Skype

[cruisin36]

Anyone know if SKYPE will work on the ship's wi fi internet link. I seem to recall that someone said thet it was blocked?

[mezza]

Mine didn't work and I was told by a staff member that the ship blocks skype coz it is free phone call and they want you to pay. Dont know if that is true but no matter where I connected it would not work. It may also have had something to do with the speed of the net coz Skype doesn't work unless the connection is fast

[paul929207]

On the Tahitian (Ocean now) in Novembe, we met smeone who was using it. It worked some but not always.

[FritzG]

Our waiter on the Ruby last April used Skype to contact his family. He thought it was a great way to keep in touch with them. However, I don't know if he only used it in port or onboard. I can't imagine that he had time to get off the ship in every port so he probably used it onboard.

[Crzn-Life]

I've had some success using it, but it's intermittent and really iffy. It's a bandwidth hog so seems to only work at odd hours when there are few people trying to access the net. It also doesn't work on all ships.

[-Lew-]

I have used Skype and Fring on my iPhone on my last three cruises.

 

There are a number of wifi networks onboard. We found the networks in and around the atrium did not support Skype or Fring. However, the network we accessed in our cabin did support it.

 

Lew

[cruisin36]

I have used Skype and Fring on my iPhone on my last three cruises.

 

There are a number of wifi networks onboard. We found the networks in and around the atrium did not support Skype or Fring. However, the network we accessed in our cabin did support it.

 

Lew

 

Thanks Lew. I would think just the opposite. On our last cruise on the Ruby the signal strength in the atrium was better than in our cabin, however, both were better than the computers in the internet cafe. We both have ASUS 1000HA netbooks and love them.

[-Lew-]

 

I would think just the opposite. On our last cruise on the Ruby the signal strength in the atrium was better than in our cabin...

You're right...the signal strength in the atrium is greater, but that isn't the issue. Those networks either don't support VOIP or it's blocked.

 

We found the signal strength in our cabin to be marginal at best, but it supported VOIP so we could use Skype.

 

Lew

[cruisin36]

We have never tried SKYPE before, but are planning on using it, if possible, on our March B2B on the Ruby.

[fairstars]

We have never tried SKYPE before, but are planning on using it, if possible, on our March B2B on the Ruby.

 

We have used Skype on the last couple of cruises to keep in touch with family members back home. Sometimes the signal is not great but you can still use it.

I believe the ship blocks Skype to land line, (VoIP), but computer to computer is OK.

 

Happy cruising

Chris

[travelers07]

I used Magic Jack successfully from our aft cabin on the Crown while we were near Greenland. Voices were a little delayed but certainly understandable. And please don't criticize the bandwidth usage. My phone call was very brief and the signal strength was about average for the cruise. This technology is becoming more popular as more people figure it out and cruise lines need to figure out how to deal with the new technology. Who could ever have expected all the things we can now do online 10 years ago? We barely had email at internet cafes while in ports. Now we can use tiny phones for email from almost anywhere on earth.

[1025cruise]

The cruise lines have a way to handle the new technology. They block it.

 

I have friends that at home, if they want better than dialup, can only get satellite. Even they can't use Skype or other VOIP products.

 

I have no issues with the cruise lines blocking VOIP so that their limited bandwidth can be used by people who wish to quickly check their email or do some quick web surfing.

[MMDown Under]

I've had some success using it, but it's intermittent and really iffy. It's a bandwidth hog so seems to only work at odd hours when there are few people trying to access the net. It also doesn't work on all ships.

 

Off topic question. Amongst all your future cruises, I notice Amtrak. Are you planning to travel by rail from Vancouver to Tampa?