internet/computer access/pricing???

[firsttimercruzer]

Hi just wondering about internet access and how to go about setting that up as well as pricing??? Is it by the minute? What have your experiences been???

 

Heather

[RuthC]

There's a one-time set-up fee of $3.95 to use the Internet aboard. After that there's a choice of arrangements:

You can pay by-the-minute at $0.75.

You can purchase a 100 minutes plan for $55.

You can purchase a 250 minutes plan for $100.

If you purchase a plan the first day you will receive 10 or 20 extra minutes. Near the end of the cruise there are smaller (15 minute?) plans that can be purchased. These are good for confirming air reservations/checking in.

There's also an Internet drawing for free minutes the first day.

You can use the ship's computers or bring your own laptop. Price is the same---time usage is less with your own.

There are wi-fi hotspots around the ship.

[jhannah]

How much will you plan to use the internet while cruising? If you don't need access off and on all day then I'd suggest using internet cafes on shore. (Ask the crew. They'll know where they are.) Rates are so much cheaper than onboard. Two dollars can get you a half-hour. Some places are a bit more ... some even less. At any rate, it beats the ship's rates all to pieces.

 

The only downside is that it takes that time out of your port visit. I find it fits perfectly with our routine. I surf while my DW goes window shopping.

[Harry1954]

How much will you plan to use the internet while cruising? If you don't need access off and on all day then I'd suggest using internet cafes on shore. (Ask the crew. They'll know where they are.) Rates are so much cheaper than onboard. Two dollars can get you a half-hour. Some places are a bit more ... some even less. At any rate, it beats the ship's rates all to pieces.

The only downside is that it takes that time out of your port visit. I find it fits perfectly with our routine. I surf while my DW goes window shopping.

The other downside to using onshore cafe is that if there are numerous sea days, you must rely on the onboard internet .. consequently, that can dampen significantly any savings on land.

harry

[firsttimercruzer]

Cafes at Grand Turk, Grand Caymen or Cozumel off hand???

 

Heather

[jhannah]

This site should help you.

 

http://www.cybercafes.com/continent.asp?continent=North%20America

 

Such lists may or may not be up to date. Again, check with the ship's crew.

[jtl513]

What have your experiences been???

Since no one has addressed this question yet: my experiences have been fair to abysmal. When I've done timing tests, the best speed I've ever gotten was about 52 Kpbs in the Caribbean and the worst was about 7 Kbps in Helsinki harbor. Typically it runs around 40 kbps. (If you are using a laptop you will see a 54 Mbps connection to the ship's server, but don't let that fool you!) If you have a laptop along, use a mail program (Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora ...) so that you can do most of your reading and writing off-line, and only spend money to receive or send batches.