Internet availability on silver shadow

I'm wondering if ipads can be used for internet or if i need to bring a laptop for silver shadow alaskan cruise on 28 august.

Is there a charge for internet?

Are there specific areas of the ship where i need to go or is the whole ship wireless?

I need to conduct business while onboard, so it's essential.

Also, what about att iphone availability?

Yes, the whole ship is wireless. Some areas work better than others. Your iPad will be fine. The line charges for use. You can buy blocks of time. I would post the pricing I am familiar with, but it recently changed. When you are in your suite, it sometimes help to open the door. Lots of people conduct their business from the ship. Enjoy! Welcome to SS.

Oops. Forgot about the phone. Service is available on board. Roaming charges. AT&T works well in ports. Enjoy.

Can anyone advise about the new internet charges please. I usually buy a package but it was so slow in April on the Wind I'm wondering if it would be better to just go with the minutes.

Sophia :)

Yes, the whole ship is wireless. Some areas work better than others. Your iPad will be fine. The line charges for use. You can buy blocks of time. I would post the pricing I am familiar with, but it recently changed. When you are in your suite, it sometimes help to open the door. Lots of people conduct their business from the ship. Enjoy! Welcome to SS.

Yes, per duct tape, "Welcome to SS". Plus, here are some other added tips in order to maximize your "value" in dealing with the high cost of Internet on these and all cruise ships. And, the slowness, too! There are different packages of time to buy in advance. The bigger package, the lower the per minute costs.

My key tip is to . . . log on, get what you need, upload pictures, send messages and/or posts, etc., then log off quickly. That saves time and cost!!! For me, it is easier to read and compose, off-line, not paying the costly Internet time as you are reading and writing. For my needs/skills, it is far easier and faster to use my laptop for those writing/reading/reviewing purposes versus trying to do it with the iPad. Your personal needs and likes (and wallet size) are a big factor in considering what works best for you.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 153,110 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Can anyone advise about the new internet charges please. I usually buy a package but it was so slow in April on the Wind I'm wondering if it would be better to just go with the minutes.

 

Sophia :)

Please see the thread just a few threads down, "Internet Packages". On post #7 I have a link to a post on the new packages when they were introduced on the Shadow in May.

We went the other way since we both had to get on the internet for work. We got 2 days (48 hrs) for $50. 7 days unlimited access is high-$130.00 but I work with large documents and have to respond to a number of emails so it worked out. Much cheaper them using the ships satellite for my phone when out of my carrier's roaming distance. Now that's expensive. If in Alaska my wireless carrier on iPad worked every day we were in a port and for periods close to populated areas so I was pretty lucky.

My key tip is to . . . log on, get what you need, upload pictures, send messages and/or posts, etc., then log off quickly. That saves time and cost!!!

Not necessarily. In Jan at the first of our cruise (2 segments of the World Cruise) we were told that the 1000 minutes package was no longer offered (despite what the website said.) We'd have to buy unlimited package and pay the much higher weekly charge. For a 30 day cruise we can manage with 1000 - 1250 minutes - sharing the minutes between us so the cost is usually $350. Suddenly we were being told we'd have to spend at least $520 but would get unlimited.

We complained and complained and publicly complained here and within a few days were offered the minutes deal mentioned on the website. We also pointed out there was no incentive to not overuse the internet. Certainly, instead of a limiting ourselves to 30 minutes a day, for those first few unlimited days we were actively online a lot more than usual (they were sea days so not as many distractions) and made no effort to sign off.

For those who buy unlimited, there's no benefit to signing off quickly. This I believe will slow the internet down for everyone on the ship as background tasks run. Nothing like a large Windows update to eat minutes (so we turn off updates while on board) but with no incentive to stop such things happening, I'm sure the system will be slower with the new plans.

Not sure how they'll handle the refunds when in port in Alaska (we had limited-to-no access due to the mountains blocking the satellite signals) or Japan (where it is turned off due to some regulation.) At least when I'm on the minutes package, my minutes will be waiting for me when I have satellite access once more.