Internet on Seabourn

As noted in another topic here, I found this press announcement regarding internet service on Seabourn.

THE LAPTOP OF LUXURY: SEABOURN YACHTS ARE WI-FI HOT SPOTS

 

MIAMI, June 29, 2004----Beginning this summer, the ultra luxury, all-suite cruise ships Seabourn Pride, Spirit and Legend are being upgraded to create one continuous accessible wi-fi “hot zone” throughout each ship, allowing guests to connect to the internet on their wi-fi equipped laptops and PDAs without plugging in.

 

Cruising guests with suitable devices can send and receive web-based email, surf the net, check on their investments or Google the answers to a trivia quiz while they relax in their suites or in most public areas of Seabourn’s three intimate, yacht-like ships.

 

According to Richard D. Meadows, Seabourn’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, “More and more of our guests use wi-fi devices not just to conduct business, but also to communicate with their friends and families. So even while they are vacationing with us, their Blackberries and laptops are a part of their lifestyle that they’d rather not leave behind.”

 

Wi-fi is shorthand for wireless fidelity, a system that utilizes radio signals from a transmitter/receiver located in a laptop computer or Personal Digital Assistant to connect to networks and the internet. For wi-fi users, the challenge in using the system is locating an active access point within range of a network, colloquially called a “Hot Spot”.

 

Seabourn has conquered that challenge for guests on board by installing an active access network manufactured by Wi-Fi Zone that blankets most of the ship, with few “dead zones” or areas where the system is not accessible.

 

Aside from the obvious convenience of accessible wi-fi connectivity, Seabourn has also secured a new satellite service provider that is considerably more economical than the company’s previous connection, which will result in dramatically lower costs for telephone calls and internet connections than were required in the past.

 

For those without wi-fi wanderlust, the Internet Center on board each yacht has also been refreshed with new PCs, software, printers and other accessories. Users of these cable-connected computers will also benefit from the lower costs of satellite connection, as will guests wishing to make satellite telephone calls or send faxes from ship to shore.

 

Previously, the charge for outbound satellite telephone calls from Seabourn ships was $12.50 per minute; it is now $4.95 per minute. Internet connection, which previously cost 95 cents a minute, will now be 50 cents per minute. Discounts for purchasing bulk packages of online time can further reduce the internet cost to as little as 25 cents per minute.

 

Wireless internet connectivity is only the latest in a continuing series of improvements and enhancements that guests enjoy aboard The Yachts of Seabourn. Earlier this year, the line added luxurious Frette bed linens and Rosenthal china to the list of prestige brands with which guests are pampered while they sail. In the coming months, over 75 custom designed shore excursions are being introduced, offering “trophy experiences” available only to Seabourn guests. Seabourn’s “Signature Delights,” a generous menu of exclusive features and services adding pleasure and value to every Seabourn cruise, helped make Seabourn the highest-rated cruise line by the readers of Departures, the official publication for American Express Platinum Card and Centurion members, in the magazine’s annual Luxury Survey.

I wonder if Seabourn knows about wireless encryption? I suspect not.

Still, this sounds like they are making some progress with internet access, an area in which Seabourn was previously deficient.

Has anyone noticed that the clocks are off? It is now 3:05 PM in San Francisco, and not 10:05 as this post will no doubt indicate. What time zone in the middle of the Atlantic is this set to? GMT would still be an hour later.

Enquiring minds would like to know....

bldsld

bldsld:

Check the time set in your profile - the default time is probably different than SFO.

Hello! Whatever. Remember that it is always SEABOURN TIME!

Good news about the internet access, I'll be interested to see how it works. Does anyone know what the speed is of a satellite connection? And $4.95 pm for satellite calls is a lot more realistic.

A shame though that I won't be able to try it until my next cruise next year :( .

bldsld

You need to check your Date and Time Options under Edit Options in User CP. The new board didn't remember my settings.

Even though Seabourn's price is going down, you will still find it much cheaper and generally much faster to use an Internet Cafe on shore. On our latest trip (Barcelona to Istanbul), I paid as little as $3 for 20 minutes.

Seems like I saw a price somewhere, but does anyone know what the charges would be if I use my own laptop (wifi).

Is there a daily charge? Can I buy a package for the total number of cruise days? We'll be onboard 28 days - don't want to break the bank, but love to send email etc. on a daily basis.

There are packages of minutes available on a sliding scale of costs from 50 cents to 25 cents per minute depending on the bulk of time you expect to use. Shouldn't break the bank unless your cruise destination is Sim City!