We are very excited about our upcoming circumnavigation of Svalbard cruise! It was quite surprising to learn the included internet is limited to 1GB 😳, especially after hearing AOV Voyager has Starlink. It is reported that all of Norway 🇳🇴, including Svalbard/Spitzbergen is a currently approved and activated Starlink area.
It feels like a retro throwback to have to turn off/reset most apps and wifi on a device as @kd9 described, simply to read and reply to email and stretch rationed access. We haven’t metered wifi use on any cruise ship in a LONG time.
We hope to upload and share pictures and video of beautiful scenery 🗻, amazing wildlife 🐋🐦🦭🐻❄️, and our AOV expedition and ship experiences. Sometimes you have to swap devices online to download/upload pics. Are you really limited to only one registered device versus one device at a time?
I have read about how much time 1 GB provides, but have no idea how it will work in practice. It’s rare to have limits these days. And, minutes are certainly more easily understood than GBs. I’m not planning to live online (No Zoom, Teams, Webex, Netflix, etc.) while on vacation, but on downtime between zodiac or shore visits, I hope to stay connected to friends, family, and manage household logistics. After all, it’s not going to be pool weather around Svalbard 😎🌴❄️☃️🗻. I would normally try to do a full cruise “LIVE from…” post on Cruise Critic to showcase this unique itinerary, however, the 1GB allowance might limit my ability to do this. YMMV.
IMHO, paying over and above for a reasonable quantity of included internet on what @AOV Communications describes as a “refined luxury” experience, on a brand new ship with Starlink, seems odd in 2024. Ponant began including unlimited wifi in 2018. We had very good speed and connectivity in Antartica with Ponant in Jan 2019, prior to Starlink. Seabourn, Silversea, and Linblad offer unlimited wifi as do most others. It would be great if AOV would consider updating their internet policies to meet or exceed the industry standard for luxury/expedition cruise lines.