internet users beware

[cruz chic]

A great many people have their own devices and don't use the ship's computers to go on line. The whole ship is WiFi and internet can be connected most anywhere.

Absolutely! The only reason I ever use the ships computers is to print my boarding pass. I do buy and internet package every time.

[TanningPro]

World cruise blogger Jeff, who is as upbeat and pro Holland America as anybody, said this about the internet on December 31, 2013:

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com/

 

I don't see how he can post so many photos from the ship, it must take hours.

 

I can assure you it took an incredibly long time to post all those photos...

[NMLady]

I notice a couple of bloggers are able to post a daily update from the Amsterdam, so it must work to some extent. It would be enlightening to hear from HAL as to what they have done and why they have done it. One of the things I always list on my comment sheets concerns their 20th century internet service in this century.

 

The three bloggers/posters I read all mentioned the problems they had in getting their posting done, sometimes being dropped without knowing. All of them mentioned having to ask for replacement of some of their minutes, and many got a 50% refund of their internet package because of all the problems experienced by majority of passengers. Evidently there were IT experts from the new company aboard for much of the cruise trying to tweak the problems.

[gerryl12]

Of course the best way to get faster internet is to USE THE INTERNET ASHORE IN THE PORTS. This works well especially on port intensive cruises. Most of the regular ports seem to be getting free wifi, if not in the port then nearby in a café or such.

I have almost completely given up on ship internet as it is so painfully SLOW.

[Moriah]

People post "live from" blogs and forum posts from PORT oftentimes, and do not use the ship's internet. They go to coffee shops and other internet venues on shore. I guess I'll have to find out where the internet cafes are on my next cruise... I am concerned about this whole issue and am watching it closely - my next cruise is on Oosterdam in September and I'm not planning to take the week "off" work and really need to be connected during the cruise. This is never been a problem for me in the past on HAL, but I'm getting a little nervous with all the reports about the new system being sub-par...

Edited May 9, 2014 by Moriah