Internet on Holland

[FoxyTerrier]

I am one that refuses to buy the inflated internet minutes. On our PC cruise last November when we docked in Costa Rica I brought along my iPod Touch to listen to some music on our bus ride. As soon as I got off the ship I picked up a FREE wifi and all my email started downloading.

 

Now I wouldn't want to do a lot of email compisiton on an iPod Touch but it has made me consider investing in an iPad. Much more transportable than a laptop and for those that do purchase mintues it would pay for it's self after a few cruises. And with eBook apps you don't have to lug books around either.

 

Just a thought...

[NMLady]

When your minutes expire, are you automatically logged out or does your session continue at the single minute rate?

 

Also, how reliable is the logout process? Has anybody ever gotten a logout message and still been connected, as happened to me on QM2?

 

Roy

 

If your minutes expire your session continues and you are charged at your package rate. So, if you bought the 250 minute package for $100, that was a 40cent per minute rate so that is what you would be charged for the remainder of your overtime session.

 

I've never still been connected when I've logged out. I always wait for the screen that shows how many minutes I used and how many are left. That way you know for sure you're logged out.

[ginger and professor]

We would like to see a Mariner discount on the internet charges.

Perhaps 10% for one star, 20% for two star, 40% for four star etc.

I always sign up for 100 minutes with the extra 20 minute special on the first day, usually use my own PC (works in most staterooms) but don't understand why shipboard internet is so expensive.

[IRL_Joanie]

It is more expensive because it is via satellite as opposed to Broadband Internet.

 

A search from Google on: why is satelite internet more expensive than cable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access

 

Cable Internet access, often called simply cable Internet, is a form of broadband Internet access that uses the cable television infrastructure. Like digital subscriber line and fiber to the premises services, cable Internet access provides network edge connectivity (last mile access) from the Internet service provider to an end user. It is integrated into the cable television infrastructure analogously to DSL which uses the existing telephone network. Cable TV networks and telecommunications networks are the two predominant forms of residential Internet access. Recently, both have seen increased competition from fiber deployments, wireless, and mobile networks.

 

 

Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world. Different types of satellite systems have a wide range of different features and technical limitations, which can greatly affect their usefulness and performance in specific applications.

 

Hope this helps make the reasoning more explainable...

 

I think it should be cheaper also but....

 

Joanie

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't think you will see HAL give discounts for any star level -- we have over 600 days on HAL -- and no discounts for the internet.

 

As to expense -- it is not like at home where you have choices of internet providers.

[FoxyTerrier]

I invested in an iPad and took on our Christmas cruise. I saw lots of iPad users on this cruise. Some reading, some playing games and some emailing.

 

I still didn't buy any HAL minutes but did get free WiFi at Starbucks while in Cozemel. It downloaded all my email for 10 days in a few minutes.

 

After trivia one day a group of us were discussing pros and cons of HAL and she said they had done a Thanksgiving cruise on X and they got a free 2 hour happy hour and free internet. I forget how many cruise days she had on X but said when they cruise with their kids and grandkids they go on Royal Caribbean and those days count towards X cruise days.

[acpitbull2]

Thank you all so much for your time & advice!! Purchased through HAL & sailing away on Sunday! BON VOYAGE:)

[DaveOKC]

Someone mentioned using the HAL internet to print boarding passes and I thought I would pass this tip along for folks who fly SW on the way home. Instead of worrying about getting on-line right at the 24 hour mark to "score" an A boarding pass, just spend the $10 for an "early bird" pass (on the SW website) and they will assign your boarding pass for you - and you can just print it off at the airport. Also, these passes are assigned before they open the boarding passes to the rest of the passengers (at the 24 hour mark), so you generally get a very good number.

 

Definately worth the hassle saving on the way home. When flying SW, we normally book as two, one-way tickets (same cost as a round trip) plus that way you have the flexibility of changes and getting credit if one of your segments prices go down (happens often on SW). Plus in booking the early bird option, you now only have to pay the $10 for the trip home.

 

SW may not be perfect, but IMO it is the best airline to travel.

 

DaveOKC

[deserttraveler]

First of all, my recent experiences are consistent with Ruth's information regarding costs.

 

Regarding speed of connection, my recent experience on the Veendam (Santiago-Buenos Aires Nov. 26) suggests that this is being upgraded. The availability and speed all the way through the Chilean Fjords and the Beagle Channel and around the Horn were far superior to my September experiences on the Statendam and Rotterdam along the north Pacific coast. When I asked the Veendam computer guy about it, he said that the Veendam had installed a new antenna and a new modem. Then, the next sailing of the Veendam encountered very severe weather and had some internet outage unlike anything I experienced on the previous sailing, like maybe the new antenna got damaged or the modem crashed to the floor. They will never give you the details of why something is working or not.

 

One trick I learned to test the available speed before logging on with my netbook: Go to the New York Times website, which is free on HAL, and see how fast it loads and if the links work quickly. If it loads quickly and you can easily link to an article, that's a clue that the speed is decent. If not, try again later so you don't waste your minutes.

[jtl513]

One trick I learned to test the available speed before logging on with my netbook: Go to the New York Times website, which is free on HAL, and see how fast it loads and if the links work quickly. If it loads quickly and you can easily link to an article, that's a clue that the speed is decent. If not, try again later so you don't waste your minutes.

On the Nieuw Amsterdam recently I found that the free NY Times site is not available. If that becomes the case on other ships as well, you can still use the HAL site for your speed test.

[Big Dawg CC]

RutchC is correct re continuous cruises. Just returning from back-to-back Eurodam cruises over the holidays, and the $3.95 was a one-time up front charge. The "extra" mintues carried over from the first to second cruise without a hitch, even with a change of cabins.

 

Sometimes, I do not get a clear log-out confirmation (mostly due to a bad internet connection). In those cases, I will typically check with the onboard internet manager, and his records typically show me as being logged out. In one case, I was not, and he credited me back the extra minutes without question.