Royal Caribbean internet: Voom, RC app.

[Trey6]

Our first cruise is Alaska with Radiance of the Seas. I have questions about the internet options. We will be travelling with 5 adults. One of the adults  wants texting capability only so she plans to use the RC app. The other 4 are planning to get Voom and save by ordering 4 devices with one of our accounts.

Is the RC app reliable enough for texting that we can get by without Voom for texting with the adult using the RC app? Also I am not clear if there are 2 options with Voom both a Surf & Stream package or a Surf package or only the Surf and Stream option?

[twangster]

The problem with the chat feature of the Royal app is a matter of notifications not working reliably.  

 

If you are in the app watching for incoming texts you will see them but who sits there for hours watching an app to see if someone texted you?

 

As far as Surf only packages that option has been rarely if ever available since they migrated ship to Starlink several months ago.  

[c-leg5]

Do they want to text to people on or off the ship?

[moposh]

I never got notifications with the RC app.  I only saw a text when I went into the app.  

 

So if you don't mind not getting a notification, the RC app is fine for texting.  

Edited June 6, 2023 by moposh

[Trey6]

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

Do they want to text to people on or off the ship?

She would need only to text individuals on the ship

[c-leg5]

28 minutes ago, moposh said:

I never got notifications with the RC app.  I only saw a text when I went into the app.  

 

So if you don't mind not getting a notification, the RC app is fine for texting.  

 

19 minutes ago, Trey6 said:

She would need only to text individuals on the ship

OK,  then yes she can use the free App. 
 

I have never used it since texting became free on the ship but as others have said it doesn’t seem to be very reliable.
 

I recently had a family member that had linked their sailing to the app on my iPad before they sailed, while they were researching one day. When they sailed I was getting notifications of their text messages AT MY HOME before they received them on the ship. 
 

I had to turn off my notifications until they returned.

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, Trey6 said:

She would need only to text individuals on the ship

As other's have said, she will need to periodically check the app to see the messages.  Notifications is a known issue with the Royal's app

 

[Trey6]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies.