Question about using Free Internet Minutes

[Daniel1313]

Hi,

We will be crusing next March on the Emarald. We will Platinum members for the first time. We will be getting free internet minutes. Will we be able to use the free minutes in our room on our laptop? Will there be instructions on how to sign in to use the minutes?

 

Thanks

Dan

[jotabecu]

Yes. those minutes can we used in your laptop or at the computer station.

Enjoy!!

[snrlnd]

Yes you can use your laptop. Your minutes will show up as a charge followed by a credit. It will walk you through setup. Make sure you pay attention on how to log off because it's not automatic on your laptop.

 

If you are both Platinum you both get minutes. Have to sign up individually.

[paul929207]

You can use the internet credit in the internet cafe or via wifi on your laptop. Wifi works in your cabin and in most public rooms.

 

To use wifi, just connect to the Princess network and it will then direct you to the signon screen. Purchase the largest package that your credit will allow (or larger if you want more). Your onboard account will show the charge and an offsetting credit.

 

As mentioned you must sign off. Even shutting down the computer does not stop the internet clock.

[6pack]

Are you going on a 7 or 10+ day cruise? If you're going on a 10 day plus cruise purchase 250 minutes from the internet cafe. If you do this on the first day I believe you will receive an additional 50 minutes bonus. Don't forget your spouse / Partner is eligible as well if they are Platinum member too. You will see the charge go onto your bill followed by a credit. Once you have purchased the internet minutes you will receive a login which you will use from your laptop. Be forewarned, the connection from their wireless network is not fast and you will use significantly more time from your room than the internet cafe. Probably the best perk for Platinum and Elite members. Don't forget to take advantage of priority boarding and the use of the wheelhouse bar during disembarkation. :)

[Daniel1313]

Are you going on a 7 or 10+ day cruise? If you're going on a 10 day plus cruise purchase 250 minutes from the internet cafe. If you do this on the first day I believe you will receive an additional 50 minutes bonus. Don't forget your spouse / Partner is eligible as well if they are Platinum member too. You will see the charge go onto your bill followed by a credit. Once you have purchased the internet minutes you will receive a login which you will use from your laptop. Be forewarned, the connection from their wireless network is not fast and you will use significantly more time from your room than the internet cafe. Probably the best perk for Platinum and Elite members. Don't forget to take advantage of priority boarding and the use of the wheelhouse bar during disembarkation. :)

Thanks!!! We are going on a 10 day cruise. I did not realize my wife received 250 minutes also. Thanks for your help. I did not realize that I had to purchase the minutes then we get a credit. I will be sure to sign up the first day to get the extra free minutes.

 

Dan

[paul929207]

Thanks!!! We are going on a 10 day cruise. I did not realize my wife received 250 minutes also. Thanks for your help. I did not realize that I had to purchase the minutes then we get a credit. I will be sure to sign up the first day to get the extra free minutes.

 

Dan

If you don't purchase a package, you will be charged 75 cents per minute. Your $100 would get you about 133 minutes. The $100 package gets you 250 minutes and possibly 30 bonus minutes.

[snrlnd]

Be forewarned, the connection from their wireless network is not fast and you will use significantly more time from your room than the internet cafe.

 

I have found that except during peak times my MacBook is quite a bit faster that IC on Princess. Much more convenient too.

[geoherb]

The reports around here lately is that people haven't been getting the bonus minutes on the first day, just the regular number of minutes--150 for a 70-day cruise and 250 for a 10-day+ cruise.

 

If you have any problems signing in from your cabin, just take your laptop to the Internet cafe when there's a staff person there. They'll show you how to do it.

[sunsetbeachgal]

No more bonus minutes for Platinum packages puchased on the first day on our last two Princess cruises

[6pack]

No more bonus minutes for Platinum packages puchased on the first day on our last two Princess cruises

 

When was the last time you cruised that you experienced no bonus minutes. We have always enjoyed an additional 50 minutes each on our 10 day cruises. I will definitely let you know as we will be cruising in 10 days :)

[Pam in CA]

When was the last time you cruised that you experienced no bonus minutes. We have always enjoyed an additional 50 minutes each on our 10 day cruises. I will definitely let you know as we will be cruising in 10 days :)

No more additional free minutes if you are Platinum or Elite since you are already getting the free Internet. This has been true for my last three Princess cruises, i.e., since the summer of '09, over a year ago. At first, it was hit or miss, depending on the IT person, but for the past year, no more additional minutes.

[Essiesmom]

No more additional free minutes if you are Platinum or Elite since you are already getting the free Internet. This has been true for my last three Princess cruises, i.e., since the summer of '09, over a year ago. At first, it was hit or miss, depending on the IT person, but for the past year, no more additional minutes.

 

The bonus minutes are offered with the package purchased the first day, however if your benefit is 150 minutes and the package you purchase is for exactly that amount, you don't get the bonus minutes. If you purchase the next largest size, you will get them...(signs in the internet cafe tell you this) but you may have to remind the IT person. EM

[Putterdude]

My suggestion as a newbie Platinum would be to go to the Internet Café and pick up an instruction sheet which will give you your outgoing SMTP which you will have to change in your Email account and instructions on how to log out when you are finished. Then it is only a matter of setting up your account by buying the number of minutes you want, you can purchase as many as your want and your onboard account will be charged with your purchase and you will also receive a corresponding credit for whatever you are entitled to i.e. $75 for a 7 day cruise. If your cabin mate is Platinum then they will also be entitled to a minute credit as well. So with the 2 of you doing, say a 7 day cruise you will have a total of 300 mins between you...but they will be separate accounts. I always set up my account first then when I start to run low on minutes I set up DW's account and use her minutes. I have found that by asking that our regular email friends hold off send me emails with those large attachments while we are away and composing our emails off line, our 300 mins on a 7 day cruise are adequate.

[sunsetbeachgal]

When was the last time you cruised that you experienced no bonus minutes. We have always enjoyed an additional 50 minutes each on our 10 day cruises. I will definitely let you know as we will be cruising in 10 days :) Today 11:29 AM

 

Just got off the Ocean Princess on Wednesday-we did two 7 day cruises and got two 150 minute packages each for Platinum...was told no bonus minutes!

 

Sunsetbeachgal

[paul929207]

When was the last time you cruised that you experienced no bonus minutes. We have always enjoyed an additional 50 minutes each on our 10 day cruises. I will definitely let you know as we will be cruising in 10 days :) Today 11:29 AM

 

Just got off the Ocean Princess on Wednesday-we did two 7 day cruises and got two 150 minute packages each for Platinum...was told no bonus minutes!

 

Sunsetbeachgal

I was on the Ocean three times in the last year and no bonus minutes.

[captainron]

No more additional free minutes if you are Platinum or Elite since you are already getting the free Internet. This has been true for my last three Princess cruises, i.e., since the summer of '09, over a year ago. At first, it was hit or miss, depending on the IT person, but for the past year, no more additional minutes.

 

Pam, you hit it right on the nose.

 

We just got off the Diamond on her last southbound Alaska run to Vancouver and Andrei, the I-Net Cafe manager indicated that we can't even get the extra minutes that come in the coupon books from TAs or Princess as we're already getting the minutes compliments of Princess as a result of our Platinum/Elite status.

 

This must be a fairly recent change in policy in that our Oct/Nov 09 trip on the Star (SYD/LAX) we were privy to the bonus minutes from coupons or other.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Putterdude]

The bonus minutes are offered with the package purchased the first day, however if your benefit is 150 minutes and the package you purchase is for exactly that amount, you don't get the bonus minutes. If you purchase the next largest size, you will get them...(signs in the internet cafe tell you this) but you may have to remind the IT person. EM

 

I have never seen the signs but I wonder because what you now get is a dollar amount credit i.e. $75 for a 7 day cruise. So if you bought a $150 package of minutes why wouldn't you get the bonus minutes and the $75 credit....I wonder.:confused:

But I do agree if you only purchase the "free" package you don't get bonus minutes anymore.

[Astro Flyer]

Another option you may want to consider is to set up another free email account before your cruise (Hotmail, G Mail, etc) & only give it to anyone you care to email with while at sea.

[hcat]

We won't have any special status when we take our first Princess Cruise next summer on the Crown, so we plan to buy an internet package. Should we do that the first day to get any extra possible credits or is that just for Elite cruisers??

 

Do they have an internet area & ample stations to use? Aside from keeopin gin touch at home, we have to get a boarding passes & confirm airline seat assignments 24 hrs before out flight home. I expect others will be doing the same thing around the same time....

[6pack]

I got them on our last Ruby cruise Christmas 2009. Guess it's changed. I will still be checking during our next cruise

[Putterdude]

We won't have any special status when we take our first Princess Cruise next summer on the Crown, so we plan to buy an internet package. Should we do that the first day to get any extra possible credits or is that just for Elite cruisers??

 

Do they have an internet area & ample stations to use? Aside from keeopin gin touch at home, we have to get a boarding passes & confirm airline seat assignments 24 hrs before out flight home. I expect others will be doing the same thing around the same time....

 

I would purchase the package on the first day so as to get the bonus minutes.

[caribill]

We won't have any special status when we take our first Princess Cruise next summer on the Crown, so we plan to buy an internet package. Should we do that the first day to get any extra possible credits or is that just for Elite cruisers?? Nopn-eline, non-platinum passngers will not get the bonus minutes. You will if you sighn up while the special is in effct. There will also be a one tiime $3.95 setup charge.

 

Do they have an internet area & ample stations to use? There is an Internet Cafe on the ship. At busy times, there will not be enough stations.

 

Aside from keeopin gin touch at home, we have to get a boarding passes & confirm airline seat assignments 24 hrs before out flight home. I expect others will be doing the same thing around the same time.... Yes. that will be one of the busiest times and also, because of the many users, a period of slower than the normal slow response.

 

See above in red.

[navychop3]

I keep reading that the internet connection is SLOW. But how slow?

 

Would you use your laptop in your room to read cnn.com?

 

Would you use it post here at CruiseCritic?

 

I would like to check my email at work while away (cheaper? than phone calls?), and we host our own email on site. For security reasons (key loggers, etc), I would never use an Internet cafe, on or off the ship, to access the server at work. Would you log in to Exchange Server over such a connection?

 

One last one- do they support using the iPhone via wireless for data, such as a direct email connection/connection to Outlook with calendar, contacts, email? Should be invisible, mostly, to the ship.

[6pack]

It's slow, however slow is a relative term! Many of us are use to speeds of 5+ meg. Don't expect this rate of speed! It's fine for checking the weather and news at home, sending email, however don't expect to send a 10 meg picture quickly.

 

I keep reading that the internet connection is SLOW. But how slow?

 

Would you use your laptop in your room to read cnn.com? YES, I have.

 

Would you use it post here at CruiseCritic? No issue here either

 

I would like to check my email at work while away (cheaper? than phone calls?), and we host our own email on site. For security reasons (key loggers, etc), I would never use an Internet cafe, on or off the ship, to access the server at work. Would you log in to Exchange Server over such a connection? I have done this as well

 

One last one- do they support using the iPhone via wireless for data, such as a direct email connection/connection to Outlook with calendar, contacts, email? Should be invisible, mostly, to the ship. Yes, you can continue to use your cell onboard, however it is expensive. Your cell carrier will bill you.