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Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
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What to Know About Wi-Fi on Each Major Ocean and River Cruise Line - Travel Market Report
What to Know About Wi-Fi on Each Major Ocean and River Cruise Line.
Posted: Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
On many lines, certain locations — such as public spaces near the center of the ship — tend to have better connectivity than other places (like your cabin). The Email plan is 200 MB, which would amount to between 15 and 60 minutes of time online. The Surfing plan provides 500 MB, suitable for light surfing for approximately five hours. Regent provides one complimentary login per suite that is limited to one device at a time.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Wi-Fi and Internet
The Stay Connected package allows access to popular non-video social media channels. The Basic plan adds web browsing, email and Wi-Fi voice calling. The Premium plan adds video calling and video channels like TikTok, as well as music streaming. The WhatsApp plan is for those who use WhatsApp to talk, text and share photos.
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Ships also offer an Internet café with computers available to use with your Wi-Fi package. The Celebrity iLounge, the first Authorized Apple Specialist at Sea, is also available for cruisers 24 hours daily. Here you can log on to the internet on workstations (for a fee), take classes, get help with your Apple devices and even buy new Apple products. But, in the end, there are limits to just how well a satellite system can work. For starters, a ship needs a clear "line of sight" to a satellite to exchange data, something that isn't always the case. Cruise ships traveling through the famed Norwegian fjords, for instance, can lose their satellite signal due to the height of surrounding mountains.
Price: Complimentary
In that case, you may wonder if upgrading to Premium WiFi is worth upgrading at $9.99 per person per day when purchased before the cruise. Cruise line credit cards vary in their rewards programs, especially when you are looking at how to earn and redeem enough points for a free cruise. What they all have in common, however, is the ability to redeem smaller batches of points for either onboard credit or a statement credit for your onboard purchases, including Wi-Fi packages. Guests can connect to the internet via a personal device such as a smartphone or laptop, or they can use one of the ship's computers in the Business Center, located on Deck 1.
Price: Starting at $25.99 per day
Wi-Fi plans available for purchase by the day or for the cruise duration include a Premium plan that has full Internet connectivity other than video streaming. To stream video from services like Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime, the Stream plan is available at a higher price. Keep in mind that these services often have licensing restrictions outside the U.S. and some content may not be available. The Essential plan provides access to web browsing, email and social media.
Royal Caribbean has an extensive app for guests to manage their cruise experience both before and during the sailing. Computer centers with internet access are available on all Regent ships. Satellite Wi-Fi connectivity is available for purchase throughout all Disney ships.
That said, for a cruise ship, the internet service on Celebrity Edge and other Celebrity ships actually is quite fast. And it lived up to its billing as a service fast enough to let you watch Netflix movies and shows at sea. I ran speed tests many times during the sailing, at different times, using the website speedtest.net both on my laptop and on an iPhone.
Some wireless carriers offer cruise packages; prior to cruising contact your wireless carrier for details on the rates and plans available to you. In comparison to internet speeds at resorts on land, the speeds I measured above may seem excruciatingly slow. But I found the Xcelerate Stream service on Celebrity Edge did allow me to stream movies, as promised. I was able to continue binge-watching "Downton Abbey" on Netflix at bedtime with no problem. Note that at certain status levels in Celebrity's loyalty program (the Captain's Club) you can get a discount on the packages.
To start, there is no Comcast cable wire running to your cruise ship. On cruise ships, every packet of data you are downloading onto your phone or computer, for the most part, is coming over a satellite, which is not a quick or inexpensive proposition. Prices and Offers are subject to availability and change without notice, may be withdrawn at any time, and not applicable to charters or contracted groups.
Diamond-level members of Seabourn Club and guests booked in Penthouse and Premium suites receive the Stream plan on a complimentary basis. Passengers in other suite categories can upgrade for a charge of $19.95 per day. MSC Cruises offers two internet packages with a 20% discount for booking ahead of your sailing.
For example, The Points Guy did a recent sampling of fares on the Amex site, checking them against Holland America's and found that the fares were quite similar, but the bonuses were not. Amex was offering onboard credit of $150 on a seven-night Alaska sailing in a balcony cabin, with no mention of any other specials or perks. The same fare on Holland America's website included four perks with a total value well over $150.
If you book an Always Included fare for a Celebrity cruise, you'll only pay for internet if you upgrade to the faster Xcelerate Stream service. The rates above were per day based on buying the service for the entire cruise. You can't get these rates if you just want internet access for a single day. Celebrity's Xcelerate internet service doesn't operate at the same speed on every one of the line's vessels.
While all these apps work off cruise ship Wi-Fi, the good news is they don't require the purchase of a plan to use. Nor do they come with any other sort of fee — at least for most features. The maritime communication companies that specialize in providing internet connections to ships have been trying to speed things up in recent years. Solutions have included adding more satellites and linking their systems to land-based towers that connect with ships as they near shore. Rates for cellular service at sea are determined by your wireless carrier.
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