NCL'S Internet Charges

We are sailing on the Jade from Southampton on 26/7/2008 and my 15 year old son like most teenagers,wants to keep in touch with his friends back home. Normally when we have been on land based holidays,we have paid a weekly charge of about £15/$30, to connect to the Hotels Wifi connection.I have listed the "astronomical" prices quoted on the NCL website for their services and just wonder if these are the normal prices throughout the cruise industry.I mean £50/$100 for just over 4hours, are they having a laugh.I hope there is plenty for him to do on the ship because at these rates it will cost me about £700/$1400 over the 14 days,even if he takes his own Laptop.Service Price Terminal usage time

$0.75 per minute

Time Package Plan:

250 minutes for $100 ($0.40 per minute)

100 minutes for $55 ($0.55 per minute)

Pay as you go $0.75 per minute

Personalized Cruise-mail™

$3.95 per email transmission (send only)

$0.99 offered in the staterooms only through the ITV television on the NCL Jewel, Pride of America and Pride of Hawaii

In Stateroom Access - currently available

on the Norwegian Sun, Pride of Aloha and

Pride of America.

Normal usage fee $0.75 per minute.

Dial up access: Diskettes for dial up network access and cable is $10 (available at reception desk - fee refundable when diskette is returned)

Wireless Internet Service for laptop usage

Time Package Plan:

250 minutes for $100 ($0.40 per minute)

100 minutes for $55 ($0.55 per minute)

Pay as you go $0.75 per minute

Wireless card - $10 per day (if required) Wireless card Insurance - $3.00 per day (optional)*

Laptop rentals

Laptop rental -- Complimentary with the purchase of a Time plan.

Laptop insurance - $3 per day

Access to printers

$0.50 per page

Guest Wireless Internet & Printing Info

Download PDF

*Wireless internet (also known as WI-Fi) is available throughout NCL's entire fleet. To use the wireless Internet Service all you need is your laptop to get connected in the Internet café or you can use it around the ship in the wireless coverage areas. Please see the Internet Café Manager onboard for the selected areas. If your laptop currently runs Windows XP - you do not need to use our installation software, but you may rent a wireless card if you do not have one. If prompted by windows to select a wireless network, select "mtndsi".

Use your laptop or ours! You can rent a wireless card if your laptop does not have one installed to connect to our Wireless network! If you use your own Wireless card, it must support the 802.11B wireless protocol. Once you are in range of our Wireless signal onboard, simply open your Internet browser and you will be directed to our Login Page. * Once you are logged in, a separate browser window will open. This is your Logout window Keep this window open until you are ready to logout!

Windows XP users -- If prompted by windows to select a wireless network, select the "mtndsi" network. Most XP laptops will automatically detect settings and automatically connect.

Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 95 users -- when connecting with your own wireless card, be sure the SSID is set to "mtndsi" if it is not automatically detected. When renting one of our wireless cards, you will need to use our Installation Wizard to help configure the wireless card and network.

Mac users - you will need to turn the "airport" on and connect to the "mtndsi" wireless network

Actually you will probably pay more than what you calculated. The internet runs very slow. It will eat into your minutes trying to load one page. Also it’s not just NCL who charge for this service. Carnival hit us up pretty badly on internet charges too.

I feel that Internet service should be a non-pay service and available to all. In this day and age we use internet for day to day communication with our finances, daily news, work and family. No matter how much someone states you’re on vacation, you want to get away from it all. It is neither a possibility nor a want! Technology should be in our staterooms without addition charges.

Just went thru the Panama Canal on the Jade. The prices you posted are what is being charged. We used 500 minutes. The connection is slow and unreliable at times. Not sure why? Weather as the ship rolls? In any case we burned thru minutes quickly as we tried to upload and download emails thru Comcast and MSN.

These prices seem about the same on a few different ships that we have sailed. Does not seem to be a way around it.

As to getting it free, I doubt you will that happen anytime in the near future. It is not like there are city wide towers or a cable running alongside the ship.

Howdy -

I'm the mom of an 18yo girl. We've been cruising since she was 15. She understands that she will be lucky to check e-mail 2-3 times whilst onboard. We always get the 250 minute plan and we make it work for us - less time online at the beginning of the cruise and then we make sure all minutes are gone by the last night. DH & I have to check work e-mail during the week so most minutes go to us.

Have him bring his own laptop - he can compose messages offline, and then simply upload them live.

Does NCL give any kind of internet access perks to people in an owners suite?

Also, does any one know if you could get a month of wireless internet service from someone like Verizon and use it on the ship if you are sailing in Hawaii?

Does NCL give any kind of internet access perks to people in an owners suite?

 

Also, does any one know if you could get a month of wireless internet service from someone like Verizon and use it on the ship if you are sailing in Hawaii?

No access deal in Owners Suite, though some ships have a computer in there for you to use. Still pay for internet though.

Anything that goes through the ship is a paid deal. No monthly deals at all. On the other hand, if you have internet via your phone and you stay within range of land based systems, say in Hawaii, you would be in good shape.

Why wouldnt regular verizon wireless internet work provided of course you are within range of the service...

They also block Skype which rules out free (or almost free) phone calls.

These prices seem about the same on a few different ships that we have sailed. Does not seem to be a way around it.

 

As to getting it free, I doubt you will that happen anytime in the near future. It is not like there are city wide towers or a cable running alongside the ship.

When in port you could get a signal from Verizon but when the ship is moving their towers are on and your phone will connect to it rather then the land based towers.

In Hawaii and american ports you can use your phone like normal, I was using my Smartphone in Port Canaveral, but other countries are a bit different.

As to the Free Internet. I don't check e-mail,im or web surf on vacation so I don't want to pay for it. If you find it something you can't live without then you should pay for it the same way they don't include drinks or spa treatments. If you find the need for it then don't expect everyone else to support your habits! :eek:

Anyone know how my Verizon blackberry would work? Would my emails still download into it when near an international tower?

I wouldn't think he would need 4 hours of internet time every day? :confused:

Sure, the internet is a profit center for the cruiseline... But it is also not cheap for them to provide internet service in the middle of the ocean.

If he just wants to keep in touch, I would think 20 min. a day sending/receiving email would be enough? You could even compose the emails offline, then connect to send them so time writing the email would not count toward the min.

It is a vacation, encourage him to find something to do besides play on the internet! :)

The internet is expensive. If you sign up the first day and purchase a package you can usually get 15 minutes additional free. You never know when it's going to run exceptionally slow and by then you've used up some minutes.

Anyone know how my Verizon blackberry would work? Would my emails still download into it when near an international tower?

The blackberry will work but it will be very slow and Verizon will cost you a lot to deliver to the ship.

You would be best off to turn it off when you are on the ship, and find out what the charges are going to be in another country

Best bet is to find an internet cafe in port. Connection will be better and you will pay 2 or 3 dollars for 15 to 30 minutes.