Will need to do a zoom meeting on ship, will base internet work?

[wozswoman]

I signed up for Voom Surf package but got to wondering if I need the upgraded one to get on my zoom conference? I read other posts about the internet being spotty and taking forever so I thought I would ask the pros.  

Thanks!

[SpeedNoodles]

Yes, you'll need Surf and Stream for a Zoom call.

[twangster]

Surf only can do wifi calling but no video.  Surf & Stream is a much better experience.  

All ships are not equal for Voom and all regions are not equal for Voom.

On an Alaska cruise do your Zoom over cellular while at a port.  Voom in Alaska is very spotty because it's so far North and satellite coverage is lacking.

Anywhere and everywhere Voom can be spotty at times.  If its raining satellite internet gets slow and Zoom may not work at all even on the newest ships with the best Voom technology.  

[MLH]

On 9/14/2021 at 12:27 AM, twangster said:

Surf only can do wifi calling but no video.  Surf & Stream is a much better experience.  

All ships are not equal for Voom and all regions are not equal for Voom.

On an Alaska cruise do your Zoom over cellular while at a port.  Voom in Alaska is very spotty because it's so far North and satellite coverage is lacking.

Anywhere and everywhere Voom can be spotty at times.  If its raining satellite internet gets slow and Zoom may not work at all even on the newest ships with the best Voom technology.  

Do you know the average upload speed for Zoom on Harmony on the Caribbean on a nice day, no rain.  Have to upload a 15 page word document

[twangster]

2 hours ago, MLH said:

Do you know the average upload speed for Zoom on Harmony on the Caribbean on a nice day, no rain.  Have to upload a 15 page word document

~4 Mb down, ~2 Mb up.

It's been that way for years.  Variations close to this:

 

[Heymarco]

10 hours ago, MLH said:

Do you know the average upload speed for Zoom on Harmony on the Caribbean on a nice day, no rain.  Have to upload a 15 page word document

You could upload a 15 page word document on a 56k modem, no need to worry.

[Maria Zonni]

I need to do a Zoom meeting on Odyssey of the Seas Ship. We will be doing the 7 Night Greek Isles Cruise leaving from Rome.

I will be purchasing the Surf & Stream package. Will this work for me??

[Cactus527]

10 hours ago, Maria Zonni said:

I need to do a Zoom meeting on Odyssey of the Seas Ship. We will be doing the 7 Night Greek Isles Cruise leaving from Rome.

I will be purchasing the Surf & Stream package. Will this work for me??

I did a Zoom meeting via Surf & Stream on my last cruise. We were in port at the time, but it was fine for me to hear and see others. My video was a bit laggy, but I'm unsure if that was the connection via ship or something else. Hope this helps!

[PL8SWPR]

Is being in the meeting without video an option?

[Cactus527]

1 hour ago, PL8SWPR said:

Is being in the meeting without video an option?

Keeping video off is always an option: this is how I eat, drink, roll my eyes, and make choking motions at others without getting in trouble.

[Ampurp85]

I was on Odyssey in November, the internet had not been updated to starlink yet and I can say it was very hard to do Zoom or Teams. Maybe now won't be an issue.

[Work From Sea]

I have another thread on here about Spending 2024 At Sea.  My goal is to live aboard and work from different back to back sailings for all of 2024.  So I have similar internet concerns as you do.  I still think I can do it, but the overwhelming responses I've gotten from this community is that reliable internet is not a given.  Speeds can vary wildly and seem to be the best in ports.  And also best the closer you stay to the equator.  If you sail too far North or South or out into the Atlantic, the speeds drop dramatically.  Starlink, if available, gets better reviews.  I like your odds better than mine if you are in the Caribbean and on ship for a short time.  Especially if you have some flexibility with your call scheduling or needing the video aspect.  I'm trying to be gone the whole year so I'll have a lot of calls to do during that time where I need to present via video.  I'm not confident that shipboard internet packages will work for me.  Would love to hear your experience when you get back.