Royal Princess Internet Upgrade?

We are new here, and are so excited to take a British Isles cruise in June! We booked on the Royal Princess months ago back when the Medallion rollout (complete with much improved high speed internet) was supposed to be completed in April. Now that the Medallion rollout is on hold, is there any word that the Royal could still get the upgraded internet earlier? My understanding is that it is already wired up for it, so in theory the internet upgrade could be separated from the Medalkion upgrade.

I have read the threads on the current Royal internet speed. It is supposed to be ok to slow. My daughter is supposed to take an online class this summer that requires a 1.5 mbs (download) internet connection for several hours a day. I am wondering - do I need to cancel the cruise? We are part of a large family group and I hate to miss it.

Thanks all! We have loved reading all of the threads and replies - such great wisdom on this site!

Several hours a day is going to be VERY expensive

Currently on the Royal, and still have the old internet.

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Several hours a day is going to be VERY expensive

I know! The Regal has a package for $10/day per device for unlimited. We had been counting on the upgraded internet. :eek:

Currently on the Royal, and still have the old internet.

 

 

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Can you tell me what the speed tends to be on the internet? I need 1.5 mb download for my daughter's class to work. I really appreciate any information you have! Thanks!

I know! The Regal has a package for $10/day per device for unlimited. We had been counting on the upgraded internet. :eek:

Don't count on it.. This is only on Regal right now, and highly unlikely to be on Royal by your cruise... Hope you find a solution.

Don't count on it.. This is only on Regal right now, and highly unlikely to be on Royal by your cruise... Hope you find a solution.

Thanks . . . Our answer might be using internet cafes in port, or cancelling. I was hoping that since the Royal is wired for the better internet, they could roll that out without the ***** program. Crossing fingers and toes . . .

Thanks . . . Our answer might be using internet cafes in port, or cancelling. I was hoping that since the Royal is wired for the better internet, they could roll that out without the ***** program. Crossing fingers and toes . . .

You could buy a portable wi-fi hot spot in the UK which will enable you to connect on the ship during port days. You can also rent them from Heathrow Airport when flying in.

Sandra

You could buy a portable wi-fi hot spot in the UK which will enable you to connect on the ship during port days. You can also rent them from Heathrow Airport when flying in.

 

Sandra

Thanks! That is a good idea. I was thinking that she might work more when we were at sea, but that just might not be an option. Have you used a portable wi-fi hotspot and had good luck on the ship while in port?

Thanks again!

Thanks! That is a good idea. I was thinking that she might work more when we were at sea, but that just might not be an option. Have you used a portable wi-fi hotspot and had good luck on the ship while in port?

Thanks again!

Yes we used a HUAWEI E5330 combined with mobile broadband SIM card on ships from different lines in UK and Europe e.g. Guernsey, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Crete

I know! The Regal has a package for $10/day per device for unlimited. We had been counting on the upgraded internet. :eek:

Just off the Regal. The internet packages and the unlimited internet for platinum/Elite are for the trial/rollout of *****. The ***** girl told me that when ***** is up and running through the Regal, internet will revert back to a minute limit for all plans. It will be fast, not unlimited.

Just off the Regal. The internet packages and the unlimited internet for platinum/Elite are for the trial/rollout of *****. The ***** girl told me that when ***** is up and running through the Regal, internet will revert back to a minute limit for all plans. It will be fast, not unlimited.

Thanks for the update! I think I would still pay for it if it were fast and reliable enough. Sadly, looks to not be an option on the Royal any time soon. :-(

I would think she wouldn’t enjoy the cruise if she has to spend several hours of each port day working online. It will really limit what she is able to see and do.

I would think she wouldn’t enjoy the cruise if she has to spend several hours of each port day working online. It will really limit what she is able to see and do.

I know it isn't ideal at all. We were planning on her working in the evenings. She really wants to take this class this summer to the point of canceling the cruise! She is very dedicated - I did give her the option of skipping the class but to no avail.

Just found this via a Google search and wanted to chime in (a bit late I guess). We did the British Isles cruise last year so I have a good sense for the schedule. In many ports the ship stays until at least 6pm. For those ports you could book early excursions in order to be back on the ship by early afternoon and then she could do her coursework via either a phone hotspot (make sure you have unlimited internet in the UK/Ireland zone!) or an LTE hotspot device. Note that you probably won't get LTE service (or even 3G) from an inside cabin (we had ZERO connection on our phones from our inside cabin while in port) so I'd recommend you either book an oceanview/balcony room or she will need to go out of your cabin to do her schoolwork.

For the couple of sea days she will be out of luck. There is no way to get 1.5 mbps internet while onboard at sea. It is glacially slow internet and super-expensive.

Note: My wife's phone had a roaming plan for the UK zone and she used only about 500MB of data total. The bill would have been over $2000 if she didn't have the proper roaming package. We are from Canada where our cell plans are pretty awful.

I hope Princess upgrades their internet soon. I was on the Celebrity Silhouette last February, and had the Internet package which was included in their “Go Best” deal. I was pleasantly surprised, that it was a very good internet service, almost like at home. And did not need the messaging feature like Princess@Sea, as we just used Messenger, and it alerts you when you have a message.

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Maybe I'm missing something here, but why does the family need to cancel the vacation in order for daughter to take the class? Is she too young to stay home alone and has no one who could look after her? I guess I'm picturing a college aged person, which may not be accurate.