Reliable wifi on Avalon waterways?

I am trying to figure out how expensive am international call plan we will need for our avalon Danube cruise next month. We needs to be able to check in with our family.

Can anyone tell me how well the wifi works on Avalon Waterways ships? I'd like to be able to just use What's App for most of our conversations ....

Thanks!

We are also going on Avalon next month (Amsterdam to Budapest) and I've seen on these boards that the wifi on the boats is reliable, just slow. When everyone gets back on the ship, they all sign on so it drags the system down. We elected to rent an international hot spot so we could be connected off the ship as well. The hot spot was 200.00 for 22-28 days.

The WiFi on our Avalon cruise last year was excellent. We had no problems uploading pictures to Facebook every night and checking email. It was easy to keep in touch with home just using WiFi. Enjoy your cruise!

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We sailed NUE to BSL and the wifi was fine in Germany. Where we had problems was around Strasbourg and then into Basel where the river is the border and no one wants to cover the internet, I guess [this was one excuse our hotel manager gave out]. Sadly, we had german SIM cards and that's where we lost our cell data coverage too ;-) So consider that your itinerary could have an affect on coverage as well.....

Very informative and helpful! Thank you. I didn't even know about the international hotspots. I think that might be the best thing! Thanks!

If you have AT&T, you can get unlimited text, talk and data for $10/day. Worked well for us last year.

Robin

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If you have AT&T, you can get unlimited text, talk and data for $10/day. Worked well for us last year.

Verizon does as well. Can't remember if that international plan allows you to use your phone as a tether for other devices or not though. So definitely check whatever company you use in the US and see what their existing international options are.....

Also in Europe most of the cafes give you free hot spots. You might have to purchase a cup of coffee. Same goes for rest rooms lol

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Thanks!

I travel extensively and have T-mobile. Most of their plans offer free data and text internationally. I've already used successfully in the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Mexico. Just turn off my wifi and see the local carrier connects and start texting or posting to facebook. Works like a charm. In January, I even had to make a call from the Caribbean port to a tour operator to confirm the time (since we were on ship time). I assumed I'd be paying the .20/min. But didn't even get charged for that call. Love T-mobile

With that said, I'm sure the other big box carriers are competitive. You should check with your carrier.

"unlimited data and texting in 95% of the places you travel most—140+ countries and destinations around the globe. Oh, and calls? They’re just 20 cents a minute."

Much good information and background on this thread. As noted and connected below, we just got back from our first river boat and Avalon sailing. It was for the Mekong River!!

Well-pleased with Avalon, the ship, staff, food, tours, etc. For Internet, it was a little mixed on the ship. After doing various ocean cruises using satellite connections, this river sailing relied more on cell/ground hook-ups. Outside of larger cities in Southeast Asia, that could get a little mixed and challenged. Overall, we made things work and I was able, with patience and luck, to post dozens of pictures and keep an active live/blog happening during these fun adventures and travels.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

We've done two Avalon cruises so far with a third one coming up this summer. Never had an issue with wifi but remember that it comes in on a cellular signal and if you're cruising the signal could be week. People uploading a bunch of pictures can sure slow it down. Service near towns or cities should be much stronger. If you're wanting to stay in touch with home, download the "WhatsApp" app. Free texting anywhere in the world. We use it quite a bit when we're abroad.