Facetime on Princess?

Hi Gang,

I may have some significant grandchild withdrawals on our cruise. Has anyone used "Facetime" on Princess? We are Princess Platinum so we get some free internet minutes.

Thanks, Diane

I tried it last cruise. I had audio only. My granddaughter had audio and video. I don't know if this is common.

Hi Gang,

 

I may have some significant grandchild withdrawals on our cruise. Has anyone used "Facetime" on Princess? We are Princess Platinum so we get some free internet minutes.

 

Thanks, Diane

If Facetime does not work well on the ship, Maybe look for an internet café when you get to port. Depending what itinerary I have seen some close by the ship. Just follow the crew members..they know where they are! Good luck

From my Princess FAQ:

Skype, Facetime, Etc.

A common question is whether Skype and similar services will work on cruise ships, and the answer is yes, but…

The amount of information (bandwith) that can be sent and received from the ship is very limited due to it being a satellite connection. Skype (especially with video) consumes a large portion of that capacity. This has two effects, possibly making your connection very poor, but also reducing the amount available to the other ships passengers. Depending on the satellite signal, 3 or 4 skype users can take up almost half of the total capacity for all passengers.

For this reason some ship’s engineers block voip and streaming services. This is becoming more common as the amount of smartphones and other devices proliferate.

If you need to use such a service, connecting during off hours (very late evenings, very early mornings and while in port) can reduce both your issues and impact on other passengers.

Hi Gang,

 

I may have some significant grandchild withdrawals on our cruise. Has anyone used "Facetime" on Princess? We are Princess Platinum so we get some free internet minutes.

 

Thanks, Diane

Internet speed too slow.

Many restaurants or bars in port will give you their wifi pAsscode for a purchase.

I've spent an hour in port using wifi while enjoying a beer. Again, look for a place with customers hovered over their devices.

Many restaurants or bars in port will give you their wifi pAsscode for a purchase.

I've spent an hour in port using wifi while enjoying a beer. Again, look for a place with customers hovered over their devices.

Just follow any crew member getting off the ship :D

thanks for the feedback folks! I love the idea of following the crew members

You sound like me. :D

Actually, I was able to connect for a few minutes in the dining room while we were pulling out of port. I had been trying all day. Poor little baby was sick.

It was only for a couple of minutes while everyone was getting seated.:)

Patti

If you try to use it on the ship, do it in your cabin. That way you will not have all the other noises distracting you and you will not bother others.

Following crew members to free wi-fi spots has become almost obsolute lately as most places now charge for their service. There are a few free places left & are becomming harder to find.

Hi Gang,

 

I may have some significant grandchild withdrawals on our cruise. Has anyone used "Facetime" on Princess? We are Princess Platinum so we get some free internet minutes.

 

Thanks, Diane

We have done Facetime a couple of times when our son needed to talk to us. We are Platinum so it was cheaper as we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean than if he had phoned us. The connection was good and we had not problems.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Here is another recent thread on this topic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44576514

As usual in threads discussing this matter, there were widely divergent and strongly held views!

John

We were recently on board for almost a month and with quite a few grandchildren (17) wanting to talk to us, we used FaceTime many times.. onboard it was very difficult most of the time and we lost service consistently.. Much better to use it ashore.. Occasionally, we had a great connection.. The Internet Cafe manager can be very helpful with suggestions about timing and a good location on the ship .. Good Luck..