Internet Service on Explorer

[Texan1636]

We are considering the Explorer for a Caribbean itinerary in March. However, I have read some reviews and comments indicating that the internet service can be extremely slow and unreliable, possibly due to the "free internet" policy saturating the available bandwidth.

 

I need to be in reliable contact with my office and be able to pull up documents, etc. from email upon short notice. If the problem is as I have read in some threads, then I'm afraid it is a deal-killer for us. We have cruised Seabourn recently and found the internet connectivity to be manageable, as people have to pay for access.

 

If anyone has direct experience with the internet service on the Explorer specifically, I would appreciate hearing about it.

[Travelcat2]

Interesting timing as I just finished discussing this on another thread. Yes - there are issues with too many people being online at the same time. And, on a ship, there can be issues based on where in the world the ship is located. The Caribbean should not be an issue (at least not that I know of).

 

The only time we had issues on the Explorer was during the day on sea days when everyone is onboard. I tend to go online early in the morning, during lunch or after dinner (after 9:00 p.m.) and had no problems. We have spent 38 total nights on the Explorer in three suite types. When we were mid-ship on decks 8 and 9, the connectivity was not as good as when we were in a forward suite.

 

You should not have an issue while on the Explorer. There are some lovely seating areas near the Business Center (which is very small) with good connectivity. If you need to print, the Business Center has a wireless printer. However, if you need to work on one of Regent's computers, you will not have Word, Excel or other software that you may need.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Travelcat2

[gnomie1]

We are considering the Explorer for a Caribbean itinerary in March. However, I have read some reviews and comments indicating that the internet service can be extremely slow and unreliable, possibly due to the "free internet" policy saturating the available bandwidth.

 

I need to be in reliable contact with my office and be able to pull up documents, etc. from email upon short notice. If the problem is as I have read in some threads, then I'm afraid it is a deal-killer for us. We have cruised Seabourn recently and found the internet connectivity to be manageable, as people have to pay for access.

 

If anyone has direct experience with the internet service on the Explorer specifically, I would appreciate hearing about it.

 

I was (am) in the same situation as you - if you send me an email, I will be happy to go into detail with regard to what I needed to do and the problems that I (and others) ran into - hope this helps you out.

 

gnomie :)

[Travelcat2]

Keep in mind that experiences differ. What I (and apparently Gnomie1) just experienced on the Explorer in Europe and on our transatlantic crossing will not necessarily be the experience in the Caribbean. There is a thread from Chefwoody that was on the Explorer in the Caribbean. He addresses internet on the last page of his thread.

 

Just don't want you to see you cancelling a cruise unless you are fairly certain that it would not work. As mentioned above, I believe that you'll be fine on the Explorer in the Caribbean.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

I have to be in touch with my office multiple times per day. On our explorer cruise in September, in Europe, I had no problems, and that involves going through multiple firewalls.

[Texan1636]

I was (am) in the same situation as you - if you send me an email, I will be happy to go into detail with regard to what I needed to do and the problems that I (and others) ran into - hope this helps you out.

 

gnomie :)

Thanks! Gnomie, I sent you an email.

[CruisetheCs]

I was on the Explorer at the end of October to the beginning of November. The internet worked most of the time, but not always. The longest time it was not working was one day in port when according to Regent staff there was a military vessel docked nearby that caused interference with the satellite signal.

 

But the internet is a frustrating experience because you never know how well it will be working or if it is working at all. There is no consistent process in place to let passengers know when the internet is not working. So there is a significant amount of time wasted trying and retrying to do something because maybe it is just a slow connection, but maybe the internet is down, or maybe not.

 

Regent imposed certain restrictions on downloads that were not described anywhere that I could find. Of course, that leads to people (including me) going down to the computer center and wasting time troubleshooting, only to be told at that point about the download restrictions. For example, I was unable to update any apps on my phone or iPad and I am unsure what other restrictions are in place.

 

I did speed tests on occasion. There were several times when the speed test simply could not be completed, presumably because of the poor connection. On the occasions when I was able to measure the speed, the download speed was variable, most of the time in the range of almost 5 Mbps, but on one occasion as high as 67 Mbps. Upload speeds, when they could be measured, ranged from 3+ Mbps to 13 Mbps on one occasion.

 

I believe it is not fair to attempt to push the blame on passengers (too many people using free internet or people using the internet for work) for Regent's internet problems. It is Regent's management that fails to correct the problems and provide the level of internet service that they promise on the Regent website (fiber-optic like speeds). Yes, passengers use more data because internet access is "free", just as they drink more wine because it is "free". The answer to increased wine consumption is not to consistently run out of wine, but to stock more. And just as Regent could buy more wine in the event of a shortage, Regent can increase the bandwidth on the ships.

 

A reputable company provides what it promises or is very clear on what the limitations of its services are. Unfortunately, Regent management promises the moon and delivers a little moon rock.