Do all cruise lines charge for Internet

[Gfplux]

We are in very, very early planning for mid 2016. However I am beginning to think that Internet on a cruise is an add on cost. Surely this must be changing. I hope so. And yes Internet access is important in this day and age. It's like charging you to tell the time. Years ago the time did not matter, but it does now and no one would dream of charging for it.

[sherryf]

Yes, as far as I know, they all charge for it, and they charge a LOT. They have to go through a satellite service, so it's slow and expensive. Oddly, as much as I am on the internet at home, I manage to live without it on my cruises. I do check my email and facebook with my phone in ports, but I am never online on the ship. On my last cruise, I even had free internet minutes due to my status, but never bothered to use them.

 

It isn't unusual to be charged for internet, even on land. Last year when we were in St. Louis for robotics, the hotel we were at charged about $10 a day for internet. You could use it free in the lobby, but if you wanted it in your room, you paid.

[CruiserBruce]

Charging or not charging on land is one thing. Charging on a ship is an entirely different thing. There isn't a cable connecting you to the internet, the ship has to use an expensive satellite system.

 

Haven't heard of any cruise line that gives Internet away for free, although some do give it free or discounted to elite pax and some suites.

 

If you are a US citizen, using the standard US phone plans, you will have data access on your smart phone according to your plan, in the US ports.

Edited April 10, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[judynorth]

Luxury cruise lines don't usually charge for internet access but then you pay twice as much for the cruise. On mass-market lines such as Princess, HAL, RCCL, etc. charge but usually offer packages that give you a bit of a discount. Using your phone on the ship is also very expensive - as much as $7.95 per minute. :eek: You'd do better to wait until you are in port.

[Northern Aurora]

Virtually all cruise lines charge for internet, and the few high luxury lines which don't charge a separate fee incorporate the costs into their "all inclusive" pricing structure. Expect to pay for internet usage while on ship, and also expect the service to be slow. Realize also that the staff on board also pay for their on-board internet service, so ask them for recommendations for free wi-fi areas at ports as they know where to find it.

[chipmaster]

We are in very, very early planning for mid 2016. However I am beginning to think that Internet on a cruise is an add on cost. Surely this must be changing. I hope so. And yes Internet access is important in this day and age. It's like charging you to tell the time. Years ago the time did not matter, but it does now and no one would dream of charging for it.

 

Welcome to CC

 

The lines charge for a LOT of things beside internet, similar to different levels of hotel lines. Things that come to mind, premium dining, premium drinks ( alcohol, coffee, soda ), activities ( bingo, classes etc. etc. ), pictures.... the list is long!

 

Hopefully it isn't the "internet" charge that is limiting your budget or you will be in for a lot of surprises :eek:

 

The internet on the ship are dreadfully slow, one of the reason I love cruising, NO INTERNET, NO PHONE, totally free and disconnected!

[rockdoctor]

Yes, Internet is important in out modern lifestyle, but on a ship with satellite internet it is like Christmas. What kind of reception am I going to get today. If the ship and the satellites don't line up properly, you may go a day without any reception. IMHO if you get internet for free take it, if you have to pay, then don't bother.

[xlxo]

We are in very, very early planning for mid 2016. However I am beginning to think that Internet on a cruise is an add on cost. Surely this must be changing. I hope so. And yes Internet access is important in this day and age. It's like charging you to tell the time. Years ago the time did not matter, but it does now and no one would dream of charging for it.

Some thoughts...

• I refuse to pay for time based internet that is slow and takes 15 minutes to sign on.
  
• I love Disney Cruise Lines quantity based internet that works at 24Mbps download on the Wonder. Top package is $89/gig.
  
• I got myself a ATT prepaid sim card that charges something like $60 for 2 gigs to extend my cruise internet package. Hmm... checked ATT website and it's now $60 for 4gigs!
  http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/prepaidplans.html
  
• Telus offers great coverage in Vancouver, inside passage and around Prince George. We used our smartphones to keep in touch in Canadian waters and Alaskan ports.
  
• why can't Alaska install some cell towers like Canada... don't we cruisers pay enough?
  
• check out satellite rates compared with the cruise lines.
  https://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=116
  
• what out for device and app updates that can suck your data and time very quickly.
  

[donaldsc]

Some thoughts...

• 
   
  
• why can't Alaska install some cell towers like Canada... don't we cruisers pay enough?
   
  

 

Alaska does not put up cell phone towers, Alaskan phone companies put them up. I would assume that they put up towers so that their local subscribers can get cell phone coverage. Why should they put them up just for the tourists in areas where there are not enough local subscribers to pay for them?

 

DON

[chipmaster]

Yes, Internet is important in out modern lifestyle, but on a ship with satellite internet it is like Christmas. What kind of reception am I going to get today. If the ship and the satellites don't line up properly, you may go a day without any reception. IMHO if you get internet for free take it, if you have to pay, then don't bother.

 

"lifestyle" I found it liberating for wife/kids and me especially to be liberated from our lifestyle of constant internet/Christmas. I wouldn't want to bore you with the hundreds of email/pages I get or data I am tempted to look at from the moment I'm awake to sleep, or the time other members waste it on their phone... No the ship is best with no internet.

 

I almost feel sad this time around seeing more and more people looking at their phone or actually sitting in the atrium with their laptop. Felt like a land based hotel where one can't escape :eek:

[paulajj]

If it were free it would be even slower because everyone would be on it all the time.

[dhmom99]

Some thoughts...

• I refuse to pay for time based internet that is slow and takes 15 minutes to sign on.
  
• I love Disney Cruise Lines quantity based internet that works at 24Mbps download on the Wonder. Top package is $89/gig.
  
• I got myself a ATT prepaid sim card that charges something like $60 for 2 gigs to extend my cruise internet package. Hmm... checked ATT website and it's now $60 for 4gigs!
  http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans/prepaidplans.html
  
• Telus offers great coverage in Vancouver, inside passage and around Prince George. We used our smartphones to keep in touch in Canadian waters and Alaskan ports.
  
• why can't Alaska install some cell towers like Canada... don't we cruisers pay enough?
  
• check out satellite rates compared with the cruise lines.
  https://www.findmespot.ca/en/index.php?cid=116
  
• what out for device and app updates that can suck your data and time very quickly.
  

 

We also got Disney $90/Gigbyte package. Although pricy, it is one of the better deals there.

[Gfplux]

Thank you everyone for the information.

It is dissapointing but I don't think this will stop us taking an Alaska cruise.

 

It is a shame that Cruise ships are behind the technology curve. I only hope this is the only department they are playing catch up.

[CruiserBruce]

Thank you everyone for the information.

It is dissapointing but I don't think this will stop us taking an Alaska cruise.

 

It is a shame that Cruise ships are behind the technology curve. I only hope this is the only department they are playing catch up.

 

 

If you invent a better system that allows thousand of people to access the internet via satellite via one signal, you will be a rich person. The ships are not behind the times. You think a ship should be like a land based hotel...it can't, with the current technology.

[thinfool]

It is a shame that Cruise ships are behind the technology curve. I only hope this is the only department they are playing catch up.

 

You sound well-informed so can you help the readers here understand how the cruise lines can improve this situation?

 

There are efforts to improve the speed of the internet onboard ship and to have a better pricing package, but they are still in the experimental stage. I think it will be a year or two before it is rolled out across all fleets.

 

OTOH, I can never see the time when the cruise lines will not have some form of pay-for-use model. If you book a suite on some lines it is included in your fare.

 

Finally depending on where you cruise, and even where you dock, you can be outside of the satellite footprint for the internet service that the ship uses.

 

I cannot remember exactly, but I think the docks at Skagway are behind a mountain that interferes with the satellite signal for the ships for that port day.