HAL Internet Access Question

[ESummerson]

Hi! I'll be sailing on the Rotterdam on August 11th, and I'm curious about internet access on the ship. HAL's brochures say that there are computers on board, but I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with them. Specifically, I'm curious to know if it's fairly easy to get on, or if you have to reserve a time. I'd also like to know if there's a fee. I've heard some cruise ships charge anywhere between .75 and $1 per minute to use their computers. (That could really add up!)

 

Thanks!

[HeinBloed]

Hi! I'll be sailing on the Rotterdam on August 11th, and I'm curious about internet access on the ship. HAL's brochures say that there are computers on board, but I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with them. Specifically, I'm curious to know if it's fairly easy to get on, or if you have to reserve a time. I'd also like to know if there's a fee. I've heard some cruise ships charge anywhere between .75 and $1 per minute to use their computers. (That could really add up!)

 

Thanks!

 

On EURODAM it worked quite well - unfortunately during our voyage there were problems with the connectivity for my own notebook but the public worked very properly.

 

 

The minutes packages may vary depending the length of the cruise and day of purchase.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[ESummerson]

Thank you so much! Do you remember seeing any people waiting to use the computers, or do remember anything about people having to make a reservation to use them? The photo is great! Now I have a better idea of what to expect. Thx.

[HeinBloed]

Thank you so much! Do you remember seeing any people waiting to use the computers, or do remember anything about people having to make a reservation to use them? The photo is great! Now I have a better idea of what to expect. Thx.

 

I cannot say it for ROTTERDAM because I was on EURODAM.

 

There you see:

 

 

So you see there are some PCs available.

 

Even we might had to wait we did not feel sorry,

 

because...

 

1. the nicest lounge on the whole ship was just next to the Internet Café,

 

 

 

2. there is a library...

and

3. it's a true Internet Café

 

 

There were enough options to kill the time there around if all PCs were have been taken.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[ESummerson]

Thanks for everything! At least now I have an idea of what to expect. I can't wait!

[DebbieS732]

We just returned tonight from a 10 day cruise on the Eurodam. There were plenty of PCs in the internet cafe. At sea day, there were more people using them but we never had a problem getting one.

 

You can buy 250 minutes for $100 or 120 minutes for $50 or 75 cent per minute. You get extra 'bonus' minutes if you sign up the first day.

 

I will say that the internet was very slow, most of the time. We also brought a netbook. It seems that the connection was little better on the ship's PCs than when we used our netbook in our cabin.

[ESummerson]

Thanks for the heads up about the slow connection. The tip about signing up for internet access on the first day is good to know. I'll be sure to look out for that. This is my first cruise, so I would think that the first day will be a little overwhelming!

[Sandy64]

I have been on 9 cruises and always found that the internet is very very slow, and lots of downtime, particularly in the Baltic. I now no longer try from the ship, but try much quicker, reliable and cheaper internet cafes in port, or sometimes, if lucky, free wireless access in some places (if you have your own laptop).

[ESummerson]

Thanks for the info. I will go back to my guide books and read the internet access section for each country more carefully now. I think it's the Rick Steves Scandinavia book that mentions low cost ways to find access. I think I remember reading that train stations and libraries have free or low cost options. Also, I remember something about the cruise port in Warnemunde having internet access. The amount of research involved in a Baltic Cruise is daunting sometimes! So many countries! Thanks again!