Internet costs?

[catl331]

They are the little white things on the corridor ceilings that look like a cone with the point cut off.

Or like a styrofoam coffee cup. ;)

[sapper1]

Or like a styrofoam coffee cup. ;)

 

That too.

[Typhoon1]

When we are cruising, the last thing I want to see is a computer, except to print boarding passes. I like to escape from the real world.

[jtl513]

When we are cruising, the last thing I want to see is a computer, except to print boarding passes. I like to escape from the real world.

There are many of us for whom using the net adds to the pleasure of the cruise. I like to send "instant postcards" with a picture to relatives that can't travel any more ... and to gloat to those who can but don't. :D

[Typhoon1]

There are many of us for whom using the net adds to the pleasure of the cruise. I like to send "instant postcards" with a picture to relatives that can't travel any more ... and to gloat to those who can but don't. :D

 

Drop them a postcard. Don't tell me it is too expensive. If you can afford to cruise, you can afford the postage.

[catl331]

Drop them a postcard. Don't tell me it is too expensive. If you can afford to cruise, you can afford the postage.

Postcards arrive weeks or months later ... if at all. Obviously if John is willing and able to pay 40 to 75 cents a minute for internet, the cost of postage is not an issue. :p

[Cruising-along]

Postcards arrive weeks or months later ... if at all. Obviously if John is willing and able to pay 40 to 75 cents a minute for internet, the cost of postage is not an issue. :p

 

So true. On a Med cruise it took 2 months for one of our post cards to arrive.

 

Also some of us have elderly parents and wish not to be out of touch from family. It isn't a choice for some of us.

[RuthC]

And some of us who are traveling alone feel like we are with our friends when we "chat" about the cruise as it's happening. E-mail does that.

[luvcruisn']

Unfortunately, there is no refund for internet minutes, and you just take your chances.

 

I was also told there was no refund for unused internet minutes. I enquired at the front desk about a refund for my unusued internet minutes, as the internet was very often not available throughout my South America and Antarctica cruise. I was told "no refunds," and that I must contact the service provider, which only had a web address. The internet service is not provided directly by HAL, but by an outside service provider. Then on the last night of the cruise I was phoned by someone at the front desk who told me I had been given a refund of slightly over half of the package I had bought. I was very happy with this, as it would have been impossible to get anything back doing it on line with the service provider name given to me. I had had another problem on this cruise, and had had to have my cabin changed, so perhaps they gave me the internet refund because of that.

[jtl513]

I was also told there was no refund for unused internet minutes ... as the internet was very often not available throughout my South America and Antarctica cruise.

If it happens again in the future' date=' go talk to the MTN/Seamobile manager in the Internet Center (Explorations Cafe). It is entirely up to his/her discretion whether to give you credit for lost time for problems.[/size']

[Esri]

Drop them a postcard. Don't tell me it is too expensive. If you can afford to cruise, you can afford the postage.

 

You don't like to use a computer while on vacation, others do. A postcard is nice, but just because you don't like email or Facebook doesn't make it off limits to others. Comments like "you can afford the postage" are just rude.

[jtl513]

Comments like "you can afford the postage" are just rude.

I don't think it's rude, but it's pretty silly considering the relative costs of postcards and postage versus internet time. ;)

[TheDarkestBlue]

... on HAL. BUT - on that cruise (which was our most recent) I noticed that the log-off reports gave not only the time used but also the Mb used, and I don't recall seeing that before, sooooo ... :confused:

 

I had a terrible internet connection on the Eurodam, it was so bad that I went and complained, asked for them to credit me back some of the time because it was just so frustrating. We had bought the 100 minute package and she used this info to see that I was on the system, yet had not been able to download much. I got a credit of like 10 minutes or something like that... we ended up having plenty of time left over when we disembarked, wound up using my smartphone at free Wi-Fi spots at the ports because it was easier.

[BassettMom]

I was also told there was no refund for unused internet minutes. I enquired at the front desk about a refund for my unusued internet minutes' date=' as the internet was very often not available throughout my South America and Antarctica cruise. I was told "no refunds," and that I must contact the service provider, which only had a web address. The internet service is not provided directly by HAL, but by an outside service provider. Then on the last night of the cruise I was phoned by someone at the front desk who told me I had been given a refund of slightly over half of the package I had bought. I was very happy with this, as it would have been impossible to get anything back doing it on line with the service provider name given to me. I had had another problem on this cruise, and had had to have my cabin changed, so perhaps they gave me the internet refund because of that.[/quote']

 

Guess it pays to at least ask. Next time I'm unable to connect due to internet down, I'll ask about it. Thanks for the info.

[awh]

Do the ports of call on the Eastern Carribean cruise (Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan, Half Moon Cay) have internet cafes or something with wireless where I can bring my laptop and download a movie or fill up on Kindle books?

[Carole_T]

Postcards arrive weeks or months later ... if at all. Obviously if John is willing and able to pay 40 to 75 cents a minute for internet, the cost of postage is not an issue. :p

 

My grandsons are still waiting for the postcards we sent them from our cruise in 2008!!!

[scluvsrain]

I usually purchase 100 minutes for a 7-day cruise, and 250 minutes for 14 days. This allows me to check emails and even post on FB occasionally. But I connect, download, disconnect, compose, reconnect, and send to save minutes. To do that, you need to bring your own laptop.

 

Internet is slow and on some cruises, I wasn't able to connect very well at all. On the 7-day Alaska cruise, I purchased 100 minutes, and the internet was down almost the entire cruise. When I disembarked, I still had 80+ minutes left :eek:. I run a daily blog on FB when I cruise, and I was only able to post once. Even in port, I wasn't able to connect, and there was always a sign saying internet is down. Unfortunately, there is no refund for internet minutes, and you just take your chances. (Luckily, I was able to check emails on my smartphone since it was US ports, but wouldn't be able to do that internationally.)

 

If you have a Blackberry, you can buy a month's email/internet access for $25 and then you can access your emails, etc. from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a cell connection. One reason I keep my Blackberry around. When I had an Android phone a few years ago, I called my carrier to ask for the $25 access service and they told me, sorry, only for Blackberries.

 

Having this cuts down on my needing to use internet or even cafes in port, if all I want to do is check/send/reply to emails. If I want to post to my blog, I write it out ahead of time on my iPad, then can log on briefly, cut/paste to my blog, post/send, then log off. Voila!