Wifi on Navigator

Hi - has anybody sailed on Navigator recently and what is the wifi like?

I am going to need to be able to access work emails and network via a VPN on our up and coming cruise and need to understand whether it's going to be possible - or if I am going to have to hot foot it to the local McDonalds in every port to get free fast wifi?

Thanks in advance.

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We were on in July and it was virtually unusable. I made a point to grab WiFi ashore every chance I got. I've had others say it wasn't that bad, but of the four of us who sailed together, three of us 'needed' WiFi for work and we all agreed it was horrendous. In fact, it's about the only thing I complained about on the entire cruise.

I hope you have better luck than we did - but be prepared to poach WiFi in ports whenever you can...

Thanks Bill - i figured that might the case - McDonalds here I come :-)

Hopefully I won't need it too often - it's just typical the day before I am due to fly it all kicks off at work - having been so quiet over the last couple of weeks.

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My experience is that Regent's wifi service is mostly pitiful across all its three older ships (I haven't been on the Explorer yet).

For years management has made promises about internet improvements and upgrades that seem to come to naught for the end-user. As of earlier this year, I have not seen a substantial improvement in the service in all the years that I have been sailing on Regent ships.

There were some very unhappy guests on my last couple of cruises because of the wifi experience.

I think that management places a very low value on communication as noted by all the website issues, the problematic responses to phone inquiries as posted on these boards, and the unwillingness or inability to fix the internet dysfunction on the ships.

I think that's why I was so upset last summer - after hearing about their amazing WiFi upgrades I was hoping for at least a tolerable connection. It was pitiful, they said they increased their bandwidth by 400% - if that's the case, they must have been using two tin cans and a looooonnnnnggggg piece of string before...

Seriously, I had gotten used to terrible wifi speeds, so reading about the improvements had gotten my hopes up. It was actually much slower than before, no doubt due to their "free, unlimited wifi" schtick. If they hadn't bragged about it, I'd have been less upset.

On the plus side, they did greatly improve the login procedure, which made it much easier to log on for my daily dose of digital disappointment.

Thanks Bill - i figured that might the case - McDonalds here I come :-)

 

Hopefully I won't need it too often - it's just typical the day before I am due to fly it all kicks off at work - having been so quiet over the last couple of weeks.

The old reliable place:)

You can more or less guarantee good wifi and a clean loo at McDonald's - not sure that's the marketing ploy they were going for - but it works for me :-)

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I would have to disagree with the other posters, we were on a B2B for 22 days and found the Wi-Fi ok most of the time . It depends what you need it for, it was for us, not work, but basic contacts and keeping up with the news etc. In some ports it was poorer and at peak times of the day, just up to dinner when more people were using the band width. However it was not unworkable.

With the numbers of selfie, photos etc it is not surprising you may have to be a little more patient, as it will not match top speeds at home.

Our only complaint was the last afternoon when the need to use computers/printers for home flights and printing boarding cards overwhelmed the system and the IT consultant , even on a small ship like Navigator, scaled up this must be worse on the larger ships.

Not heard in reviews how good the Explorer Wi-Fi has worked out, and even this will need constant upgrades as growth in use in the 7 years since we first sailed Regent is amazing. People must have realistic expectations on Wi-Fi , like the delay on the satellite phones compared to land based equipment.

I work in IT, I was a network engineer for WorldCom and UUNet, and I have a pretty solid understanding of how the internet works. I feel that I had a realistic expectation for connectivity at sea; my previous Navigator cruises had marginally usable internet - slow, but usable. Our July cruise, I expected to be able to at least check email or Facebook, keep up a travel blog, etc. - nothing bandwidth intensive at all. That was not my experience at all. I would log onto the ship's network, and try to access my Gmail...more often than not, I couldn't even fetch my new mail. Just for fun, I tried to view the live stream from the kennel where I had my dog boarded - would barely pull up the home page (took almost 30 seconds to load a basic page) and of course, the camera view was out of the question.

We had an access point right outside of our cabin door, and I had a strong WiFi signal. But to be certain, I also tried taking my iPad to the computer center. It was just as bad there. I then tried logging into one of the ship's computers. Still unusable. I tried in the early morning and late at night. It got marginally better when we were among the few on board, but even then it wasn't as good as it was before the 'upgrade'. And it wasn't just me - my wife and father-in-law had the same issues on many different devices.

I'm certain that the 'free internet' offer is saturating the available bandwidth. Too many people, not enough bits...

Maybe you'll have better luck than we did, but if you need internet to keep up with work, I'd recommend a Plan B...or at least a Plan Mickey-D.

Bill, how much does the area in the world you are sailing in affect Wi-Fi? We have had difficulties in Alaska (usually when sailing in an area where there are hills/mountains on either side of the ship) and also very far north in Norway.

In terms of the Explorer, at first it seemed quite fast but other times it was as slow as the other ships. The itinerary was in the Mediterranean - was this a factor or could it have been the number of people using their electronic devices the same time?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Like Bill has already said, the internet connection isn't the best.

We were on the refurbished Navigator in June and it was poor.

Hope you find it better.

Pam.

Like Bill has already said, the internet connection isn't the best.

We were on the refurbished Navigator in June and it was poor.

 

Hope you find it better.

 

Pam.

Oh this is extremely disappointing and disturbing. And I have a husband who works on billable hours. No strong internet, no long vacations. Me, I officially get more leave, but it doesn't mean that I don't need to check in too. We're booked on the Navigator next year, we'll have to see how this goes. But to me it's just another example that Regent isn't keeping up with the changing expectations of it's customer base. If they are going to cater to the non-tech savvy, retiree only crowd, they aren't going to be the place for me longer term.

Bill, how much does the area in the world you are sailing in affect Wi-Fi? We have had difficulties in Alaska (usually when sailing in an area where there are hills/mountains on either side of the ship) and also very far north in Norway.

 

In terms of the Explorer, at first it seemed quite fast but other times it was as slow as the other ships. The itinerary was in the Mediterranean - was this a factor or could it have been the number of people using their electronic devices the same time?

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Two issues -- satellite locations and bandwidth. The first is not fixable, the second is. If you're in the Arctic or Antarctic (or close to either), you aren't getting much. But stay in the mid latitudes, and the provider can take actions (which cost money) to make things work better.

Two issues -- satellite locations and bandwidth. The first is not fixable, the second is. If you're in the Arctic or Antarctic (or close to either), you aren't getting much. But stay in the mid latitudes, and the provider can take actions (which cost money) to make things work better.

Last month we cruised from Amsterdam up thru Norway to North Cape (71 degrees 10 minutes North Latitude) and didn't see any noticeable difference in internet speed the whole trip. That said, when in the Fjords with mountains on either side of the ship, no internet. Believe there are ways to get better internet in high latitudes both north and south and those cost money as well. We weren't on Regent but, were happy with the internet for all 15 days.

I think that's why I was so upset last summer - after hearing about their amazing WiFi upgrades I was hoping for at least a tolerable connection. It was pitiful, they said they increased their bandwidth by 400% - if that's the case, they must have been using two tin cans and a looooonnnnnggggg piece of string before...

 

Seriously, I had gotten used to terrible wifi speeds, so reading about the improvements had gotten my hopes up. It was actually much slower than before, no doubt due to their "free, unlimited wifi" schtick. If they hadn't bragged about it, I'd have been less upset.

 

On the plus side, they did greatly improve the login procedure, which made it much easier to log on for my daily dose of digital disappointment.

I agree with Bill that setting up expectations and then failing to meet them is very annoying. Regent has a long history of promising improved internet that seems never to materialize. Now the web site promises the following: https://www.rssc.com/experience/onboard-activities/internet-packages/

ENHANCED PERFORMANCE

Connect from the privacy of your suite or from the comfort of your lounge chair on the Pool Deck for as long as you like and visit the sites you frequent the most. We have quadrupled our bandwidth to enhance your browsing experience with high-speed WiFi that is similar to that of your fiber-optic network at home.

With our expanded bandwidth, you can now consume content, post to social media, view videos and photos, and stay in touch with family and friends on your ship’s network just as you would on land.

Fiber-optic speeds. Really? (I have no idea how long this fiber-optic claim has been on the web site.)

More than two years ago Regent responded to my complaint about internet problems on Voyager with “….due to the recent availability of complimentary internet service to our guests, internet usage has increased, therefore, more guests are on the internet at the same time, causing a delay in service. Unfortunately, this is out of our control.”

The idea that the situation then or now is not controllable gives new meaning to management incompetence. When you have a failure to deliver what you have promised in over-the-top marketing materials, a luxury operation doesn’t revert to silence as a remedy nor does it let it appear that the situation is out of its control. It’s a major management screw-up IMO.

I agree. When we had to pay per minute, it was slow but usable. The login procedure was painful, but once on, the connections were fairly stable. Since they've gone to 'free' wifi, it's gone from slow but usable to practically unusable. I think at a minimum they should block any streaming content and/or Skype-type apps until they get the bandwidth issue fixed.

'Fiber-optic speeds' my foot. More like 'two tin cans and a string' speed.

Sorry...can you tell I'm upset? :p

Truly, this was the one low point on our last cruise - the rest of it was excellent. My point is - be prepared for the possibility of terrible internet - maybe they'll have improved it in the last few months, who knows?

I too read the description on Regents site of "your browsing experience with high-speed WiFi that is similar to that of your fiber-optic network at home.

With our expanded bandwidth, you can now consume content, post to social media, view videos and photos, and stay in touch with family and friends on your ship’s network just as you would on land."

I use fiber at home and office and one would think with that Regent description, the speed and bandwidth would be at least decent.

As a person who has to be in touch with my office every single day, I will tell you that the Internet access on regent is the best I have had at sea. Silversea and Oceania were way worse. Yes, it is frustrating at times. Sometimes it is horribly slow or impossible. But it is way better than 10 years ago, and better than the competition. On Oceania, I had a single spot I could sit on the ship and get a connection. It became a joke among the staff that I was in my office.

Sorry...can you tell I'm upset? :p

 

Truly, this was the one low point on our last cruise - the rest of it was excellent. My point is - be prepared for the possibility of terrible internet - maybe they'll have improved it in the last few months, who knows?

First of all - NEW picture of UUNetBill!!

Second, I also require the internet to keep up with work and there were so many times in the middle of the night I was sitting with my computer in the computer room trying to get a halfway decent connection so that I could download some spreadsheets without interruption. Every year we would be promised better service, and I have had some decent experiences, but nothing that I would call as state of the art in 2015.

With regard to internet speed - this is in regard to one of the other cruise lines and not Regent, but I had once met an accountant who had the unique job on board the ship and monitored all income (casinos, bars, activities, etc) literally by the hour. When 24 hour income was not meeting goals, that is when the CD would announce an extra game of bingo, etc, special drinks at the bar and one other thing they would do - they would intentionally slow down the internet to require users to stay on longer and pay more (at the time, only option available was a per minute charge)

Talking to a number of engineers who are knowledgeable in the subject, they claim that this all has to do with money - the technology is available and I would find it hard to believe that Regent would build the Explorer without equipping it with state of the art equipment - however, the use of the satellite costs money and as they say, you get what you pay for. I believe that the ships have two different internet sources, one for the officers and the second for all other users - I cannot believe that the Captain would accept internet outages.

gnomie :)

As a person who has to be in touch with my office every single day, I will tell you that the Internet access on regent is the best I have had at sea. Silversea and Oceania were way worse. Yes, it is frustrating at times. Sometimes it is horribly slow or impossible. But it is way better than 10 years ago, and better than the competition. On Oceania, I had a single spot I could sit on the ship and get a connection. It became a joke among the staff that I was in my office.

Will take note of that. Thanks.

On Navigator now and wifi is fine. Bit of a pain for two of us logging out to allow other in but overall no problems.

That's very good to hear. With everything they'd been saying about upgrades I would have assume they actually had increased capacity. Maybe our poor performance was an anomaly...I sure hope so!

FWIW, I am on the Voyager right now ins St. Petersburg Russia. The internet for this whole Baltic Cruise has be atrocious. It was my understanding that the Voyager had a major upgrade to the internet similar to what is on the NAV.

For you techies, I have done some speed tests. I would post screen shots but I would be here all day trying to upload them. Speed test are averaging about 1.6-2.2megs down and about 800k up. Pings are 800ms. This is about as fast as the slowest DSL or cable speeds of the last decade. Just a little better than old style dial up.

And this is when the ship can see the Satellite from this latitude which is often out of sight. But right now dock in St Pete it is no better.

j

And yet when we were on Voyager last week, I posted my blog every day without problems. The one evening when I gave up (I was tired and got to the stage where I couldn't be bothered) was Tallinn. St Petersburg was just fine! Isn't it strange? I should say at this point that I am in no way doubting you, JMariner, just musing on how it can change from one day to the next: atmospherics?

I'm hoping you are blessed with the same excellent weather and good humour that we enjoyed, JMariner. Our laundry is the busiest room in the house right now and I'm wishing we were back on board!