Internet access on Veendam

[firsttimewithcunard]

Can anyone tell me what the current charges are for internet access on the Beendam and, with the famously slow speeds, how long it might take each day to download e mails?

[jtl513]

It's $3.95 to start an account, then $0.75 per minute, or $55 for 100 min, or $100 for 250 min.

 

The amount of time it takes to download emails depends on how many there are and if anyone has attached anything large to them. I ask everyone to not send me mail with attachments while I'm on a cruise, and typically I can connect, download 5 to 10 emails and disconnect in about 2 minutes. Once, however, a friend forgot and attached a large file, and it took about 10 minutes just for that one. :(

[deserttraveler]

In November-December, I found the Veendam internet speeds amazingly fast, totally different from what I'd experienced on any other cruise or ship. No "famously slow," but almost always fast enough that I didn't notice any delay. This was with my laptop. Because it was so different from other ships and cruises, I asked the tech guy about it and he said that the Veendam had installed a new antenna and a new modem in Sept. or Oct.

 

HOWEVER, the ship got knocked around quite a bit by weather in a cruise after mine, and it's possible that the antenna got damaged, as some people on that cruise and the one after mentioned slower speeds again. The way I test the available speed is to click for the free version of the New York Times to see how fast it loads. If it pops right up, then I'm good to go and know that I won't agonize over wasted minutes.

[jtl513]

The way I test the available speed is to click for the free version of the New York Times to see how fast it loads. If it pops right up, then I'm good to go and know that I won't agonize over wasted minutes.

If NY Times site isn't available for free (as it wasn't on the Nieuw Ansterdam) then the HAL site will serve the same purpose.

[CtheW0rld]

Can anyone tell me what the current charges are for internet access on the Beendam and, with the famously slow speeds, how long it might take each day to download e mails?

 

beendam - was that a joke? too funny (and sadly appropriate)

[TCF]

Let me start by saying that we were on the Veendam three years ago so things might have changed since then. We found...and were told....that it depends where on the ship your cabin is that determines the strength of the connectivity...we were not in a good location so connectivity was spotty and slow. It is something to do with the antenna that run through the ship....they told us that if we propped our cabin door open it would help.

 

Hopefully they re-did the connectivity when they dry docked it.

[Spender Nui]

It may not work in most of the cabins but there are hot spots throughout the ship.

[dfish]

I was on the Veendam 1/6 to 1/23. The internet connection was slower than slow. We had some connectivity problems during the course of the cruise, but it was explained that most of the problems were due to our location - Antarctica or southern South America and that the internet would be faster the further north we went. Some people found that if they got on at 6 am or late at night it was faster. I'm a sleepyhead, so I never tried that.

 

I had a weak signal in my cabin, but since I had my laptop I just went down to the library and had a strong signal when I did connect.

 

Debbie

[Himself]

All the DAM ships have internet access and the fees given were correct.