Let's get this internet billing policy changed!

[In_Steerage]

Cruise lines bill you for internet usage by the minute of connect time... and get away with it! I guess when you have a monopoly on a service, you can do as you please.

 

Billing by the minute for internet "connect" time is about as ridiculous as billing by the minute for time spent drinking in one of the lounges or eating in one of the specialty restaurants!

 

And it's particularly insulting to pay such high rates when the data throughput rates slow to a crawl. It's the industry standard with land-based wireless data plans to bill by the amount of data transacted.

 

I'd encourage all passengers who use internet to leave a comment on their customer surveys at the end of their cruise and encourage the cruise industry to fix this arbitrary billing method! ;)

[CruiserBruce]

Good luck....

[notentirelynormal]

I'd encourage all passengers who use internet to leave a comment on their customer surveys at the end of their cruise and encourage the cruise industry to fix this arbitrary billing method! ;)

 

You're joking, right? Ya, they are going to lose out of thousands of dollars because it annoys you. Like CruiserBruce said - good luck.

[Kamloops50]

How much do you pay for data on your cellphone . I pay approx $0.90 per megabyte of data . I can easily use 20 megabytes in 10 minutes . Basically approx $0.90 per minute.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Kamloops50

[paul929207]

I think OP should boycott the onboard internet. That will show the cruise line.

 

I don't really care what they charge since I get an internet credit on every cruise that has always covered my usage.

[CruiserBruce]

I think OP should boycott the onboard internet. That will show the cruise line.

 

I don't really care what they charge since I get an internet credit on every cruise that has always covered my usage.

 

 

Good point- don't seem to recall any requirement that you use the wifi and internet on board.

[In_Steerage]

How much do you pay for data on your cellphone . I pay approx $0.90 per megabyte of data . I can easily use 20 megabytes in 10 minutes . Basically approx $0.90 per minute.

 

I don't think what you posted is accurate. The going rate for wireless data plans is around a nickel per megabyte. Not that they bill in such small increments anymore. Typically that going rate would appear as $50 / Gigabyte. And by the way, 90 cents per megabyte x 20 megabytes comes out to $18.00; over a 10 minute period, that's $1.80 / minute.

 

And 20 megabytes usage over a 10 minute period comes out to around 33Kbaud - or the speed you'd get from a vintage 1995 V.34 dial-up modem. More likely, your internet session is spent mainly looking at content and not exchanging data.

 

Like Paul929207, I too get my internet usage comp'ed. But that doesn't mean I have the luxury of burning up my allotted minutes while reading the latest news! To conserve connect time when reading the news I have to go to various websites, create a copy for offline reading of each of them, then sign off my internet connection. They should charge me for doing something that consumes their resources, not for idle connect time!

[Kamloops50]

I don't think what you posted is accurate. The going rate for wireless data plans is around a nickel per megabyte. Not that they bill in such small increments anymore. Typically that going rate would appear as $50 / Gigabyte. And by the way, 90 cents per megabyte x 20 megabytes comes out to $18.00; over a 10 minute period, that's $1.80 / minute.

 

And 20 megabytes usage over a 10 minute period comes out to around 33Kbaud - or the speed you'd get from a vintage 1995 V.34 dial-up modem. More likely, your internet session is spent mainly looking at content and not exchanging data.

 

Like Paul929207, I too get my internet usage comp'ed. But that doesn't mean I have the luxury of burning up my allotted minutes while reading the latest news! To conserve connect time when reading the news I have to go to various websites, create a copy for offline reading of each of them, then sign off my internet connection. They should charge me for doing something that consumes their resources, not for idle connect time!

 

Yes maybe in the states. In Canada my $45 plan only allows 50 MB per e 50MB per billing cycle . Any thing over is $5.00 per 50 MB.

[notentirelynormal]

I don't think what you posted is accurate. The going rate for wireless data plans is around a nickel per megabyte. Not that they bill in such small increments anymore. Typically that going rate would appear as $50 / Gigabyte. And by the way, 90 cents per megabyte x 20 megabytes comes out to $18.00; over a 10 minute period, that's $1.80 / minute.

 

And 20 megabytes usage over a 10 minute period comes out to around 33Kbaud - or the speed you'd get from a vintage 1995 V.34 dial-up modem. More likely, your internet session is spent mainly looking at content and not exchanging data.

 

Like Paul929207, I too get my internet usage comp'ed. But that doesn't mean I have the luxury of burning up my allotted minutes while reading the latest news! To conserve connect time when reading the news I have to go to various websites, create a copy for offline reading of each of them, then sign off my internet connection. They should charge me for doing something that consumes their resources, not for idle connect time!

 

I really don't think you can speak to everyone's data plan. I know that in just the past five months we have changed our user plans that many times. I have internet and cell phones in both the US and Canada and I can assure you I pay very different rates. Heck, there are 3 phones on our plan that don't even use the internet or text messaging.

 

If it it the big of a deal to you, maybe it is time you logged off while on vacation. I know I do and my internet would be free. I find the time spent with just my DH and/or family is priceless so I don't worry about the log time and that extra 30 seconds.

Edited October 4, 2015 by notentirelynormal

[calliopecruiser]

Cruise lines bill you for internet usage by the minute of connect time... and get away with it! I guess when you have a monopoly on a service, you can do as you please.

 

Exactly - it's a discretionary extra that they offer for those that wish to pay for it. You don't need to use it, so you can choose a) if you want to sail on a cruise with those financial options and b) if you want to pay to use it.

 

Yes, it's a money-making extra for most cruise lines. Just like a lot of other stuff that they sell on-board (including alcohol, yoga classes, photographs, and soda pop). You're free to choose to purchase it or not.

[calliopecruiser]

Yes maybe in the states. In Canada my $45 plan only allows 50 MB per e 50MB per billing cycle . Any thing over is $5.00 per 50 MB.

 

Wow - I'm in Canada and my $57 cell phone plan (per month) gives me 2 Gigs of data. At home, I pay $80 per month for 200 Gigs of high speed internet.

[notentirelynormal]

Wow - I'm in Canada and my $57 cell phone plan (per month) gives me 2 Gigs of data. At home, I pay $80 per month for 200 Gigs of high speed internet.

 

I rest my case on the statement that every plan is different and no body can speak to the guy's next to you plan.

[sfaaa]

No thanks. This is your beef, not mine. You are on your own.

[flacplnj]

Cruise lines bill you for internet usage by the minute of connect time... and get away with it! I guess when you have a monopoly on a service, you can do as you please.

 

Billing by the minute for internet "connect" time is about as ridiculous as billing by the minute for time spent drinking in one of the lounges or eating in one of the specialty restaurants!

 

And it's particularly insulting to pay such high rates when the data throughput rates slow to a crawl. It's the industry standard with land-based wireless data plans to bill by the amount of data transacted.

 

I'd encourage all passengers who use internet to leave a comment on their customer surveys at the end of their cruise and encourage the cruise industry to fix this arbitrary billing method! ;)

 

I don't know about all lines but RCL charges by the day.

[YubaSutter]

I guess when you have a monopoly on a service, you can do as you please.

 

Bingo.

[call-of-the-sea]

Yes, if enough of us complained loud enough they would change it! The only reason some bad things don't change is that people still don't believe in their power. All the proof of the world is not enough for most people to realise that everything is down to us: in this case us customers. the key is numbers, it is all about maths. Enough complaints, enough bad publicity and one company will give in, then they all have to.

 

Yes, we have to bring them into the 21st century, internet and decent connection and speed is nowadays as much part of basics as transport, or TV.

 

Oceania is starting to offer free minutes and above certain cabin levels all free. It will probably still be slow but that is something we also need to keep complaining about. So let's do it!!

[Hawaiifrank]

Cruise lines bill you for internet usage by the minute of connect time... and get away with it! I guess when you have a monopoly on a service, you can do as you please.

 

Billing by the minute for internet "connect" time is about as ridiculous as billing by the minute for time spent drinking in one of the lounges or eating in one of the specialty restaurants!

 

And it's particularly insulting to pay such high rates when the data throughput rates slow to a crawl. It's the industry standard with land-based wireless data plans to bill by the amount of data transacted.

 

I'd encourage all passengers who use internet to leave a comment on their customer surveys at the end of their cruise and encourage the cruise industry to fix this arbitrary billing method! ;)

 

I guess your protest worked. The 2 lines I've sailed in the last year (Carnival and Royal) now charge by the day or by the cruise now. No more per minute plans, unless a particular ship hasn't changed yet. Thanks for your hard work getting this changed. :thumbup:

[Darcie2]

Does this apply to Cunard !! I thought they were owned by Carnival ...

[CruiserBruce]

Does this apply to Cunard !! I thought they were owned by Carnival ...

 

 

Cunard is owned by the Carnival Corporation, not Carnival Cruise lines. Each cruise line in the family- there are many- operates separately. Each can, and does, have separate operating policies and procedures.

 

 

For Cunard's specific [policies and procedures, the best place to check is the Cunard website, and the Cunard board on Cruise Critic, located here:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

Edited December 6, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[CLS/KAS]

I guess your protest worked. The 2 lines I've sailed in the last year (Carnival and Royal) now charge by the day or by the cruise now. No more per minute plans, unless a particular ship hasn't changed yet. Thanks for your hard work getting this changed. :thumbup:

 

Can anyone tell us what is happening right now... in last 6 mths w this policy on Carnival? They dont advertise it tks

:D

[ScubaCruiser54]

And if you pay the price Oceania charges to cruise, you can get "free" internet on pretty much any cruise line.

[ScubaCruiser54]

I guess your protest worked. The 2 lines I've sailed in the last year (Carnival and Royal) now charge by the day or by the cruise now. No more per minute plans, unless a particular ship hasn't changed yet. Thanks for your hard work getting this changed. :thumbup:

 

Problem with this on RCI now is that where I used to get 60 minutes to use any day of the cruise, I am now limited to one 24 hour period of free time. So if I want to check in 4 times a week [15 minutes a day worked great], I have one day free and I have to buy three days.

 

Thanks so much [sarcasm] for having them charge us for every day we want to use five or ten minutes to check in at home.

[brianlojeck]

It's easy to avoid this fee. All you need is your own geosynchronous communications satellite network.

[_linda_]

I only use ship wifi on sea days, as data roaming charges seem a cheaper option when on or near land. And with European data roaming charges to be scrapped in 2017 that will be even better.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Marysue11]

If you get off ship at USA ports you can always find a place to get free wifi, or at other ports just watch where the crew is sitting with their devices.