Using the internet on cruise ships

[dougo in oz]

Does anyone know if you can use an ISP other than the Ship's internet when cruising on the seas around the South Pacific?

 

Has anyone bought a wireless internet service (for want of a better term) to use in port or on the seas, and if so what did you buy and did it work well?

 

Thanks

[rkmw]

Does anyone know if you can use an ISP other than the Ship's internet when cruising on the seas around the South Pacific?

 

Has anyone bought a wireless internet service (for want of a better term) to use in port or on the seas, and if so what did you buy and did it work well?

 

Thanks

 

hi, i beleive you have to use the ships internet by going onto a plan or by the minute

 

rkmw

[The_Big_M]

You can, if you can get a connection. A wireless mobile service may work as you mention in port, but it's not guaranteed, and also not cheap (though likely cheaper than the ship's service, and probably faster since it doesn't go through satellites but mobile towers so the connections are shorter/better).

[Rasa Sayang]

I use my time at sea to stay well clear of the internet. :):D

 

For family emegencies we carry a mobile set up for Global Roaming but no family member dares ring unless it is an emergency - otherwise they get a good kick in the bum when we get home. :p;)

[Starved]

My husband used our own wireless internet on the Pacific Dawn recently - he had $180 in credit and burned it up in a flash getting about ten emails and reading them so be warned it is very expensive. We ended up just buying access time from the ship, still dear but not as bad as using our own wireless.

[The_Big_M]

I use my time at sea to stay well clear of the internet. :):D

 

Here, here. I love being away from technology, (though may have the occasional check-up if the opportunity presents itself). Holidays are for relaxation. :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

The only time I use the internet on board is when I have free time from the Princess Captain Circle , and I can assure you that it is no big deal as it's usually so slow that you burn the "free" minutes up very quickly.

Easiest way, is to wait for a port day and find an internet cafe on shore which will be as cheap as.

Once in Cairns we used an internet cafe and just wanted to check emails, which only took 5 minutes as it was so fast, and they would not take any payment for it. You can usually get 15 or 30 minutes for only a couple of dollars.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Well I have to say I still love to be connected even when I'm on holiday.....If I wasn't I might miss out on something that's happening on here....hahahaha.

 

Seriously, I always purchase the ships package and I have a HOTMAIL account which I always use when travelling. It is far more efficient than trying to access your own account.

 

Another trick is to type all your emails 'offline' and then sign in to send them. This will save you heaps.

 

If you have a balcony sometimes you can pick up a free sight when in port....if you do....go like the clappers and send emails to everyone !!!! :D

 

 

Jillybean:)

[Aussie Aloha]

The internet connection in the internet lounge is so slow! It took about 15 mins to send two emails. One copy and pasted from the other and it cost $13 something. 75c a minute is way too much.

 

My friends took their laptops and bought one of the package minute deals and then hooked up to the ship's wireless connection. They were sensible and bought one package and then used the same username and log-in for both cabins. This seemed to work ok but was still slow and they didn't come close to using their minutes. There is just not enough time in the day and I am not sure if they could use it in their rooms. I know they used it in the casino lounge when we were there.

 

I like to stay in touch too, so I actually found sending the odd text to be cheaper. They cost me 75c each and I felt I could say as much as I needed to, without worrying about 75c/min. Just make sure you turn on your global roaming.

[dougo in oz]

Thanks everyone. I must admit that I only use the internet on the ship when it's free as the prices are horrendous but I will need to use it a couple of times while we're away to do final numbers for private shore excursions.

 

If I'm going to use the ship's internet, generally I'll use it first thing or late at night but having a wireless connection would mean that I could log in whenever it suits me rather than queuing and wasting my holiday time as others have already said.

[livingstone]

On P&O internet worked out at about 55c Aussie a minuite. considering how slow the conection was on board it worked out expensive. in 2008 I had to register for my subjects on line and think at that time it was about 80c a miniute. took me an hour to logon to the uni web site and cost me a heap.

[The_Big_M]

On P&O internet worked out at about 55c Aussie a minuite. considering how slow the conection was on board it worked out expensive.

 

That seems to be a typical rate for any line. I'm yet to ear anyone say they've had good speeds either... though a general tip is it tends to be better early in the morning (overnight) when there's less activity.