Fast WiFi promised in July - Lies?

[AZ Irish]

Has anyone on any Norwegian ship experienced the faster WiFi we've been promised? I just saw this article today which implies Norwegian already gave their customers "fast wifi" last month -->

http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12244055/cruise-ship-wifi-gets-a-boost-on-norwegian-regent-and-oceania

 

& I have to ask, is Norwegian lying to us? Because last I heard, WiFi in Escape was still dog-slow last week. Am I missing something?

[casofilia]

Did NCL actually PROMISE the improvement? Or is this someone who has "misread" an NCL press release that did not PROMISE the stated improvement.

 

NCL is very good at saying what they want to do in future but delivering is another matter. The only changes they make when they say they will make them seem to be in NCL's favour not improving the experience of their clients!!

[AZ Irish]

Did NCL actually PROMISE the improvement? Or is this someone who has "misread" an NCL press release that did not PROMISE the stated improvement.

 

NCL is very good at saying what they want to do in future but delivering is another matter. The only changes they make when they say they will make them seem to be in NCL's favour not improving the experience of their clients!!

 

Like you, I don't necessarily trust what NCL "promises". But I can't get over seeing this statement in that business article today:

 

"The new, lightning-fast WiFi powered by SpeedNet was made available to all guests on all Norwegian, Oceania and Regent ships in July."

 

So is NCL just sending propaganda to all the news outlets too? SMH :rolleyes:

[TheDougOut]

Last week there was a comment from a recent Dawn cruiser that said the WiFi was faster than last year. That's the only comment that I've seen about a possible improvement.

[casofilia]

Let's start an "NCL Cynics Society"!!! :D

[casofilia]

Last week there was a comment from a recent Dawn cruiser that said the WiFi was faster than last year. That's the only comment that I've seen about a possible improvement.

 

A carthorse is probably faster than a mule but is that any recommendation?

[mking8288]

It was not a misprint, NCL tweeted it out themselves - including Andy Stuart, COO himself back in May, 2016 - here's the link

 

CNN did a piece on satellite internet among cruise lines and included NCL - quoting sources & one of the editors here on CC.

 

The latest article, published yesterday, clearly said it has been boosted last month, which is pure nonsense, hogwash - involving new state of the art satellite dishes, and patented SpeedNet program by EMC, as MTN has been the providers for years for NCL's fleet of ships.

 

Those that just returned on the Breakaway last week continued to report that the iConcierge App stopped working on day 3 and refunds were issued once the passengers insisted upon ... And, the BA has been the pacesetter with the relatively "faster" satellite broadband.

 

And, if this is true and gone unnoticed by the passengers, you would think that marketing & public relations would most definitely seize the opportunity to blow their own horns - instead of exhaust fumes :rolleyes:

Edited August 13, 2016 by mking8288

[fshagan]

NCL did say they would have the upgrades fleet-wide by the end of July several months ago. I'm not sure I would call it a lie, but they did not meet their planned launch date.

 

But this news story isn't from NCL, and is a fine example of very sloppy writing. "Sloppy" because it's internally inconsistent. From the second paragraph (emphasis added):

 

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will quadruple the current bandwidth across its Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleets in the coming months to meet the rising internet expectations of cruise guests.

 

Later in the story the "journalist" writes:

 

The new, lightning-fast WiFi powered by SpeedNet was made available to all guests on all Norwegian, Oceania and Regent ships in July.

 

You cannot say "in the coming months" and then say it was done a month ago.

[AZ Irish]

In response to fshagan

 

I guess you can decide what is important in the article...or decide which part of the article includes "outright fabrication from NCL". The article also states:

 

"To support the new WiFi network, multi-million dollar bandwidth and performance-boosting technology upgrades were installed fleet-wide just before summer, including new state of the art satellite dishes, and EMC’s patented SpeedNet program. The SpeedNet program delivers popular websites at speeds that mimic high-speed fiber optic networks, similar to those available in homes and offices."

 

I myself, would conclude that "before summer" certainly means prior to July. So how do you think they got that information? They certainly didn't pull it out of a hat. NCL told them this.

[xriva]

Does anyone think it might be EMC overpromising? Perhaps SpeedNet isn't as good as promised. I know everyone wants to blame NCL for everything, but if I buy technology and it doesn't work well, it may be the technology provider.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mianmike]

Does anyone think it might be EMC overpromising? Perhaps SpeedNet isn't as good as promised. I know everyone wants to blame NCL for everything, but if I buy technology and it doesn't work well, it may be the technology provider.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I suppose it's possible NCL was completely inept and failed to vet EMC before blindly purchasing a "multi-million dollar bandwidth and performance-boosting technology upgrades." If so, I hope they do a little more due diligence when purchasing their navigation systems. :(

[mking8288]

It comes down to whether NCL fully paid the vendor/contractor for doing the work and whether it's performance-related. Have fun getting a timely refund from EMC :D

 

But, I'm doubtful it has been installed and deployed at all. One would think that this isn't a 15 minutes oil & filter change job of putting up new satellite dishes & equipment on the ships, and, that someone would've noticed ongoing activities & temporary disruptions - and even mention it/post pictures if they're on the ships. Maybe it's on the luxury ships already but from all indications, not on a single NCL ship with this boosting technologies ... and, what about the shore side upgrades it mentioned.

[tjosh7]

Agree with the original post here - NCL made a promise they couldn't keep. But, then again, those of us who are NCL loyalists are used to this.

 

Doesnt seem difficult to me - I could be wrong - RCCL seems to have mastered high speed internet.

 

On Escape in September........fingers crossed, lol......

[zqvol]

People are never going to be happy with wi-fi speeds on a cruise ship. They can change all of the hardware that they want but the limiting factor is the amount of bandwidth they have to the satellite, and until the engineers can figure out how to increase band width it is always going to be much slower than anything you get on land. Too many people trying to put too much data through the pipe is the simple explanation.

 

I don't think NCL lied, I just think that on the big ships the final result was not a good as they hoped.

[fshagan]

In response to fshagan

 

I guess you can decide what is important in the article...or decide which part of the article includes "outright fabrication from NCL". The article also states:

 

"To support the new WiFi network, multi-million dollar bandwidth and performance-boosting technology upgrades were installed fleet-wide just before summer, including new state of the art satellite dishes, and EMC’s patented SpeedNet program. The SpeedNet program delivers popular websites at speeds that mimic high-speed fiber optic networks, similar to those available in homes and offices."

 

I myself, would conclude that "before summer" certainly means prior to July. So how do you think they got that information? They certainly didn't pull it out of a hat. NCL told them this.

 

NCL didn't publish the article. Here's what I think happened:

 

1. NCL promised to have the new technology in place by the end of July.

2. NCL issued press releases hyping it and the date.

3. NCL missed their self-imposed marketing promise rollout date. We don't know why. It could have been the vendor, a quick cut back on expenses, etc. I suspect a cut back when the second quarter performance was suffering.

4. CPA Practice Advisor, an on-line, free, trade publication, cobbled together an article based on press releases.

5. The author looked at the press release promising it by July and included that it was completed in the past. Without checking.

 

It would not be unusual to find out that no one at CPA Practice Adviser called NCL. I know this publication. They are not the NY Times. Good people, but they don't have a fact checking department and they don't spend much time on the articles.

[KeithJenner]

My son was watching YouTube videos on the Star a couple of days ago

[NLH Arizona]

Since the internet is so painfully slow, would we even notice if it were increased by 10 times or 20 times? How many mbps would they increase it to?

 

Also what speed is RCCL.

Edited August 13, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[davecttr]

People are never going to be happy with wi-fi speeds on a cruise ship. They can change all of the hardware that they want but the limiting factor is the amount of bandwidth they have to the satellite, and until the engineers can figure out how to increase band width it is always going to be much slower than anything you get on land. Too many people trying to put too much data through the pipe is the simple explanation.

 

I don't think NCL lied, I just think that on the big ships the final result was not a good as they hoped.

I believe there is a new system that Royal Caribbean are rolling out that does offer considerably increased bandwidth using a 'swarm' of satellites. Apparently it is not too good at more than 45 degrees from the equator and commands premium prices.

[MikeBTN]

People are never going to be happy with wi-fi speeds on a cruise ship. They can change all of the hardware that they want but the limiting factor is the amount of bandwidth they have to the satellite, and until the engineers can figure out how to increase band width it is always going to be much slower than anything you get on land. Too many people trying to put too much data through the pipe is the simple explanation.

 

I don't think NCL lied, I just think that on the big ships the final result was not a good as they hoped.

 

You've never experienced VOOM on Royal Caribbean, then. Was able to Facetime, make VOiP calls, and stream movies in the middle of the Caribbean with no lag whatsoever.

[mking8288]

Savvy technology users understood the nature & limitations of satellite broadband at sea; and, I don't expect nor mistakenly believe that it can match 200GB business class speed at the office or 100GB quantum Fios speed at home. As end users, the "burden" is on NCL to offer a reasonable & competitve product that they choose to promote, advertise, promise and not delivering on a timely basis - comes down to being in good faith, trust & honest communications (and, we all each know how we rate NCLH on its track records lately) - in taking responsibility for missing the timeline that they choose to offer/promise.

 

If I am a stockholder, I would question management or corporate to explain this implementation, aside from standing by them ... granted that, maybe 90% of the passengers couldn't care less and many don't use it, paid or otherwise, getting it for "free"

 

One of our nieces sailed on the Anthem of the Seas earlier this Spring with a group of friends, with the Voom package, one with the surf option to live stream & the lower priced without it, worked very well - 40% to 50% less than NCL's, and for extra charge, option for using more than one device at a time. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/01/travel/cruise-ships-with-the-best-wi-fi/index.html

 

If the vendor is responsible, incompetent and/or failed to deliver the product promised, then, to borrow the phrase - "you are fired" instead of continuing to allow misleading information to distort the facts, not acceptable ... no laws broken, of course. :D

[Loonbeam]

From what I understand, technically part of the article may be correct.

 

As I understand it, software upgrades have been made to all ships that does things like caching, etc. Which is great, if those are the services you are using but do nothing for anything like streaming, etc. That's part of the system and is in play.

 

The hardware upgrades, which will be the real boost for most users) are not even close to being rolled out fleet wise, have heard many explanations including but not limited to cost overruns, unable to match promised specs. technical issues integrating to ships systems, etc. I have no idea which, if any. are correct.

[shaun07]

So has anyone actually noticed a significant speed increase ?

[mking8288]

According to this poster currently on the Escape, EMC's satellite equipment were installed on the ship and speed is good when loads are light, otherwise - slow & frustrating at peak use period.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50761964&postcount=29

 

It noted that, when it works, it's very fast.

... sound familiar, cable users :( - built in limitations)

[SMSACE6]

Can anyone give me a rough idea of how well the wifi will work for my needs?

 

I am booked on Escape for next year/September. I have previously sailed Carnival, and find their wifi works very well for my needs (it has not always, but in the last two years, it has improved greatly). I need to be connected because I absolutely have to send and receive at least one daily email to elderly parents at home. They are in their 80's, in fairly good health given their age, but I just have more peace of mind when I get that email every day that they are well, and things are going fine at home. I sleep better knowing.

 

So question is; does the wifi work well enough to send and receive email at least once a day? or will I spend long minutes trying to just log on or off?

 

Sorry to be long winded, but this is the only worry I have about my next years cruise. Otherwise, I am soooooo excited to be cruising on Escape.:)

 

Thanks.

[Loonbeam]

Espeically if you do it off peak, the answer is probably yes, you will be fine.

 

That said, net service is subject to satellite access, weather, and most importantly your fellow passengers. 2 people streaming HD youtube to an iPad can kill bandwith on a standard system for 1/2 the ship (yes, really).

 

Add in the capacity to find wifi in ports and I wouldn't have concerns.

 

 

Can anyone give me a rough idea of how well the wifi will work for my needs?

 

I am booked on Escape for next year/September. I have previously sailed Carnival, and find their wifi works very well for my needs (it has not always, but in the last two years, it has improved greatly). I need to be connected because I absolutely have to send and receive at least one daily email to elderly parents at home. They are in their 80's, in fairly good health given their age, but I just have more peace of mind when I get that email every day that they are well, and things are going fine at home. I sleep better knowing.

 

So question is; does the wifi work well enough to send and receive email at least once a day? or will I spend long minutes trying to just log on or off?

 

Sorry to be long winded, but this is the only worry I have about my next years cruise. Otherwise, I am soooooo excited to be cruising on Escape.:)

 

Thanks.