No chat on the upgraded wifi plans?

[sue2go]

I'm surprised not to see any discussion (that I can find) on the announcement of upgraded wifi and more choices of packages on all Carnival ships including Princess.... we are sailing Princess for the first time in Feb (Island Princess) and had no plans to buy any internet package. A faster wifi and choice of package that would make it reasonable to get on and stay in touch via email would be tempting.

[skynight]

I'm surprised not to see any discussion (that I can find) on the announcement of upgraded wifi and more choices of packages on all Carnival ships including Princess.... we are sailing Princess for the first time in Feb (Island Princess) and had no plans to buy any internet package. A faster wifi and choice of package that would make it reasonable to get on and stay in touch via email would be tempting.

Where did you see a Princess announcement on upgraded wi-fi and wi-fi packages? I did see some changes announced for Carnival Cruise Lines but nothing for Princess Cruise Lines.

Princess has upgraded wi-fi on their newer ships.

[sue2go]

This article indicates all Carnival owned ships including Princess.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6551

[skynight]

OK thanks. I have not seen any announcement from Princess on when & how they expect to roll this out. I guess they have to figure out how to handle passengers that currently receive free internet mins. plus how to install the service on their ships. Princess makes press announcements here: http://www.princess.com/news/press_releases/#.Vgvh3n09WpB

[sue2go]

Thanks - will keep an eye on that for more info.

[fishywood]

I'm surprised not to see any discussion...on the announcement of upgraded wifi and more choices of packages on all Carnival ships including Princess.

 

That's because using the internet while on vacation is not a priority for the typical Princess passenger who tends to subscribe to the "Escape Completely" theme and lock their devices in the safe for the length of their cruise.

 

That said, the current onboard internet is admittedly slow but more than adequate for checking e-mail. Yes the prices have come down on some other lines but it is hardly costly to buy the smallest package, save your e-mail and compose responses offline on Princess. Still far less expensive that what high-end hotels and resorts charge for internet use on their property.

 

(And it is likely that the existing internet systems on Princess ships is "newer" than what you use at home. I live in an urban residential neighborhood in Florida where neither internet provider has upgraded to broadband yet; in fact both still have the first-generation infrastructure from when "high speed" service debuted more than 15 years ago).

Edited September 30, 2015 by fishywood

[Treven]

As a Platinum cruiser I get a certain number of "free" internet minutes. I say "a certain number" because I really am not interested. I'm on vacation!; I have no interest in contacting anyone. If there's an emergency back home, what am I going to do about it - out in the middle of the ocean somewhere.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Treven

[AKman2495]

That's because using the internet while on vacation is not a priority for the typical Princess passenger who tends to subscribe to the "Escape Completely" theme and lock their devices in the safe for the length of their cruise..

 

As a Platinum cruiser I get a certain number of "free" internet minutes. I say "a certain number" because I really am not interested. I'm on vacation!; I have no interest in contacting anyone.

 

Well, you guys are the exceptions. On our last cruise-the Royal TA, I would say most of the passengers were on line for much of the trip.

 

As the article notes, people track Facebook and other social media sites, they do check e-mail and they do like to chat. Both on the ship's computers, which were busy most days and on their personal devices.

 

Princess passengers will enjoy this upgrade as soon as it comes....

[Astro Flyer]

This article indicates all Carnival owned ships including Princess.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6551

This article shows the plans being tested on HAL:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6515

[caribill]

This article indicates all Carnival owned ships including Princess.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6551

 

This has not been implemented on any of the Princess ships yet, but should be coming to at least some of them next year.

 

Reports on the Carnival boards have been mixed.

 

No more packages of minutes. Just buy one of the tiers by the day.

 

From the Carnival web site:

 

We offer three different types of plans that can be purchased for either a 24 hour period or for the entire length of the cruise at a discount - price for voyage plans vary by length of cruise:

 

• Social ($5 USD per day) – Access to popular social sites and Apps such as Facebook, What’s App and Instagram. Does not include access to the entire internet.
  
• Value ($16 USD per day) – Access to the web. Perfect for emailing, browsing the news and keeping up to date with sports scores. Does not support access to bandwidth intensive services like Skype and music streaming.
  
• Premium ($25 USD per day) – Access to the web at up to three times faster than the other plans. Supports Skype where coverage allows.
  

So for someone who would use the Internet to check regular e-mail, the cost is $16.00 a day. If you only use it for ten minutes, that would be $1.60/minute.

 

 

Of course, since the use is now unlimited, the $16.00/day could be a bargain if you use it enough.

 

 

However, some posts on the Carnival threads say speed is worse than ever with so many passengers now having unlimited access.

[Corfe Mixture]

Couple of issues I can see. One reason they reportedly withdrew the unlimited internet access for suites was that some people were allowing friends in other staterooms to use their account.

 

If that were so, and they introduce these unlimited daily packages what is to stop a group of, say four or five people, agreeing to buy a package between them. All it would require is for them to manage the time they connect so that they do not overlap!

 

Maybe when they do introduce it, assuming they work out a way of preventing the misuse described above, they will feel able to reintroduce the unlimited free internet for suite passengers safe in the knowledge that it cannot be misused.

[GUT2407]

As a Platinum cruiser I get a certain number of "free" internet minutes. I say "a certain number" because I really am not interested. I'm on vacation!; I have no interest in contacting anyone. If there's an emergency back home, what am I going to do about it - out in the middle of the ocean somewhere.

 

 

What they said.

 

I get it I don't use it.

 

I cruise to disconnect.

[jollyjones]

Not everyone likes to be disconnected when cruising.

 

I'm retired so every day is a holiday for me, except that I'm busier than ever pursuing my hobbies (which include cruising!) - I regularly use up to an hour of internet per day when on board to keep up with emails and my personal business and read some newspapers so that there isn't such a big 'catch up' period when I get home - I tend to take longer cruises so this is important.

 

Even as an Elite, I usually buy some minutes - I wait to see if I shall be better or worse off under this new scheme. But I surely hope the increased speed becomes a reality!

[lhsail]

I respect those who wish to 'escape completely', but our son is still in college and we have older family members that we like to keep in touch with. We totally enjoy the free internet access we get as Platinum. The current speed is frustrating, but we have managed to do a FaceTime with our sons. Hoping one of the new packages will replace the free minutes.

[SadieN]

C...... .......

 

 

 

If that were so, and they introduce these unlimited daily packages what is to stop a group of, say four or five people, agreeing to buy a package between them. All it would require is for them to manage the time they connect so that they do not overlap!

 

.......

 

 

Don't see an issue as the package can only be used by be device at a time. Doesn't put the same strain on the system as does laundry or beverage packages.

[SusieO]

I for one go online daily when we are on a cruise. My Mother is 90 years old and I call her each day when we are not cruising to ensure she is ok. Our son calls her when we are on a ship and then emails me to let me know how Grandma is doing.

 

Of course there is not much I can do, but it gives me peace of mind knowing she is ok. If something did happen and there was an emergency it would depend upon where we were as to how we would handle it.

 

We are retired and I admit I am addicted to the being able to be online each day if and when I want to. Some folks spend their vacation money on the alcoholic drinks, others on many excursions, I spend mine on the internet once I have used up my free allotment because I do not drink and I am unable to partake in a lot of excursions due to a muscle weakness.

[Crystabel]

I'm curious whether Elite and Platinum passengers on Princess will continue to receive free minutes, or if they will receive one of the packages. If this goes into effect fleet wide, it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[AZJerry]

Reading through the three packages it sound like you'd need the value (at only three times the price of the social package) just to access email. "Value", Ha! Hopefully our free platinum/elite minutes won't be going away.

[cruisingram1]

I'm curious whether Elite and Platinum passengers on Princess will continue to receive free minutes, or if they will receive one of the packages. If this goes into effect fleet wide, it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

 

 

I was on the Oasis last January and the ship has O3B internet and an unlimited minutes package. Upper tier cruisers who would have gotten free minutes under the old program were given a discounted rate on the unlimited package. The speed was exceptional. Good enough to FaceTime audio and video. While I was told Netflix should work, it did not. I believe Amazon prime was working. In other words, streaming was not blocked.

[paul929207]

Reading through the three packages it sound like you'd need the value (at only three times the price of the social package) just to access email. "Value", Ha! Hopefully our free platinum/elite minutes won't be going away.

I would be real surprised if the existing Platinum/Elite internet benefit remains with the new system. I would guess something like the $5 package would be free and a similar discount for the other packages.