Internet Access on Cruise Ships?

[GracieBayb]

I'm going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if anybody has been on one before. Any tips/advice? I was also trying to find out if there is internet access on the ship?

[BigJon]

I know Carnival does.

[AlpineJay]

Princess does too. But at around 35 cents a pop (I believe) it's not cheap. It's also obviously slower than your average broadband - think slightly better than 56K access.

As for tips and advice:
1. If you drink soda, get yourself one of those soda cards. It was 25 bucks on Princess for a 7-day cruise and was well worth it. (*cough* especially when drinks are 5+ bucks and I had a water bottle full of "happy stuff" that I brought onboard to mix with said soda *cough*).
2. If you're travelling to a lot of islands, the best thing you can do is to grab a cab driver who's willing to take you around for the day, or half a day if you wish. Negotiate everything that you have to spend money on the island.
3. Do your research! You don't have to buy into so much of the shore excursions that they push, if you know what you're doing and where you'd like to go. www.cruisecritic.com is an excellent place to do this.
4. This is peak season so this may not work, but if you bought an inside room, go see customer service first thing when you get onboard and see if there are upgrades available. Sometimes you get lucky and either get an oceanview or even a balcony.
5. Minimize gambling onboard - those slots don't pay!

I've got more.. but that should get you started. PM me for more info but the cruise I went on most recently was the 7-day southern Caribbean on Princess. I had a great time onboard and I hope you do too.

[GracieBayb]

thanks you guys... yeah i'm going on a 5 day carribean cruise with Carnival... hey big jon, is it wireless internet? do you have to pay for it? i'm super excited... i've never been to the carribean and i've never been on a cruise before. i hope i dont get seasick or anything.

[BigJon]

I don't think it was wireless...but I'm not sure. My wife's uncle and aunt went on one trip, and her mom and grandmother went on another. Her mom was emailing us from the ship everynow and then. I don't think it cost her, but she had to use a public computer in a lobby or something. I'll find out more.

Edit: This should answer all of your questions:
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/On_Board_Internet_Cafes.aspx


Guests may bring their own personal Laptop for use on board by using our Wireless Internet Service.

If the laptop is not equipped with a Wireless Internet Card, guests will need to rent one from the Internet Cafe.

If the laptop is running on Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 95, software will be installed in order to run the Wireless System. This will take approximately five minutes.

If the laptop is running on Windows XP, the above software is not needed. The Wireless Internet Service is compatible with a Wireless 802.11b card, which is the industry standard.

Even with the wireless service, guest's personal Laptop must be used in close proximity of the Internet Cafe. It cannot be used in guest’s staterooms.

Internet Cafe Price List

Charges for the following services will be billed directly to guest's Sail and Sign Account as follows:
A one time activation fee is $3.95.
To obtain a temporary account while on board, the set-up charge is $3.95.
To print information, the charge is $.50-per page.

To utilize the service of the Internet Cafe, whether using a private workstation, renting a laptop or using the guest's personal laptop, the charge is:
$.75-per minute.
Block of Minutes (no refund for unused minutes):


3, 4 or 5 Day Cruise
30 minutes for $16.50 (.55 per minute).
60 minutes for $24.00 (.40 per minute).


7 Day Cruise or Longer
100 minutes for $55.00 (.55 per minute).
250 minutes for $100.00 (.40 per minute).

To rent a Wireless Internet Card for a guest's personal laptop, the rate is $10.00 per day. To rent a Laptop, the charge is $35.00 per day; optional insurance is $10.00 per day.

http://www.carnival.com/Images/spacer.gif

[GracieBayb]

thanks big jon! i looked all over the carnival website for this info but couldn't find it :sad:

[cheapie]

why in the world would you want to spend a cruise doing the same thing you do at home? we're likely going on a cruise in feb and my a$$ would be in a sling if i got online!

[ray]

Cruises are SO MUCH FUN! Plenty of good eats, you get to see handful of different islands and explore for a day or two. Drinks and more drinks and even more drinks! Lots of activities and events on board the ship and a casino.

Enjoy your trip!

[GracieBayb]

why in the world would you want to spend a cruise doing the same thing you do at home? we're likely going on a cruise in feb and my a$$ would be in a sling if i got online!

it isn't like i'd be on my computer all day... i was thinking that i'd take it so i could upload my pictures on my photo page so my family and my boyfriend could see what i was up to. i also thought it'd be nice to email them a couple of times - just so they don't feel left out

[ski]

When I went on a cruise, *somebody* :shifty: circumvented whatever application they were running to mask Windows. Free internet access! I went on for 30 minutes at night a few of the nights to talk on AIM and just to tell all my friends about it. Would hate to have paid for it!

[zippyjuan]

Don't they have that Trans Atlantic cable thingie they built a long time ago? Maybe you could plug a modem into that! :ptlaugh: :idea:

[GracieBayb]

When I went on a cruise, *somebody* :shifty: circumvented whatever application they were running to mask Windows. Free internet access! I went on for 30 minutes at night a few of the nights to talk on AIM and just to tell all my friends about it. Would hate to have paid for it!

:hihi: can this *somebody* teach *a friend of mine* how to get this free internet access of which you speak?

[Burzhui]

I went on oyager of the seas with royal carribean and they also have internet access, you had to pay extra of course.
Also you will get a card and you can charge eerything to your room, be carefull it all adds up in the end but you don't even realize it. It's definatelly worth getting a balcony room. Lolita and I had a room with a balcony on the top deck. Only deck above us had a presedential suite and the captain suite. The view was spectacular

[adjaw]

I thought about getting on the internet while on my recent Carnival Cruise. But honestly there are so many other things to do that keep you occupied and entertained, you wont even want to see a computer! I had such a blast! Go with a relaxed, easy-going attitude and don't let anything bother you and you'll have a great time. Enjoy!
Which islands will you be going to?

[WhiskeyPapa]

Wow, for me a huge part of the vacation is leaving things like that behind. I love my friends and family, but I don't want to give them a second's thought while I'm on vacation, much less upload a bunch of pictures for them...! :D

[GracieBayb]

Thanks for all the advice guys!! I'm probably not going to receive my laptop in time to take it with me anyways, so no internet for me. We're flying out from SD to Florida... then boarding the ship in Tampa Bay, then we're going to the Cozumel and the Cayman Islands... :) I CAN'T WAIT! I CAN'T WAIT!

[BigJon]

Thanks for all the advice guys!! I'm probably not going to receive my laptop in time to take it with me anyways, so no internet for me. We're flying out from SD to Florida... then boarding the ship in Tampa Bay, then we're going to the Cozumel and the Cayman Islands... :) I CAN'T WAIT! I CAN'T WAIT!
You can still use their PCs in the cafe! But what am I saying, take a break and have fun!