Wi fi streaming on Explorer?

[Texan1636]

We cancelled a booked cruise on the Explorer after reading a similar thread a few weeks ago and after corresponding with some posters who had been on the Explorer. Due to job demands, I have to be confident that the internet will work when I need it.

[islandhalls]

We cancelled a booked cruise on the Explorer after reading a similar thread a few weeks ago and after corresponding with some posters who had been on the Explorer. Due to job demands, I have to be confident that the internet will work when I need it.

 

 

You made the right decision, we're getting off the Explorer tomorrow, and the internet was often not available.

I wish there was way that they could keep us informed as to the status, rather than keeping us frustrated. Perhaps they could broadcast on a TV channel the status of various ship issues, like internet status, ship clearance delays at ports, etc.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Travelcat2]

You made the right decision, we're getting off the Explorer tomorrow, and the internet was often not available.

I wish there was way that they could keep us informed as to the status, rather than keeping us frustrated. Perhaps they could broadcast on a TV channel the status of various ship issues, like internet status, ship clearance delays at ports, etc.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Firstly, congratulations on becoming Platinum! The laundry benefits are certainly worth waiting for (although my DH reminded me how much we had to pay to become Platinum:))

 

Unfortunately, I do not believe that Regent can keep passengers informed as to the status of ships clearance delays at ports because they have nothing to do with it and are often learn of the delay at the last minute. I remember too vividly waiting to get off of the Explorer in Miami and watching how slowly the land-based employees were going in terms of removing luggage from the ship (in Miami, all luggage must be off of the ship before disembarkation can begin). Every time the crew "thought" that they were almost done, they made an announcement but were incorrect. Rumor has it that Regent has offered to pay the workers extra money to begin offloading the luggage before 7:00 a.m. (the ship arrived on our cruise at 6:00 a.m.) but have denied their request. So, in this long paragraph, I've only discussed Miami but there are hundreds of other ports that can be extremely slow (or not). No way to predict.

 

In terms of Wi-Fi - IMO, a listing of all parts of the world where the Wi-Fi is either non-existent or "iffy" could be put together. From our experience, the worst places are Alaska and parts of Norway but there are likely many other places. For people that need to work on board (not including trying to upload large amounts of data), it is reasonable to assume that you can get online in the middle of the night on most days. If you cannot, you can always use your "free" minutes to call your company/employer and let them know of the problem. And, there are usually places onshore where the Wi-Fi is much better than at sea. BTW, the "computer guru" usually has a good idea of when the internet will be slow or non-existent. Just ask him.

[Suite Travels]

TC, just for your information the Shore Workers are Unionized and have contracts. No Union will accept money from another entity to get work done. If Regent was going to pay the Shore Workers bribe money they would be facing litigation from their Union. Perhaps and I have not looked they may be in contract negotiations and work by defined rule. Why do I know this? Because I was a rep for a large Union for a major airline and I saw job action many times. Offloading luggage from the aircraft, flight attendants calling in sick, write ups for mechanicals that were not and classified as such but were really cabin issues, catering not showing up....these were slowdowns. If a member or group ever accepted money to have better service from a corporation they would have some legal problems for sure.

[CruisetheCs]

Just got off the Explorer this morning with 50 kids under 18, all using cell phones. (I was one of them.) The internet was surprisingly very fast with apps and while streaming and YouTube didn't work, I was able to Facetime actually quite a bit. Depending on when and where depends on the strength of the signal. You could maybe do a live play-by-play of the game!

Bill, I've verified that "Voom" is not available in half of the world (yet).

Good reason for Regent not using it.

 

It sounds as if The Explorer's Wi-Fi in the Caribbean is very good. If the kids are satisfied, it can't be all that bad.

 

I didn't see that Doyouseawhatisea said that the 50 kids were satisfied and I wondered how she could even know if they were satisfied unless she had talked with all of them--which I doubt that she did. They may just as well have been on their phones because it took forever to do something on the internet or because they were connected to land towers much of the time. Who knows?

 

She simply said that the internet was surprisingly fast but if I understand it correctly you couldn't stream or watch YouTube. She also says something about the "depends on the strength of the signal" which suggests to me that the internet may not have been consistent. That is certainly the issue that I experienced in Oct/Nov in the Mediterranean.

 

And if you can't even watch a Youtube video, the internet certainly isn't like your home fiber-optic network as Regent described its onboard internet.

 

With regard to Voom internet, the O3b Networks website says:

Q: What is O3b Networks’ coverage zone?

A: O3b Networks was founded to provide affordable and high-quality internet connectivity across emerging markets. The coverage zone between +/- 45 degrees of latitude was defined in order to deliver services to almost all emerging-markets countries, with optimal cost efficiency, though coverage reaches to +/- 62 degrees of latitude.

 

If you check out +/- 62 degrees of latitude it covers almost all of the world. I have no way of evaluating the truth of their claims.

 

I also find it fascinating that Regent has recently changed its description of internet coverage:

 

"We have quadrupled our bandwidth to enhance your browsing experience with high-speed WiFi. With our expanded bandwidth, you can now consume content, post photos to social media and seamlessly stay connected with friends and family."

 

They apparently down-graded from fiber-optic speeds! While this description is closer to reality, look to other posts to see whether you can seamlessly stay connected with friends and family. You certainly couldn't do that in Oct/Nov.

[Travelcat2]

ST: sorry but I have no clue how your post relates to my response to islandhall's question. I knew they were union and was not implying that Regent was trying to bribe anyone. They undoubtedly went through the right channels.

 

Getting back to streaming, etc. I had no problem watching YouTube videos on Explorer. Admittedly, most technical discussions about the internet is gobblygook to me. I know what works and what doesn't and the WiFi onboard was better than we have experienced on any cruiseline in the past.

 

In terms of things changing on Regent's website, there are many more changes this year that are substantial with apparently more to come. They likely changed the internet description to stop the complaints:eek:

[flossie009]

Regent likely changed the Internet description to avoid potential litigation regarding mis-advertising :rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

Regent likely changed the Internet description to avoid potential litigation regarding mis-advertising :rolleyes:

 

In the U.S., and with Regent's top lawyers reviewing everything that is printed, this would not happen.

[UUNetBill]

Regent likely changed the Internet description to avoid potential litigation regarding mis-advertising :rolleyes:

 

Yep, that was blatant bovine excrement. I can handle 'slow', I can't handle 'non-existent', which is what it was on Navigator last summer.

 

In the U.S., and with Regent's top lawyers reviewing everything that is printed, this would not happen.

 

It would, and it apparently did. I distinctly remember Regent touting 'fiber-optic speeds' and 'you can stream video and music just like at home' - neither statement was true. Or even close to true.

 

Let's hope things are better by April. :rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

Yep, that was blatant bovine excrement. I can handle 'slow', I can't handle 'non-existent', which is what it was on Navigator last summer.

 

 

 

It would, and it apparently did. I distinctly remember Regent touting 'fiber-optic speeds' and 'you can stream video and music just like at home' - neither statement was true. Or even close to true.

 

Let's hope things are better by April. :rolleyes:

 

Have to ask why you made a reference to "bovine" excrement rather than from cows, lions, antelope, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, giraffe's, kangaroos, bears, wombats, etc.? :D

 

In terms of "fiber-optic speeds", it is possible that Regent was sold a "bill of goods" and simply accepted what they were told when they bought into the upgrade. Not defending them (actually, I haven't been defending them all day).

[UUNetBill]

Have to ask why you made a reference to "bovine" excrement rather than from cows, lions, antelope, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, giraffe's, kangaroos, bears, wombats, etc.? :D

 

In terms of "fiber-optic speeds", it is possible that Regent was sold a "bill of goods" and simply accepted what they were told when they bought into the upgrade. Not defending them (actually, I haven't been defending them all day).

 

If Regent gets suckered, too bad for Regent. But don't try and pass the suckering on to the rest of us. It's obviously not fiber-optic speeds - it was barely dial-up speeds.

 

As to the dookie discussion, bovine would include cows, so that's covered. If you want to add to the pile, that's your prerogative. :p

[CruisetheCs]

In the U.S., and with Regent's top lawyers reviewing everything that is printed, this would not happen.

 

 

In terms of "fiber-optic speeds", it is possible that Regent was sold a "bill of goods" and simply accepted what they were told when they bought into the upgrade. Not defending them (actually, I haven't been defending them all day).

 

Where did you get the information that Regent's top lawyers review everything that is printed? Or for that matter, how would anyone know that it is their top lawyers as opposed to their bottom lawyers (whoever they may be)?

 

Obviously what was on the web page was false. Even on those occasions when the internet speed was usable for reading web pages, guests were blocked from certain common "home internet" activities such as updating an app on a device.

 

As far as "not defending them" goes, sounds like blaming someone else (a supplier) is some type of a defense.

 

It is also possible that they got hacked by a Russian spy who put the wording online and they just didn't notice, but hey, I'm not defending them. :)

[Travelcat2]

Where did you get the information that Regent's top lawyers review everything that is printed? Or for that matter, how would anyone know that it is their top lawyers as opposed to their bottom lawyers (whoever they may be)?

 

Obviously what was on the web page was false. Even on those occasions when the internet speed was usable for reading web pages, guests were blocked from certain common "home internet" activities such as updating an app on a device.

 

As far as "not defending them" goes, sounds like blaming someone else (a supplier) is some type of a defense.

 

It is also possible that they got hacked by a Russian spy who put the wording online and they just didn't notice, but hey, I'm not defending them. :)

 

Arguing every point is not productive. You obviously feel that Regent intentionally misled their customers and I do not. Can we leave it at that?

[CruisetheCs]

Arguing every point is not productive. You obviously feel that Regent intentionally misled their customers and I do not. Can we leave it at that?

 

I have never said that Regent did this intentionally nor do I claim any knowledge of the motives of Regent’s management. I can only comment on what I see, which is that there was information on the web for a lengthy period of time that was inaccurate. There are a lot of problems with Regent’s website, as everyone knows, and I doubt that they are “intentional”. But that doesn’t excuse management for not fixing the problems.

 

I saw several points that were made in this thread such as the internet was fairly much as Regent promised, that it was good that Regent didn’t go with Voom internet, that the “kids” were satisfied with the internet in the Caribbean, that top lawyers review everything in print, and that maybe Regent was sold a bill of goods. It seems to me that if someone makes points on CC boards it is reasonable to expect that someone will respond.

[fizzy]

The statement that the Regent lawyers are watching come up time after time regarding one subject or another but they never seem to jump in to comment. I would like to ask them how the company is asking me to falsify some sort of legal document concerning my unplanned trip to Cuba. I am not going for a people to people reason and don't want to. We wanted nothing more than to go on a lazy beach cruise and so that is what we purchased. As officers of the court. where do they stand about asking people to lie on the paperwork? I'm actually quite curious about the legality of this issue.Any lawyers care to comment?

[CruisetheCs]

The statement that the Regent lawyers are watching come up time after time regarding one subject or another but they never seem to jump in to comment. I would like to ask them how the company is asking me to falsify some sort of legal document concerning my unplanned trip to Cuba. I am not going for a people to people reason and don't want to. We wanted nothing more than to go on a lazy beach cruise and so that is what we purchased. As officers of the court. where do they stand about asking people to lie on the paperwork? I'm actually quite curious about the legality of this issue.Any lawyers care to comment?

 

Sounds like a complicated subject. Maybe it would be better on a new thread.

[Travelcat2]

Definitely off topic!:mad:

[fizzy]

Sounds like a complicated subject. Maybe it would be better on a new thread.

 

I somewhat see your point but I was jumping in on the angle of peoples frustration with paying for but not receiving products as advertised...such as the internet service. I did not bring up the "regent lawyers" thing which often pops up and did on this thread, many posts ago.

[Travelcat2]

I somewhat see your point but I was jumping in on the angle of peoples frustration with paying for but not receiving products as advertised...such as the internet service. I did not bring up the "regent lawyers" thing which often pops up and did on this thread, many posts ago.

 

While I likely should not respond to your post due to the content, I must ask if you truly believe that all major companies do not have lawyers monitoring all of their printed materials as well as their policies. Have you read the fine print in the contract you receive when you book a Regent cruise (or any other cruise for that matter)?

 

People in the U.S. are so litigious and now it seems to be spreading to other countries.

 

IMO, we should try to stay on topic.

[fizzy]

While I likely should not respond to your post due to the content, I must ask if you truly believe that all major companies do not have lawyers monitoring all of their printed materials as well as their policies. Have you read the fine print in the contract you receive when you book a Regent cruise (or any other cruise for that matter)?

 

People in the U.S. are so litigious and now it seems to be spreading to other countries.

 

IMO, we should try to stay on topic.

 

IMO, I understand that you are unhappy with my opinion. We can follow your often given advice to "agree to disagree".

[daetchief]

As an IT / networking professional I can offer some food for thought.

1. The satellite downlinks on any ship [because there is redundancy] are primarily there for the operations in the ship. Untold services rely on that connectivity.

2. A portion of the remaining downlink bandwidth is available for the Business Center and/or Library. [if they have wired networking at all]

3. The remainder is distributed throughout the ship as WiFi.

 

Now, to equate WiFi speeds to something everyone can relate to, let's look at Pool Loungers.

If you don't get a chaises lounger first thing in the morning, you may never find one available - even though half are commonly unoccupied. If everyone stays logged in to WiFi, few will be able to download content...

 

Logging into your 'device' and then laying it down or sleeping it does not free you from bandwidth consumption. Most phones, laptops and tablets are 'pinging' the network every couple of seconds. If email is open, it will try to ascertain if any new messages are available and download them; even if you aren't reading email. Web pages that have up-to-date content (WSJ, Fox, CNN Etc.) are written to cause the browser to try to update itself - by talking back and forth with the downlink, trying to compare content.

 

Bottom Line: Don't reserve a pool recliner unless you intend on using it.

Once you read your email or check your Google Stock, logout of the WiFi.

 

It'll be there when you need it -but wait 30 minutes after eating before you swim. :-)

[Travelcat2]

daetchief, you explained this perfectly. Thank you!

[UUNetBill]

A good analogy, but with a few caveats - a bunch of users sending update pings to email servers and news feeds will consume less - a LOT less - bandwidth than just one person trying to stream Netflix or Skype. Also, depending on how their WiFi is configured there may be a shortage of available IPs on board. I don't think this is the problem since I was always able to at least get logged on, but the throughput was wildly unpredictable. And there are a few WiFi 'dead zones' I found on board (my suite, 705, was right on the edge of one).

 

Bottom line - don't expect to have reliable WiFi on board and you'll be fine. Understand that there will be periods of excruciating slowness and the occasional random dropout. I think that Regent's problem now is a combination of system limitations and suboptimal network configuration. I think if they'd block all streaming apps, enforce a more stringent automatic logoff, and/or institute an optional fee-based 'high-reliability' service, there'd be less complaining.

 

Or not. ;p