I need my wifi!!

[LuCruise]

I feel exactly the same as you. On vacation I want us, as a family, to be together and disconnected from the world. It's our precious family time. It's actually the one rule I have with my husband and refuse to purchase any voom package or other data plan...especially on a cruise. Maybe I'd feel different if DH and I were away and our kids were at home, but our cruises are the four of us.

 

I do reviews when I return, but you'll never see me do a live review. (But I do get why people do them...as it helps to remember and capture on the spot while there, rather than remembering and the effort afterwards - and 'live' feedback)

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I totally appreciate this thread. I had bought the VOOM surf package for my 7/1 Jewel cruise, but this post made me think about why. People who need to know how to contact me in the event of an extreme emergency know and can do that.

 

And people can wait to see my picture until I get back on land.

 

I called and cancelled the package about half an hour ago. (Opted to call because of the horror stories on here about people cancelling one thing online and it messing up the whole thing. I printed out my calendar and my order history before calling just in case as well.)

[cruisinfromtampa]

We have never not had WiFi, and I doubt we ever will go without it. We mostly use it for Facebook. We FB live every morning from our balcony, and have a large following for those videos. We also upload pictures and status updates from/about the trip. My mother is a worrier, so being able to text her is important, for her peace of mind.

 

 

Presently, my husband is halfway through Doctoral school while still working full time. Taking a week off from school is not possible, so he needs it to complete his assignments.

[Zach1213]

I think this thread shows that different people have different reasons to buy or not buy Internet, and all of them are legitimate, and none of them impact the experience of anyone else whatsoever.

[geomancer]

I've read a few news articles in the past saying that a trend with Gen X/Millennial's is to use travel as the new "Keeping up with the Joneses." So they're consciously or sub-consciously trying to one-up their friends and make them jealous with social media posts.

 

 

I'm on the line that could be in either group, but I can do without the internet while on the ship. We have T-Mobile though, so we get free coverage in ports. That's enough for us.

[PortSideCruzan]

 

Humans & cell phones are becoming quite comical & sad. They're missing so much. People are so connected they are actually more disconnected. Many view life literally through their phone screen instead of their eyes.

 

Having said that, social media addiction & social media withdraw is very real. Simply research social media addiction or withdraw. How did we ever get by, function & enjoy a cruise 20 years ago without a cell phone, a tablet, the internet??

 

 

Hi ObstructedView :)

 

Wow! I certainly understand. So very true! My wife on the other hand, does not, LOL! She needs her internet. Of course things weren't always that way. Her phone used to snuggle up next to mine in a stateroom safe. But not anymore.

 

It's funny, for example; she'll use it as a camera, while I use a regular camera. She'll take photos of food, while I ask her, "Honey, before the internet did you take photos of food, then go to all of your friends homes to show them?"

 

She'll use it to stay in touch & share photos on FB. While I will share photos with (close friends, in person), instead of everyone in a friends list. And I'll get in touch with people when we get home.

 

Ahhhhhhh, the future, how can we fight it. My future??? She'll read what I wrote here, while I get smacked with her phone, Hahahahaha!!:')

 

Anyway, I understand what your trying to say in regards to social media addiction and withdraw. Well put.

 

Have a terrific day!

 

 

 

:)

Edited June 14, 2018 by PortSideCruzan

[doa70]

My question is why do you get the WIFI package and what do you do with it?

 

My wife and I have never purchased the wifi package on any of our cruises. We have received it for free on a few cruises and it definitely took away from the vacation. We only started cruising in 2011 but I miss those first couple when wifi on the ship wasn't a thing. We boarded, the phones went right in the safe, and they came out maybe for 5-10 minutes if we hit a US port where we didn't need to roam on another carrier's network. Now with the day's schedule from the Compass on the Royal app, the past couple of cruises we basically carried our phones with us. Not to mention they also act as cameras for the trip. I definitely like this less than the way it was - disconnected.

[doa70]

I'm all for loading books on a tablet and I do see people reading from kindles which is great.

 

See, I can't even do this. I want to be disconnected so much I bring one book with me for the trip. Generally I don't even pick it up until day 4 when I start to feel guilty about not reading it after I bothered packing it. I blame 25 years in IT (so far) for my desire to avoid tech to such an extent while on board.

[Rogueperson]

The last several cruises, I've had the wi-fi package. Two of them, I was solo, so it was required to stay connected to the wife. It was also nice to be able to stream my TV services in the evenings.

 

The last three cruises prior, we got it to stay connected with her kids, as they were not quite individually independent yet. However, once the kids get older, it won't be necessary.

[steveru621]

We get 4 free days so it's easier to connect. But I don't have it every day unless there is some WiFi access at a port.

 

I use it to post a few Facebook pictures.

 

During downtime, I'll check emails and browse Facebook.

[PhoenixCruiser]

I use it mostly for sports and in the fall/winter to keep our fantasy teams and picks updated. Also check scores, stats, etc.

[Melrosgirl]

I get the WiFi package for myself and my daughter. I check my email when I wake up (self employed). I try not to check email again until the next morning. The Voom on the larger ships is great and I can text via iMessage with my daughter on the ship also (so we know where everyone is). I have my phone in airplane mode so no regular text messages are received.

 

I’ve had Voom come in handy to price check things LOL that I feel compelled to buy on board. :p

 

It’s rare that I check Facebook on board and I don’t post to FB because I don’t want the world knowing where I am.

[pingpong1]

I wish I could put my phone in the safe and forget about it for the length of the cruise, but as a small business owner I absolutely need to be connected and be available should anything arise back home. WIFI calling and texting comes with the VOOM package which is great, and I do like to check the CC boards while cruising!

 

Then is it really "a vacation" that you're going on, or just a different place, from which to run your business?

[2Long2NxtCrz]

To each his own. We just returned from a week on Harmony and I never connected to the internet. We all used the Royal IQ app to keep in touch while on board (but it was kind of a pain as the iPhone version didn't seem to notify quite as well as the Android version, luckily iMessage worked and we normally had someone nearby to "translate" for us -- there were eight in total, all with very different agendas).

 

I thought about buying Zoom the last day to upload all of my photos, but instead I just saved them to an external hard drive and will eventually get them uploaded.

 

So the phone is a camera and a way to coordinate folks for us. But my son was so excited when he got data in Puerto Rico. I thought we'd lost him to his phone for awhile, so it was good to not have it. All in all, I think we all have our reasons and I don't think being connected on social media is the blight that some think it is. Having said that, I did relish my time away from it all!

[DrD]

I enjoy keeping up with the news.

 

I like to stay in touch with work, a bit, because often a small problem that I can solve in 30 seconds would require someone else at home hours to solve, or not get solved at all. I couldn't do that to someone.

 

My teens like to keep in touch with their friends, especially GF.

 

I also find it very useful to research ports and on a few occasions make arrangements for excursions a few days before, from my ipad. Also sometime excursion operators need to notify us of itinerary/meeting time changes etc.

 

I like to post on FB for my family and friends and they tell me they enjoy it.

 

So I do get the internet package.

 

I certainly am online far, far less on a cruise than I would be at home, but it would not be practical or enjoyable for me to be completely offline for a week.

[ppmanusa]

Never have purchased a wifi package. Usually can find a place in port with free wifi to check email, make a call or text. The rest of the time it's locked in the safe.

 

If you need to stay connected wifi is an amazing bargain. My first cruise my cousin called up her BF (23 years ago) and rang up a $1000 phone bill and it wasn't even for that long.

 

I do bring a tablet and ipod (Pre-loaded) for those days I do get bored.

[cruisegirl1]

We cruise 5-8 times ( for a week or more each time ) a year. We can cruise often because of technology. Technology allows us to check in with family, and clients. Our clients don't even know we are out of town, let alone out of the country, and maybe half way around the world. And, we like it that way. If we couldn't go on line every other day, we could not cruise as often. I do consulting work, and can do it from anywhere so why not from the deck of a cruise ship! An hour or two every few days is a small price for me to pay to be able to take a transatlantic cruise, cruise around Europe, visit Cuba, sail the Panama Canal etc.

 

I also use my phone or ipad for reading, so if you see me really concentrating, perhaps I am involved in a good book.

 

M

[Ocean Boy]

But what if cell phones or the internet didn't exist? You would still be a small business owner, correct? You would give someone back home an emergency number of the cruise line to call if something were to arise, wouldn't you?

 

 

:cool:

No, for some of us it is stay connected or don't go. Not everything rises to the level of using an emergency number. And that method is quite time consuming. If someone needs me I prefer it be as easy and uncomplicated as possible. And most of the time it is done through e-mail. I periodically check my mail and respond as necessary. It is a good trade off from people intruding into my vacation at will. I missed many family events over the years because I needed to be available and the ability to communicate was nowhere near as easy 30 years ago as it is now.

[Ocean Boy]

I think this thread shows that different people have different reasons to buy or not buy Internet, and all of them are legitimate, and none of them impact the experience of anyone else whatsoever.

But like many other subjects on CC there are those who will do their best to make the argument that their way is the right way.

[hapster85]

OK, this is a question I think a lot of people would like to discuss! People now are connected 24x7 to the world. Be it social media or work. It's now too easy to be contacted but in some cases, that's a good thing. I see more and more people on cruises with their face buried in a smart phone or a tablet posting to Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat. To me (maybe I'm getting old.. ugh) a cruise is a time to cut off contact from the world and enjoy a relaxing time in a lounge chair with a drink and letting the stress of your real life melt away for a precious few day.

My question is why do you get the WIFI package and what do you do with it?

 

Everyone has their own ideas as to what is or isn't relaxing. I don't need to unplug to unwind. You do. The great thing about a cruise is that we can both get out of it what we want. [emoji41]

[voyager70]

We cruise 5-8 times ( for a week or more each time ) a year. We can cruise often because of technology. Technology allows us to check in with family, and clients. Our clients don't even know we are out of town, let alone out of the country, and maybe half way around the world. And, we like it that way. If we couldn't go on line every other day, we could not cruise as often. I do consulting work, and can do it from anywhere so why not from the deck of a cruise ship! An hour or two every few days is a small price for me to pay to be able to take a transatlantic cruise, cruise around Europe, visit Cuba, sail the Panama Canal etc.

 

I also use my phone or ipad for reading, so if you see me really concentrating, perhaps I am involved in a good book.

 

M

 

I completely agree with you. Over the course of the cruise the time I spend dealing with my business is very small. As a previous poster said if I weren't connected I would be far more stressed worrying if anything was wrong with my business. Having peace of mind allows me to enjoy my cruise.

[rukkian]

Have not purchased it wifi, but do keep my phone with me, the camera is incredible, and I use it for reminders/schedules, and then when at port, might check in for a minute or 2 to check messages.

[voyager70]

But like many other subjects on CC there are those who will do their best to make the argument that their way is the right way.

 

So true.

[maddie mom]

But what if cell phones or the internet didn't exist? You would still be a small business owner, correct? You would give someone back home an emergency number of the cruise line to call if something were to arise, wouldn't you?

 

 

:cool:

 

 

 

I remember taking out first cruise to Alaska in the 90’s. My husband would

Find a phone booth at port to call office to check on things

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sue2go]

I have never had an internet package, however for our Jan cruise I did get a sip and surf package. Sip because I love me some seltzer, and surf because I will have a new grandchild just before we sail! My daughter is due Dec 31, so I NEED to stay in touch! Sorry, Grandma will be wired this cruise.