Internet options ?

[Gunther1]

The only information I can find on the HAL site for internet options for our upcoming seven day cruise is “premium internet package for 109.99”.

 

Try as I may, I can’t find any details: IE speed, number of devices, do all in a stateroom need to purchase , how much to upgrade when on board, etc.  

 

Any advice on where to go for answers to these basic questions ?  Much thanks :). 

 

 

[goldie099]

I'm also wondering! I have seen people refer to different packages that seem to differentiate based on speed, but I also see that as the only thing available. Also nothing in terms of a package for more than one user at a time, though I have seen it mentioned here on the boards that there is an upcharge you can pay for multiple users to use the package. Perhaps someone can shed some light!

[kazu]

There are 3 internet packages -  Social, Surf & Premium.

 

The Surf is only good for things like FB - not email or internet.

 

the Premium is supposed to be faster than the Surf and theoretically permits streaming while the Surf does not.  The Premium also has more mb allowed.

 

The number of MB allowed just means it slows down - you don’t get cut off - at least not in my experience.

 

I believe these rates are still applicable on the ships:

 

 

the only one offered to purchase pre-cruise is the premium package (which is at a discount)

 

If there are 2 in the cabin and you both have an internet package and both log in on one device each with your own log in.

 

Otherwise it is one device at a time.  So for example you can log in on any of  your Ipad, smart phone, laptop, etc but you can  only use one device at a time.

 

If there are two of you and only 1 internet package then only 1 person can be on at a time.

 

Hope this helps a bit 🤞 

 

 

[IPB4IGO]

The only thing I can add to Kazu's response is that on recent cruises, when a second device tries to log on the choice has been to kick off the first user OR purchase a four-device upgrade, which was $30 on our most recent 7-day cruise.

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

The Surf is only good for things like FB - not email or internet.

oops! 😉 Surf (the middle package) is ok for email and internet, but not streaming.

Social is good for FB etc only.

 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

oops! 😉 Surf (the middle package) is ok for email and internet, but not streaming.

Social is good for FB etc only.

 

Oops 🙊. Thanks for the correction.  I did mean the Social.  

[VMax1700]

Just now, kazu said:

Oops 🙊. Thanks for the correction.  I did mean the Social.  xxxxxx xx.

I know you did!

Now please edit your post and remove that last comment. Please! 

[goldie099]

Thank you guys so much! This is so helpful. Strange that they only offer the Premium package to be paid for in advance. Not OP, but I am sailing Koningsdam in Alaska next week, and I'm fairly confident that the internet signal will not be strong enough to stream and I don't really need to stream, hence why I was wondering if premium is even worth it for this itinerary. But the cost difference in advance is $10 more than the Surf package. Hopefully we get the $30 upsell for multiple devices, I'll try and report back!

[rafinmd]

8 minutes ago, goldie099 said:

Thank you guys so much! This is so helpful. Strange that they only offer the Premium package to be paid for in advance. Not OP, but I am sailing Koningsdam in Alaska next week, and I'm fairly confident that the internet signal will not be strong enough to stream and I don't really need to stream, hence why I was wondering if premium is even worth it for this itinerary. But the cost difference in advance is $10 more than the Surf package. Hopefully we get the $30 upsell for multiple devices, I'll try and report back!

If you do, please let us know, is that $30 total or $30 per day.

 

Roy

[boze9999]

2 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

If you do, please let us know, is that $30 total or $30 per day.

 

Roy

And the same question regarding upgrading from the surf to the premium - I assume you mean a $10 a day difference?

[vicd1969]

1 hour ago, boze9999 said:

And the same question regarding upgrading from the surf to the premium - I assume you mean a $10 a day difference?

I think it's a $10 total difference when comparing the discounted online premium purchase with standard surf that's available on embarkation.

 

[Btimmer]

We were just on the Noordam southbound from Whittier and had the surf package.  It worked well for us for email and FB.  Once we were sailing in the Inside Passage, I turned on my T-Mobile which gives me Canadian cell service and that sped things up and added video.  It was cool when the Koningsdam passed us headed northbound.

[rafinmd]

3 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

I think it's a $10 total difference when comparing the discounted online premium purchase with standard surf that's available on embarkation

Correct with a clarification.  While it's total difference it is based on a per day difference.

 

For my 11-day Panama Canal cruise:

 

 

Advance premium- 151.99

Onboard surf-          139.99

Onboard premium  189.99

 

So my extra for Advance premium over onboard surf is 12 dollars, just about $1 per day.

 

Roy

 

[IPB4IGO]

5 hours ago, rafinmd said:

If you do, please let us know, is that $30 total or $30 per day.

 

Roy

We paid $30 for the 4-device upgrade for the entire 7-day cruise.

[Mary229]

On my cruise in early July at day 3 they offered me internet for $5 a day. 

[goldie099]

5 hours ago, IPB4IGO said:

We paid $30 for the 4-device upgrade for the entire 7-day cruise.

Thanks for this! I hope it's the same this coming Saturday on Koningsdam!

[rafinmd]

12 hours ago, IPB4IGO said:

We paid $30 for the 4-device upgrade for the entire 7-day cruise.

Sounds like for an 11-day cruise it should be under $60.

 

Roy

[travelers07]

On 35 day Voyage of Vikings. Booked with package that included medium WiFi for 1 device. When I first signed in, I was offered an upgrade to Premium (top package) for $100 total. Feeling optimistic, I bought the upgrade. WiFi has been sporadic and weak. Usually I can check email but loading any webpage is agony. We are docked in Reykjavik now and slightly better but webpages are still very slow to load. I am using my TMobile now which is wonderful. Streaming now with TMobile and doing fine.

Talked to others with medium package and there does not seem to be a difference between my upgraded WiFi and theirs. 
 

 

 

[DA346]

I've scoured the boards and checked Google but can't seem to find the info I'm looking for. If it's posted somewhere already feel free to send me that way. We're on an Alaska cruise on Zuiderdam leaving on 10 August. I don't have much need for internet so the plan was to forgo a package. It did occur to me, however, that I need to be available if my dog sitter needs anything. We have a senior dog and a puppy so while we don't need constant contact I should check once or twice a day to make sure there are no issues. It's an inside passage cruise so 3 of the 7 days are port days so internet would be a non-issue while in town. Also from sailing the inside passage with the Canadian navy for a number of years I know that there are areas along the straits that offer mobile service but I don't know how far north that will last before we hit roaming. All that to say I likely only need to access the internet on board for 5-10 minutes on a couple of days of the trip. My hope was that the internet cafe on board offers a pay per minute sort of situation so we don't have to pay for a package for 15 minutes of internet usage for the whole week. Unfortunately the only information I see is for the packages. Does HAL offer per use/ per minute options for people who need to use the internet extremely sparingly or am I stuck paying for a $70 package or $15 per day usage for 10 minutes? I have no issue using slow internet cafe computers if that's what it takes. TIA

Edited August 2, 2022 by DA346

[oakridger]

They do not have a pay per minute option.  The internet cafe, such as it is, doesn't offer per minute either.  You would have to use one of the packages you purchase.  

 

 

 

 

 

[DA346]

Thanks. Figured as much but was hoping. Seems if they can gouge they will.

[VMax1700]

30 minutes ago, DA346 said:

Thanks. Figured as much but was hoping. Seems if they can gouge they will.

Gouge?  They offer a service and it is up to you to take it or not.   

[DA346]

Having the lowest purchasing option costing 70 USD for 7 days seems a bit like gouging for people who might only require 15 or 20 minutes of usage for the entire week. If I was planning to use it more heavily then by all means the 70 bucks would be a good deal but it seems unreasonable to not have a smaller option like pay per minute or even a single day pass. Spending 70 bucks for the sake of maybe 5 or 6 messages throughout the week seems a bit ridiculous.

 

At any rate I'm going to check with my cell carrier about the cellular at sea situation. Their site says text messages are 75 cents for sent and free for received so as long as I make sure none of my apps are downloading data in the background it should work out to be a cheaper option in my case since I only need it for a very specific purpose. I just want to make sure I'm VERY clear on how that works first given the large number of warnings I see about it on the threads. Looks like if data roaming is turned off and I keep it on airplane mode when not actively using it then it should be ok, but I could be missing something.

[goldie099]

Hi all! Returned from Koningsdam in Alaska, and this was the internet situation:

 

We pre-purchased the premium internet for $109.99 for one device. The internet was down the day we embarked in Vancouver, but was up and running the next morning at sea. We wanted multiple devices, so when another device attempted to access the internet (note we had to be logged in to the same HAL Navigator account), we got the pop-up that it was $60 for up to 4 devices. We paid that, and aside from all needing to use the same Navigator account, I was very impressed with the wifi in Alaska. We did not attempt to stream anything, but any websites I accessed worked very well, and I was able to send and receive pictures to/from home in a reasonable amount of time. The internet proved more stable than the in-room live TV channels which would sometimes be down or super glitchy (note the on demand movies did not seem to have that problem).

[PSR]

On 8/4/2022 at 1:49 PM, goldie099 said:

We wanted multiple devices, so when another device attempted to access the internet (note we had to be logged in to the same HAL Navigator account), we got the pop-up that it was $60 for up to 4 devices.

 

Some questions: Is the $60 for the whole cruise or will it vary based on how many days you are cruising? You mention that more than one person must be signed into the same HAL Navigator account at the same time to use multiple devices. I thought each person had to have his/her separate account to use the Navigator. Is this incorrect? Thanks for any info.