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Smart way to make calls from the ship for free

Nickles

By Nickles,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Nickles

Nickles

Posted
Posted

My friend just got back from a Carnival cruise 2 weeks ago. He told me that he purchased a 100 minute WiFi package and he brought his laptop with him. He also brought a Magic Jack and a portable webcam (or something). He was able to call home for 'free' and people were still able to reach him as well.

 

How smart is that!

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clean1owner

clean1owner

Posted
Posted
My friend just got back from a Carnival cruise 2 weeks ago. He told me that he purchased a 100 minute WiFi package and he brought his laptop with him. He also brought a Magic Jack and a portable webcam (or something). He was able to call home for 'free' and people were still able to reach him as well.

 

How smart is that!

 

If he had to "purchase" the WiFi package, the phone calls weren't really free.

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johneeo

johneeo

Posted
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My friend just got back from a Carnival cruise 2 weeks ago. He told me that he purchased a 100 minute WiFi package and he brought his laptop with him. He also brought a Magic Jack and a portable webcam (or something). He was able to call home for 'free' and people were still able to reach him as well.

 

How smart is that!

 

If the cruise line was paying me to make calls to home, I still would not do it.:eek:

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Sequim88

Sequim88

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Posted

Also internet service on RCI is usually so bad speedwise that this might not be reliable. And there are very easy ways for them to delay packets in a way that would only be irritating when web surfing but deadly to VoIP. No harm to try but don't count on it.

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MrChuckFL

MrChuckFL

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Using magic jack or any other means of VOIP program or webcam / facetime on the ship will not work.

 

I tried to login to Google Voice on the Oasis and could not get it to work. After speaking with the IT manager onboard I found that they block pretty much anything other than web or email traffic. There are ways around it but even for a geek by trade, it is not worth the hassle because even if it was not blocked, the speed of the connection would make it unusable.

 

You could however use one of these programs from a wifi hotspot while you are in port.

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Snostar

Snostar

Posted
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Just use Skype or Google voice from any internet cafe in port. Works well, and you can enjoy a nice beverage while you use the service.

Yup, Skype would have to be used at port it is NOT permitted on RCCL...their rep sent this to me in an email:

"Wi-Fi is available on all Royal Caribbean International vessels. Coverage will be limited to designated "Hot Spots." Please check onboard for exact locations.

Our network is compatible with laptop, tablet (including iPad®) and handheld computing devices running all major operating systems and browsers. Please note that 802.11b or better wireless networking capability is required, and some adjustments to firewall and browser settings may be necessary to allow connection.

Due to the nature of our maritime satellite internet connection, applications such as VPN, Remote Access and VOIP are not supported and may or may not work. Kindly note that Skype® is not an allowed piece of software and will not be available onboard, regardless of whether or not guests bring their own webcam."

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alicam

alicam

Posted
Posted
My friend just got back from a Carnival cruise 2 weeks ago. He told me that he purchased a 100 minute WiFi package and he brought his laptop with him. He also brought a Magic Jack and a portable webcam (or something). He was able to call home for 'free' and people were still able to reach him as well.

 

How smart is that!

 

Ok...anytime you pay for something...it isn't "free"...I would call it more "convenient" the way he is doing it

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Cigar King

Cigar King

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Yup, Skype would have to be used at port it is NOT permitted on RCCL...

 

FWIW, I was on a transatlantic last year and both Skype and Google voice worked. Maybe it's a recent change? Skype might be blocked, but, it would be difficult to do that for Google voice, so give it a whirl.

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ehfl

ehfl

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How exactly is the "purchase" of a Wi-Fi package "free"?

 

Those packages are expensive.

 

You're much better off just calling your cell phone company and activating international roaming. Then make your calls in port.

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Big_G

Big_G

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How exactly is the "purchase" of a Wi-Fi package "free"?
Depending on your C&A status, you may get internet coupons in your book. They can be used for WIFI. I had two such coupons which lasted me the whole 7 days. I would still question the speed and reliability of the service.
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Snostar

Snostar

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FWIW, I was on a transatlantic last year and both Skype and Google voice worked. Maybe it's a recent change? Skype might be blocked, but, it would be difficult to do that for Google voice, so give it a whirl.

The email I quoted was sent to me about 2 weeks ago, so perhaps it is new. I didn't even think of Google voice, I got hooked up with an invite recently....will try it out on my cruise in February, just out of curiousity.

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silentbob007 "Live from...." Rare

silentbob007

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Also ... those sites/software are blocked for a reason ... mainly that it is a limited pipe for data, and when you take more than your share (especially when doing something to get around the blocks) you are making everyone else online at that time pay even more for their access.

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Loonbeam

Loonbeam

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Aye, this came up on another thread. Anyone using VOIP or similar (especially with video) is using as much as 75 times or more data than a regular web surfer every minute, which reduces speed for everyone else on the ship, who also paid for service. If the ships don't block any streaming applications, they should.

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MrChuckFL

MrChuckFL

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An article here references the fact that they use a 10mbps connection onboard Oasis. To put that in perspective, the bandwidth (internet speed) going to the ship is in some cases 1/4 of the speed of their home internet connection.

 

Take into account the fact that there are at any time, hundreds of people using that connection and it is going to feel like you are using dialup.

 

That being the case they do everything possible to improve the speed through techniques such as caching content and blocking date intensive applications such as voice over IP and video conferencing.

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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If the cruise line was paying me to make calls to home, I still would not do it.:eek:

 

My cats wouldn't answer anyway. We use to call and our answering machine would let them hear our voice, but now with Voicemail, it wouldn't work :D

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