Jump to content

Wifi


rthiggy

Recommended Posts

To be honest, it would be cheaper to text that to use the Internet. I pay 50 cents onboard to exchange texts, which would be less than any per minute rate I might be able to pay. Further, I'm not sure if per minute plans are still available.

Agreed, texting is fairly inexpensive in short amounts, especially compared to buying a WiFi package.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aren't streaming style apps/programs blocked on the ships that do not have Voom internet?  I am sure that you cannot use skype (besides the bandwidth issues) but what about messaging programs that also perform phone style audio streaming like facebook messenger, google hangouts and probably a thousand others?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Liberty of the Seas can I buy minutes of wifi and not days of wifi. I want to use Whatsap to call home twice day for max of 10 minutes a day. Day packages are too expensive when you only need to use 10 min day.

 

I was just on Liberty last month... no, you cannot purchase minutes anymore... we had the following options:

 

(1) $20 / day for unlimited access for ONE device (any ONE device at a time... you do not have to select a specific device to use exclusively... I took turns with my wife logging into our own iPads),

(2) $30 / day for unlimited access for TWO devices (same as above - you will see advertising for $15 / day... that's effectively the price per device when you select this plan... very misleading advertising). and

(3) $40 for 24 hours unlimited access for ONE device (NOT minutes, but clock time... once you purchase and login, the access expires 24 hours later)

 

* PS - With the first 2 plans, you can sign up at any time during the cruise.  I refused to pay $200 for one device (10-night cruise) at the start of the cruise, so I waited until the mid-point of the cruise and then signed up (pro-rated for remaining days of cruise - last 5 days for $100).  You are charged from the point of sign up to the last day of the cruise at either $20 or $30 / day rate based on plan selected.

 

Also, Liberty does not have VOOM so it is painfully slow most of the time!

 

If you do not want to use your own device, you can log in at the internet cafe (Deck 8)... all of the same plans apply (carry over) whether you use their machines or your own wi-fi enabled device.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely check with your wireless carrier as it sounds like that will be the cheapest option especially if you limit your check-ins to texting. I believe some also only charge for texts sent, but not those received. You might also check if your carrier has a cellular at sea package that gives you a block of minutes for one price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it interesting that you pay more, $20/day, for slow internet than VOOM at $15/day.

 

I preferred the ability to just use minutes.  C & A always gave you some free minutes and I could always jump on and check emails real quickly and not ever have to pay anything.

 

Hopefully, they will lower the rates if Voom is less expensive on the newer ships!  Also since they are "giving" the service away in these promos.

 

I miss the old minutes plan too... when we were on Explorer back in OCT 2013 we used that plan... was not happy when we realized that Liberty did not offer that as an option anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gotta say that the old minutes plan were terrible from a guest satisfaction perspective.

 

On slow internet (non-Voom), you can easily burn through many minutes without actually accomplishing anything.  It lead to a lot of frustrated guests and longer lines at Guest Services.  

 

By making it 24 hours or unlimited, RC solved an issue where guests were upset that they wasted 5, 10, 20 minutes that they paid for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gotta say that the old minutes plan were terrible from a guest satisfaction perspective.

 

On slow internet (non-Voom), you can easily burn through many minutes without actually accomplishing anything.  It lead to a lot of frustrated guests and longer lines at Guest Services.  

 

By making it 24 hours or unlimited, RC solved an issue where guests were upset that they wasted 5, 10, 20 minutes that they paid for.

I agree from the perspective of someone who actually wants to use the internet in any meaningful way besides just checking email.  I used to just use it to check my email to make sure there was nothing important, from a work perspective, that needed my attention.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if the INDY is suppose to get VROOM or will it be stuck with the slow conventional WiFi. I run an online based business and am going to try to remote in to my work PC but it sounds like that may not be possible with the conventional based WiFi.

The current guideline from Royal Caribbean is that the ships that are staying in the Caribbean will be getting VOOM (no "R", despite VROOM sounding better :)). Independence of the Seas will be going back to Southampton next year, so she probably won't be getting VOOM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

like Marc said yep Caribbean ships getting VOOM first - its always easier I think to get off

ships and use internet near the ports, I google all ports and find internet cafe's for like

$5 for 30 minutes and use those most of the time - they always have one close since

many crew members use them - just an idea -no ideal but a lot cheaper sometimes/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The current guideline from Royal Caribbean is that the ships that are staying in the Caribbean will be getting VOOM (no "R", despite VROOM sounding better :)). Independence of the Seas will be going back to Southampton next year, so she probably won't be getting VOOM.

Whoops sorry for the typo, LOL. And yeah that sucks, I can only imagine how hard its going to be to remote in to my PC. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if the INDY is suppose to get VROOM or will it be stuck with the slow conventional WiFi. I run an online based business and am going to try to remote in to my work PC but it sounds like that may not be possible with the conventional based WiFi.

Indy is not on the list of ships to get Voom in the near future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whoops sorry for the typo, LOL. And yeah that sucks, I can only imagine how hard its going to be to remote in to my PC. 

Probably impossible! We tried it a while back for my husband's work and it just didn't happen - with remote access he needs a good ping rate and it was terrible, so if you need the same thing you might struggle. I did OK as I just use normal email, not remote access, but it was still horribly slow . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...