Voom questions

[E&D2004]

Sailing on Anthem in 2023. 

 

Not trying to get away with anything but here are my questions:

Wife will be bringing an android mobile phone (T-Mobile) and a PC, both of which will require connection, but not at the same time.  Primarily, she will use the laptop but only receives messages on the phone.

I have an iPhone and an iPad and will exclusively use the iPad (except if I need to make an emergency call).

 Do we have to pay for 4 devices?  Can we pay for the phones and tether them with hot spots?

Advice please 

[Travelw]

My wife and I shared Voom service while on the Wonder in August.  Purchased a 1device package and used it between 4 devices, 2ipads and 2 iPhones.  Not ideal but it works.  Naturally only 1 device can be online at a time.  Used same user name and password for whatever device we were signing in with.

[Broons77]

I've been on Anthem a couple of times.  Surf & Stream wifi works reasonably well and nothing untoward about buying a package to use between multiple devices, you just can only have as many devices connected as your package allows, just as the prior poster states.  Enjoy the cruise!

[Wineaux007]

I would purchase a 1-device surf & stream package and toggle between your other devices.  You have to Logoff one device then Logon the other.  As others have said, only one device at a time.

 

You can use your wife's T-Mobile while in the port, but if you use the connection on the ship, it will be expensive.  Log on to the ship's wifi when on board, then use your 1-device package to connect.

[boscobeans]

Voom package covers ONE device at a time.

I currently have a Kindle fire 7 and an iPhone 12 pro. No problems doing anything I can do at home on both,

Movies, phone and internet. 

Have been using the VOOM since it was available.

[Blur]

You can't wifi hotspot from phone if your using WiFi to connect to voom.  Newer windows laptops may be able to though.

 

Actually I take that back... Just tried it and it works lol.  Main issue would be your phone may overheat hotspotting.  I would get a dedicated device or use laptop.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Blur

[E&D2004]

Thanks all.  Great info!

[rudeney]

47 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

Voom package covers ONE device at a time.

 

 

That is true unless you get a Voom package that covers more than one device at a time.  They sell single-device Voom packages (and that's what comes with The Key),  but they also sell 2, 3, and 4 simultaneous-device packages.

 

The the OP: 

 

2 hours ago, E&D2004 said:

Wife will be bringing an android mobile phone (T-Mobile) and a PC, both of which will require connection, but not at the same time.  Primarily, she will use the laptop but only receives messages on the phone.

 

It sounds to me like she can get away with using a plan for just" one device".  Just log out of one and into the other when she wants to switch.

 

2 hours ago, E&D2004 said:

I have an iPhone and an iPad and will exclusively use the iPad (except if I need to make an emergency call).

 

Again, I think you can use just a plan for "one device" and do the same.  Even when just logged into the iPad, it should get messages from your iPhone.  When you need to make calls, logout of the iPad and into the iPhone.  

 

Given this, I think I'd choose a 2-device Voom package.  You can use it for all four of your devices, but only any 2 of them simultaneously.  

[RobInMN]

1 hour ago, Blur said:

You can't wifi hotspot from phone if your using WiFi to connect to voom.  Newer windows laptops may be able to though.

That may used to be true, and maybe it depends on your phone and/or carrier, but you definitely can create a WiFi Hotspot on your phone even when using WiFi, at least you can with a Samsung Galaxy phone with T-Mobile as your carrier. I did this many times on my phone and my wife's phone on our last cruise. We paid for a 2 Device Voom S&S. My wife had 1 connection on her phone, and I had 1 connection on my phone. I would use my phone's WiFi hotspot to randomly connect my tablet or my laptop. I found this much easier than logging off 1 device and logging on the other. Plus, I could still stream music or podcast on my phone while still being able to use my table to play a game. Similarly, it was easier to connect the Firestick we brought to my wife's phone's hotspot rather than logging out & logging in on the Firestick everytime. After connecting the first time, if we wanted to use the Firestick, we'd just turn on my wife's phone's hot spot, and plug the Firestick in. 

 

So, to the OP's question. You definitely don't need to buy per device you will use. You only need to purchase the number of connections you will use at the same time. For us, that's per-person. That way my wife & I can use WiFi to keep in touch on the ship. Whether you logoff/login from device to device, or you use a Hot Spot. For some people, this may be 1 total.

 

BTW, even though it's technically possible, and we did it, I think it might actually violate the Voom T&S. All though, I have not hear of anyone being penalized in anyway for doing it.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

You get a discount for adding devices to your plan.  I just bought the four device plan and the 4th device was only $5 per day.  If it was me, I would buy the two device plan and the DW switch back and forth on her devices and you do the same.  That way you can text or wifi call each other if necessary.  

[E&D2004]

1 hour ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

You get a discount for adding devices to your plan.  I just bought the four device plan and the 4th device was only $5 per day.  If it was me, I would buy the two device plan and the DW switch back and forth on her devices and you do the same.  That way you can text or wifi call each other if necessary.  

As I see it.  If I get a 2 device plan, there is a discount.  If I get a 1 device plan for me and a 1 device plan for her, there is no discount.  I assume that the only difference is that we would use the same username and password.  Is that correct of am I missing something?

[brillohead]

4 minutes ago, E&D2004 said:

As I see it.  If I get a 2 device plan, there is a discount.  If I get a 1 device plan for me and a 1 device plan for her, there is no discount.  I assume that the only difference is that we would use the same username and password.  Is that correct of am I missing something?

You've got it!  

Just get the 2-device plan.

[BirdTravels]

11 hours ago, E&D2004 said:

Sailing on Anthem in 2023. 

 

Not trying to get away with anything but here are my questions:

Wife will be bringing an android mobile phone (T-Mobile) and a PC, both of which will require connection, but not at the same time.  Primarily, she will use the laptop but only receives messages on the phone.

I have an iPhone and an iPad and will exclusively use the iPad (except if I need to make an emergency call).

 Do we have to pay for 4 devices?  Can we pay for the phones and tether them with hot spots?

Advice please 

We use a 1 device plan for 4 phone (2 personal and 2 work), one laptop, and one iPad. We don’t need to be on continually. We try to disconnect a bit. 
 

When you exceed the maximum device count, you are allowed to bump someone stelae off the network. 

[E&D2004]

Thanks all.  Last question.  Do they have good Voom sales?  Right now it is 10% off.  Will it get better between now and January?

[rudeney]

It goes on and off sale all the time, but holidays (incl. Black Friday) seem to have the best prices.  As with all things in Cruise Planner, ignore the percent-off and other sale banners and just go by the final price.   Also, the bundles with the drink packages + Voom are rarely a better deal than buying individually because of the discount with the multi-device Voom packages.

 

The lowest price I found on our next cruise is $31 for Surf + Stream on 2 devices, per day.  The highest is $38.  Note that prices vary based on ship and itinerary, but a $7/day or more discount is what I'd look for.  And of course you can buy it, and if the price drops, cancel and re-but at the lower price.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 9/10/2022 at 6:46 PM, rudeney said:

 As with all things in Cruise Planner, ignore the percent-off and other sale banners and just go by the final price.   

That's probably the most important and accurate piece of information ever posted on CC.  

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 9/10/2022 at 5:17 PM, E&D2004 said:

As I see it.  If I get a 2 device plan, there is a discount.  If I get a 1 device plan for me and a 1 device plan for her, there is no discount.  I assume that the only difference is that we would use the same username and password.  Is that correct of am I missing something?

Correct and I don't recall there being a logon and PW specific to getting on.  I recall I just opened the browser entered last name and cabin number and I was on.  I assume the system knows how many you paid for.  We had four and could have gotten away with three, but for the extra $5 per day I just got it in case both GD wanted to be on at the same time, which they didn't as they were to busy doing other ship stuff.  It was fun to watch them disconnect.  

 

[RobInMN]

25 minutes ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Correct and I don't recall there being a logon and PW specific to getting on.  I recall I just opened the browser entered last name and cabin number and I was on.  I assume the system knows how many you paid for.  We had four and could have gotten away with three, but for the extra $5 per day I just got it in case both GD wanted to be on at the same time, which they didn't as they were to busy doing other ship stuff.  It was fun to watch them disconnect.  

 

I don't remember 100%, but it goes something like this:

You enter the last name and cabin number to start. It will then ask you if you want to use your pre-purchased VOOM plan or pay for a different plan. It will then ask you if you are the first login or not. If you are the first, it will have you establish a username and a password/PIN.

Every time after that, and for every extra user/device if you have a multi-device plan, you select the option that you have already enabled your plan. At that point, you will enter the username and password/PIN that you established on the first login.

 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

18 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

At that point, you will enter the username and password/PIN that you established on the first login.

 

I forgot all about the PIN.  I think subsequent log on from the same device all I had to enter was my PIN.  But then again I usually just left it logged on all the time.  I think the username and PW pre-populated.  Either way it's easy and quick.