Ipad on a cruise question

[lthouseprincess]

If I have an Ipad that has the data plan active (Verizon) can I use the internet on the cruise with out paying Carnival or have some large roaming charge??? Basically I want to check my emails

[big_duck]

It has to be one or the other while on board.

 

You should be able to find free or cheap wifi in the ports.

[2Okies]

No - I wouldn't think so. I have an iPad w/AT&T service & you're not going to get service out in the ocean (where are the towers???) They do offer internet packages on the ship. It's just up to you if you want to buy them.

I put mine away and didn't worry about emails or anything all week. It's a freedom to be disconnected!

Of course, there are places at most ports that offer free internet (some restaurants, coffee shops, etc.) if you can wait til you are in port to check your emails. However, I would worry about taking my iPad into some ports (worry about theft).

We just came back from our cruise, and as soon as we got on the ship, all the phones were turned off, and the iPad put away. All I had was my Kindle w/my pre-downloaded books. It was wonderfully liberating!

We didn't want to know what was going on back home. It might just give us something to worry about - and what could we do about it anyway?

[cruiserNC]

My advice to you is to go into settings and turn off data roaming. Look for wifi in ports and if you need more than that the ship has a pay for wifi service as well.

[jimbo5544]

We have an ipad we take with us when we cruise as well and echo the above comments. When you get into a port, follow the crew. They always know of the best places for wifi.

[Scott34787]

No - I wouldn't think so. I have an iPad w/AT&T service & you're not going to get service out in the ocean (where are the towers?

 

The ship has a cell tower and thats where the

huge fees come in.

 

I'm with Duck - check email in ports where it's

free or very cheap.

[Holders3]

Service isn't free. You might consider checking your emails on the ships Internet hubs or turn it on download, turn off the data roaming and prepare your replies before turning it on again.

 

Or you could be lucky enough to be on the Magic which is experimenting with unlimited data for a flat fee.

[Herbaltees]

If I have an Ipad that has the data plan active (Verizon) can I use the internet on the cruise with out paying Carnival or have some large roaming charge??? Basically I want to check my emails

 

The ships data plan is painfully slow and expensive. I had to send 1 email with an attachment and it took 34 mins @ a cost of $.75/min. (The signal kept dropping and reconnecting because of the ships mvmt and cloud coverage.)

 

They do offer a data plan w/ x mins/ $X dollars. But you will quickly eat that up in wtg for the service to be available. I am not sure what emails you will need to check, but I would do them in port, as others have said.

[steph7021]

We bought wi-fi package on the Magic and what I discovered with my iPad and phone was that it was actually pretty quick to log on...download emails and log off. Took 2 minutes tops. When I first used the ships computer it was painfully slow (money suckers!) And actually I decided to upload a couple pics to Facebook and that took less than 5 min.

[bwelborn]

I noticed this also on the Fantasy a few weeks ago. I took my Macbook with me and decided to use it instead of the ships computers. The service was much, much faster and I used my computer in the cabin. No trekking down (or up) to the Internet cafe. I normally buy 120 internet minutes and I had plenty of time to check email twice a day, google some things about the upcoming ports, etc.

[jimbo5544]

We bought wi-fi package on the Magic and what I discovered with my iPad and phone was that it was actually pretty quick to log on...download emails and log off. Took 2 minutes tops. When I first used the ships computer it was painfully slow (money suckers!) And actually I decided to upload a couple pics to Facebook and that took less than 5 min.

The Magic has much faster wifi then the other ships in the fleet. Supposedly they are updating all and discounting the unlimited plan but have not seen it mentioned for other ships than the Magic.