HAL internet restrictions & use of Duolingo language app or website?

[willoL]

Does anyone have experience using the Duolingo app (smartphone or tablet) or website (on a laptop) while on HAL's internet plan at sea?

 

Per my Booking Confirmation, I've got the "Prem Internet Pkg" (included in the Have It All promotion) if that affects the answer.

 

Searching the internet for my question didn't give me an answer, but I'm hoping Cruise Critic includes others who self-study foreign languages with Duolingo. I should have a two+ year streak going by the time I sail in August, so it would be a bummer to lose that. Also, daily practice helps a lot with language skills, though I use other methods, including some that offer downloaded content.

 

Irrelevant, but for the curious, I study German and Spanish practically every day while also dabbling in French, Esperanto, Welsh, Russian, and Hebrew. I am a dilettante who loves the idea of knowing at least a few words in oodles of tongues. 😁 I believe Glossika may be a more powerful digital learning tool, but the game-ification in Duolingo is especially motivating.

 

Thank you!

--willo

[BigMattT]

Hello! My husband uses Duolingo and made the decision to purchase the downloadable version. That enabled him to keep his streak on the ship.

 

As far as quality, on Mexican Riviera and California Coastal itineraries I experienced at least one day on each where I could not get enough data from the ship’s premium internet to update my daily reading apps. I haven’t been on HAL to Alaska yet, but on other lines (even ones that have the “super-fast” infrastructure onboard…) they all struggle with internet on Alaska Itineraries.

[zgscl]

On 4/23/2022 at 9:07 PM, BigMattT said:

Hello! My husband uses Duolingo and made the decision to purchase the downloadable version. That enabled him to keep his streak on the ship.

 

As far as quality, on Mexican Riviera and California Coastal itineraries I experienced at least one day on each where I could not get enough data from the ship’s premium internet to update my daily reading apps. I haven’t been on HAL to Alaska yet, but on other lines (even ones that have the “super-fast” infrastructure onboard…) they all struggle with internet on Alaska Itineraries.

I would agree with then downloadable version. Internet at sea can be slow and intermittent at times. In Alaska it is really bad. One or two days we were almost entirely unable to do anything online. Save yourself the headache and download what you want in advance (or even download onboard but a few lessons ahead so you are not waiting on the internet). 

[willoL]

On 4/24/2022 at 12:07 AM, BigMattT said:

Hello! My husband uses Duolingo and made the decision to purchase the downloadable version. That enabled him to keep his streak on the ship.

Thanks, @BigMattT. I haven't used the pay version of Duolingo before, so I wasn't aware that one received downloadable content by doing so. That's really helpful!

 

I think Duolingo allows your whole family to use the account if you buy the paid version, too, so no excuses from my teens if I "suggest" they keep up with their language studies on our trip, too. 😁

 

--willoL

[BigMattT]

7 hours ago, willoL said:

Thanks, @BigMattT. I haven't used the pay version of Duolingo before, so I wasn't aware that one received downloadable content by doing so. That's really helpful!

 

I think Duolingo allows your whole family to use the account if you buy the paid version, too, so no excuses from my teens if I "suggest" they keep up with their language studies on our trip, too. 😁

 

--willoL

Onboard, they’ll find a whole world of languages being spoken, too 😉

[sunviking90]

Hi, just wanted to add that on our Princess cruise right now, I am using Duolingo app, BUT I can’t earn any gems through watching ads, and am not getting gem bonuses, and gem claim chest is missing.  I think it’s because the wifi has no location fixed to it, so they can’t target ads to me. I tried putting on my VPN and still no luck. I would assume HALs wifi is set up the same.

[kluv2cruz]

I lost my Duolingo streak in the unpaid version on the recent Koningsdam sailing Vancouver Hawaii Vancouver. I could do the exercises but as someone else said, couldn’t earn gems, and it didn’t refresh hearts so once I’d burned my 5 hearts I was locked out from moving on. Strangely, I could only do the first lesson in each category, I.e. couldn’t move on to lesson 2 or beyond, and I think it didn’t let me fix broken lessons but I might not be remembering accurately. Eventually I had to give up as I was driving myself crazy! 

[willoL]

14 hours ago, kluv2cruz said:

I lost my Duolingo streak in the unpaid version on the recent Koningsdam sailing Vancouver Hawaii Vancouver. I could do the exercises but as someone else said, couldn’t earn gems, and it didn’t refresh hearts so once I’d burned my 5 hearts I was locked out from moving on. Strangely, I could only do the first lesson in each category, I.e. couldn’t move on to lesson 2 or beyond, and I think it didn’t let me fix broken lessons but I might not be remembering accurately. Eventually I had to give up as I was driving myself crazy! 

I may know why this strange behavior occurred, @kluv2cruz. May I ask if you were using HAL's paid internet at the time?

 

As I was researching this very question, I saw a Duolingo blog post (or "news" item on their site) that said now everyone, not just paid members, gets a few downloaded lessons at a time. This occurs automatically as you work on a lesson, and your next lesson will auto-load onto your device. So probably you were working on downloaded offline lessons then just ran out of downloaded content.

 

@sunviking90 Are you noticing that your streak DOES update while you are on wifi on Princess? I'm not sure I would choose a cruise line JUST so I could do my little language lessons 😆 , but I am also pretty open to taking any ship that goes to the destinations I want to visit.

 

Thanks so much for all the specific examples. This is so helpful!

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, willoL said:

 

@sunviking90 Are you noticing that your streak DOES update while you are on wifi on Princess? I'm not sure I would choose a cruise line JUST so I could do my little language lessons 😆 , but I am also pretty open to taking any ship that goes to the destinations I want to visit.

 

As long as I was on wifi, my streak updated. I have also realized now that it was only on sea days that I wasn’t able to refill the “gems” and no ads for hearts, etc were offered. In port those reappeared. Another poster mentioned not being able to get more hearts and having  to stop, but if you click on the heart at the top of the screen in the app, you can “practice to refill hearts”. This worked for me always. And always needed, lol!

[kluv2cruz]

It was like I was on light internet. The refill hearts didn’t work, but yes, I’ve done that at home. I also noticed I couldn’t always download library books… like the internet wasn’t strong enough. Yes, paid HAL internet.

[Btimmer]

My wife is a SUPER DuoLingo fangirl and a retired foreign language teacher.  She has 900 continuous days as of this writing.  She keeps up using HAL's middle internet package.  Next week is going to be a challenge as we're headed out on a RCCL cruise to Alaska in a few weeks.  We'll have internet every other day on shore and are not planning to purchase the ship's internet.

[willoL]

@Btimmer I hope she can keep up that impressive streak!

 

Of course, the streak is just a silly manipulation to motivate people to return to the app. The learning is what matters.

 

And yet! I love the big numbers in that streak. 😆

[clangel13]

Maybe we can have a Duolingo "meet-up".  I'm Btimmer's wife 🙂

[willoL]

On 5/10/2022 at 7:55 PM, clangel13 said:

Maybe we can have a Duolingo "meet-up".  I'm Btimmer's wife 🙂

Yes, @clangel13, I thought I'd seen him posting on our roll call! Which language(s) do you study with Duolingo? The same one you taught, or do you dabble?

 

I've taken up Indonesian in hopes of learning a few polite words to use with crew members from that part of the world. 🙂

 

My husband remains very COVID cautious, so I may need to meet outdoors to help him feel safe, but I hope to see you at the Meet & Mingle. (Even if we take all of our meals via room service, I'm still looking forward to the change of scenery, but I do hope cases drop again before August...)

[clangel13]

32 minutes ago, willoL said:

Yes, @clangel13, I thought I'd seen him posting on our roll call! Which language(s) do you study with Duolingo? The same one you taught, or do you dabble?

 

I've taken up Indonesian in hopes of learning a few polite words to use with crew members from that part of the world. 🙂

 

My husband remains very COVID cautious, so I may need to meet outdoors to help him feel safe, but I hope to see you at the Meet & Mingle. (Even if we take all of our meals via room service, I'm still looking forward to the change of scenery, but I do hope cases drop again before August...)

Hi, I'm doing German, Spanish, and French, the ones I taught and working on Arabic and Portuguese with Japanese, Latin and Italian sometimes.  and a few others added on.

I started following you also on Duo.  Looking forward to in persons!

[Mission33]

@willoL How did it go? I have an upcoming cruise and am curious myself.

[willoL]

@Mission33 I did manage to keep up my study streak on the HAL voyage, though I also opted to upgrade to the paid version of Duolingo before we sailed. I think I got extra streak freezes by default by paying for the subscription, and decided it was worth it.

 

Thinking back, I believe there were a couple of days where I couldn't connect the first time I tried, but none where WiFi (or cell coverage) didn't make up for that later that same day. Usually, Duolingo worked about as well as at home.

 

Overall, my husband was able to keep in touch with his work obligations well in spite of our location in remote northern waters, and I'm sure he did at least a some work every day.

 

The only specific internet hassle I recall was my college student attempting to select courses for university for the first time (i.e., learning how to use a new system) during a narrow, assigned block of time. My kid just happened to get a low lottery number, so was choosing late (meaning many classes were filled and substitutions needed to be found)... all late in the day while we were also sailing Prins Christian Sund and nowhere near a port. That was incredibly beautiful--scenic highlight of the trip!--but also the worst connection day I believe we had at a very inconvenient time for my eldest.

 

But don't worry; the kid did successfully register and had a great first semester. 😁