who thought this was a good idea?

[CBeachMom]

One tip I use that saves me internet fees is texting. With my provider (Verizon) I can send a text for 50 cents and it only costs a nickle to receive one. This is while on the ship, prices are different in port. That way my family members and I can have emergency contact without worrying about checking email. From what I understand the prices are similar for a lot of the US cell companies.

[thinfool]

Let's be careful about saying they are getting rid of "pay as you go" .

 

The OP was not responsive about whether he/she asked the Manager onboard about 'per minute' rates.

 

Point of fact: "Pay as you go" is still firmly planted on the Carnival.com website. ($.75/min)

 

It would be, IMO, a poor business decision to do away with "Pay-Go". Many pax (like me) only need to be online a 'couple of minutes' and are happy to use the 'per minute' pricing.

 

Sadly, what takes a 'couple of minutes' at home will likely take 10 minutes or more on the abysmally slow satellite connection onboard a cruise ship.

 

So, our 'couple of minutes' winds up costing $7.50...which the cruise line happily takes to the bank! :D

[cruzeluver]

I would love to know what the three other cruise lines are that give the OP free Internet access. I am guessing they are not mass-market lines and nowhere near Carnival's price points.

[Disconnections]

I would love to know what the three other cruise lines are that give the OP free Internet access. I am guessing they are not mass-market lines and nowhere near Carnival's price points.

 

Princess gives those who complete five cruises or 50 days 150/250/500 minutes per Platinum member depending on the length of sail. Celebrity awards Elite a complimentary 90 minute package and Zenith a 1600 package. Princess used to give unlimited Inernet to Platinum and Full Suites, but that changed. Most of the mid-luxury and upscale cruise lines offer some type of complimentary Internet package for loyalty.

 

They can be the same price or less than Carnival who is not always the cheapest, contrary to popular belief.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Disconnections

[CanadianDee]

 

Carnival's packages appear to be geared to the young people who need constant internet access. Us older folks are just fine with a "little" access. Maybe Carnival is sending us older folks a message: "We don't want you, or, we don't need you!"

 

 

I'm an Old and I'm hardwired into the Internet. So you know, I don't necessarily think you can generalize like that.

[centurycruiser]

In 20 cruises I signed on to the internet once because I remembered I had to pay a bill. A $6 package doesn't sound bad at all...what does that include?

 

Just 24 hours (1 day) of social media, i.e., facebook, twitter, pinterest, etc.

 

To check email or other websites (pay a bill for example) you need the $16 per day plan.

 

Just curious....did you ask the internet manager onboard, if 'per minute' rates were available?

 

We haven't done Carnival in awhile, but were on Princess last week. Deeply buried in the prices was the 'per minute' rate ($.75).

 

Yes, there are only the three plan choices to log on and set up an account.

 

Apparently, they only have this option on a few ships right now. I don't know if they are test marketing or intent on going this way on all ships.

 

I would love to know what the three other cruise lines are that give the OP free Internet access. I am guessing they are not mass-market lines and nowhere near Carnival's price points.

 

I get free internet on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess because of my frequent cruising status. So, if Carnival follows the same internet policy on all their ships, I can cruise plenty of others with free internet.

[ScottsSweetie]

We also are not better off with the new internet pricing.

 

DH must check his email two or three times on a 7 day cruise. He normally downloads his email and then dumps off and reads it off-line. He can then compose any needed response and then sign back on to internet to sent. Normally this will cost us around $18 - $20 a week.

 

He logged on last time around 4:30pm one afternoon (let's say on Tuesday) and then had 24 hour access for $16.00. He did not need to check again until Thursday morning, and it would have cost another $16.00. Fortunately we were at Paradise Beach that day with free wifi so he just brought his phone and checked in that way. (On the Freedom right after the new packages were rolled out).

 

I am on facebook but have no desire to telegraph to the world that I am away from my home that week. We do love unplugging, but his job is what allows us to cruise, so I can't complain about his checking in two or three times a week. It is a necessary evil for some of us. :)

[Nic6318]

OK, OK, we understand. Most folks cruise to get away from email and such. Not all folks are as fortunate as you are. Some of us need to check in. That was not the point of the OP's post.

 

I happen to agree with the OP. I too must check email everyday (I know you don't) and it usually takes me about 2-3 minutes to do so. At the old $.75 per minute pay as you go rate that comes out to around $2-3 per day. The new rates effectively increase my cost by 200% and the rates were pretty high in the first place.

 

We know you don't want or need to check your email so we don't really need everybody to repeat that over and over. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Hi

 

I might agree with this if it was the way their internet works all the time.

 

My experience over the years has been that the internet connection is soooo slow that to do any ordinary transaction like check in with an airline on the last day ( which is about the only thing I will do on the ships internet anymore ) seems to take at least 5- 10 min. and not the 2 or 3 min that it should.

 

So I end up paying close to $5 anyways. I haven't seen this new pricing yet, but maybe with a $6 -24hr. price I wouldn't be so pi..ed off with the internet speed and stay a few extra minute and read up on some news from home. It won't break the bank either way. I think it sounds like a better price than $.75/min. and I wouldn't get frustrated unless the internet doesn't work at all ( which happens too often as well )

 

Hope everyone has great cruises in the future

 

as well as

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

[kteachcruiser52]

We, too, are old but we can't wait to try the new internet package on the Freedom in a couple of weeks. it gives me peace of mind that the kids can get in touch with me through iMessage or through the FB messaging system. It will be worth the $25 per cruise price for the social media package.

[Budget Queen]

I just got off the Sunshine and was surprised they didn't offer an internet package that was pay as you go. They only offered packages that were for 24 hour periods, $6, $16, and $25 per 24 hour period.

 

When I cruise I like to check my email and a couple of websites during the week. I might use 15-20 minutes each week, but, there is no way I would pay those kind of rates for any one day, let alone a full week. Before that happened I would quit cruising Carnival.

 

Carnival's packages appear to be geared to the young people who need constant internet access. Us older folks are just fine with a "little" access. Maybe Carnival is sending us older folks a message: "We don't want you, or, we don't need you!"

 

I get free internet on 3 other cruise lines and while I enjoy cruising Carnival, I would not do it if it meant paying $16 per day or not having internet access. I am almost Diamond but if Carnival does this on all ships, I'll never get there.

 

On the other hand I really enjoyed all the different dining options.

 

Do you like the Carnival packages or are you like me and prefer the per minute plans?

 

If the plans are for a 24 hour timeframe, then you could get "2" days of use eliminating a few days. Start using 11am day one, 10a the second day, buy another day 3, 11am, day 4 at 10am.

 

Might work for some, and this is assuming the plans don't expire at 11:50p everyday.

[Bob NC]

Been cruising 15 yrs without checking email or using a cell phone and don't plan to start when we leave this Saturday for our NYE cruise on Liberty!

 

Everyone who needs to know where I am, does, I will wish all my family happy new year before I go. Even if there were an emergency there is not a damn thing I could do about it until I got back as I will be out of the country on a ship....my family and friends get it! Everyone has the emergency number to reach the ship if it is an emergency of the worse case but even then chances are I could not do anything until we got back to port.

 

I do not work on vaca as I am on vaca...I do not "check in" with FB or any other site as I am on vaca and I really do not want to know about any drama happening back home for the week as I am on vaca. Our time together on the ship by ourselves is the most important thing that week, no devices allowed!

 

Perhaps a different type of vaca is in order for those that just have to be connected for whatever reason, IDK...

 

Some people are lucky in that if they disappear from work it doesn't really matter. Some folks have jobs where if they left work one day and never showed up again it wouldn't even be a blip on the company's business.

 

I am in sales. I sell a high end product and my clients demand a high level of customer service. I can take vacations, but, I really need to check in every day in case one of my clients has a question or concern. This doesn't interrupt my vacation, (in my opinion), and really only requires a few minutes a day, literally.

 

It would be nice to have a reasonably priced internet plan to be able to accomplish this small need.

 

I don't use social media on vacation. There is never any family "drama" at home that I need to keep abreast of.

[Davey Wavey]

Maybe Carnival is sending us older folks a message: "We don't want you, or, we don't need you!"

 

You are correct! Carnival would much rather you enjoy the lower priced or free internet on a Princess ship. Teach them a lesson...do it!

[tbbtravels]

I actually like what I have seen from the new packages. On my last cruise I did the "pay by the minute" thing because all I was doing was checking into my flight and printing a boarding pass and honestly with this new package it would have been cheaper for me to pay for access for the day. The internet was so slow that day because everyone was trying to use it and it took me forever. It ended up costing me a lot of money. So, even though the by the minute sounds nice, it isn't always.

Had I paid for the day, I could have checked in at home too! I know the OP's intention wasn't for this to turn into a debate about if people should be online on vacation or not, but some of us have obligations at home and it's hard no to check back on them. Including pets that I have left with family members that I do want to check on their wellbeing. :)

 

I did this as well. Needed to print docs for the next week and buy my return plane ticket home. Was so slow it cost me a bundle. I am not an internet person per se, and had know idea it would be dial up speed. I didn't know anywhere had internet that slow.

Plus dumb me had to pay for internet twice. I didn't have my credit card stored in my account (plane ticket) so I had to run to the safe in the room and redo it again. So it cost me like $45 to do it.

Never again.

Edited December 26, 2014 by tbbtravels

[IPlayWithString]

Personally I don't want any, I want to get away from email. If I must check it I do t ashore somewhere with free wi-fi preferably.

 

Me too. Hubs likes the fact that NOBODY from work can call him. :D