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Best cruise ship internet by far

M

max2

macrumors 603
Original poster
May 31, 2015
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Is on Norwegian Cruise lines by far and it is cheap too in my opinion.

Royal Caribbean could outdo them soon whenever Starlink gets activated for their cruise ships in 2023! Can not wait!



Sure the ping is still horrible right now but bandwidth wise it is really good for streaming!


Nice to have internet when not dining on the ship, seeing a show, or seeing cruise ship dock in a new location !



Wonder if cellular would be any cheaper or better? Doubt it.
 
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My experience on ocean voyages (Disney, Viking), internet by way of the ship/sat, is slow and expensive, and charged by the minute. I usually forgo internet on the ocean. This easily could be subject to change.
 
max2 said:
Is on Norwegian Cruise lines by far and it is cheap too in my opinion.

Royal Caribbean could outdo them soon whenever Starlink gets activated for their cruise ships in 2023! Can not wait!



Sure the ping is still horrible right now but bandwidth wise it is really good for streaming!


Nice to have internet when not dining on the ship, seeing a show, or seeing cruise ship dock in a new location !



Wonder if cellular would be any cheaper or better? Doubt it.
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Imo RC has excellent coverage on the newer ships (like Oasis class) but on the older ones (like Radiance) it is really horrible. 5 years ago, I had no problems streaming videos live from the ship on Harmony, but on older ships I was barely able to surf online.

Note: I never buy internet packages, they are horribly overpriced. We always get one free day to try out. Other than that, I use normal cellular service.
 
andreasfcb said:
Imo RC has excellent coverage on the newer ships (like Oasis class) but on the older ones (like Radiance) it is really horrible. 5 years ago, I had no problems streaming videos live from the ship on Harmony, but on older ships I was barely able to surf online.

Note: I never buy internet packages, they are horribly overpriced. We always get one free day to try out. Other than that, I use normal cellular service.
Click to expand...

Good to know.
 
andreasfcb said:
Imo RC has excellent coverage on the newer ships (like Oasis class) but on the older ones (like Radiance) it is really horrible. 5 years ago, I had no problems streaming videos live from the ship on Harmony, but on older ships I was barely able to surf online.

Note: I never buy internet packages, they are horribly overpriced. We always get one free day to try out. Other than that, I use normal cellular service.
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you have cell service on cruises?

these days, it seems like wifi is usually a bundled perk in my experience
 
dukebound85 said:
you have cell service on cruises?

these days, it seems like wifi is usually a bundled perk in my experience
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I am European and yes, we have cell services on many locations while cruising in the Mediterranean and Northern areas. If you cruise in Europe, you have barely any cruising days anyway and you can still be online nearly all day ashore. No need to have a connection in the evening and night at sea in my opinion. Of course, you might lose reception in the middle of the ocean, but as @decafjava said, it is sometimes better just to cut yourself off for a few hours. This is one thing I personally enjoy most on a cruise.

By the way, I am always surprised how many people buy those internet packages. On the last cruise I took (July), I saw people taking video calls all the time while the ship was in the middle of the ocean. The packages cost like 25$ per day and you need to buy it for the whole cruise. A seven day cruise on a non-suite balcony cabin maybe costs around 1500$ per person. An internet package will easily add more than 10 % to your bill. On Royal Caribbean, internet is never included in the price.
 
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decafjava said:
Why not take a break from internet as a tiny reminder of sailing in days of yore when one was utterly cut off?
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In theory I agree with you, but with aging parents on both sides, it was kind of a necessity. Now mine are gone, but the wife's mom is 86 and likes to fall when we are either on vacation or getting ready to go on vacation. Part of me thinks she does it on purpose because she is pissed we didn't take her.
 
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max2 said:
I do that why I only buy Wifi for certain days.
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Or pick a time at night when you get back. It's still nice to stay in touch a little and maybe send a few pics. I thought Carnival was ok for what it was. I think the most you could do on top tier was video chat. Weren't allowed to do streaming. And never use cellular unless you want to pay a ton for roaming. Although today i think some carriers may have cruise ship plans for a bit of a cost. If you go to the included countries, you can get Day Pass/Travel Pass/ whatever T-Mo has and pay like $10 a day to have international use come out of your domestic buckets
 
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