New Wifi on QE

[rakkor]

We've just got on board today for our Norway cruise and one change I've noted is the Wifi is now on a different package. It's  no longer by the minute, but rather by the day or Full Voyage. The data allowances look a bit meagre 500Mbytes stated, but I don't know if that's daily or per voyage. I assume daily. It also looks to work out more expensive since you can't buy a package and dip in and out as required. It's purchased through the MyVoyage app as is everything else. The WC benefits are now a $ credit, so as Platinum I get an $80 credit towards my internet purchase. It also looks to be tied to a single device.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by rakkor

[rakkor]

This may affect my blog posts (https://blog.rakkor.uk) as I'm far too stingy to pay that much for the internet.

[Tonopah]

2 minutes ago, rakkor said:

This may affect my blog posts (https://blog.rakkor.uk) as I'm far too stingy to pay that much for the internet.

Not “stingy” but wise.

[bluemarble]

Thanks for that @rakkor.

 

It looks like the list of "Audio / Video Streaming & More" features shown on your screen shot apply to the "essential" plan. Would you be able to provide a screen shot showing the features of the higher priced "premium" plan for comparison?

[North West Newbie]

18 minutes ago, rakkor said:

We've just got on board today for our Norway cruise and one change I've noted is the Wifi is now on a different package. It's  no longer by the minute, but rather by the day or Full Voyage. The data allowances look a bit meagre 500Mbytes stated, but I don't know if that's daily or per voyage. I assume daily. It also looks to work out more expensive since you can't buy a package and dip in and out as required. It's purchased through the MyVoyage app as is everything else. The WC benefits are now a $ credit, so as Platinum I get an $80 credit towards my internet purchase. It also looks to be tied to a single device.

 

 

The 500MB certainly appears to be a daily allowance on the “essential” package. What does one get with the “premium” package? Is it unlimited, perhaps, or is that wishful thinking?

[North West Newbie]

@bluemarble you beat me to it.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the details, at first glance it doesn't look great, let us know how it works in practice.

I know lots of people didn't like the old system of minutes but it worked well enough for us.

[bluemarble]

In terms of the pricing for the full voyage plans, keep in mind @rakkor is on a 12 day QE cruise. Those prices work out to $20 per day for the "premium" plan and $15 per day for the "essential" plan when purchased for the full voyage. That agrees with what @Queen of the Queen had heard and reported on the "Current QM2 Wine List, Drink Prices and WiFi Prices" thread.

[rakkor]

1 minute ago, bluemarble said:

Thanks for that @rakkor.

 

It looks like the list of "Audio / Video Streaming & More" features shown on your screen shot apply to the "essential" plan. Would you be able to provide a screen shot showing the features of the higher priced "premium" plan for comparison?

 

I just had another look and selecting premium and essential don't show any difference between the two plans other than the price and video streaming which would eat 500 Mb in short time

[rakkor]

A bigger problem is it seems to be tied to a single device rather than log in, so I can blog on my tablet or Jane can facebook on her phone but not both without incurring a hefty premium. Plus we can't double up our alllowance to pay $160 worth of benefits for a $180 essential package. It needs more investigation!

[bluemarble]

4 minutes ago, rakkor said:

 

I just had another look and selecting premium and essential don't show any difference between the two plans other than the price and video streaming which would eat 500 Mb in short time

 

OK, thanks. I was expecting video streaming to be included in a "premium" plan but not in an "essential" plan. Sounds like that may be the case then.

[lissie]

How long a trip is this for?  We're on for 36 days - this could get very $$$ 

[bluemarble]

Just now, lissie said:

How long a trip is this for?  We're on for 36 days - this could get very $$$ 

 

Those full voyage Wi-Fi plan prices are for a 12 day cruise.

 

As I understand it, the pricing is $15 per day for the "essential" package if you purchase it for the full voyage (36 days x $15 = $540 in your case) or else $20 per 24 hours if you choose to purchase individual days instead.

 

The pricing is $20 per day for the "premium" package if you purchase it for the full voyage (36 days x $20 = $720 in your case) or else $30 per 24 hours if you choose to purchase individual days instead.

[Matelot70]

4 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

Those full voyage Wi-Fi plan prices are for a 12 day cruise.

 

As I understand it, the pricing is $15 per day for the "essential" package if you purchase it for the full voyage (36 days x $15 = $540 in your case) or else $20 per 24 hours if you choose to purchase individual days instead.

 

The pricing is $20 per day for the "premium" package if you purchase it for the full voyage (36 days x $20 = $720 in your case) or else $30 per 24 hours if you choose to purchase individual days instead.

By extension a World Cruise would be over $2000 then. That seems a rather ridiculous pricing scheme and certainly reduces the value of the CWC benefits.

[TheOldBear]

They may rediscover the 'Laffer Curve' - raise the price, and revenue goes down, not up.

 

[bluemarble]

22 minutes ago, Matelot70 said:

By extension a World Cruise would be over $2000 then. That seems a rather ridiculous pricing scheme and certainly reduces the value of the CWC benefits.

 

I am making assumptions about full voyage package pricing based solely on what has been revealed so far on this forum. Perhaps Cunard will offer discounts and/or different options for longer voyages.

[lissie]

37 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

I am making assumptions about full voyage package pricing based solely on what has been revealed so far on this forum. Perhaps Cunard will offer discounts and/or different options for longer voyages.

Yes very true - I think it will be interesting to see the pricing on the QE repositioning to Vancouver in May - that will be a similar length cruise around 35 days - and will give a better indication 

[lissie]

5 hours ago, rakkor said:

A bigger problem is it seems to be tied to a single device rather than log in, so I can blog on my tablet or Jane can facebook on her phone but not both without incurring a hefty premium. Plus we can't double up our alllowance to pay $160 worth of benefits for a $180 essential package. It needs more investigation!

Do they allow tethering?  Worth trying.  Connect the phone to their wifi and then turn on the "mobile hotspot" feature and try to connect the laptop to the phone. May or maynot work - probably not - but if they are clueless about setting up wifi networks they may  have not disabled this feature which would be to your benefit. 

[lissie]

50 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

They may rediscover the 'Laffer Curve' - raise the price, and revenue goes down, not up.

 

Very much so - to start with on any port day plus some days within sight of land (obviously not trans Atlantics or Canaries cruises - but probably many Australian and European cruises) I can roam my home phone for approximately  US$5/day . Or I can use a global SIM for around 10 euros a GB 

[WorkforBeerGuy]

Does anyone know at what point on a westbound TA does a US phone leave ocean roaming mode?  Along side Long Island?  Once under the V Bridge?  Once we board at Southampton I will not care who won F1 in Hungary or Nascar at Indy or how the Red Sox are doing.  I will only care about dressing to the tens (the whole purpose of the trip).  My Travel Agent will check us in the day before arrival in Brooklyn.  I will only care to find out if the flight home has been changed and if I will need to self disembark.  10 to 15 minutes of WiFi for one day.

[Queen of the Queen]

10 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks for the details, at first glance it doesn't look great, let us know how it works in practice.

I know lots of people didn't like the old system of minutes but it worked well enough for us.

To be more specific the price is for 24 hours not a day. The difference is that  you can sign on at noon on Monday till 11:59 on Tuesday. For me, it means I can send an email and will be able to get an answer on the same "fee". I don't like this new package, I usually only go on for a few minutes  a day to check mail etc. and for Diamond Level the 8 hours was always more than enough, even for three weeks. Just my two cents.

[watsonbeau]

Yes same here - so what do you actually get if you’re say Platinum level as a benefit for internet if they are no longer giving X no of minutes ? An allowance of $$ against internet cost or nothing at all so you have to pay ? In which case = no loyalty benefit at all.

 

Only use phone for photo taking once on board and so for me, would use 60 mins or less even on a 3week trip as just to check email etc. There seems to be nothing mentioned on the website about it as still on about minutes on there! 
 

Am on the Southampton to San Francisco in May so will need to check in for flight home day before arriving - which is a sea day, so would have to use it at least that one time. Or wait till disembarked and find free wifi ashore - which am not keen doing really as my flight leaves at 13:00 approx so would like to do well before.

Edited March 19, 2022 by watsonbeau

[rakkor]

I signed Jane up to 24 hours to use her WC Platinum benefits as we're at sea. I then tired to use her login on my phone. That failed with a device exceeded message, so tat's not an option so I bit the bullet and paid for my Chromebook to have access. One good thing is they Voyage price reduces pro rata so today it was $165 for the voyage

 

The speed of the essential package is nothing to write home about, certainly not from the stateroom, It may be better in the public areas

 

 

 

 

[Host Hattie]

31 minutes ago, watsonbeau said:

Yes same here - so what do you actually get if you’re say Platinum level as a benefit for internet if they are no longer giving X no of minutes ? An allowance of $$ against internet cost or nothing at all so you have to pay ? In which case = no loyalty benefit at all

The OP reported an $80 credit for Platinum and on another thread $135 credit for Diamond.

[Camgirl]

We have just tried tethering my husband's and my phone's together on the essential plan on board QE and it appears to be working fine.