BrentD

43 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

All devices within range and I am currently using one on Glory, so no daggers, but you are still sharing one connection to the ship access point and so is slower than multiple independent connections.

 

True, and I’m sure they’ve got each connection throttled. Guess it depends on what you’re wanting to do as well. I ran a couple speed tests and averaged about 80 down and 5 up connected to my router. Don’t think my wife was using it concurrently when I did those, so I’m guessing they’ve got it capped roughly around there per connection.

Honestly pretty amazing for a ship in the middle of the ocean. And especially if the last time you used WiFi on a ship was 6 years ago like me. Had no issues with HD video streams. Watched bits and pieces of the Masters and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (we are from Augusta, so we like to keep up). Made a couple FaceTime calls no problem. Quality on my end was fine with some pixelation (as expected with 700+ms ping times), not sure about what was received from us. Probably was hit and miss with 5Mbps upload and those ping times. 

Starlink is definitely a game changer, but I agree they should be testing it as more of a utility with how connected everyone is now. Then again, if they don’t charge a premium for it they’ll have to upgrade their equipment and bandwidth to accommodate, which would just drive the cruise price up. 

If you're technologically handy, bringing along a travel router is a much more economical option for your cabin. Only one "device" is logged in, but all your devices can access that "device".  I've got my armor on for all the swords and daggers coming my way for suggesting it. 😏 (I'm also not your IT guy to help you figure it out)

Pretty much every cruise can get from port to port much faster than they actually do. But the longer you're on the ship, the more money you're spending. We just got off the Mardi Gras a couple weeks ago and noticed quite often we would be hauling tail for an hour or two and then all of a sudden we were using virtually no propulsion and practically drifting. Sometimes they can actually be avoiding a storm or rougher seas, but I'm convinced most of it is just to keep you on the ship longer. San Juan was our only stop where the port area wasn't almost entirely financed by the cruise line. It's not just a coincidence that just about every port has a Diamonds/Tanzanite International, Cariloha, Del Sol, Effy, etc.

With the prevalence of actually good wifi on cruise ships now, it's pretty easy to compare prices with the real world on anything but maybe the artwork for sale. But of course you've got to pay the overly inflated price for the wifi to do that, too. Kind of a no win situation there. On my last RCL cruise I found one of the aforementioned Invicta brand watches that I really liked during the "big sale" they had during the week. I looked it up on Amazon on my phone and saw I could get it for about $75 less there than the "sale" price on the ship. So I ordered it right there in the Promenade and had it waiting on me when I got home. 

The fragrances, in my experience, are about the only thing on the ship that are competitively priced vs. land-based retailers. But then again, both places are overpriced for scented water. Jewelry and watch prices printed on the price tags are all manufactured fantasies on and off the ship so salespeople can pull out their trusty calculator and show you what a deal you're getting, even though the items have never been sold once for the price on the tag. Those inflated Invicta watch price tags are probably the worst on a cruise ship. Watches from Invicta marked $300+ you can buy on Amazon for $50, and on the ship they tell you what a deal you're getting at $115 or something.

You do select a time slot for disembarking even as self-assist. On the Mardi Gras a couple weeks ago we did self assist and picked a time slot in the app, but not a single person asked what our slot was, asked for any verification or anything like that. So I can't imagine that it's a must by any means.

For what it’s worth to anyone who finds this later. On the Mardi Gras the kiosks on board do NOT accept Carnival gift cards for payment. The option is there, but it is greyed out and unavailable. If you want to use gift cards to pay down your tab you have to do it at guest services on that ship. 

Back from our cruise on the Mardi Gras. Not a word was said about the travel router. It worked exactly as intended. And for what it’s worth, with the premium plan we made FaceTime calls back home with little issue.
 

This is the equipment I used: https://a.co/d/9WWe5ip

Use this information as you would like and at your own risk (of people like some in this thread ridiculing you for it). 😏

Was on Mardi Gras last week. Chose the 8-8:20 am time slot for express self-debarkation. It was group G. Had I not been near the cabin door finishing up packing the toiletries and whatnot we still needed that morning we would’ve completely missed our group because they were calling for group G before 7:30 am. When you pick your time slot for debarkation it does say estimated time, but I would expect their estimate to be a bit more realistic than calling us nearly an hour earlier than the chosen slot. It wasn’t a huge deal and we were ready, though. We all had passports, which appeared to significantly speed up the process, judging from the long line of birth certificate holders we briskly whizzed by in the terminal. Photo recognition process was quick and easy. We were off the ship and out the terminal door by 8am.  

Do you 

On 3/29/2024 at 8:17 AM, Drazil65 said:

We did this process in December on MG and used express to carry off ourselves.  Worked great for us and we were in our car and on the road from PC at around 7:10.  This was first time getting the messages on phone and using this option.  

If you use express do you still pick a time slot and just don’t check your luggage for debark? Or is it a leave when you want type thing for express?

2 minutes ago, Texaslady22 said:

Happy Update:

 

I ended up getting 3 job offers in the same week after nearly 6 months of unemployment! This was one of them, but I accepted a different position.

 

I am so glad that things are finally looking up! 😍

Wow! Congratulations!

5 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

Technically, you will not be paying down the balance with a new credit card.  your balance will show zero, but the new card will have a hold placed against it.  Any charges after will be settled to that card.  So say your balance is $160 they will put a $200 hold on it.  

I can't recall if it was Carnival for sure (though I'm pretty sure of it), but I recall making a payment with another card while on board and it didn't replace my card on file. I remember because I was charged an international use fee by my bank.

1 minute ago, AllgoodOnTheRoad said:

I brought and used a Mango travel router on my last three cruises, December (Pride) January (Jubilee), March (Liberty). No issues, but I doubt they noticed it was there. 

 

 

Thank you for some on the ground (or in the water? 😂) information!

1 minute ago, vwgolf2 said:

Been wondering this myself. I've just exchanged UK pounds for dollars for our stay and cruise and was hoping I could use any left over cash to reduce the onboard account. It seems like I will. 

You can definitely pay down your tab with cash. I just wasn’t sure about using another card to pay it down. 

16 hours ago, caribsun said:

As you may have heard, Carnival Freedom experienced a fire in its funnel yesterday. While we continue to investigate eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed an assessment while the ship is in Freeport today.

Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel and that necessitates the cancellation of your cruise.

We sincerely apologize for the unanticipated disruption to your spring break plans and are deeply disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the cruise we had planned for you. We will automatically process a full refund of your cruise fare, including pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions and any FunShop purchases to your original form of payment.

Please be advised that it could take up to three weeks to process through your bank. In addition to the full refund, we are extending a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) for all guests so that we can welcome you back on another cruise.* Please note that the FCC will be available for use starting March 26, 2024, and must be redeemed by March 31, 2025, on any departure open for sale. If you have made non-refundable air travel arrangements on your own, we ask that you work directly with your airline.

If your airline offers you an air credit for your non-refundable tickets, we will reimburse you for air change fees of up to US$200.00, per person, with supporting documentation. Please understand that, should you receive any compensation from any party, including your travel insurer, for these miscellaneous travel expenses, no reimbursement will be provided. Please submit your documentation to airreimbursements@carnival.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know this is very disappointing news for those who were so excited to have Fun on the Carnival Freedom and I do add my most sincere apologies. I hope you and your family can use the 100% refund and the 100% future cruise credit to plan on having more fun with us very, very soon.

I will be back on this page as usual tomorrow to help as many of you as I can and for now wish you all goodnight.

John

 

 

 

All reactions:

168168

 

Where was this posted? I don't see it on Heald's Facebook page.  I've got friends scheduled to depart on April 6th on Freedom and have been looking for updates.

1 minute ago, nydney1 said:

So if you do bring one on and use it, will it work throughout the whole ship or only in your cabin?

 

I would think it would have a very limited range.

Just like your WiFi router at home. It’s not going to work a block away. I have heard of some people powering one with a battery pack and just keeping it in their book bag or something as they walk around the ship, but that’s a bit excessive. In my case with two small children, it allows me to plug a USB drive into it with movies and other video content on it that can be accessed by any device on our private WiFi network. This keeps them occupied while in the room and keeps arguments about what one or the other wants to watch to a minimum. 
 

This isn’t a tech forum, though, which is why I only asked how the policy has been enforced for those who use a similar product. Trying not to get bogged down in other details. 

29 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

ok. and...

Exactly my thought when you just confirmed what I already said in the first place. 

20 minutes ago, Sabalon said:

Same.  Did it so I could capture my father-in-laws login credentials to his email from is iPad to recover his password for him.   And then when we corrected that, set it up to not use plain text!!!

23 minutes ago, bafinegan said:

My laptop can.  Have done it before ( shrugg)

Like I said, not without a second wireless interface. So yours has two. 

23 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

And just about every smartphone can as well.

Most smartphones cannot share a WiFi connection. They can share a cellular connection over WiFi, but not a WiFi connection they are already connected to. Further, laptops can share a wired connection wirelessly, but cannot rebroadcast a WiFi network without a second network card/interface. 

37 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

 

It is clearly against Carnival's rules.  Is it any different than sneaking alcohol on board so you don't have to pay for drinks on Carnival's ship, or what's the best way to smuggle illegal drugs without getting caught.  Carnival has rules, why not just follow them or find a cruise line with rules that you like?

Man, what a fitting username. 

Just now, mz-s said:

 

Advice. I haven't heard of any of them getting confiscated on here. But considering people on here ask if they should put their phone in airplane mode, I don't think many folks on here even know what a travel router is. So this may not be the best place to ask.

 

The last time I tried to use a travel router on carnival in 2019 I don't think they were prohibited. Or if they were I didnt notice. 

Fair point. But I’ve seen them mentioned many times on all the cruise line forums, so I’m hoping someone can give some personal experience. Considering what they charge would pay for 4-7 months of my home internet plan, a single plan should be covering every device to start with. 

Just now, mz-s said:

Be prepared to leave it at the pier if they find it. 

Is this personal experience or advice? I’m looking for personal experience here. 

I’ve brought along a travel WiFi router on previous cruises in Carnival, Royal and NCL. This could have been in their rules before and I just didn’t notice it, but I just happened to notice this in Carnival’s prohibited item list:

”Satellite disk, routers and other internet related equipment”

Has anyone had any issues bringing one along lately? First time I’ve ever seen anything about it. 

15 minutes ago, jsglow said:

She's reportedly heading to Freeport.  After that?

She was already heading to Freeport when it happened because weather cancelled their visit to Princess Cay. 

3 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

On the Panorama and Vista recently, there are kiosks where you can do whatever you like without standing in line and talking to guest services.

 

The machines accept cash too. It was a time-saver for me!

That's awesome! Less time spent standing in line means more time vacationing! Assuming Mardi Gras would have the same since it's newer than either of those.