Any Update about Captain's Circle Internet Package Which Changed 4\1\07

[phillipahain]

The entire internet thing is still totally insulting to all those Elite members who have done 400 or 500 days plus of cruises

 

and if the new service is lousy and you have to pay a $3.95 registration fee too it really does make hard earnt Princess perks a joke

[spongerob]

The entire internet thing is still totally insulting to all those Elite members who have done 400 or 500 days plus of cruises

Possibly true, but remember that there are some who have gotten their Elite and Platinum status because Princess allows them to include short coastal cruises of 1-4 days in their total.

[ldoc31]

The entire internet thing is still totally insulting to all those Elite members who have done 400 or 500 days plus of cruises

 

and if the new service is lousy and you have to pay a $3.95 registration fee too it really does make hard earnt Princess perks a joke

 

I doubt that they are much better on the other lines. Looks like you will just have to book suites in the future.

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

The entire internet thing is still totally insulting to all those Elite members who have done 400 or 500 days plus of cruises

 

and if the new service is lousy and you have to pay a $3.95 registration fee too it really does make hard earnt Princess perks a joke

 

I have worked on many ships that have MTN Satellite equipment, they are by far the best for connections and have 9 satellites at their disposal. Also the ships you sailed on previously most likely already had their equipment onboard. The only thing that has changed is the BDE (below deck equipment) and the front end (cafe software). So the speed will be the same if not better on some ships that were using other Sat provider before. Don't go by one or two people saying the service is slower. It's most likely that the service was slower because of other things like location.

 

I was on a ship recently and we had total blockage of the Sat signal in Cozumel, a place I have been hundreds of times (literally) and never had it before. Then the next day we were in Costa Maya and the same thing happened. I couldn't believe it happened twice in a row. The conspiracy theory that spread through the ship was that we had turned it off to allow the local vendors to get more business, which doesn't make any sense. When the real reason was simple, the position of the ship in relation to the mast meant the mast was blocking the signal by sitting right in between the beam. Ten Degrees either way and we would have had a full signal. But some people left the ship convinced that we had switched it off! Sometimes things happen for no other reason.

[phillipahain]

If its cost you a precious 10 minutes of your " internet time " to find out that the ships mast is blocking the signal you can hardly blame some folk for coming up with conspiracy theories

 

I w ill bet no one put a sign on the Internet cafe warning folk of the blockage

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

If its cost you a precious 10 minutes of your " internet time " to find out that the ships mast is blocking the signal you can hardly blame some folk for coming up with conspiracy theories

 

I w ill bet no one put a sign on the Internet cafe warning folk of the blockage

 

It's funny that the complaints still happens here! More theories of how people were ripped off. Haha Unfortunately when I am on the ship and people say things like that to me I have to look serious and respectful but here I can say that the crew of a cruise ship do not sit around thinking of ways to try to rip people off by these tedious methods and if you think that then you are just narrow minded. We all strive to offer the best service we can as the repeat customer is where the money is, not the quick dollar.

 

And to answer your cynical question, of course signs where placed in the cafe and any fees incurred in this manner where refunded.

[Tannersgramp]

If its cost you a precious 10 minutes of your " internet time " to find out that the ships mast is blocking the signal you can hardly blame some folk for coming up with conspiracy theories

 

I w ill bet no one put a sign on the Internet cafe warning folk of the blockage

A wee bit testy are we??:rolleyes:

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

A wee bit testy are we??:rolleyes:

 

You try working on a cruise ship with all of those questions and accusations and not being able to say anything in return, becuase that is what we deal with every day. So when I am asked them here I can afford to say what's on my mind. If you think that is testy then I am not really bothered.

 

I think I reserve most of my responses on these boards to 'matter of fact' answers without getting into it with people (most of the time). I am not representing any cruise line here, I only speak for myself and have no reason to blindly defend them for no reason. Generally I only try to offer information that I am privy to along with my expertise when possible.

[latitude 22]

the packages had to be purchased prior to 4/1 on the Dawn because the new system was in place as one of the 1st ships in the roll out..

 

BUT ...

 

as platinum and elite you could buy UNLIMITED packages at that time and they would be credited off.

 

Now that they kept track of my minutes I realized starting and maintaining a live thread on a regular basis; in addition to my regular emailing

and just a tad playing online on the 5 sea days I used close to 1,000 minutes on a 11 day cruise...

 

I can only imagine how many minutes I went through on my 4 sea days in the middle of the Baltic when I left 3 weeks after I got engaged for a B2B

in Skan/Russia 2 years ago! It is simply amazing how much of a wedding you can plan in California while in the middle of the Baltic Sea!

 

Yep, I am one of those passengers they are targeting...

 

No more live threads for me, and only quick emails when away from home.

 

which is a bummer because I never take less than a 10 day cruise and many many many times a b2b and away for 24 days.

[Tannersgramp]

You try working on a cruise ship with all of those questions and accusations and not being able to say anything in return, becuase that is what we deal with every day. So when I am asked them here I can afford to say what's on my mind. If you think that is testy then I am not really bothered.

 

I think I reserve most of my responses on these boards to 'matter of fact' answers without getting into it with people (most of the time). I am not representing any cruise line here, I only speak for myself and have no reason to blindly defend them for no reason. Generally I only try to offer information that I am privy to along with my expertise when possible.

Capt

My testy comment was by no means directed to you, as you can see by my quoted paragraph this was directed to Philip.

I thank you for the info you provide to this board:)

[edste]

Does anyone know if you can buy the internet package prior to getting on the ship and avoid the lines at the purser? I would imagine that they will be long the first day or two. Edna

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

Capt

My testy comment was by no means directed to you, as you can see by my quoted paragraph this was directed to Philip.

I thank you for the info you provide to this board:)

 

OK I see that, it's my pleasure.

[kruisey]

They told me you don't have to pay up front you just have to log in as usual.One has to make a note of the minutes because after the free ones you are charged.

[Tannersgramp]

They told me you don't have to pay up front you just have to log in as usual.One has to make a note of the minutes because after the free ones you are charged.

 

 

I have found that if you ask 10 Princess reps, you will get 10 answers ( no 2 the same ).

 

This board will give you much more accurate info

[CRLess]

Does anyone know if you can buy the internet package prior to getting on the ship and avoid the lines at the purser? I would imagine that they will be long the first day or two. Edna

 

There are no lines and you don't have to go to the pursers desk to sign up. You sign up by logging on the first time and you have to select a package. Your user ID is your first intitial, then last name, then cabin number (example JSmithA410). You are then asked to create a password. The charge for the package shows up on your Folio and is immediately credited back based on your Captain's Circle status. You can review how much time you have left at any time and I believe you even get a warning when you are about to go over. Since the internet was so slow, I just gave up and had no fear of going over my limit. I have my folio from last week here in front of me and there was NO set-up charge for using the internet.

 

Another interesting thing...when the internet was "faster" during the week, I posted to a Live From thread. However, each time I made a post, I would get kicked out of Cruise Critic and couldn't log back in. That certainly added to my frustration.

[AliceS]

I have found that if you ask 10 Princess reps, you will get 10 answers ( no 2 the same ).

 

This board will give you much more accurate info

 

 

 

Now, this is what I found. No one knows what's up. I started a thread and was blasted about saying FREE internet was ending April 1. You get something, but who knows what? We'll see. I think some were taking advantage and we'll all pay for that. I saw people letting friends who were first time cruisers use their card to go online. What can I say?

[JotWorld]

So the 2 hour plan (120 minutes) is $75.00 but the 250 minute plan (130 minutes more than the 2 hour plan) is only $100?

 

So $25 extra buys MORE than double the time in the 2 hour plan....that's not a bad little upgrade.

 

Great point, 130 extra minutes @ 19 cents each.:eek: It sure beats 75 cents/min.:rolleyes:

Jot:)

[Ted&Molly]

It's funny that the complaints still happens here! More theories of how people were ripped off. Haha Unfortunately when I am on the ship and people say things like that to me I have to look serious and respectful but here I can say that the crew of a cruise ship do not sit around thinking of ways to try to rip people off by these tedious methods and if you think that then you are just narrow minded. We all strive to offer the best service we can as the repeat customer is where the money is, not the quick dollar.

 

And to answer your cynical question, of course signs where placed in the cafe and any fees incurred in this manner where refunded.

I'm glad someone (you) finally said it. These rip-off conspiracy theories are created out of cynical thin air--and, perhaps in some cases, clinical paranoia. How sad.

[FredS]

On my just complete Regal Princess cruise there was no $3.95 sign up fee. The I-Cafe had a notice that said minutes had to be bought BEFORE you could use the internet system. You could buy less than 250 but that is what I got. It often seems that different ships run some things different than other ships in the same company. I am continually reminded that what people say is only what they did or happened to them, it may be totally different for me.

[Buddy604]

I have worked on many ships that have MTN Satellite equipment, they are by far the best for connections and have 9 satellites at their disposal. Also the ships you sailed on previously most likely already had their equipment onboard. The only thing that has changed is the BDE (below deck equipment) and the front end (cafe software). So the speed will be the same if not better on some ships that were using other Sat provider before. Don't go by one or two people saying the service is slower. It's most likely that the service was slower because of other things like location.

 

I was on a ship recently and we had total blockage of the Sat signal in Cozumel, a place I have been hundreds of times (literally) and never had it before. Then the next day we were in Costa Maya and the same thing happened. I couldn't believe it happened twice in a row. The conspiracy theory that spread through the ship was that we had turned it off to allow the local vendors to get more business, which doesn't make any sense. When the real reason was simple, the position of the ship in relation to the mast meant the mast was blocking the signal by sitting right in between the beam. Ten Degrees either way and we would have had a full signal. But some people left the ship convinced that we had switched it off! Sometimes things happen for no other reason.

No tin foil hat here - I'm heading out next month and will see for myself how the new internet is working. It's interesting, though, that for the past month or so, even before the new rates went into effect, people have been complaining about the slower speed. When it turns out that those complaints coincidentally have occured as Princess has switched to a new internet provider, I don't think it's unreasonable to put two and two together.

 

It may not be the uplink that's at issue, but some new network configuration that's undergoing a bit of shakedown. I work in the IT field and I know that we have encountered unexpected network lags after introducing new hardware or software, which later turned out to require re-optimization just to get things back to the level they were before the change. Nature of the beast.

 

Occam's Razor, anyone? If a bunch of people are complaining that the internet is slower and there is a new system or provider involved? Well, my first assumption wouldn't be that they're all imagining it. :D

[pablo222]

Although it may have seemed it, the service although under new management will still be going through the same sat onboard so the slowness if there was any from normal was probably caused by something else, like location, weather technical difficulties etc.

 

I've been on Carribbean Princess four times. Twice with the

'old' princess internet system, and November 2006, and two

weeks ago with the new vendor.

 

New vendor is awful. It was bad in November, and did not

improve by March. I don't think poor service over four

month can be attributed to 'technical difficulties'...

 

March -- 5:00AM -- only person in the internet cafe

-- over 6.5 minutes to log in to their system, go to yahoo mail,

and open the first message in my inbox. Even the vendor's

authentication of your account info (name+cabin,password) is

painful. Simply no excuse.

 

I ran a cnet speedtest several times -- 16 - 26K.

$75 credit isn't going to go too far at that speed.

 

Additionally, the attendant (who I believe was a vendor

employee, based on his logo-wear) was a total snot.

Very dismissive and condescending.

 

He told me everything was fine, and that he had run speed tests,

I was wrong, everything was ok.

 

The next day they put up warning signs basically saying that the

service was slow, use at your own risk. From that, I guessed

I wasn't wrong. (I'll see if I can attach a picture of the sign)

 

I complained to the computer officer, the first pursar, and wrote a

note to the PSD. They responded and told me -- that the vendor

was splitting the bandwidth between ship services and passanger

internet, makeing it slow for passangers. And, that they had

been working with the vendor for a while, and were hopeful that the vendor would supply additional bandwidth.

 

Personally, I found it totally unusable, and even though it was free

to me from the captains circle, I used services on shore.

Far, far less frustrating.

 

It's like the CC free laundry and dry cleaning -- if you return my clothes

shredded, it really isn't much of a benefit.

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

I don't think it's unreasonable to put two and two together.

 

It may not be the uplink that's at issue, but some new network configuration that's undergoing a bit of shakedown. I work in the IT field and I know that we have encountered unexpected network lags after introducing new hardware or software, which later turned out to require re-optimization just to get things back to the level they were before the change. Nature of the beast.

 

You are right that it is not unreasonable to suggest there could teething problems, however you have to take into account how many people are complaining compared to how many use the service every cruise. Earlier in this thread somebody said they only heard one complaint, that's very good for any ship. I look after many ship's systems including the Satellite, and I can tell you that I have had people complain about the speed when it's been at the fastest I could ever muster! I know that people on CC often have a lot of time at sea and therefore can compare with previous cruises so their input is more valid.

 

If there are any tech issues I am sure that this will be ironed if that is the case. MTN are very competent and serviced over 40 ships before taking over Princess.

 

I complained to the computer officer, the first pursar, and wrote a

note to the PSD. They responded and told me -- that the vendor

was splitting the bandwidth between ship services and passanger

internet, makeing it slow for passangers. And, that they had

been working with the vendor for a while, and were hopeful that the vendor would supply additional bandwidth.

 

This situation is always the case, the incoming Sat bandwidth is always split at the source so this is not the reason it's slow. This is vital to the running of the ship that ship's systems and hotel, deck and engine department have access. Nothing has changed there, however since the changeover it is possible that tweeking is needed.

[Globaliser]

This situation is always the case, the incoming Sat bandwidth is always split at the source so this is not the reason it's slow. This is vital to the running of the ship that ship's systems and hotel, deck and engine department have access.

Forgive an old cynic for this observation, but it's always been a source of annoyance to me how we passengers are charged through the nose for using a satellite comms connection that the ship must have for its own purposes in any event.

 

In a very real sense, the profit margin on the passenger charge is paying for an ordinary overhead expense of running the ship. It's a bit like encouraging passengers to "tip", when what they're doing is paying the crew's basic wages.

 

I won't leave the crew out of pocket. But as far as the Internet is concerned, I voted with my feet some years ago. I only use the ship's Internet in emergencies now.

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

Forgive an old cynic for this observation, but it's always been a source of annoyance to me how we passengers are charged through the nose for using a satellite comms connection that the ship must have for its own purposes in any event.

 

In a very real sense, the profit margin on the passenger charge is paying for an ordinary overhead expense of running the ship. It's a bit like encouraging passengers to "tip", when what they're doing is paying the crew's basic wages.

 

I won't leave the crew out of pocket. But as far as the Internet is concerned, I voted with my feet some years ago. I only use the ship's Internet in emergencies now.

 

I understand your point about the tipping very well, and that never used to be the case. My brother worked on the QE2 in the seventies as a waiter and he was paid a very good wage, the tips were just that, tips. Then in the late seventies they started taxing the tips (this is when the ship was British), that was the beginning of the end. Now they ONLY get tips!

 

However, as far as the Satellite, it's not the same. The only reason the ship's systems have been able to make use of the C-Band (Internet) is because of the Internet cafes. Before that happened back in 1999 the ship's crew had to use Inmarsat-B phone calls and Inmarsat-B ISDN (designed for emergency use from navigational bridge. The ISDN was only fired up a couple of times a day to send of credit card charges etc. as it was (and still is) VERY expensive to use.

 

I'm sure some of the veteran cruisers on this board will remember having to send emails through the communications officer and receiving replies under the door later or the following day.

 

So the system has evolved and things have been improved with the new technology which helps provide a better experience for the passengers. That sounds like spin having just re-read it but it's true.

 

As for 'paying through the nose' you have to remember where you are when you sit in the internet cafe. Your not at home, we can't run a cable from the back of the ship, (although I have been asked on more than one occasion if we 'had' cable odem) we can't use the network that supports your houses back in the real world. Your ships relies on completely different technology to provide you something that resembles something you get at home for much less with faster speeds.

 

The ratio is this: 20% of the speed for 200% cost. That is the cost of supplying this system to you. Have you any idea how much it costs to lease bandwidth through a satellite these days, MTN has nine of these, their base in Florida is huge with parabolic dishes that Nasa would be proud of, 24 hour support for all ships regardless of their location, not to mention the hardware onboard or ADE (above deck equipment), this all costs a huge amount of money. We can't just go to Radio Shack and buy a package that we plug into our phone line and get 2Mbits.

 

Also the price of this system has fallen dramatically over the years since it's inception. The prices have come down and the speed has increased (generally) and I am sure it will continue. However it will never (with current technology) be as fast as what you can get on land, that is something people will justhave to accept.

[Globaliser]

However, as far as the Satellite, it's not the same. The only reason the ship's systems have been able to make use of the C-Band (Internet) is because of the Internet cafes.

...

So the system has evolved and things have been improved with the new technology which helps provide a better experience for the passengers.

...

As for 'paying through the nose' you have to remember where you are when you sit in the internet cafe. Your not at home, we can't run a cable from the back of the ship, (although I have been asked on more than one occasion if we 'had' cable odem) we can't use the network that supports your houses back in the real world. Your ships relies on completely different technology to provide you something that resembles something you get at home for much less with faster speeds.

Obviously, satellite comms are expensive.

 

But put in dryer language, my point is this: To what extent are charges to passengers via the Internet cafe subsidising the availability to the ship of an open Internet connection?

 

The cynic in me suspects that the answer is "To a very large extent".

 

And it is that that puts it into the same category as "tipping": Purportedly discretionary passenger expenditure is subsidising company costs that are actually basic operating overheads.