Wi-Fi on board ship

[jsf]

How does Wi-Fi work on the ship? She want's to bring along her I-pad and I'm wondering if it's worth it. We are Elite so I think she will get some time free but was wondering how much and what does extra time cost, also will her cell phone work on a T/A and anyone know what the cost's are .

J.

[cruisestitch]

Elite passengers get 90 minutes free internet.

 

Other costs are all spelled out on Celebrity's website.

 

Cell phones will work, but calls cost around $2.50 per minute.

[ozark74]

We always take our I-Pad or tablet. It is easier to check email in your cabin than going to the computer room. Also do hangout with the tablet to talk to the grandchildren. Prefer the tablet because it is lighter than the I-Pad.

[keesar]

Be advised that the connection is really not high speed Internet. Think of the old dial up service. It is painfully slow and the minutes quickly add up. You can use the computers in the computer center but you have to buy a plan. These computers are Macs.

 

Cell phones can be very expensive. Check out your plan. I would leave the cell phone turned off in the safe.

[jelayne]

As Elite you each get 90 minutes free internet so she will have 180 minutes. That is generally enough for me to check email on a TA but no web surfing, Facebook or Instagram. Also look for free wi-fi when in port.

[cruisead]

Do not use a smart phone to browse the Internet. You'll be charged $2.49 a minute plus any download charges. Best to put the cell phone in airplane mode so as to not incur the charges.

[cruisestitch]

The 2.49 per minute is for voice calls, not for data, AFAIK

[ghstudio]

the best use of a computer/tablet onboard is to sign on only long enough to download your mail (and perhaps update quicken or similar), then sign off. Read the mail, respond offline and then sign on again to send it out (and get any new email. If you do this...and don't read mail/other on-line, you should be able to stay well within your elite minutes. We've been doing this for a few years (with quicken updates every day) and we generally just go over 90 minutes on a 14 day cruise. When you are at port, take the ipad/computer/phone ashore and find an internet cafe...use skype, facetime, catch up on instagram, facebook, upload/download pictures and read/post Cruise Critic, of course. There is almost always a free (or buy a coke/coffee) internet site within easy walking distance of the ship.

[gopro63]

open up Wi-Fi join connection, and add in code, when you want to stop, you will sign out not sure the wording used, there is a button , to press. you can close down as well. but best to sign out. when you reach your limit you do not go over the X amount it will EXPIRE and then you need to purchase or add in. that is how Wi-Fi works

[Ruthk]

We always take our I-Pad or tablet. It is easier to check email in your cabin than going to the computer room. Also do hangout with the tablet to talk to the grandchildren. Prefer the tablet because it is lighter than the I-Pad.

 

I'm just curious, how much does your tablet weighs. My iPad Air 2 weighs less than one pound. Also I thought an iPad is a tablet? I could be wrong, I am not into the computer lingo, but am always learning more.

 

But I agree with everyone - the Celebrity system is extremely slow. For anyone that sails Curaçao, I get free wifi by sitting on the pool deck, port side, above the gang plank. If I moved 3 ft. forward I lost the connection, so you have to experiment. It was like Christmas! I've done it twice.

 

Those places where you can use their wifi for the cost of a drink - they are very hard to get at since most ports have several ships docked and the place is packed and their systems can be slow also. I find it easier to pay $5. at an Internet cafe for an hour's worth of time.

[Tiggertastic]

As elite we also get 90 mins each and have found we don't use it all.

 

We download at a wifi spot (follow the crew to find the free areas) without looking like a stalker of course.

 

We then only join the ship one to send everything or let things delete.

[ClaudiaB]

Some times of day are better than others, too. We also take advantage of port internet, and we've asked our butler or room steward or another employee where THEIR favorite spot is at each port. That varies too. My husband has to be in contact with his business so he uses both our free 90 minutes and often has to purchase more.

[kenevenpar]

Unlimited internet packages are also available for purchase.

[ozark74]

I'm just curious, how much does your tablet weighs. My iPad Air 2 weighs less than one pound. Also I thought an iPad is a tablet? I could be wrong, I am not into the computer lingo, but am always learning more.

 

But I agree with everyone - the Celebrity system is extremely slow. For anyone that sails Curaçao, I get free wifi by sitting on the pool deck, port side, above the gang plank. If I moved 3 ft. forward I lost the connection, so you have to experiment. It was like Christmas! I've done it twice.

 

Those places where you can use their wifi for the cost of a drink - they are very hard to get at since most ports have several ships docked and the place is packed and their systems can be slow also. I find it easier to pay $5. at an Internet cafe for an hour's worth of time.

 

The I-Pad is 2 years old so I think it is just I-Pad. I have a Verizon Ellipsis 7 which is smaller and lighter. It is android based like my phone. Not sure about the I-Pad.

Have not had a problem finding free internet. Most bars or restaurants have it so a beer and we are set. Especially if there is a view. Sometimes it is hard sending photos on the ship with the slow speed so we do it onshore.

[GottaKnowWhen]

How does Wi-Fi work on the ship? She want's to bring along her I-pad and I'm wondering if it's worth it. We are Elite so I think she will get some time free but was wondering how much and what does extra time cost, also will her cell phone work on a T/A and anyone know what the cost's are .

J.

 

On Adventure of the Seas T/A, had a few minor glitches getting online if seas were ough. On Clebrity Infinity we had a few minor issues getting connected when seas were rough. By and large the wifi coverage was good anywhere on board, the issue is with the satellite connection to the www. The local wifi, the www connection (and land-based "free" sites) will all slow way down under heavy traffic conditions. That is just what happens with a packet-based switching process with finite capacity.

In short, I had no issues staying connected on either of my last two trips.

[gopro63]

Moving ships and Wi-Fi Lol

[chemmo]

Just off Equinox where we had free wifi as part of our suite package. The speed was so much faster than we had on the solstice in October! The same comment was made by others on our cruise.

 

As others have said ask your waiter, room attendant....their recommendations off ship!

[lara68]

Unlimited internet packages are also available for purchase.

 

We are currently on the silhouette and this is the first time celebrity offered unlimited internet. Because of my elderly mother and daughter we are on the internet quite a bit. If you choose to buy this if you are elite or elite plus you can get a discount applied to the cost. For elite plus I think it was a 35% off the price. For us, especially on these longer trips, this is wonderful. Also no longer a need to keep logging on and off and worrying about wasting minutes when the internet is slow. I know this isn't right for most but for those that need regular internet service, this is great.

[Dick in Falls Church]

Just off the Constellation.

Screen in Internet Cafe generally read:

 

SLOW AND UNSTABLE.

 

Sometimes it read:

 

UNAVAILABLE

 

When not either of the above, it was slow and unstable.

 

Not uncommon to wait 5 minutes trying to log on the a website before giving up. However, some in their cabins with tablets said it was just slow.

[carlandlyn]

We've just got off Solstices' Sydney to Hawaii Pacific crossing and the internet was near to useless for large chunks of the trip. They use a satellite connection in the offshore areas, and the Pacific appears to be a dead spot.

Our major gripe was that they kept promoting the internet at sea, even though it could take 10+ minutes just to access you bank account. Once we got close to Hawaii the speed picked up.

We just threw our hands up at the whole thing and sat back, tuned out from the world and enjoyed the cruise!

[kenevenpar]

Just off the Constellation.

Screen in Internet Cafe generally read:

 

SLOW AND UNSTABLE.

 

Sometimes it read:

 

UNAVAILABLE

 

When not either of the above, it was slow and unstable.

 

Not uncommon to wait 5 minutes trying to log on the a website before giving up. However, some in their cabins with tablets said it was just slow.

 

Our recent experiences with wifi have been the opposite. While not true high speed like home, it has worked just fine for a moving ship>

[keesar]

Our recent experiences with wifi have been the opposite. While not true high speed like home, it has worked just fine for a moving ship>

 

On one of our recent cruises, the Internet was down on several mornings and afternoons. They acknowledged there was a problem. Once restored, it worked slowly. On another cruise, there was no interruption in service but was just plain s…l…o…w… And this was true at different times of the day and night.