Ship Internet - Tips and Tricks

[Wilkono]

Hey everyone.

 

There has been a few posts lately about using the satellite internet services aboard our favourite vessels. While convenient, users may become frustrated by the high costs per minute, as well as the download speed. While we can do very little about the cost of ship internet, there are a few tips that may help you solve your speed issues. I haven't seen a comprehensive post like this before, so I hope that this can help a few people out!

 

1. E-mail

If you tend to write long emails, it's a good idea to pre-write these on your computer before connecting and sending. It takes mere seconds to transmit an email (even using satellites) so this is an excellent tip that can save you quite a lot of internet minutes.

 

Also, this from the P&O website:

Passengers who subscribe to email services from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) are advised to verify that their ISP has a web-mail viewing site prior to sailing. Most major ISPs have websites that allow mail access via a web browser using an email address and password.

 

 

2. Websites

I'm not sure if anyone has provided a solution like this to slow download speeds, but this should be a fantastic solution for those that like to stay connected at sea.

 

By using these 'alternative' website addresses that I've provided, you will dramatically cut down on the amount of images, templates, Flash portals and other data-hungry items. You should see a sharp increase in downloading speeds, which is very important when using the ship's satellite internet connection. These addresses are normally accessed when using your mobile phone's internet browser while on land, but they work just as well in regular PC internet browsers. Here are some favourites so you can check them out on your browser right now!:

 

ABC News

http://m.abc.net.au/news

 

Facebook

http://touch.facebook.com OR

http://m.facebook.com

 

(Comes down to personal preference between the two Facebook websites, the Touch version seems to be more functional but the M version is very cutdown and speedy)

 

You can also convert ANY website into its cutdown form by using a Google service:

 

http://www.google.com/gwt/n

 

Simply visit the Google service, type in your website, and it will convert it for you.

 

I haven't had a chance to try these cutdown websits aboard yet, but I would suspect that they would be incredibly quick. There are some people that enjoy browsing these mobile websites on a daily basis, as they are mostly void of banner ads, Flash ads and other junk that clutters up the screen and slows the connection speed.

 

 

3. Club Lounge on P&O

I apologise for not knowing the equivalent on Princess and RCI, as I'm only familiar with P&O. If you sign up to the Club Lounge on the Jewel, you will receive complimentary internet access as part of the $25 a day package.

[stanc61]

Hey everyone.

 

3. Club Lounge on P&O

I apologise for not knowing the equivalent on Princess and RCI, as I'm only familiar with P&O. If you sign up to the Club Lounge on the Jewel, you will receive complimentary internet access as part of the $25 a day package.

 

Thanks Wilkono, we were going to use and pay for the Club lounge on our 4 sea days so it will be even better if we can sit there in comfort and use the complimentary internet. Will make for the Club Lounge as soon as we board on Saturday.

[Topaz_M]

Also on Princess, check out the Princess Patter on boarding day as they often have extra minutes on the internet packages if you sign up that day. You can also check this out in the Internet Cafe.

 

 

NB. This is not usually available to Platinum and Elite cruisers with their free internet minutes, unfortunately ;)