN.

 

Love Ciska

[sail7seas]

The prices can change at any time but when we took a package on Noordam in January, we paid $55 for 100 minutes plus a one time start up charge of $3.95 (or close to that). There was a bonus of 10 minutes by booking a certain day.

 

I believe the other package was $100 for 250 minutes plus the same start up charge.

 

You can pay by the minute but that would get very costly if your daughter was on line for extended periods.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Recent Maasdam charges:

 

100 minutes for $55

 

250 minutes for $100

 

$3.95 one time start up fee

 

Signing up the first day you 20 extra minutes for $100 package and 10 minutes for the $55 package.

 

Since we booked a couple of excursions online there was a slip of paper in the envelope that we gave to the internet manager and got another 10 minutes.

 

Another new deal -- show them your Mariner number: extra 20 minutes for the $100 package or 10 minutes for the $55 package.

 

Then near the end of the cruise there was a "Happy Hour" special. Go during a certain time and the charges were cut in half!!!

[jtl513]

... and if its possible to go on MSN.

Yes, you can go to any site or ISP, although some (like AOL) have troubles at times.

You can pay by the minute but that would get very costly if your daughter was on line for extended periods.

The "break even" point between the $0.75 by-the-minute vs the 100 minute package is 73.3 minites, so it could be cheaper to go by-the-minute. I'll admit, though, that the minutes slip away very quickly at the speeds you normally get on the ships. :(

 

Another new deal -- show them your Mariner number: extra 20 minutes for the $100 package or 10 minutes for the $55 package.

When did this start? Since mid-December?

[firefly333]

Im not sure which ports you will be in. But I go to cyber cafes in the ports and pay by the 30 minutes or 1 hour of time. Iv paid from $3 for 30 minutes and as little as $1 for as long as I wanted to sit on the computer in Progresso.

 

The keys are labeled with a few spanish lettings, the delete key was something odd, cant remember, but it was in the same place on the keyboard and the letters are the same.

 

Im going to Cozumel next week and I think it was $3 for 1 hour or less where I go. We email my parents so they know we are doing ok and tell them about what we are doing from the ports.

[sail7seas]

Yes, you can go to any site or ISP, although some (like AOL) have troubles at times.

The "break even" point between the $0.75 by-the-minute vs the 100 minute package is 73.3 minites, so it could be cheaper to go by-the-minute. I'll admit, though, that the minutes slip away very quickly at the speeds you normally get on the ships. :(

 

When did this start? Since mid-December?

 

OP specifically mentioned her interest in internet was for her 13 year old daughter to keep in touch with friends. That PROBABLY would imply some heavy duty usage of many minutes. :D

 

I use AOL and never have any difficulty accessing my AOL account using the ship's computers.

[jtl513]

Im not sure which ports you will be in. But I go to cyber cafes in the ports and pay by the 30 minutes or 1 hour of time. Iv paid from $3 for 30 minutes and as little as $1 for as long as I wanted to sit on the computer in Progresso.

Yes, port internet cafes are definitely cheaper, but (a) I don't want to use my port time for that - I would rather use slack time on the ship - and (b) you run a much, much higher risk of encountering keystroke loggers there that can steal account user names and passwords, or more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did not get the Mariner minutes when we were on the Volendam in Oct and Nov.

 

But that credit was available for our Feb23 and Mar 5 Maasdam cruises.

 

So apparently this has begun some time in between our 2 cruises. Haven't heard anyone else mention this.

[Shebinz]

We were on the 2/28 sailing of the Noordam.

Internet 'specials' with 10 or 20 minutes free were available to all who signed up the first day, it seemed.

We had heard that the service could be slow to use, wasting costly minutes, so we chose to use cyber cafes at each port. All were resonably priced and efficient.

[Jade13]

Wow, it sounds like the prices ent up. We bought a package last year for 50 minutes for $31.00 (I think it was about $27 plus the start up charge). We didn't even use all of it. We set up yahoo accounts before we left to stay in touch with our 13 year old.

[jtl513]

Wow, it sounds like the prices ent up. We bought a package last year for 50 minutes for $31.00 (I think it was about $27 plus the start up charge). We didn't even use all of it. We set up yahoo accounts before we left to stay in touch with our 13 year old.

What ship was this, and what day of the cruise? The three HAL ships I've been in the past 18 months only offered the 100 min/$55 as the minimum package, except on the last day before disembarkation when 15 or 30 minute blocks could be purchased for last-minute tasks.

[Firemans_Flame]

I am wondering about internet wireless connections (hot spots). The Holland Website refers to them for internet access. I'm not sure how it works - but it doesn't seem like they would be able to charge/track for the amount of time I use my laptop.

[jtl513]

I am wondering about internet wireless connections (hot spots). The Holland Website refers to them for internet access. I'm not sure how it works - but it doesn't seem like they would be able to charge/track for the amount of time I use my laptop.

You're pretty naive in the way these things work aren't you? :D Your laptop can detect the wifi signal, but to make a connection to the ship server you must log on to your account, and the meter start ticking! :D If you are just talking about using your laptop off-line, no, the ship server doesn't know or care how long you do that.

[richwmn]

What ship was this, and what day of the cruise? The three HAL ships I've been in the past 18 months only offered the 100 min/$55 as the minimum package, except on the last day before disembarkation when 15 or 30 minute blocks could be purchased for last-minute tasks.

On my Zaandam Alaska Cruise last May, my internet was less than the $55 I expected, maybe the $31 someone else mentioned. It was purchased the first afternoon of the cruise, just after boarding. I remember it was lower but I would have to see if I still have the bill to see how much.

[Firemans_Flame]

Thanks JTL. My laptop is a new toy and I haven't taken it on the road yet.

[Krazy Kruizers]

For the last couple of years, the internet prices that I mentioned have been in effect on all the dam ships that we have been on. And the prices are the same for those who bring their own laptops.

[richwmn]

I just pulled my statement from Last May on the Zaandam for an Alaska cruise. The first charge on it is email, internet 40.00 and the second is email, internet 3.95. This was for a 100 minute package purchased on the first afternoon of the cruise.

 

Rich

[jtl513]

I just pulled my statement from Last May on the Zaandam for an Alaska cruise. The first charge on it is email, internet 40.00 and the second is email, internet 3.95. This was for a 100 minute package purchased on the first afternoon of the cruise.

 

Rich

That's great! Hope it's also true on the Statendam in September. :)

[candbgirl]

I just got off the Zuiderdam. Surprisingly the connection speedwas so much better than I thought it would be. The cost is definitely $3.95 for start up fees and then a package. I took the $55 package for 100 minutes and ended up buying another 100 minute package. The last day they do have specials so people can print their airline boarding passes. I think it was in 15 minute intervals. I saw a lot of people using their laptops in the internet center.

I think they even have a 1000 minute package but I have no idea how much that costs. Your daughter will probably have way too many other things to do than to spend lots of time on the net.

[jtl513]

I think they even have a 1000 minute package but I have no idea how much that costs.

Excuse me, but I seriously doubt that!:D :D

[sapper1]

We recently sailed on the Volendam's 10 day Panama Cruise and I purchased the $100 for 250 minutes package. I thought that would be adequate but their system is so (deliberately?) slow that much time was wasted trying to access sites. I ran out of minutes eight days into the cruise and simply did without my "fix" for the remainder.

I was also under the impression that there was no access in the cabins but my laptop worked perfectly well from our cabin which was located just under the internet cafe and on the opposite side of the ship.

[jtl513]

We recently sailed on the Volendam's 10 day Panama Cruise and I purchased the $100 for 250 minutes package. I thought that would be adequate but their system is so (deliberately?) slow that much time was wasted trying to access sites.

No, it is not "deliberately" slow. The primary reason for that is that the passenger computers are only allocated a part of the bandwidth of the satellite link. Atmospheric conditions and latitude can also adversely affect performance, with far north and south latitudes being the worst areas.

 

I was also under the impression that there was no access in the cabins but my laptop worked perfectly well from our cabin which was located just under the internet cafe and on the opposite side of the ship.

Yes, anytime you are close enough to an antenna you can use the wifi. Cabins near the atrium, Neptune Lounge, below the the Lido pool, or near the Explorations Cafe can often pick it up. I'm a little surprised that you got good performance on the opposite side of the ship from the Explorations Cafe and two decks down (since there are no cabins on the Promenade Deck). Maybe some of the kitchen or a/c ductwork was acting as a wave guide. :confused:

[sapper1]

No, it is not "deliberately" slow. The primary reason for that is that the passenger computers are only allocated a part of the bandwidth of the satellite link. Atmospheric conditions and latitude can also adversely affect performance, with far north and south latitudes being the worst areas.

 

Yes, anytime you are close enough to an antenna you can use the wifi. Cabins near the atrium, Neptune Lounge, below the the Lido pool, or near the Explorations Cafe can often pick it up. I'm a little surprised that you got good performance on the opposite side of the ship from the Explorations Cafe and two decks down (since there are no cabins on the Promenade Deck). Maybe some of the kitchen or a/c ductwork was acting as a wave guide. :confused:

We were in cabin 3363 and the reception was excellent----just slow. I appreciate the explanation of the slow performance.

[ciska40]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. I haven't been able to come online sooner to place a reply.

 

Well I guess my daughter want to go on the internet to talk to friends. She spends a lot of time on MSN. Ans by that time she problably has a boyfriend :D she already loves a boy so you know how it goes she has to talk to him.

We are from the netherlands so talking on cellphone with her isn't an opption much to expensive for her.

 

But now I know all the options thanks for that. :)

 

 

Love Ciska

[jtl513]

We were in cabin 3363 and the reception was excellent----just slow. I appreciate the explanation of the slow performance.

3363 on the Volendam and you were able to pick up the wifi? Wow! I certainly wouldn't have expected any reception there!