Carnival Internet

[richbum]

Would someone be willing to explain how the internet works on the ship? Can I use my phone/tablet, or do I need to use the ships computers? Are their different packages available?

 

Thanks for your time!

[thenexus2k]

Yes, they do have some form of internet to buy. Plans range from social media only to full internet. Check your account in carnival.com (where you add excursions and drink packages for the plans and prices). They do block some streaming though. The actual usability varies from ship to ship. 

[Organized Chaos]

There are a few computers on board, in an internet cafe type area, but you can use your phone, tablet, or even a laptop if you want to bring one.

 

You can view the internet plans (what they include and their cost) here: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1152/~/carnivals-wi-fi-service-and-hub-app

 

If you pre-purchase one of the plans for the whole cruise ahead of time, the price is discounted. You can also purchase one after you get on board (higher price). The top two tiers, Value & Premium, can also be purchased on a 24-hour basis once you're on board.

 

If you have more than one device for yourself, you cannot use the internet on both of them at the same time, but you can switch between the two. Just log out of one and log in to the other. If you purchase a plan, once you get on board, connect to the ship's wifi and follow the instructions. If you're using your cell phone, be sure to put it in Airplane Mode so it doesn't connect to the ship's cellular service when you leave your home port. That's expensive. When you turn on Airplane Mode, it'll probably disable wifi as well, so you'll have to turn wifi on again separately.

 

You can also download the Carnival Hub app for smartphones & tablets. It's free and has things like a digital copy of the Fun Times, you can set a reminder for your favorite activities, food venues & menus, access to your S&S account, and more. You do not have to purchase one of the internet plans to use the Hub app. It also has a chat feature if you want to communicate with others in your party. That feature costs $5 per device and lasts the entire cruise.

 

 

[chasinraynbowz]

You will have to purchase a plan to operate your phone/tablet on the ship.  Depending on what you want to do, I just got the social media package and was able to access facebook, messenger, etc.  Worked just fine for me.

[coevan]

33 minutes ago, richbum said:

Would someone be willing to explain how the internet works on the ship? Can I use my phone/tablet, or do I need to use the ships computers? Are their different packages available?

 

Thanks for your time!

 

 

All the internet info is readily available on carnival.com, as posted above. 

[richbum]

I just looked at the link...thank you for posting...The value plan says you can post pictures...but the social media plan doesn't...can you post pix to social media on the social media plan...or is it to slow? Do I have to get the value plan?

[coevan]

social media is a messaging platform. not the full internet

[richbum]

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

social media is a messaging platform. not the full internet

 

I understand that, but maybe didn't explain my question correctly... My question is....according to the social media plan, on the Carnival Website,  it does not mention posting pictures....the value plan does....so in order to post pictures to my social media, do I have to get the value plan...or will it work with the social media plan

[bstel]

6 minutes ago, coevan said:

social media is a messaging platform. not the full internet

 

does the Social Media plan support iMessage?  i would assume so since it uses data vs cellular like a regular text, but just want to confirm.

[deedle7544]

I bought the cheapest one, and we were able to upload pictures to Facebook, iMessage and WhatsApp. It wasn;t slow either.

[richbum]

4 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

I bought the cheapest one, and we were able to upload pictures to Facebook, iMessage and WhatsApp. It wasn;t slow either.

Thank you very much! That is probably the route I will take. 

[bstel]

26 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

I bought the cheapest one, and we were able to upload pictures to Facebook, iMessage and WhatsApp. It wasn;t slow either.

hmm, just went to purchase and when the confirmation screen came up it said under the restrictions section that iMessage wasn't supported.

[coevan]

27 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

I bought the cheapest one, and we were able to upload pictures to Facebook, iMessage and WhatsApp. It wasn;t slow either.

 

 

must be on one of the newer ships, on the Conquest with the best plan, we could not download pictures.

[deedle7544]

We were on the Miracle, now I'm thinking maybe we used Messenger instead of iMessage

[robc1972]

I always get regular internet package.

For the most part it is very slow but does the job, except late at night and early mornings it is a little quicker.

[Schoifmom]

17 hours ago, coevan said:

social media is a messaging platform. not the full internet

 

Once again, you are confusing the Social Media plan with the HUB app messaging.  

 

The Social Media plan gives you full access to social media apps, which are not "a messaging platform."

[Schoifmom]

17 hours ago, bstel said:

 

does the Social Media plan support iMessage?  i would assume so since it uses data vs cellular like a regular text, but just want to confirm.

 

16 hours ago, bstel said:

hmm, just went to purchase and when the confirmation screen came up it said under the restrictions section that iMessage wasn't supported.

 

Although iMessage is not "supported" for the Social Media plan, in my experience it does work.

[Organized Chaos]

On 4/9/2019 at 2:12 PM, richbum said:

 

I understand that, but maybe didn't explain my question correctly... My question is....according to the social media plan, on the Carnival Website,  it does not mention posting pictures....the value plan does....so in order to post pictures to my social media, do I have to get the value plan...or will it work with the social media plan

 

You explained your question just fine. Just ignore the one-liner posts that rarely answer anyone's questions. And don't be afraid to ask questions, that's why this forum exists. Yes, Carnival provides a lot of info on their FAQ's, but sometimes first-hand accounts are more valuable.

 

The Vista & Horizon definitely have Carnival's best internet service since they are the newest ships, currently. Carnival has been in the process of upgrading the wifi service on the rest of the fleet. I'm not sure in what order they did this work or if they've completed it by now. I wish they gave more information on that. Their FAQ's state this: "We have upgraded our communications technology to the latest, state of the art systems and guests now have access to much faster speeds at an affordable price!"

 

To me, that implies that they've completed the work fleet-wide, but I don't think there's been any official word.

 

Two years ago, aboard Conquest (which definitely had the old wifi service at the time), we were able to use iMessage with the Social plan. People have always reported that they were able to upload photos to facebook with the Social plan. BUT...it seemed as if the wifi speeds got much worse in the last year or so (before they began upgrading). So I think that's what caused problems with uploading photos to fb.

 

Last year, they updated their FAQ's to state that iMessage was not supported on the Social plan, but many people reported that it worked just fine. I had read that there were some changes made on Apple's end that could cause a problem with the way Carnival blocked certain sites & features, so I think Carnival just said it wasn't supported to cover their rear. Last year on the Glory, we had the Value plan and iMessage worked fine, but that doesn't do you much good for the Social plan, I know. Just throwing that out there. As I mentioned before, wifi speeds got worse and even though we had the Value plan last year and were able to use iMessages, the wifi service overall on the Glory was absolutely atrocious. I couldn't open my email, let alone send one. Couldn't even load Carnival's website. I don't know if the upgraded ships are as good as Vista & Horizon, but any ships that have been upgraded should be much better than they were.

 

Fast forward to the current Carnival FAQ's. They have since removed the part that says iMessage is not supported on the Social plan. That leads me to believe that it is supported again. With that said, user bstel above mentioned that the confirmation page, after purchasing the Social plan, said that iMessage is not supported. That's Carnival for ya. I can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that it is supported, especially if you're on a ship with the upgraded wifi. Worst case scenario, you can upgrade to the next higher plan while you're on board, you just have to pay the on board price.

[richbum]

14 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

You explained your question just fine. Just ignore the one-liner posts that rarely answer anyone's questions. And don't be afraid to ask questions, that's why this forum exists. Yes, Carnival provides a lot of info on their FAQ's, but sometimes first-hand accounts are more valuable.

 

The Vista & Horizon definitely have Carnival's best internet service since they are the newest ships, currently. Carnival has been in the process of upgrading the wifi service on the rest of the fleet. I'm not sure in what order they did this work or if they've completed it by now. I wish they gave more information on that. Their FAQ's state this: "We have upgraded our communications technology to the latest, state of the art systems and guests now have access to much faster speeds at an affordable price!"

 

To me, that implies that they've completed the work fleet-wide, but I don't think there's been any official word.

 

Two years ago, aboard Conquest (which definitely had the old wifi service at the time), we were able to use iMessage with the Social plan. People have always reported that they were able to upload photos to facebook with the Social plan. BUT...it seemed as if the wifi speeds got much worse in the last year or so (before they began upgrading). So I think that's what caused problems with uploading photos to fb.

 

Last year, they updated their FAQ's to state that iMessage was not supported on the Social plan, but many people reported that it worked just fine. I had read that there were some changes made on Apple's end that could cause a problem with the way Carnival blocked certain sites & features, so I think Carnival just said it wasn't supported to cover their rear. Last year on the Glory, we had the Value plan and iMessage worked fine, but that doesn't do you much good for the Social plan, I know. Just throwing that out there. As I mentioned before, wifi speeds got worse and even though we had the Value plan last year and were able to use iMessages, the wifi service overall on the Glory was absolutely atrocious. I couldn't open my email, let alone send one. Couldn't even load Carnival's website. I don't know if the upgraded ships are as good as Vista & Horizon, but any ships that have been upgraded should be much better than they were.

 

Fast forward to the current Carnival FAQ's. They have since removed the part that says iMessage is not supported on the Social plan. That leads me to believe that it is supported again. With that said, user bstel above mentioned that the confirmation page, after purchasing the Social plan, said that iMessage is not supported. That's Carnival for ya. I can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that it is supported, especially if you're on a ship with the upgraded wifi. Worst case scenario, you can upgrade to the next higher plan while you're on board, you just have to pay the on board price.

Thank you so much for the info. I love your user name by the way...perfectly describes my life..haha

[Joebucks]

The newer ships have great wifi. Everything else, not so much. However, it appears they attempted to "apply a fix" by charging more for the internet. Perhaps an attempt that less people will buy it and be using it. The social plan used to be $4 per day, now it is $6.80 per day. On my last cruise, two months ago, it was the quickest the internet has been for me in my 5 Carnival cruises.

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, richbum said:

Thank you so much for the info. I love your user name by the way...perfectly describes my life..haha

 

You're welcome, and thank you for the compliment. Same here. Well, sometimes it's one or the other, but I try to find the balance.

 

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

The newer ships have great wifi. Everything else, not so much. However, it appears they attempted to "apply a fix" by charging more for the internet. Perhaps an attempt that less people will buy it and be using it. The social plan used to be $4 per day, now it is $6.80 per day. On my last cruise, two months ago, it was the quickest the internet has been for me in my 5 Carnival cruises.

 

By newer ships, are you just referring to Vista class? Because reports say those are great. User gettys84, who's currently on the Horizon, has posted a couple screenshots of speed tests from his balcony and is showing ~8Mbps download speeds. Other ships have been upgraded, but I don't know if they're as good as the Vista & Horizon.

 

The pre-cruise price for the Value plan went down 5 cents from what we paid last summer. 🤑

 

Actually, the onboard prices for the Value and Premium plans have gone down considerably. They used to be $16 & $25 per day. They're now $12 & $17 per day. That's pretty good considering they've upgraded the service since then and could've easily raised the price for the better wifi.

[ciship]

We've always just thrown our phones in the safe as soon as we board the ship and never use them the whole trip.  However, this time I want to take photos with my phone.  Can't I just find free wifi at Starbucks, etc.. in one of the ports and post from there?

[Schoifmom]

13 minutes ago, ciship said:

We've always just thrown our phones in the safe as soon as we board the ship and never use them the whole trip.  However, this time I want to take photos with my phone.  Can't I just find free wifi at Starbucks, etc.. in one of the ports and post from there?

 

Absolutely.  Just remember to put your phone into airplane mode to prevent any accidental use of data.

[coevan]

59 minutes ago, ciship said:

We've always just thrown our phones in the safe as soon as we board the ship and never use them the whole trip.  However, this time I want to take photos with my phone.  Can't I just find free wifi at Starbucks, etc.. in one of the ports and post from there?

 

 

Then you are missing out on the Hub App which is so useful. We loved it. Actually, we use our phone for alarm, flashlight, Star Walk App, chart plotter App, GPS, and more......

[bstel]

On 4/10/2019 at 6:27 PM, Organized Chaos said:

Fast forward to the current Carnival FAQ's. They have since removed the part that says iMessage is not supported on the Social plan. That leads me to believe that it is supported again. With that said, user bstel above mentioned that the confirmation page, after purchasing the Social plan, said that iMessage is not supported. That's Carnival for ya. I can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that it is supported, especially if you're on a ship with the upgraded wifi. Worst case scenario, you can upgrade to the next higher plan while you're on board, you just have to pay the on board price.

Thanks Chaos, correct, the FAQ doesnt mention iMessage but at the confirmation page (prior to purchase) it pops up.  based on the feedback i will go with the Social Plan, and for some reason it doesnt work, then i guess i will upgrade.  For me iMessage is the best way to stay in contact with my Parents, who are watching our kids while we are cruising.  Unfortunately my parents are social media challenged and dont have FB or anything.  I know crazy right 😉

Edited April 13, 2019 by bstel