Veendam onboard wifi speed for Skype

[ccheng64]

I am going on a 7 day Canada\New England cruise on Veendam in two weeks and I need to use Skype every night on the sea. I know the ship internet is slow but can it be so slow that I can't even use Skype? Due to time difference, I have no choice but to use ship internet to call Asia. Our sleep time on the cruise is their working hours. :(

 

I was reading about someone using Bell Service and got connection on the ship and did not get charged for the cruise service fee. I am thinking about maybe buy a Bell prepaid data plan too but I would like to hear what other people think before I make the decision.

 

Thank you

[jtl513]

To get an internet connection for Skype you first have to login to the ship system, and you start paying.

 

I've read on this forum that Skype is blocked on some ships because it's such a bandwidth hog. I tried it once (I don't remember which ship) and although I didn't get any message that it wasn't allowed, it didn't work either. Sorry. :(

[sail7seas]

No skype on the ships.

[CruiserBruce]

jtl513 is correct. It is a bandwidth hog, and while it may not be banned, it won't work much, if at all, because it demands more signal strength and consistency than the ship's satellite system can provide.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It will NOT work....

[garydm]

I was told by the internet manager that they have Skype blocked.

 

Gary

[HamOp]

With the exception of the New York Times web site and the HAL site, anytime you connect using the ships satellite communications you will be charged.

 

If you don't need the video portion of Skype, but just want to use voice, you might consider renting one of these. http://www.mobal.com/satellite-phone-rental/ At a $1.99 per minute usage fee, it should work out cheaper than using the ships services, and it will work anywhere in the world.

 

Only problem is you will need to be on deck to use it. Can't use it inside.[/color]

[dmcfad2]

I was on the Oosterdam in February and we used Skype through the ship's internet several times with no problem.

[jtl513]

This poster says she Skyped with a Eurodam passenger:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=39749205&postcount=120

 

This poster said he used audio-only skype on board a HAL ship, but I don't know which http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=38794512&highlight=skype#post38794512

 

This poster says he used it on the Noordam:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38138875&postcount=5

 

This person said it worked on the Veendam, but not well

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36892050&highlight=skype#post36892050

[ccheng64]

Thank you so much for everyone's feedback. I just need to use Skype for text chatting. I don't need the voice or video. What kind of chatting software is allowed on board through the ship's internet? How about Line, Whatsapp, or Google chat? I will be using my own laptop. Thanks.

[sfocruiser]

Worked on the Amsterdam and Oosterdam this year but not well

[taxmantoo]

Not sure about Skype, but we have used FaceTime on the iPad several times from the Caribbean to England and from Europe to Canada while at sea on different HAL ships without any problems.