Table Of Content
The breakdown of the three levels of Internet packages available for purchase is simple. For instance, visiting YouTube took about 10 seconds before video thumbnails started to load. A visit to CNN.com brought up the text headlines relatively quickly, but images were delayed.
Which Cruise Lines Have Starlink? - Cruiseline.com
Which Cruise Lines Have Starlink?.
Posted: Mon, 13 Nov 2023 18:10:43 GMT [source]
CardMatch
That has recently changed and guests can purchase internet through the cruise manager at Carnival.com. If you buy the internet plan before your cruise, you can save 15 to 20 percent (depending on the plan). If you want until embarkation day to purchase the WiFi, it will not be at a discounted rate. As we are increasingly staying connected with friends and family by sharing photos and videos via social media, it has become more important to stay connected even while on vacation.
Cruise internet tip: Use airplane mode to avoid unwanted charges
Using the wi-fi here and there to check the news or email, however, was just fine. The old pay-by-the-minute system, which could leave even modest internet users with sky-high bills, is now giving way to simpler and more affordable "all you can browse" plans on many lines. There were times when the connection seemed faster than others, but you wouldn’t confuse the speed with broadband you have at home or the office. Not that long ago, Internet on a cruise was largely a luxury. While someone might buy access to be able to work remotely from the ship or buy a few minutes to check email, broad access by many people on the ship wasn’t common.
Go Into Airplane Mode
That said, wi-fi access is not free, nor is it as quick as you are used to back on land. It is still a challenge to get access while hundreds of miles in the middle of the water. We recently put Carnival’s Internet access through the paces to give you all the details on what we experienced with the service. But if you crave more access, the “Value” plan gets you all of the above as well as Internet browsing, email, sports, weather, banking, finance, etc., for $16/day. This way, you can still stay in touch back home without spending as much money. The sign-in process is fairly straightforward, but there were some hiccups here and there.
Onboard internet speed is getting much faster
At Celebrity Cruises, for instance, the top Zenith tier in the line's Captain's Club loyalty program comes with unlimited free Premium-level internet (the fastest plan at the line). Carnival cruise Wi-Fi is also fast enough to support Netflix streaming on some ships, the company says. The cruise line uses a hybrid system that combines faster satellite connections at sea with a network of less-expensive land-based towers that take over as its vessels near coastal areas.
Nor do they come with any other sort of fee — at least for most features. On some cruise ships, the signal has become so much faster you now can stream Netflix from the comfort of your cabin — something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. I can guide you through the ins and outs of Wi-Fi on cruise ships.
Reviewed: Carnival Cruise Wi-Fi Service (Speed, Reliability, Cost, and More)
Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips. Our experience, however, is that you can actually stream at least some of those services that are supposedly no supported. To transfer access between devices, you simply follow the login procedures as normal. It will notify you that the account is already in use and ask if you want to switch devices. Simply confirm the switch and you’re good to go on the second device. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear.
There is a discount if you buy service before the cruise compared to the onboard price. Don’t forget to download the Carnival Hub app before your cruise. Doing so on your cruise can rack up data charges if you’re not careful. It’s likely you’re traveling with other people that want access to the Internet.
Carnival Cruise Line Makes Significant Package Price Hike - Cruise Hive
Carnival Cruise Line Makes Significant Package Price Hike.
Posted: Sat, 02 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
As many cruisers have found the hard way, international phone plans such as AT&T's $10-a-day International Day Pass do not apply to cruise ships at sea. If you let your AT&T phone roam while you're on a vessel, you'll pay $2.05 per megabyte of data — even if your base plan at home offers you unlimited data. You'll also pay $3 per minute to make a call, $0.50 per text and $1.30 to send a photo. Royal Caribbean also offers a slower-speed version of Voom that can't support streaming for $19.99 per day for one device.
Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. But, in the end, there are limits to just how well a satellite system can work. For starters, a ship needs a clear "line of sight" to a satellite to exchange data, something that isn't always the case. Cruise ships traveling through the famed Norwegian fjords, for instance, can lose their satellite signal due to the height of surrounding mountains. In other words, access to work that requires a reliably fast and solid connection could have issues (you are at sea, after all).
You are able to connect and get data from the app at no cost. If you’re about to sail, you’ve likely seen mention of downloading the HUB app to use on the ship. This app is extremely useful on the cruise, and you can use it to access everything from dinner menus to ship maps to tracking your onboard spending account. In that case, messaging apps like WhatsApp might be a better option.
Here are five things to know about onboard internet before you set sail. It’s not cheap, but if you only need to get online for a short time once or twice during your cruise, it might be better than purchasing a package. As a bonus, printing is free of charge at these cafes as well. Finally, the “Premium” plan is $25/day and promises everything from the Value plan as well as video calling such as Skype and Internet speeds that are three times faster.
However, less-intensive tasks should be perfectly feasible. For most of us, we message a lot more than we actually make calls on our phone. In this case, during our tests we noticed that texting iPhone to iPhone seemed to work with no problems. We were able to send and receive messages when connected to wi-fi, including messages with pictures. On our trip we tested FaceTime calls from an iPhone with the Premium plan. We were able to talk, but there were some times where the image was blurry or froze for a few seconds.
If you simply want to stay connected, check email occasionally and text some friends, then paying that much seems too high to us (that’s where the cheaper Social and Value plans are nice). However, if you have work obligations or things going on back home that you simply can’t miss, then by all means, hop online. The good news is that cruise lines — including Carnival — offer wi-fi access across their fleets. Whether you want to hook up to the Internet with your laptop or post to Facebook from your phone, you can get service anywhere on the ship on any device. Personally, I find it easier to just hit the airplane mode button. Once in airplane mode, I reactivate the Wi-Fi feature on my phone to access the cruise Wi-Fi, and sign up for a shipboard plan that will let me stay in touch by email or a VoIP service like WhatsApp.
