Internet access on Ocean / Diamond

[beckaboo]

My folks are considering a China / Vietnam / Japan itinerary and will unfortunately need to stay in touch with work - they are hoping to confirm internet functionality on the Diamond / Ocean... Does internet service work in the cabins, or is it necessary to go to one of the public areas? How is the reliability (often down, usually functional, exceptionally slow)?

 

Thanks in advance - my apologies if this has been answered - I tried a pretty exhaustive search but couldn't quite find the answers to the above.

[Talisker92]

I have been on the Diamond Princess, and they have a very nice Internet setup in the library.

Each setup had a large tube of disinfectant wipes next to it. Use them!!

We had done a river cruise where we had 2 PC's with everyone using them. A number of us got sick, and a few really sick. I do not know there is a connection, but prevention is better.

[paul929207]

We have been on the Ocean several times, but not the Diamond.

 

On the Ocean, there is Wifi in the cabins and most public rooms. We were able to use the Wifi in our cabin most of the time. There are occasional times when the internet is not available. There is also an internet cafe if your parents do not bring a laptop.

[Coracii]

I've sailed on the Diamond three times and have never had a problem finding a wireless signal for my laptop. However, finding a wireless signal that isn't slower than my dial-up was 15 years ago is another story...

[Loonbeam]

To my knowledge, all Princess ships have wifi now. That said, the speed of the connection will vary greatly based on how far their cabin is from the nearest wifi point, how the satellite connection is doing that day or even minute, how many other people are using the limited bandwith, etc...

[Pam in CA]

Internet connection is never guaranteed and is often, particularly on exotic cruises, exceptionally slow or non-existent. If one is required to have a secure and speedy Internet connection, a cruise is not the vacation to take. At the best of times, speed will be the equivalent of a 2400 baud modem (at least it seems that way) and going to graphics-intensive websites, or sending/receiving graphics will slow you (and everyone else) to a turtle crawl. The connection is not secure so you shouldn't consider sending or receiving sensitive documents.

 

This is not unique to Princess but rather because ships use a satellite connection with limited bandwidth, and the ship moves within the satellite's reception area. Just like the early days of cell phones, as you move from one satellite coverage area to another, the ship loses signal.

[onthelake]

We did this itinerary two years ago and slow and spotty are probably the kindest things that can be said about the internet at that time. Perhaps things have improved but, as Pam said, on more exotic itineraries, internet speed and signal strength may be less than acceptable. We did not 'need' a ship-board connection and used land-based internet cafes (with Asian character keyboards!) to keep in touch. This probably isn't a good itinerary for someone who requires solid service.

[caribill]

My folks are considering a China / Vietnam / Japan itinerary and will unfortunately need to stay in touch with work - they are hoping to confirm internet functionality on the Diamond / Ocean.

 

I do not know if it has changed, but in February, 2010, no Internet access was permitted (per Japanese regulations) anytime the ship was within Japanese waters.

[Ruste]

We have just come back from Beijing to Singapore on the Diamond and the internet connection was bad at times. There were a lot of frustrated people.

[beckaboo]

Thanks for all the responses! I'm afraid that I was hoping for better news but am grateful for the honest feedback.

[Pam in CA]

We have just come back from Beijing to Singapore on the Diamond and the internet connection was bad at times. There were a lot of frustrated people.

While disappointing, not sure why people would be frustrated. They're on a moving ship on an ocean in the middle of nowhere. Not sure why they'd expect a reliable or consistent connection.

[Passin Thru]

Not sure why they have to have internet anyway on a ship. People cant be quiet and watch the ocean go by, Gotta get on the computer and read all the important mail. Specially the cruise specials.:D:D:D

[caribill]

For those who ask why can't you just relax and enjoy a cruise without Internet access, consider the following reasons:

 

a) Often the best way to get a message in case of an emergency in the family back home.

 

b) Often necessary in order to pay bills that come due while on vacation.

 

c) Checking in for that flight home 24 hours in advance greatly reduces the probabilility of being "bumped" when the plane is overbooked.

 

d) In today's business environment, sometimes the only way you can take a vacation is if the office can get in contact with you in a business emergency.

[paul929207]

Not sure why they have to have internet anyway on a ship. People cant be quiet and watch the ocean go by, Gotta get on the computer and read all the important mail. Specially the cruise specials.:D:D:D

Like most things on a cruise ship, the internet is a profit center.

[Minoushka]

When we were on Ocean this summer around Greenland connections were either non existant or superslow ..but of course we were really far ..Take it with the flow ..nice and slow