Ok, I got some WIFI updates!

[aubreyc1988]

I was recently on the Joy on March 5th. I booked last minute so my promo was  150.00 min per person. The cost to prebook was pretty high (110.00 per person for the normal streaming) and both passengers had to buy it. The Premium internet with VPN unlocked was 179pp, which was a huge jump from what I paid in the past, so decided to see what my options onboard were

 

The internet guy wasn't super consistant/helpful, but by day 6, I had a cheap internet package and some thoughts. When you board on day one, and you go to the log in page for the wifi, they offer you 80.00 per device for the non streaming wifi. This is acceptable to me, especially since when on board they were not forcing everyone in the cabin to buy one. The second day when I talked to the manager, there was no wifi deals, but he did tell me I could get 100.00 off a full weeks package of anything with my 150.00 minutes being exchanged. The premium non streaming wifi was 279.00 per device, so after my discount it would be the 179.00 I saw pre cruise, but again, they were not forcing everyone in cabin to get it. We waited until Day 6 to buy the Premium internet, as my husband just needed to log in for about an hr to check out how fast the premium internet was for future cruises where he may have to work.  We paid 39.95 per day for 2 days for 1 device, no discount. You technically could just do it for one day at the end of the cruise for 39.95, but they won't let you just buy one day at the beginning of the cruise, if that makes sense. Also. the 100.00 discount is only for a full week of wifi. All of this stuff isn't really advertised, you have to either look on the wifi log in page or talk to the internet manager. 

 

Hope this is helpful! 

 

 

[hallux]

6 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

When you board on day one, and you go to the log in page for the wifi, they offer you 80.00 per device for the non streaming wifi

For unlimited internet for the week?  I don't need streaming, this would be awesome!  I'm on that ship in 4 days.  I'd pay that price.

 

$80 seems to line up with the price for unlimited social media...

Edited March 15, 2022 by hallux

[ColeThornton]

 

 

Edited:   Bad info on my part and I'm dumb.  lol

Edited March 15, 2022 by ColeThornton

[hallux]

1 minute ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Interesting, because I just looked up the Internet Packages to answer another thread and the descriptions say "No VPN" for any of the packages.

 

https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/internet-packages

Look closer - 

This Unlimited Premium Wi-fi package gives you access to unlimited web surfing, email access (including VPN), social media access, all apps

[Magsthecapp]

How fast was it? I'm considering getting the streaming option to watch a soccer game when we are on next week but am skeptical that we'll actually be able to watch it. (Steaming on Paramount+)

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

Look closer - 

This Unlimited Premium Wi-fi package gives you access to unlimited web surfing, email access (including VPN), social media access, all apps

 

Yep, look at my edit.  🙂

[screenname2004]

23 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

...

 

The internet guy wasn't super consistant/helpful, but by day 6, I had a cheap internet package and some thoughts. When you board on day one, and you go to the log in page for the wifi, they offer you 80.00 per device for the non streaming wifi. This is acceptable to me, especially since when on board they were not forcing everyone in the cabin to buy one.

 

 

About the "$80 per device", is this for one device on line at a time? Or they locked the plan to one specific device? is $80 after you "trade in"  both of your free WiFi minutes?

[aubreyc1988]

47 minutes ago, hallux said:

For unlimited internet for the week?  I don't need streaming, this would be awesome!  I'm on that ship in 4 days.  I'd pay that price.

 

$80 seems to line up with the price for unlimited social media...

yep, I thought the 80.00 without streaming was a decent price if you didn't need a vpn! 

[aubreyc1988]

43 minutes ago, Magsthecapp said:

How fast was it? I'm considering getting the streaming option to watch a soccer game when we are on next week but am skeptical that we'll actually be able to watch it. (Steaming on Paramount+)

The first time you use it, it will seem slow but the second time it's pretty fast and you can stream. Idk why it seems slow the first time, but after that first time you will be fine

[aubreyc1988]

26 minutes ago, screenname2004 said:

About the "$80 per device", is this for one device on line at a time? Or they locked the plan to one specific device? is $80 after you "trade in"  both of your free WiFi minutes?

 

First he advised us based on our needs to wait until Day 6, then we could pay 39.95 x2 days and use 100.00 credit = free. But when we went to do that, he was like "nah you don't get the 100.00 credit, only if you buy a weeks worth"

 

Second, he told us we could do all the stuff on the app, which was impossible to use and then just seemed put out whenever we came to the desk. 

 

and you have to log out of one device before using the next device. 

Edited March 15, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[TequilaKen]

I can only speak for the cruises I've been on, but I have to be able to work remotely and have bought streaming internet on every cruise.  I've never had to purchase it for everyone in the room.  We've been able to use any number of devices as long as we used one at a time.  Between laptops, tablets, and phones, we have connected six devices (one at a time).  The internet package we purchase is assigned to passenger #1, but either can use it.  We booked our cruise before the changes, but I'm attaching a screenshot showing the prices are $87.50 for Social Media WiFi and $119.93 for Unlimited Premium Internet with Streaming for our 7-day cruise in April.

[eileeshb]

4 hours ago, Magsthecapp said:

How fast was it? I'm considering getting the streaming option to watch a soccer game when we are on next week but am skeptical that we'll actually be able to watch it. (Steaming on Paramount+)

I used the streaming to watch a rugby game on a sea day in October on epic. I will say that the performance varies from place to place on the ship. Also at the moment with the sparser passenger numbers the internet isn’t under as much pressure as it has been in the past. I had better  performance when I used my device in my cabin compared to the public areas. 

[mking8288]

OP, thanks for the update/info ... sailing later this month, will see what happen then as we aren't going to prepaid for any WiFi upgrade, planning to use non-refundable OBC.  Currently daily unlimited WiFi rates is $35 (34.99) per day for basic and $40 ($39.99) for streaming - one device at any given time ??

 

A different poster wrote recently that they aren't giving or stacking/combining the discounted deals along with any Latitude tiered reduction.  Can you confirm that or does the iCafe manager onboard has some discretion on whether to adjust the charges ?  

 

We booked under the old/previous Free At Sea scheme with 250 free minutes, plus 60 free minutes x 2 for being Sapphire - the other poster mentioned that NCL is going to charge a nominal activation fee for these free minutes ??  Furthermore, that upon using any of the free minutes onboard, the discount offers to upgrade at the special/lower rate(s) are no longer available ?  

[aubreyc1988]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

OP, thanks for the update/info ... sailing later this month, will see what happen then as we aren't going to prepaid for any WiFi upgrade, planning to use non-refundable OBC.  Currently daily unlimited WiFi rates is $35 (34.99) per day for basic and $40 ($39.99) for streaming - one device at any given time ??

 

A different poster wrote recently that they aren't giving or stacking/combining the discounted deals along with any Latitude tiered reduction.  Can you confirm that or does the iCafe manager onboard has some discretion on whether to adjust the charges ?  

 

We booked under the old/previous Free At Sea scheme with 250 free minutes, plus 60 free minutes x 2 for being Sapphire - the other poster mentioned that NCL is going to charge a nominal activation fee for these free minutes ??  Furthermore, that upon using any of the free minutes onboard, the discount offers to upgrade at the special/lower rate(s) are no longer available ?  

I can confirm that there is no stacking and combining for the new promo.  We didn't get charged an activation fee. And once you use any of your individual minutes, the discount is not valid. 

 

Example: My husband used his 150 minutes, could not get a discount. I did not use my 150 minutes, so I could get a discount off my one device. 

[dalmoradie]

On 3/15/2022 at 3:16 PM, TequilaKen said:

I can only speak for the cruises I've been on, but I have to be able to work remotely and have bought streaming internet on every cruise.  I've never had to purchase it for everyone in the room.  We've been able to use any number of devices as long as we used one at a time.  Between laptops, tablets, and phones, we have connected six devices (one at a time).  The internet package we purchase is assigned to passenger #1, but either can use it.  We booked our cruise before the changes, but I'm attaching a screenshot showing the prices are $87.50 for Social Media WiFi and $119.93 for Unlimited Premium Internet with Streaming for our 7-day cruise in April.

 

 

I've been trying to upgrade to the unlimited premium wi-fi (with streaming) for $119.93 since this weekend for our March 27 Bliss Cruise and it just won't go through.  Any ideas why?

 

 

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, dalmoradie said:

I've been trying to upgrade to the unlimited premium wi-fi (with streaming) for $119.93 since this weekend for our March 27 Bliss Cruise and it just won't go through.  Any ideas why?

No idea, could be a variety of reasons.  Might I suggest that you call them - listed # there - directly to do the upgrade, since you are ready to pay for it, should be just as easy and you will/should get an updated confirmation/reflected in your booking summary.  

[lkjacobs]

I’m very familiar with the Internet onboard. Let me address some of the points raised on this board. 
 

There is no activation charge for redemption of promotional minutes under any plan, nor for upgrading a free plan to unlimited. This erroneous information has displayed on screens for far too long, but nobody yet has removed it. 
 

Promotional plans (aka, free minutes) have changed recently, resulting in universal confusion. What you get is based upon what was offered when you booked. Free-at-Sea went from 250 minutes shared within the cabin to 150 minutes for each of the first two cabin occupants. The respective credit to upgrade these plans to unlimited basic or premium (cannot upgrade to unlimited social media plan) went from $125 to $100. With the new plan, each of the 2 guests can individually upgrade or not. 
 

The only differences between the unlimited basic and premium are the latter’s support of VPN and streaming. Speed has many variables: number of users online at the time, location of the ship (strength and stability of the satellite connection) and where you are on the vessel. In theory, steaming should work fine, and usually does, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% assured. 
 

Upgrading from promo minutes to unlimited is available before boarding or on the ship. If you do it from home, you’re assured the pricing offered, but you have no choice but getting it for the full cruise duration. Onboard, it’s supposed to be available only for Days 1 and 2, though the Internet Manager may make exceptions in the interest of passenger satisfaction. Concessions for unused or minimally used plans are easier than if you’ve used most of your minutes but still want credit for the promotion and only want to pay for a couple days of the upgrade cost. That’s reasonable. Of course, if you’ve traded your promo plan for an unlimited upgrade credit, the original minutes are no longer available. 
 

The daily cost of unlimited plans has increased as well. Rounding off, the basic now is $30 per day and the premium is $40. They are priced based on all remaining days of the cruise and cannot be purchased for individual days. Except when grandfathered by older bookings, free Latitudes minutes no longer are offered, replaced by discounts on the full purchase of an unlimited plan. As of my last cruise, some programming errors made Latitudes discounts available for other situations, but that’s not how it’s supposed to be. I don’t yet know whether that’s been corrected by now. 
 

Recently, some pre-cruise upgrades and purchases weren’t showing up onboard. If you don’t see the proper information when you log in for the first time, don’t panic. Just speak with the Internet Manager and he’ll get it cleared up. Don’t tap to buy or redeem any plan that isn’t what you should have. By the way, usage information is readily available to him. Don’t make a fool of yourself by claiming that your phone logged itself in and now your minutes are gone, or that you didn’t do anything, but the log shows a gigabyte of data used. 
 

Unlimited plans are available onboard for 2 or 4 devices online concurrently. All other plans offer an unlimited number of devices, but only one online at a time. If another device sharing a plan tries to log in when a different device already is connected, an error message will display with the option to disconnect the first device. There’s actually no reason to log out of an unlimited plan. 
 

Though there is an Internet link within the Cruise Norwegian app, please don’t use it. Log in and out through your browser. 
 

Lastly, Luis, the Joy’s Internet Manager, is a wonderful person and a good friend. He will do everything possible to make guests happy, though some demands simply cannot be accommodated. 
 

Sorry for the verbosity of this post, but there were a lot of points to cover. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by lkjacobs

[mking8288]

@lkjacobs Thanks for the detailed & helpful outline vs. good but a bit incomplete segments by others, most of it different vs. pre-Covid, and clearly it's more "restrictive" as a corporate pricing scheme, not the fault or attributed to the onboard iCafe manager.  I know that in the past, we waited to upgrade (if we wanted to) but after using some/all of our "free" airtime minutes first ... not anymore.  But, we will still wait until embarkation or Day 2 with our non-refundable OBC, even if prices have gone up and/or without any Sapphire discounts.  Going to check the Norwegian App to see what "our" options are ... on our single digital countdown.  Annoyed that our 250+120 airtime minutes are thus, worthless or shareable if we opt to take the unlimited, but ...  we'll live with their business decisions, prices & look forward to being out at sea again.  Have a wonderful weekend ahead 🤙

[Travelicious]

3 hours ago, lkjacobs said:

Don’t make a fool of yourself by claiming that your phone logged itself in and now your minutes are gone, or that you didn’t do anything, but the log shows a gigabyte of data used. 

I've lost time on both of my last 2 cruises.  On the first, I had 80 to 90 minutes left.  I was unable to logout, or wasn't sure if the logout had gone through.  When I next tried to logon, it showed all my time was gone.  The internet manager restored the time for me when I offered the simple and honest explanation.

 

The second time I had close to 70 minutes left and successfully logged out each time.  Before I logged back in, that amount of time was still showing, but as soon as I logged in it showed all the time had been used.  It was the last day of the cruise, so I didn't bother going to the internet manager.

 

My point is that wonky things do happen, and taking your issue to the internet manager does not equal making a fool of yourself.

[lkjacobs]

22 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

@lkjacobs Thanks for the detailed & helpful outline vs. good but a bit incomplete segments by others, most of it different vs. pre-Covid, and clearly it's more "restrictive" as a corporate pricing scheme, not the fault or attributed to the onboard iCafe manager.  I know that in the past, we waited to upgrade (if we wanted to) but after using some/all of our "free" airtime minutes first ... not anymore.  But, we will still wait until embarkation or Day 2 with our non-refundable OBC, even if prices have gone up and/or without any Sapphire discounts.  Going to check the Norwegian App to see what "our" options are ... on our single digital countdown.  Annoyed that our 250+120 airtime minutes are thus, worthless or shareable if we opt to take the unlimited, but ...  we'll live with their business decisions, prices & look forward to being out at sea again.  Have a wonderful weekend ahead 🤙

If you’re grandfathered on the old benefits, you can redeem your Latitudes promos when you board (they’re individually assigned to each member) and use them over the first 2 days, then upgrade the unused 250 minutes at the end of Day 2 to unlimited for ($30 x 6 minus the $125 credit) for a net of $55. If you don’t know how to switch plans, come to the Internet Cafe and someone there will guide you through it. 

[TheAdventureSeeker]

The really thing I hate about NCL is their internet prices and they are such a ripoff and they keep increasing their prices for slow internet. I came back from Princess Cruises who's owner is Carnival Corp and they have high speed low orbital satellites and they only charge you $10 per day for internet or $5 per day if you are a Platinum member and it's a huge difference in the experience I got. I have to check emails for work so I have no choice to buy their expensive plans. I really wish NCL started upgrading their systems and stop these insane prices for internet they are charging while other cruise lines like Carnival Crop and RCL have already invested in higher speed satellites and don't charge such an insane amount like NCL does for the amount they are charging people it should be the best internet at sea period but it's usually very poor.

 

Also these money grabbing Premium, Standard internet of blocking ports so you have to pay more to visit more sites is a rip off imo, just give us all an affordable package and stop these money grabs. NCL should dump the company they have and get a new one.

Edited March 18, 2022 by TheAdventureSeeker

[lkjacobs]

9 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

I've lost time on both of my last 2 cruises.  On the first, I had 80 to 90 minutes left.  I was unable to logout, or wasn't sure if the logout had gone through.  When I next tried to logon, it showed all my time was gone.  The internet manager restored the time for me when I offered the simple and honest explanation.

 

The second time I had close to 70 minutes left and successfully logged out each time.  Before I logged back in, that amount of time was still showing, but as soon as I logged in it showed all the time had been used.  It was the last day of the cruise, so I didn't bother going to the internet manager.

 

My point is that wonky things do happen, and taking your issue to the internet manager does not equal making a fool of yourself.

I absolutely, positively did not mean to imply that every request for restoration of lost minutes is fraudulent. You are 100% correct that most often passengers don’t know how to log out or the attempt simply fails. Those minutes are restored without question or the slightest ill feelings. 
 

I was referring only to the few thieves (strong word, but that’s what they are) who knowingly use their minutes and then lie to create a virtual unlimited plan without paying for it. Yes, there are a few of them on every cruise; though they won’t be confronted for it, the people working in the Cafe know who they are and groan to themselves every time they approach the area. 

[brovol]

1 hour ago, TheAdventureSeeker said:

The really thing I hate about NCL is their internet prices and they are such a ripoff and they keep increasing their prices for slow internet. I came back from Princess Cruises who's owner is Carnival Corp and they have high speed low orbital satellites and they only charge you $10 per day for internet or $5 per day if you are a Platinum member and it's a huge difference in the experience I got. I have to check emails for work so I have no choice to buy their expensive plans. I really wish NCL started upgrading their systems and stop these insane prices for internet they are charging while other cruise lines like Carnival Crop and RCL have already invested in higher speed satellites and don't charge such an insane amount like NCL does for the amount they are charging people it should be the best internet at sea period but it's usually very poor.

 

Also these money grabbing Premium, Standard internet of blocking ports so you have to pay more to visit more sites is a rip off imo, just give us all an affordable package and stop these money grabs. NCL should dump the company they have and get a new one.

I agree with you.  Princess provides great internet, and offers it at a great price.  In fact, the Princess Plus plan has to be the best package around.  And the internet I used on the Sky Princess was outstanding for anything and everything, including streaming live football games, face-timing, and more.  Was great everywhere on the ship too. 

[lkjacobs]

There’s always interest in shipboard Internet service, so here are some insights and tips (call it a primer if you wish):

 

Logging Out

• If you’re on a “minutes” plan, logging out at the end of every session is the only way to preserve unused time. Go to your browser of choice (Safari, Chrome, Firefox or just plain ‘Internet’ on Samsung devices) and type “logout.com” (without quotes) in the address bar at the top or bottom of the screen. 
• If you’re on a Google screen, be sure to type it in the address bar and not the Google search field. If you get a picture of a woman and something about logout.com, you didn’t do it correctly. 
• Users often erroneously type “logoff.com”. That won’t work. 
• If you’re properly logged out, and the clock has stopped, your screen will show either the Account History page or the minutes remaining graphic with the clock not counting down. 
• Note that your minutes are being timed on the ship’s server and not your device. Turning off the wi-fi, powering down the device or throwing it in the ocean will not stop the clock. 

Preserving Your Minutes 

• Don’t do operating system upgrades or application updates on the ship’s internet. They take too long. 
• The same goes for uploading photos and videos. Try one and see how long it takes, then judge how many would be reasonable. 
• If you’re sending an email, compose it in your email app before logging in, then click “send” when you get online.  There’s no reason to waste minutes while you’re typing. 

Internet Café Kiosks

• Log in using the same last name and birthdate as used for the account on your portable device. Your account is shared regardless of where you log in. 
• The kiosk advantages are a large screen, keyboard and mouse, plus the capability to print. 
• The disadvantages are a total lack of apps other than a lame browser and no speakers.
• That browser is unfriendly with some email providers (Xfinity and Gmail in particular) and even some airlines (like Delta). Speak with the Internet Manager if this issue gets in your way. 

Other Notes

• Whenever you’re not in a port where you have cellular service, be sure to have airplane/flight mode on. If you don’t while at sea, latching on to service on an island or platform can generate hundreds or even thousands of dollars in international maritime roaming charges.
• The ship is a big steel box. If you want to use your normal cell service in a port where your plan provides it, go outside on the deck or near a window that faces the city. Remember the tip above when you’re finished. 
• NCL ships have wi-fi service throughout the vessel, though there may be a dead spot here or there. 
• There’s no cell tower on the ship, so normal voice calls and texts made through your carrier won’t be available. Third party apps generally will be fine when logged onto the ship’s internet. 
• Apple’s iMessage is an exception. If you use it to text another Apple device and your messages have a blue (not green) background, you usually don’t even need to log on and use minutes to send or receive texts. Try it.
• Streaming is only supported with a premium unlimited plan. That means YouTube, Netflix and live sporting events as examples. Typically, video calling is not considered to be streaming. 

Cruise Norwegian App

• Install this application on all of your phones from Google Play or the Apple App Store before leaving home. It’s free.
• Log into the app using the Look Up Reservation option, then enter the credentials of the phone’s owner. If you will use the local call/text feature, use a different login for each device, since you can’t call yourself. 
• On it’s first use, check all items on the pop up window, allowing access to everything needed by the app. 
• Use it to make reservations, check existing reservations, look at the day’s activities, refer to the ship’s deck plans and review your cabin charges (all free services). 
• Use the app to set up a local voice and text network on the ship among family members and friends. The flat charge is $9.95 per device for unlimited use. If you haven’t done it before, Internet Café folks can guide you through the process (bring all phones). 
• On Apple devices, if the app won’t run at all, go to Settings, scroll down to the Norwegian App, tap it and assure that Local Data is turned on.

[littlelulu01]

On 3/17/2022 at 6:44 AM, dalmoradie said:

 

 

I've been trying to upgrade to the unlimited premium wi-fi (with streaming) for $119.93 since this weekend for our March 27 Bliss Cruise and it just won't go through.  Any ideas why?

 

 

Try purchasing it through “my summary”. If that doesn’t work then call your ta or pcc.