Brilliance of the Seas: WiFi vs. Verizon Global

[taylormillgirl]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm embarking on my first cruise soon, and I need some advice from those of you who've traveled on the Brilliance.

 

Originally I had planned to buy the ship's WiFi package and stay in touch with my family via Facetime or Facebook messenger, but a friend told me the WiFi can be extremely slow, depending on the ship. (She's never traveled on the Brilliance, so she couldn't comment on their connectivity speed.) Based on your experience, am I better off buying a global package from Verizon, or buying the ship's wireless package?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Clarea]

I know that the ship's WiFi will not support Facetime, and I would bet that would also be the case for cellular data while at sea. However, either will support email or internet based messaging. The ship's WiFi will cost $20 per day for one device at a time, for unlimited data. You would have to compare that with the cost of the Verizon package, and also know how much data you will use if the Verizon package does not include unlimited data.

Edited January 1, 2016 by clarea

[taylormillgirl]

I know that the ship's WiFi will not support Facetime, and I would bet that would also be the case for cellular data while at sea. However, either will support email or internet based messaging. The ship's WiFi will cost $20 per day for one device at a time, for unlimited data. You would have to compare that with the cost of the Verizon package, and also know how much data you will use if the Verizon package does not include unlimited data.

 

Thanks, Bob! Can you comment on the speed of the wifi on the Brilliance? Is it painstakingly slow, or about average?

[Clarea]

Thanks, Bob! Can you comment on the speed of the wifi on the Brilliance? Is it painstakingly slow, or about average?

Better than old dialup, but not much.

[klombar]

We were on Brilliance in November and it is very slow. The best spots seemed to be the upper decks. We used it sitting outside the windjammer. It was hit or miss in the cabin.

[taylormillgirl]

We were on Brilliance in November and it is very slow. The best spots seemed to be the upper decks. We used it sitting outside the windjammer. It was hit or miss in the cabin.

 

Hmm...interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I wonder how fast the connection is with Verizon's global package.

[Clarea]

Hmm...interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I wonder how fast the connection is with Verizon's global package.

Slow. Still going through a satellite connection.

[taylormillgirl]

Slow. Still going through a satellite connection.

 

Good to know. Since both options are slow, I'll just go with the cheapest. :)

[reallyitsmema]

Hmm...interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I wonder how fast the connection is with Verizon's global package.

 

Verizon recently changed all their packages so be careful that you are buying the correct thing. You can pay as you go, which we find the cheapest, or you can buy a cruise plan. Just make sure you clarify what works on the ship and what you need for ports as you can now pay by port. The global plans in the past, were of no use in caribbean ports or on the ship. They were for international travel and gave discounted per minute rates, but not in the Caribbean.

 

http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/international-travel/

[hancogran]

We sailed on Brilliance this past May on a transatlantic and yes, the internet was very, very slow! I figured it might have been due to the fact that we were in the middle of the Atlantic but I had purchased a package on another transatlantic a few years before that and had no problem. Not really sure why it was so slow on Brilliance. :confused:

[Dett]

I just got off the Serenade in December. I purchased a Verizon global plan. I specified the ship that I was on and the ports. While on the ship it was a little slow to connect but once connected the service was great. When in ports it was faster. At times I had LTE service. When I connected whether on the ship or in the ports, the service was great. I also had some wifi coverage from the ship. I found Verizon to be faster and more reliable than the wifi on that ship. I am continuing the service through the end of January so that it will cover my B2B2B on Freedom.

[xlxo]

Slow. Still going through a satellite connection.

Haven't been on an RC ship... but just wanted to say satellite connection speeds can vary depending on time of day. On a recent Princess trip..... peak times can be 0.3 Mbps or slower. But late night and early mornings I was able to achieve 2 Mbps when cruisers are asleep.