More nickel and diming by NCL

[ochreman]

I just learned that NCL has blocked internet phone systems such as Skype from operating on their internet system. So if you buy a block of time from them while on board, don't plan on making phone calls unless you want to spend the money and use NCL's system. Just another way to grab more $ from the customer!!!

[mbisson]

I wonder if the VoIP systems use enough bandwidth that it would slow the system down. Just a thought

[Philob]

I wonder if the VoIP systems use enough bandwidth that it would slow the system down. Just a thought

 

Or the otherway, the satillite upload is so slow, it would be almost unusable.

 

My SWMBO use to use Skype to call China and they have dial-up on that end and it was almost useless. She now calls them using SkypeOut to their cellphone and it works great.

 

:)

[TPEINC1958]

Come on Monte, you know it is just another way for NCL to grab more money from the customer.

 

Didn't you get the memo? :rolleyes:

 

John

[mbisson]

Didn't you get the memo? :rolleyes:

 

John

 

 

I gotta start reading those b4 I throw them away :eek:

[smeyer418]

check with skype and see if they have an alternate(dummy) site for just this problem...but I must tell you at the speed the satellite accesses it may be problematic anyway.

[CRUZIN TOM]

Somebody has to pay for their Satellite service. It mught as well be us cruisers.:)

[mbarnaby99]

When I tried to use it for VoIP, it was too slow and was not usable.

[insidecabin]

I just learned that NCL has blocked internet phone systems such as Skype from operating on their internet system. So if you buy a block of time from them while on board, don't plan on making phone calls unless you want to spend the money and use NCL's system. Just another way to grab more $ from the customer!!!

 

The real scam is being charged by the minute in the first place when bandwidth is the issue for sharing.

[TPEINC1958]

The real scam is being charged by the minute in the first place when bandwidth is the issue for sharing.

 

I don't know that I would call it a scam. They are charging for a service. You don't have to use the service as it is.

 

You could use the normal satellite phone service or route through their "cell service" tower. Or just turn off the damn telephone and enjoy your vacation.

 

I know...some of you really important people cannot be out of touch with your office. So, NCL is offering different ways for you to reach out and touch someone. Just be prepared to pay for the service.

 

Just a thought.

 

John

[LateCruiser]

I don't know that I would call it a scam. They are charging for a service. You don't have to use the service as it is.

 

You could use the normal satellite phone service or route through their "cell service" tower. Or just turn off the damn telephone and enjoy your vacation.

 

I know...some of you really important people cannot be out of touch with your office. So, NCL is offering different ways for you to reach out and touch someone. Just be prepared to pay for the service.

 

Just a thought.

 

John

 

I'm with you John - I turn my phone off when I get in the Cruise Terminal and turn it back on when we are getting ready to disembark. That way, it doesn't cost anything.

[newmexicoNita]

I'm with you John - I turn my phone off when I get in the Cruise Terminal and turn it back on when we are getting ready to disembark. That way, it doesn't cost anything.

Us too, why do we think we need to be in constant contact with everyone we know? What about the days when there not even phones in the cabins on cruises?

 

Nita

[salty dingo]

Who would want to pay 50 to 75 cents a minute to try and use VoIP on a cruise ship. You'd have to be a glutton for punishment to even try that.

 

The bandwidth is too low, and the reliability is not good on the ship.

 

That, plus geeks with softphones sapping bandwidth from the rest of us that would rather send an email than speak to someone.

[jkloni]

One of the reasons I started cruising was because it was the only way work couldn't contact me for 7 days and I truly could have a vacation. And (at the time) phone charges were $15/min. from the ship, so that was axed too.

 

I was disappointed when the cruiselines even started with the internet cafes.

 

So, I don't use the internet or telephone service while on the cruiseship. I love not knowing anything that is happening for the length of the cruise (usually 7 days). It's like being in a time warp full of happiness. :)

 

I wish it to be affordable for all of you that need it, but for me - it could be $100 min and it wouldn't bother me because I don't use it.

 

Kathy

[insidecabin]

I don't know that I would call it a scam. They are charging for a service. You don't have to use the service as it is.

 

You could use the normal satellite phone service or route through their "cell service" tower. Or just turn off the damn telephone and enjoy your vacation.

 

I know...some of you really important people cannot be out of touch with your office. So, NCL is offering different ways for you to reach out and touch someone. Just be prepared to pay for the service.

 

Just a thought.

 

John

 

We also have a no contact policy as well, ours extends to family emergencies since there is nothing that you can do other than spoil a holiday.

 

The problem I have with the internet "service" price structure is that the service they provide at 75c pm(or what ever) is for the use of the computer with the "posibility" of some access to the internet, the costs are not time based for the cruise line(AFAIAA). Also the more that use the service the slower it gets for everyone thus increasing the time you need to perform task that are internet based plus you are getting charged for PC only based activity that make no use of the WAN service.

 

What would be more more equitable would be a computer use charge and a connectivity charge. so for example you could prepare your emails docs etc at a sensible use rate, and then connect and send at the high charge rate. For those with their own conputers a LAN charge for use of services that are ship based, with a charge for WAN access the same as if you were using a ship computer. Technicly not that hard to impliment and for the user a charge meter based on bandwidth/time used could be displayed on the screen.

 

Anyway those stuck to the screens all cruise mean one person less cluttering up somewhere else on the ship.

[logcabin]

We are the same way.. It's a VACATION! Part of being on vacation is getting away from the computer, cell phones, email, etc.. I don't even bring my laptop. As soon as we get on the ship, the cell phone comes off, gets turned off and put away until we return.. It's all part of our vacation.

[dispachcops]

I have to bring my laptop so I can upload all my pictures from my camera to my laptop so I can take more pictures.

[GROOVERS]

I figure if I can afford to pay 4 to five thou for a cruise I can afford to make a phone call, no matter who charges what...Who cares!

Great cruise line, just booked another on NCL!:D

 

We also bring the laptop, but just for pictures, like you say...

[mel31]

I just learned that NCL has blocked internet phone systems such as Skype from operating on their internet system. So if you buy a block of time from them while on board, don't plan on making phone calls unless you want to spend the money and use NCL's system. Just another way to grab more $ from the customer!!!

 

I don't feel the same way. Nickel and Diming? No.

 

Having to put a quarter into a slot by the elevator to use the elevator - now that would be nickel and diming.

 

I did bring my cell phone along on my cruise. It was used just 1 day, midway through the cruise. I checked in with my children to say things were wonderful and ask how they were? And that was it. Good thing too. At $4.99 a minute, talk wasn't cheap!

 

No laptop came with along. The digital camera takes 343 6 megapixel shots on one memory card. With 2 cards, that was plenty of space right in the camera and bag. And the cable to attach the camera to the television in the cabin allowed for evening review and editing of photo's.

[NormanW]

I just learned that NCL has blocked internet phone systems such as Skype from operating on their internet system. So if you buy a block of time from them while on board, don't plan on making phone calls unless you want to spend the money and use NCL's system. Just another way to grab more $ from the customer!!!

 

If you use a notebook you can tunnel (protocol 47)and it will work fine. Of course you'll need a VPN back home to do this. I cannot recommend anyone NOT encapsulating traffic over an unsecured public network anyway. Anyone with intermediate understanding of network protocols can use Ethereal in promiscuous mode and grab *ANYONE's* password, etc. in the packets freely. Wonder where those thousand dollar internet charges come from on end of cruise people tell about? ;) Inmarsat-B provides sufficient bandwidth for telephony. You just have to have proper packet shaping to ensure sufficient QOS to reduce broken sound. The biggest problem is jitter. Where there's a geek, there's a way. :D

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

[cliffd64]

I have to bring my laptop so I can upload all my pictures from my camera to my laptop so I can take more pictures.

 

Ever considered buying a few extra memory cards instead? They are incredibly inexpensive these days... easier to carry than a laptop.

[smeyer418]

Ever considered buying a few extra memory cards instead? They are incredibly inexpensive these days... easier to carry than a laptop.

and a lot cheaper if they get stolen or broken...you can get 1 gig cards for as little as $15.00 on sale. They will hold 500 pictures at even two megs.

[Toyz711]

bring my laptop, just for photo storage. in the evening, while i wind-down, i get my photo downloaded, edited...by the end of the trip they are on a disk. this way i know my photo are safe and don't have the surprized of coming home and finding something happed and they aren't on the memory card(s).

[JediAmy]

If you use a notebook you can tunnel (protocol 47)and it will work fine. Of course you'll need a VPN back home to do this. I cannot recommend anyone NOT encapsulating traffic over an unsecured public network anyway. Anyone with intermediate understanding of network protocols can use Ethereal in promiscuous mode and grab *ANYONE's* password, etc. in the packets freely. Wonder where those thousand dollar internet charges come from on end of cruise people tell about? ;) Inmarsat-B provides sufficient bandwidth for telephony. You just have to have proper packet shaping to ensure sufficient QOS to reduce broken sound. The biggest problem is jitter. Where there's a geek, there's a way. :D

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

 

Show-off (I love it!:rolleyes: )

[dotsebeil]

I don't know that I would call it a scam. They are charging for a service. You don't have to use the service as it is.

 

You could use the normal satellite phone service or route through their "cell service" tower. Or just turn off the damn telephone and enjoy your vacation.

 

I know...some of you really important people cannot be out of touch with your office. So, NCL is offering different ways for you to reach out and touch someone. Just be prepared to pay for the service.

 

Just a thought.

 

John

I don't know about all of those "important people" who need to keep in touch with their office... but my husband and I recently took an NCL cruise for our honeymoon, and had some very serious problems, both with the cruise, and at home.

 

Neither of us had brought our cell phones, for the simple reason that we didn't WANT to be in contact with anyone! When we had to contact our travel agent and our families however, considering the cost of calling offshore from your stateroom, we were in desperate need of the internet.

 

It just so happens that on OUR cruise, the internet was down for 5 days of our 7 day cruise. On top of this, when the internet did come back up, they wouldn't honor our internet cafe coupons (they said NCL not NCLA and we were on a Hawai'ian cruise). Because their sattelite was so SLOW, it took 45 minutes to do what should have taken 5. Of course we had to eat this cost.

 

We ended up visiting an internet cafe in port (in Kona) to check on their responses later on, but at that point the damage was done.

 

When we talked to reception about this issue, we got the crass reply, "what, don't you have a cell phone?"

 

**grumble**