WiFi on HAL Ships

[linanles]

How is the WiFi setup on the HAL ships?

Is it like some hotels etc where you open up your web browser and there is a default login page displayed details of which you received when paying for internet access?

Are there any in house free resources available?

I got the impression that Ship Mate worked on HAL ships via WiFi but there was no mention of internet access required. That's why I thought they may have some onboard free content.

[doublebzz]

How is the WiFi setup on the HAL ships?

Is it like some hotels etc where you open up your web browser and there is a default login page displayed details of which you received when paying for internet access?

Are there any in house free resources available?

I got the impression that Ship Mate worked on HAL ships via WiFi but there was no mention of internet access required. That's why I thought they may have some onboard free content.

 

I'm sure you will receive many responses from folks more expert than I but I did want to respond to your question about "free content." Not surprisingly, you can access http://www.hollandamerica.com for free. What I didn't know until my last cruise is that you can freely access a "New York Times" web site for current news and even archived stories dating back 150 years. Another nice feature of this site is, after a free registration, you can enter your stock portfolio and track your investments throughout the day (password protected). Of course, you can use the ship's workstations or your own device to do this.

[CruiserBruce]

How is the WiFi setup on the HAL ships?

Is it like some hotels etc where you open up your web browser and there is a default login page displayed details of which you received when paying for internet access?

Are there any in house free resources available?

I got the impression that Ship Mate worked on HAL ships via WiFi but there was no mention of internet access required. That's why I thought they may have some onboard free content.

 

Essentially it is as you describe. And there isn't anything free about it.

[madera1]

I had never heard about the access to the New York times for free before. Can you get it from your own ipad for free?

[doublebzz]

I had never heard about the access to the New York times for free before. Can you get it from your own ipad for free?

 

Nor had I, but the service was available throughout my Amsterdam cruise Oct-Dec 2012. I'm sure you have noticed from the photo galleries in the Explorations Library that there is apparently a special relationship between HAL and the NY Times.

 

You can get it from any device that can access the internet. On the log on page, if I recall correctly, there are links to about 4 free sites; one being the HAL home page, another being the Times and another couple of no use links.

[OHCruiser]

From listening to an internet cafe manager, I don't think that using an Ipad for WiFi on the ship works very well and I don't think that you can access much of anything on your own device unless you sign up for a paid account.

 

We find our netbook and my Android based tablet to work well in the Vista Lounge and very near the internet cafe. Other than those places, we've found service to be very poor.

[sail7seas]

I had never heard about the access to the New York times for free before. Can you get it from your own ipad for free?

 

 

You can also go to the HAL site for free while on the ships.

[Big Dawg CC]

Just back from my cruise on the Amsterdam. Pleased to report that the speed of the internet has greatly improved. The free sites are HAL, NY Times, HAL Visa Card, and a promotional site on the HAL internet. There was also a quiz on Alaska.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just back from my cruise on the Amsterdam. Pleased to report that the speed of the internet has greatly improved. The free sites are HAL, NY Times, HAL Visa Card, and a promotional site on the HAL internet. There was also a quiz on Alaska.

 

Glad to know that the speed has improved.

That Aaskan quiz has been around for a couple of years. I did it on the Amsterdam in 2011 and saw that it was the same one this year on the Amsterdam.