Internet minutes

[jimpod]

We are going on the Coral in September - first cruise as Platinum. We have only ever used the Internet Cafe before but will be taking a Netbook this time. Do we go to the Internet Cafe to signup for the package and does the guy/girl there give us a password?

[Toto2Kansas]

No, you can sign up from where ever you are onboard. You will just go to your internet and it will ask you for your cabin number, name and birthdate. Just fill it out and it will take you from there asking for a password, etc. Just follow the directions on the screen. Enjoy!

[jfv379]

We did this with a netbook in April. You can sign up for internet minutes right from your cabin. As Platinum you are eligible for 250 minutes free internet time. They will charge your shipboard account $100.00 and then credit that amount back. And remember that's 250 minutes per person. You both have register separately.

 

I think there is also something about extra minutes if you sign up the first day but someone else will have to explain that. I'm unfamiliar with it and didn't do it.

[FLACRUISER99]

No, you can sign up from where ever you are onboard. You will just go to your internet and it will ask you for your cabin number, name and birthdate. Just fill it out and it will take you from there asking for a password, etc. Just follow the directions on the screen. Enjoy!

I will add that you will then purchase a package and Captains Circle will then credit your account.

[FLACRUISER99]

We did this with a netbook in April. You can sign up for internet minutes right from your cabin. As Platinum you are eligible for 250 minutes free internet time. They will charge your shipboard account $100.00 and then credit that amount back. And remember that's 250 minutes per person. You both have register separately.

 

I think there is also something about extra minutes if you sign up the first day but someone else will have to explain that. I'm unfamiliar with it and didn't do it.

You beat me to it. The Bonus is not usually available With a free package.

[ell52]

<deleted> Toto beat me to it. :)

[FLACRUISER99]

You don't need to go to the internet cafe. You can sign in anywhere on the ship where there is a hotspot - e.g. your cabin or the atrium.

 

When you first turn on your netbook, your network connection program should show the ship's internet as available. You connect the same way as with any other public wifi. You sign onto the Princess network the same way as if in the internet cafe - with your name, cabin number, etc. and you set your own password.

Didn't Toto say that?

[jfv379]

You beat me to it. The Bonus is not usually available With a free package.

 

Unusual for me to beat anyone as I'm probably the slowest typist in the world.

"Airport and hanger" method.:D

[jimpod]

Thanks everyone..

[ell52]

I think there is also something about extra minutes if you sign up the first day but someone else will have to explain that. I'm unfamiliar with it and didn't do it.

You used to get this - at least sporadically on different ships - but they seem to have cracked down on this and you will not receive the bonus minutes if you are getting free minutes with Platinum or Elite.

[ell52]

Didn't Toto say that?

Yep. I was too slow typing! :D

[Katie333]

Little tip I learned, sign up for both pax on the first day. While the bonus minutes are questionable as others have said, I used my minutes then tried to sign in DH for his minutes on the 2nd last day. At that point, none of the larger packages (i.e. the 250 minutes) were available for 'purchase'.

[FLACRUISER99]

Yep. I was too slow typing! :D

Come on, I use 1 finger ok 2 sometimes and cannot spell, i thought I was the slowest on the boards.:eek:.

[ell52]

Come on, I use 1 finger ok 2 sometimes and cannot spell, i thought I was the slowest on the boards.:eek:.

Believe it or not. Sometimes I get distracted, re-edit, preview, walk-away and by the time I actually hit the submit button, others will have posted the same thing.

[compozer]

If you are booked in a suite, can you get your "free" minutes and give them to a friend or are they just gone?

[Duck Duck Cruise]

If you are booked in a suite, can you get your "free" minutes and give them to a friend or are they just gone?

 

If you are in a full suite you get free unlimited internet, no matter what your status is.

 

You can't give them away to a friend. That being said, there are ways around that if you are sneaky enough.

[paul929207]

The intention is to give free minutes to the passengers in suites, but there is no way to enforce that. Back when Elite and Platinum got unlimited free internet, there were rumors of people selling their time.

[Pam in CA]

A couple of things to keep in mind. One is that when you are down and/or ready to sign off, MAKE SURE you type http://1.1.1.1 into the url. That will log you out of the ship's service. If you don't, you will remain logged in, using minutes. Even turning off/shutting down the netbook won't log you out.

 

Something else to check is whether your email service allows you to download your email, read it offline, respond and then log back on to send. You'd be surprised at how fast your minutes are used up if you're spending 15 - 20 minutes typing per response.

 

Another suggestion is to download "Open Office" (it's FREE) and use that instead of Microsoft Office. It uses a lot less space and computer memory than MS Office. It'll open any MS Office doc. :)

[pkdof]

DH and I are platinum and are going to be in a full suite. Kids are still gold and will be in BB next door. Since I'm listed on the BB, can I have them sign in on their laptops with my account? Would DH also be able to "use" his platinum free minutes on one of the kids' computers?

[Pam in CA]

DH and I are platinum and are going to be in a full suite. Kids are still gold and will be in BB next door. Since I'm listed on the BB, can I have them sign in on their laptops with my account? Would DH also be able to "use" his platinum free minutes on one of the kids' computers?

Anyone can use your minutes from anywhere as long as they have your Username and Password, so be very careful. If it were me, I'd be there to log them in and make sure they log out. If they don't log out properly, your minutes will still be used. Also, I'd make sure they don't go to gaming sites as those are bandwidth hogs and slow down the Internet service for everyone onboard.

[paul929207]

If the kids or anyone else uses your internet account and all the minutes get used, they could buy additional time AT YOUR EXPENSE.

[compozer]

If you are in a full suite you get free unlimited internet, no matter what your status is.

 

You can't give them away to a friend. That being said, there are ways around that if you are sneaky enough.

 

 

I know I get the free miutes in the suite but I guess my point is that one of the Perks about being Elite or Platium is that you each get $75 worth of free minutes and when you are in a suite, you lose them.

 

My husband was on the laptop in our suite so I went down to the internet cafe to use the internet but could not log on since our suite was already logged in. The guy was busy so I never questioned it. Only one person in the suite can be logged on at a time or is there a way to both get on? If you are both Elite, you each get minutes.

 

You get an extra bar set up for being Elite - so shouldn't they give you something to make up for the $75 worth of internet you should get?

[Pam in CA]

I know I get the free miutes in the suite but I guess my point is that one of the Perks about being Elite or Platium is that you each get $75 worth of free minutes and when you are in a suite, you lose them.

Actually, you haven't lost them as you now have unlimited. That sounds fair to me. It's the same thing as Platinum/Elite not being able to get the 30 minutes extra for early sign-up. You're already getting the minutes.

[Toto2Kansas]

I know I get the free miutes in the suite but I guess my point is that one of the Perks about being Elite or Platium is that you each get $75 worth of free minutes and when you are in a suite, you lose them.

 

My husband was on the laptop in our suite so I went down to the internet cafe to use the internet but could not log on since our suite was already logged in. The guy was busy so I never questioned it. Only one person in the suite can be logged on at a time or is there a way to both get on? If you are both Elite, you each get minutes.

 

You get an extra bar set up for being Elite - so shouldn't they give you something to make up for the $75 worth of internet you should get?

 

We have never tried to both log on at the same time, so can't answer that one. But it should be under each of your names booked in the suite, not just under one name, so that does sound a bit strange to me. And you say you both opened your internet account under each of your names when staying in a full suite? You should be able to both log on at the same time under your seperate accounts. I would definitely ask about this next time, as something just doesn't sound right here.

If you are elite and booked in a full suite, you receive unlimited internet access, they are not going to make up for the $75 worth of free internet that you would have gotten if you had not been booked in a full suite, sorry. It is like if an Elite member doesn't use the internet at all, they aren't going to compensate that $75 to them in another way.

[paul929207]

Were you trying to sign on with the same name your husband was using?