Unlimited internet question, and specialty dining question

[kona_wahine]

I read somewhere that you can connect to the internet and turn on your personal hotspot and others can and use the internet then. Anyone have experience with this? I have an iPhone… 

 

we have 4 in our room and the first two have the 2 specialty dining. Anyway to combine those into one dinner for the 4 of us, or do the 3&4 person have to pay? 
 

TIA!

[UKstages]

you can use your device as a personal hotspot, but the quality of the internet onboard the ship is so poor that it would not really be worthwhile. you'd have two or more people sharing a connection that is barely 2.5 mbps... usually more like 1.5 mbps. that's not a shareable speed. it's barely good enough for one person to download email. what you may have read is that in port, many people rely upon cell service. many people have international plans that provide free or low cost service. if you use your phone as a hotspot under that scenario, it would be shareable.

 

free at sea specialty dining is tied to individuals and is not shareable or transferable. the one possible exception is if you're on a ship with a "food republic" tapas/small plate restaurant. there, two FAS dining credits could easily serve four people... two credits will get you four items...  if they let you use your dining credits that way. most people report success with this.

[kona_wahine]

Ok, thank you. I can never finish a meal so we can see about sharing then. 

[UKstages]

sorry, correction... i should have said that two dining credits will get your four items each... a total of eight items, more than enough for four people to share.

[KDebreuil]

On our trips, we've also had luck using 1 dining package for 4 items from the sushi bar and sharing them.

[kona_wahine]

Thank you 

[omahabob]

Our internet worked fine on the Getaway in the Caribbean a month ago. It wouldn't stream video all that well, but they told us it wouldn't. I wouldn't try sharing it though. I'm wondering if maybe the internet performance varies by ship and/or location. Guess I'll find out on the Viva next March.

Edited June 21, 2023 by omahabob

[Twinbooty]

Sorry to jump in on this topic but it is related and i thought it best to not start a brand new one.

If a solo traveller has 3 speciality dining packages, can they use 1 for another traveller who doesnt have any at a meal for 2 ?

Also, as a solo traveller can i book a table for 2 and use my speciality package for 1 person whilst the other person just pays the a la carte prices as thei meal price at La Cucina isnt going to be worth buying another speciality package for ?

[KeithJenner]

You can’t share your dining package, so the answer to your first question is no.

 

You can sit with people using different methods to pay though. Each person just lets the staff know how they will be paying.

[Twinbooty]

Thanks Keith.

[dexddd]

5 hours ago, omahabob said:

Our internet worked fine on the Getaway in the Caribbean a month ago. It wouldn't stream video all that well, but they told us it wouldn't. I wouldn't try sharing it though. I'm wondering if maybe the internet performance varies by ship and/or location. Guess I'll find out on the Viva next March.

If anything like Prima, that was like dial up.

[omahabob]

4 hours ago, dexddd said:

If anything like Prima, that was like dial up.

Great. My wife can't resist logging into our cameras to check on the cats. I'll get grief over that.

[podgeandrodge]

On 6/20/2023 at 5:10 AM, UKstages said:

you can use your device as a personal hotspot, but the quality of the internet onboard the ship is so poor that it would not really be worthwhile. you'd have two or more people sharing a connection that is barely 2.5 mbps... usually more like 1.5 mbps. that's not a shareable speed. it's barely good enough for one person to download email. 

I'm on breakaway. Speed about 2.75 Mbps.

 

Sharing hotspot with a friend in cabin directly across the hallway, and when we're out and about in the bar at night. No problems surfing, WhatsApp, emails etc over the 1 connection being shared.

 

In fact, last night, there were 5 of us in a bar and only I with the internet. They all connected for a few mins and got up to date with messages etc .

 

Netflix standard definition only needs 3mbps, so emails etc are not a problem.

 

I speak of my experience on Breakaway, but if you're getting speed between 2.5 and 3, should be fine .

 

(I'm also able to check home 4 camera CCTV no probs).

 

 

[omahabob]

We checked the home cameras on Getaway. It was a bit balky at times, but it worked well enough to get by. What I'm hearing about the Prima doesn't make me hopeful. But we're paying for the streaming package this time, so fingers crossed.

[Two Wheels Only]

On 6/19/2023 at 11:35 PM, UKstages said:

sorry, correction... i should have said that two dining credits will get your four items each... a total of eight items, more than enough for four people to share.

 

The terms have changed and sharing is no longer allowed even at Food Republic......

 

Specialty Dining Packages (SDP) are available online for pre-sale or onboard during the first two days of the voyage. SDP is not available on 1 and 2-day sailings; On 3-day sailings, SDP is for sale on day 1 only. No refunds available if not all meals are used. SDPs are personal (per person, e.g., 2 guests cannot share 1 SDP meal) and non-transferable (guests cannot give their SDP meals to someone else). An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). No sharing or to go orders permitted....

 

...but the server might not care and let everyone share. 

[UKstages]

the workaround is that two people go in, use one dining credit. the second person orders one item ala carte and pays for it, thus fulfilling the requirement.

[bluesea777]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

the workaround is that two people go in, use one dining credit. the second person orders one item ala carte and pays for it, thus fulfilling the requirement.

 

This is right. On Spirit recently we - 3 of us: 2 with dining vouchers and one without - dined in Silk one evening - we ordered 8 sushi items (2 vouchers x 4 items each) and some asian dishes. We all 3 shared and scoffed up the lot.

 

 

[eileeshb]

3 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

I'm on breakaway. Speed about 2.75 Mbps.

 

Sharing hotspot with a friend in cabin directly across the hallway, and when we're out and about in the bar at night. No problems surfing, WhatsApp, emails etc over the 1 connection being shared.

 

In fact, last night, there were 5 of us in a bar and only I with the internet. They all connected for a few mins and got up to date with messages etc .

 

Netflix standard definition only needs 3mbps, so emails etc are not a problem.

 

I speak of my experience on Breakaway, but if you're getting speed between 2.5 and 3, should be fine .

 

(I'm also able to check home 4 camera CCTV no probs).

 

 

Breakaway is an exception as it was the first NCL ship to get Starlink , after the original pilot there was supposed to be roll-out to all of the NCL ships by October but last update was a delay and a second pilot phase on Breakaway. 

[UKstages]

if 2.75 megabits is the new upgraded speed using starlink, fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy night.

[omahabob]

I can still remember being happy when modems got up to 56k. My, how time flies (but apparently the internet still doesn't on cruise ships).

[podgeandrodge]

10 hours ago, UKstages said:

if 2.75 megabits is the new upgraded speed using starlink, fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy night.

Yeah not great eh! Although the premium streaming WiFi likely a lot better. 

 

But it's fine for surfing and emails. 

15 hours ago, eileeshb said:

Breakaway is an exception as it was the first NCL ship to get Starlink , after the original pilot there was supposed to be roll-out to all of the NCL ships by October but last update was a delay and a second pilot phase on Breakaway. 

Ah that speed is standard across all ships that I've been on for the basic WiFi. As Ukstages said, it's pretty basic.