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long time lurker

long time lurker

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We are going to be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 weeks. We had planned to stay disconnected for the week, however due to job issues that is not going to be an option. We are looking to purchase a small internet package to just briefly check email daily and were wondering about the cost. Also, as select members (first cruise on Celebrity, but we have transferred status from Royal Caribbean) are there any discounts available? Is there anyone that is recently off a sailing that would have the answer to these questions?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance

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islandgirlejfan

islandgirlejfan

Posted
Posted
We are going to be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 weeks. We had planned to stay disconnected for the week, however due to job issues that is not going to be an option. We are looking to purchase a small internet package to just briefly check email daily and were wondering about the cost. Also, as select members (first cruise on Celebrity, but we have transferred status from Royal Caribbean) are there any discounts available? Is there anyone that is recently off a sailing that would have the answer to these questions?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance

 

We paid 99 dollars for 200 minutes 3 weeks ago and got 10 percent off as classic members.

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Clydesmom7865

Clydesmom7865

Posted
Posted
We are going to be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 weeks. We had planned to stay disconnected for the week, however due to job issues that is not going to be an option. We are looking to purchase a small internet package to just briefly check email daily and were wondering about the cost. Also, as select members (first cruise on Celebrity, but we have transferred status from Royal Caribbean) are there any discounts available? Is there anyone that is recently off a sailing that would have the answer to these questions?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance

 

Select members are eligible for 25% off a single internet package. There are several packages available based on the number of minutes you purchase of course the more minutes the lower the per minute rate.

 

The best bet is to calculate how much time you would need and see if there is a way to do as much as possible using free wi-fi in ports of call then buy a small package for times you were not able to accomplish everything in port and need to get something done.

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keesar Great Review Rare

keesar

Posted
Posted

Internet Packages

 

Package Name Minutes Included Price

In and Out 38 $24.95

In Touch 90 $49.95

Informed 208 $99.95

Interact 555 $199.95

Involved 1666 $399.95

 

The above is from Celebrity and prices may change. There are sometimes discounts/bonuses associated with the above. The speed of the Internet often reminds me of the old dial-up service. We have sometimes gone to Internet stores/cafes at the various ports.

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Lsimon

Lsimon

Posted
Posted (edited)

The info is under the "staying in touch" link on this page: http://www.celebritycruises.com/planAndBook/beforeYouGo/tabLanding.do?pagename=before_you_go_gateway&tab=before_you_go_during_cruise

 

The rates above look right. Rate without a package is $0.75/min. If you buy a package and go over the rate is the same as the per minute cost of the package.

 

Be aware the internet service on board is very very slow and is intermittently not available at times. Speed and ability to get online at all depends on the satellite position relative to the ship as well as atmospheric conditions. The speed also depends on how many people on the ship are trying to share the connection at once. So make sure your office knows that internet connectivity isn't a sure thing at all times.

Edited by Lsimon
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sunor

sunor

Posted
Posted
We are going to be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 weeks. We had planned to stay disconnected for the week, however due to job issues that is not going to be an option. We are looking to purchase a small internet package to just briefly check email daily and were wondering about the cost. Also, as select members (first cruise on Celebrity, but we have transferred status from Royal Caribbean) are there any discounts available? Is there anyone that is recently off a sailing that would have the answer to these questions?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance

 

What we do is to log on, download emails, then log off. Answer all the emails, then log back on to send.

 

Using that method, we were able to stay within the 90 free minutes each that we get on the Elite coupons on a 15 day cruise.

 

We use this method also, we bring our laptop, log in, download, log off, answer emails and log back on. I also will open a web page ie Cruise Critic and read it off line. I am online about 2-3 min for download and the same for upload, so with the free 90 min each I have enough for a 14 night cruise.

 

Happy cruising.

 

Suz

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sunor

sunor

Posted
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I do have a question for Elite Plus, now that we get 200 free min but I see the package is for 208 min, so how did it work for you, did you buy the 208 min pack to get the free min and did the 208 min become 200 min.

 

thank you

Suz

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fleckle

fleckle

Posted
Posted
I do have a question for Elite Plus, now that we get 200 free min but I see the package is for 208 min, so how did it work for you, did you buy the 208 min pack to get the free min and did the 208 min become 200 min.
We received the full package - they don't chop any minutes off.

But they did not give any extra free minutes for signing up on the first day the way they used to do.

 

We did not even come close to using it all.

 

From years of habit we still follow the same practice as when using any other pay internet service, doing the reading and writing offline.

 

We remain signed on only long enough to open whichever web pages we want to read, such as Cruise Critic threads (ahem) of course :D, and immediately log out to read them offline.

 

So even when the system was slow, we did not need to stay connected for long.

Our longest sessions were when we needed to do something interactive such as booking a reservation online or checking in for a flight and printing boarding passes.

 

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upwarduk

upwarduk

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So even when the system was slow, we did not need to stay connected for long.

 

 

You were lucky if you could stay connected. On our TA, we were constantly being ' knocked out.'

I was told that it because we were in a metal box, once our cabin door was shut( we were in FV at the stern of the ship)

Eventually, I found I had to go to the iLounge to download. Even there, there was a constant message on the TV, informing passengers that the Internet was slow, or at times non existent!

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ghstudio "Live from...." Rare

ghstudio

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We were on that same TA on the infinity and had zero problems connecting from our cabin....I guess it depends where you are located. We check three mail accounts twice a day using outlook, respond to mail twice a day, we updated quicken once a day and I kept a running blog here on cruise critic during that transatlantic. Even with the slow speeds, I didn't use up all the minutes in my 90 minute plan. I did not try to write blog entries while online...I wrote them in word and copied them into the reply field when I was online. I did take advantage of internet in most ports....for the cost of a soda/coffee, I could wander the internet as much as I wanted. I even skyped from a shore cafe.

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sunor

sunor

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We received the full package - they don't chop any minutes off.

But they did not give any extra free minutes for signing up on the first day the way they used to do.

 

We did not even come close to using it all.

 

From years of habit we still follow the same practice as when using any other pay internet service, doing the reading and writing offline.

 

We remain signed on only long enough to open whichever web pages we want to read, such as Cruise Critic threads (ahem) of course :D, and immediately log out to read them offline.

 

So even when the system was slow, we did not need to stay connected for long.

Our longest sessions were when we needed to do something interactive such as booking a reservation online or checking in for a flight and printing boarding passes.

 

 

Thanks for the quick response, that is exactly what I wanted to know. Our next cruise is Jan 31.

 

Suz

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fleckle

fleckle

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You were lucky if you could stay connected. On our TA, we were constantly being ' knocked out.'

I was told that it because we were in a metal box, once our cabin door was shut( we were in FV at the stern of the ship)

Eventually, I found I had to go to the iLounge to download. Even there, there was a constant message on the TV, informing passengers that the Internet was slow, or at times non existent!

I do not believe the "metal box" excuse because there were many times when we were able to connect easily, and stay connected, from inside a cabin at the stern of the ship with the door closed. Then at other times in the exact same "metal box" we could not connect at all.

 

The location of the ship in relation to the satellite can make a big difference.

 

With the latest upgrades they did, claiming to now offer WiFi throughout the ship, we really did find it to be a lot better picking up the signal around the ship than in years past.

 

Overall we found the WiFi connectivity a lot better in the Caribbean than on a previous TA.

 

We keep hearing that they are planning to install an entirely new system that will have major improvements.

 

In the meantime, I agree that it can be very frustrating at times if you use up a lot of your internet minutes waiting and waiting for a response or if you keep getting knocked off.

But at least if you let them know, they will credit the value of that time back to your account.

 

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fleckle

fleckle

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Some great info...thanks. I will be have my ipad on my TA in Nov...it would be great if I was able to connect while on deck or in a lounge...

 

Will keep the log off/log on note in mind...:D

You probably already know this, but just in case you have not used it before, it is important to be aware of the difference between being connected to the ship's WiFi and actually being logged into your personal account.

 

You can connect to the internet, but the charges do not start running until you log into your account.

Then when finished, it is important to log out of your account each time to stop the clock.

 

If it is your first time, when you go to the internet lounge to set up your account at the beginning of the cruise, bring your seapass card with you. There should be a handout there to pick up with the instructions explaining how to set up your user id and password and how it works, or the attendant can explain it.

 

But it is easy to follow the instructions to create your account even if the attendant is not there.

 

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