[SoniaByNight]

Hey guys, new sailor here! I was wondering what everyone's experience with the wifi and phone service was on the boat? This is a working vacation for me, not to mention that I want to be able to make plans with friends staying in other rooms on the ship, so I need access to some sort of internet. From the research I've already done the wifi seems pretty damn expensive, so is there enough cell phone service (or any for that matter?) to be able to use my data plan instead?

Cheers!

[Jaimie38]

Welcome to the Madness!

The service is still good on the ship until we get into the waters--say an hour off of Florida. Then I think you're out of luck until we get to Jamaica. The ship has an office/buisness centre and I paid $9 / half hour for internet while in Jamaica.


Phones are pretty much only for taking pics of drunk people the rest of the time...... and maybe some bands...

[SoniaByNight]

Oy. I found this with regard to WiFi. If it's accurate, and it's true that it's throughout the ship, I may just suck it up and pay for it, since I work in social media and need consistent access.

http://cruiseadvice.org/CruiseShips/WiF ... f+the+seas

By the way, this may seem like a jaded question, but if there's no service or internet, and everyone is constantly running around a massive ship how do people stay in contact? Several friends of mine are first time sailors as well, and we're trying to coordinate plans to get together but have no idea how we'll find each other if we're never in our rooms.

[Memnoch]

I just stayed in the pub. Was fairly easy for everyone to find me.

[SaraMarie]

how do people stay in contact?

I mean, you kind of do and kind of don't. The ship is big, but people are constantly crossing paths. You can always do it the old fashioned way and set a time and place to meet ahead of time, and if someone doesn't shop up, move on without 'em.

Someone I ran into last year bought a pair of walkie talkies that I think were meant to be for kids, but I never found out from them if that worked out. They didn't even have them out of the plastic yet. Anyway, that's an idea I guess.

Smoke signals may be frowned upon, by the way.

[liser]

Did you check with your provider? Rogers has a roaming package for cruise ships. It's still outrageously expensive but may be better than what's offered on the ship.

[D.T. Metal]

Oy. I found this with regard to WiFi. If it's accurate, and it's true that it's throughout the ship, I may just suck it up and pay for it, since I work in social media and need consistent access.

http://cruiseadvice.org/CruiseShips/WiF ... f+the+seas

Royal Caribbean offers WiFi packages which are actually pretty cheap. Yes, they do offer hourly internet also (in their internet cafe), but if you need to be online 24/7 it's only $20 a day.

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/06/16/royal-caribbean-wifi-internet-what-you-need-know

[mikijonas]

Last year I used the wi-fi package. I could access the internet all over the ship. It wasn't a great speed, but it was decent enough that I could update my fb with photos. I think I paid around USD 80 for the duration of the cruise.

[doomguy]

Last year I used the wi-fi package. I could access the internet all over the ship. It wasn't a great speed, but it was decent enough that I could update my fb with photos. I think I paid around USD 80 for the duration of the cruise.

Damn, $80 just to upload Facebook photos? What a waste of money, you must have been really keen for everyone to see your photos. Photos can wait until after the cruise.

[J.m.Andersson]

walkietalkies!
Key finders!
Strings!

[Mal2000]

but if you need to be online 24/7 it's only $20 a day.

so, that's like 3.5 beer per day
than I prefer beer instead of internet but I am old and not addicted to internet

[Metaladdict187]

I was able text the whole cruise. I paid for it, but i could if i needed to.

[Pellaz]

Dangit, I might suck it up and pay the $20/day, too. IF the service is reasonably fast....which it typically isn't on cruise ships.
I'll ask over on CruiseCritic and see what the consensus is.

Gotta say, I got the "medium level" WiFi on my last Carnival cruise for $10/day (their "new and improved WiFi") and it was excellent. Speed was fast enough that we could voice-call friends at home using the FB messenger app...a lot better than paying $2/min via the ship. (Video calling didn't work well enough, though.)
I'm guessing Royal's isn't quite as good...yet, anyway.

[SoniaByNight]

Last year I used the wi-fi package. I could access the internet all over the ship. It wasn't a great speed, but it was decent enough that I could update my fb with photos. I think I paid around USD 80 for the duration of the cruise.

This sounds perfect! Much better deal than what I found. Did you purchase it on the ship or beforehand?

[SaraMarie]

but if you need to be online 24/7 it's only $20 a day.

so, that's like 3.5 beer per day
than I prefer beer instead of internet but I am old and not addicted to internet

Me too, but my mother almost guilt tripped me into it, so I had to look it up. I saw the $20/day, too. Instead of paying that, I am leaving an emergency sheet with her about the dog, giving the vet's phone number, and I will trust her judgement if she decides he is sick or hurt. You'd think nobody left a kid behind for a week with the grandparents before, let alone a freakin' dog.

I do want to get online just to check email when we're in Falmouth, though. I'm having trouble finding info about wifi there. Has anyone been to that port in the past few years or otherwise know about this?

[Speedy]

I do want to get online just to check email when we're in Falmouth, though. I'm having trouble finding info about wifi there. Has anyone been to that port in the past few years or otherwise know about this?

It looks like Margaritaville has WiFi. You may need to buy something to use it.

[Mal2000]

You'd think nobody left a kid behind for a week with the grandparents before, let alone a freakin' dog.

Well, I did leave my baby son for 10 days with my Mom, when he was only 2 years old. I was indeed on a cruise and at that time there were NO network or internet at any ship.
I did call my Mom every second day from the ship radio room, though. Usually adults are quite capable of taking care of kids, or dogs

[ANTIKRISS]

Why do you need internet so much?

I mean, im on the internets 24/24, but on the cruise i enjoy the life without internets.

[SaraMarie]

You'd think nobody left a kid behind for a week with the grandparents before, let alone a freakin' dog.

Well, I did leave my baby son for 10 days with my Mom, when he was only 2 years old. I was indeed on a cruise and at that time there were NO network or internet at any ship.
I did call my Mom every second day from the ship radio room, though. Usually adults are quite capable of taking care of kids, or dogs

Hahaha, I remember back in the '80s when my family had a dog, and nobody worried about this kind of thing. My mother is anti-social but became a hardcore puppy helicopter parent over her own dogs when the nest emptied. I trust her judgement if the dog gets sick, though. She's silly for being nervous about 4 days of no contact. It's not like I could run back if something happened, anyway.

I do still kind of want free or cheap wifi at the port. I got laid off in December and might also need to accept an interview or job offer for all I know. Being hung over and day drinking might not be a good time to reply, though.

I do want to get online just to check email when we're in Falmouth, though. I'm having trouble finding info about wifi there. Has anyone been to that port in the past few years or otherwise know about this?

It looks like Margaritaville has WiFi. You may need to buy something to use it.

Ha! Buying something there isn't a problem for me at all. I was planning to buy a few souvenirs, go there for early lunch and then power nap on the ship.

[SoniaByNight]

Why do you need internet so much?

I mean, im on the internets 24/24, but on the cruise i enjoy the life without internets.

As I said in my original post, I'm on the cruise partially for business purposes. I need to be able to post to the company I work for's social media pages.

[Pellaz]

Why do you need internet so much?

I mean, im on the internets 24/24, but on the cruise i enjoy the life without internets.

It's been the same way for me on every cruise I've been on so far (7), including last year's 70K.

BUT....after experiencing what a reasonably fast shipboard satellite WiFi can do on my last cruise (in October on Carnival Conquest), for a mere $10/day, I realized there were a lot of things that kind of contact makes possible.
Even leaving aside making ship-to-shore voice calls with FB Messenger, our ability to message each other meant we could coordinate meetings and a pool party during the cruise, and leave FB messages for our friends to let them know where we'd be, etc. Considering the lightspeed lag round-trip up to the satellite and back is about a half-second, the service was shockingly fast.

Is that worth $20/day? For me, probably not. After all, you can always leave messages for friends via the voice-mail on their stateroom phones.
Is it worth $10/day? Yep, I think so, for fast service.

[Blackfhyre]

I was looking where to find the internet package for $20/day. Anyone know where to find this?

Thanks!

[cronos23462]

I use the app LINE on my phone,has text,voice and video.works great ,I talk to a frend in japan all the time on it and it sounds just like regular phone service , and the video is better than skype

[The Bus From Speed]

If I were you, honestly I'd leave your phone in the cabin safe. I'm bringing two radios to keep in touch with my group, but outside that I plan on being as disconnected as possible.

As said above, phones are for pictures and that's about it.

[Pellaz]

I was looking where to find the internet package for $20/day. Anyone know where to find this?

Thanks!

I think this is something you sign up for on the boat, with your device, and it gets charged to your onbroad account. I didn't see it offered on Royal's Cruise Planner page.

[Razor Ramon]

I bought it on the cruise planner.

[Jefe]

I lost my wallet during boarding last year. Customer service gave me 30 minutes free internet in the computer lounge to get a hold of my bank. Speed was decent. I'm sure you can sign up for it once you're onbroad.

We're taking walkie talkies this year. Leaving notes on doors didn't work to well. Meeting at certsin places at agreed upon times is ok. Not too many other options

[Pellaz]

I lost my wallet during boarding last year. Customer service gave me 30 minutes free internet in the computer lounge to get a hold of my bank. Speed was decent. I'm sure you can sign up for it once you're onbroad.

We're taking walkie talkies this year. Leaving notes on doors didn't work to well. Meeting at certsin places at agreed upon times is ok. Not too many other options

You can leave a message on someone's room-phone (just like at a regular hotel)....but it's a pain.

[Blackfhyre]

I bought it on the cruise planner.

Cruise Planner?- I am unfamiliar with this. I want the internet not to contact anyone or social media or anything, i want it to stream the super bowl during the shows.

[Razor Ramon]

I paid for it when I checked in, it's with all the excursions and stuff.