Are Apple TV/ Fire TV blocked?

[sperkins921]

Thinking of getting the Internet package and I happened to notice that all of the packages specifically state that streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu are blocked. Does that mean that you cannot use an Apple TV or Fire TV too? This will be our first cruise with Carnival, I know that on other lines we’ve used our fire TV without a problem, but I don’t want to bring it if we will not be able to use it. Thanks in advance!

[mz-s]

I think the issue will be these devices don't have web browsers so you can't login to Carnival's wifi and purchase a package for them.

 

On the ships I've been on, you can't switch inputs on the TV either - so that's another issue. There are also no outlets behind the TV to plug in the device.

 

Lots of issues, I'd say leave them at home.

[Hans van Smeiter]

What ship will you be on? We are sailing on the Horizon next week, and I can find out what will work. The only problem I would see is if there is no HDMI port available on the TV - but that seems very unlikely. I am guessing you plan to install the device, then mirror your phone/tablet to the device? Depending on how tech savvy you are, you also can bring along a portable router and set up your own WiFi network. I plan to do this so that when we are near the room, we can use the internet without having to kick each other off all the time. We don't use it much, but having to log one person off and another on each time is annoying, and paying for multiple people when we really don't need it that often seems like a waste.

[mz-s]

What ship will you be on? We are sailing on the Horizon next week, and I can find out what will work. The only problem I would see is if there is no HDMI port available on the TV - but that seems very unlikely. I am guessing you plan to install the device, then mirror your phone/tablet to the device? Depending on how tech savvy you are, you also can bring along a portable router and set up your own WiFi network. I plan to do this so that when we are near the room, we can use the internet without having to kick each other off all the time. We don't use it much, but having to log one person off and another on each time is annoying, and paying for multiple people when we really don't need it that often seems like a waste.

 

Good luck! I'd be interested to know if you can get it working. Not because I want to bring an Apple TV with me, but mostly to see how far people can take Carnival's WiFi packages :-)

[coevan]

There is no way it will work. All the inputs are disabled, no input button on the remote. Even if, there is not enough internet speed to do much of anything. There is an HDMI input, but it's useless. There was an override on YouTube, but I could not get it to work. We have Sling Box at home and could even get the internet to connect to my house.

[spleenstomper]

I doubt it would work but try it anyway I suppose. The internet isn’t that great, even with the most expensive package

[Hans van Smeiter]

It depends on what you are using it for. To stream movies/TV from the internet, it might not work well. Apple TV and Fire TV aren't services, they are devices that run apps. You can connect to them with your phone, etc, and play a movie you have on your phone or a portable hard drive to the TV. If they have disabled all inputs AND have password protected setup on the TV AND you can't replace the connection they are using with your device, I agree, there probably isn't much to do. As I say, I can find out. I used to travel for work and would do this on hotel TVs every time. Whether or not it is worth it on a cruise is a different story, but can be handy if there are multiple kids wanting to watch a movie together.

[LongHill44]

There is no doubt it can work, do a search on YouTube!

[ParrotRob]

What ship will you be on? We are sailing on the Horizon next week, and I can find out what will work. The only problem I would see is if there is no HDMI port available on the TV - but that seems very unlikely. I am guessing you plan to install the device, then mirror your phone/tablet to the device? Depending on how tech savvy you are, you also can bring along a portable router and set up your own WiFi network. I plan to do this so that when we are near the room, we can use the internet without having to kick each other off all the time. We don't use it much, but having to log one person off and another on each time is annoying, and paying for multiple people when we really don't need it that often seems like a waste.

 

You can set up a router to allow all your devices to talk to each OTHER, but good luck getting past the captive portal and onto the internet.

[Moviela]

Hospitality TV's are programmable by the company. Most purposely disable the inputs and access to setup features. Carnival is no different. It is a real pain to reset TV's that have been molested by guests. Almost all Carnival staterooms have the TV's locked down with the exception of suites which allow connection from a panel on the wall.

 

Most Carnival ships do not have a fast enough internet connection to support streaming anyhow, so even if you get past the streaming police you will not have a watchable picture. Horizon is an exception, using a fat pipe internet company that provides speedy service for the uses they sell. While in the future they will probably offer streaming of pay per view items, you will not get to use Hulu, Netflix, ESPN, Sling, Apple or any other high bit rate site. You will get a grey screen of "NOT FOR YOU."

 

If you must have video entertainment, record it on your laptop and watch it on that 17 inch screen.

[sperkins921]

What ship will you be on? We are sailing on the Horizon next week, and I can find out what will work. The only problem I would see is if there is no HDMI port available on the TV - but that seems very unlikely. I am guessing you plan to install the device, then mirror your phone/tablet to the device? Depending on how tech savvy you are, you also can bring along a portable router and set up your own WiFi network. I plan to do this so that when we are near the room, we can use the internet without having to kick each other off all the time. We don't use it much, but having to log one person off and another on each time is annoying, and paying for multiple people when we really don't need it that often seems like a waste.

 

Thank you for offering to look. We'll be on the Horizon as well- but not until September.

 

So with the fire TV you don't have to mirror at all. I can not speak for the current Apple TV as we don't have one, but that's because we have several fire tv and fire tv sticks. I have used an Apple TV in hotels and I think it works similarly to the Fire products.

 

All fire tv and sticks plug into the HDMI and all software/wifi is contained within the device. They even make an adapter that plugs into a neighboring USB port on the TV (usually if it's got HDMI it's got USB) to power it too. Otherwise, you've then got to jerry rig a power source and we all know in the cabin that's not always feasible as the TV is not always near an empty power outlet. In terms of Wifi- the ability to select a signal is contained within the device as well. You don't have to go into a browser window to do anything, it's all right there. However, should your wifi require a log in window say like at a hotel or such, one will pop up so that you can enter the pertinent info.

 

I hadn't thought to bring a router...

 

But that brings up an even better question. If your cell phone can serve as a hot spot and broadcast it's signal to other devices- could you do that and not have to take the router? We're driving, so it's not too big a deal, but I'm envisioning my router disappearing from my bag or in the case of putting it in the carry on, having to explain just why I'd need my router in the first place LOL

[sperkins921]

Good luck! I'd be interested to know if you can get it working. Not because I want to bring an Apple TV with me, but mostly to see how far people can take Carnival's WiFi packages :-)

 

I'm not trying to skirt any system if that's what you're implying. Apple TV isn't that large, and a Fire TV is smaller than my iPhone Plus. Fire TV is what I will be bringing, but it and Apple TV work similarly in terms of log in. I simply want easier access to content I have paid for than to have DH and I share a laptop screen. I'm not planning anything more devious than that.

[Hans van Smeiter]

You should be able to set up the phone as a hotspot and then log your fire TV onto that, I would imagine. As I say, I honestly don't know what will be possible as far as streaming, but I am willing to see what I can do. I have experience with these hacks, so should be a fairly reliable person to investigate. Not going to mess with a VPN or anything - that seems like overkill. And I don't consider this any type of infraction of Carnival's policies. If they deny access to a site, that is their prerogative, and I don't intend to circumvent it. But, whatever works is fair game. Now I'm mostly curious - have no intention of sitting in my cabin watching TV!

[sperkins921]

I think the issue will be these devices don't have web browsers so you can't login to Carnival's wifi and purchase a package for them.

 

On the ships I've been on, you can't switch inputs on the TV either - so that's another issue. There are also no outlets behind the TV to plug in the device.

 

Lots of issues, I'd say leave them at home.

 

Neither is an issue. You don't need a web browser on Fire TV to log into wifi, you simply navigate to a settings page. And if you have a situation where there is a web browser that is used to log in to the wifi similar to hotels and what not- one pops up. No big issue. We won't be getting internet unless this happens, and I'm not trying to broadcast that log in to multiple devices, though I guess with enough savvy that can be done. It's just not my intent here. As I responded to someone else, I just want access to paid legal content easier than DH and I sharing a tablet or laptop screen.

 

Fire TV has an adapter that will use usb power from the TV if it has a port so you don't necessarily need an outlet. New hotels and ships use a HDMI port. The TV input thing is also not an issue. IF it comes down to it, you can unplug theirs and plug in Apple/Amazon device. Easier thing is to just bring a Universal remote and pair it with the TV and use that to change the inputs. Both ways work as I do this on EVERY cruise I've been on since the first FireTV came out. It just so happens that this is my first Carnival cruise. X and RC don't block Netflix (at least they didn't the last time I was on a ship from either) and in the case of RC, VOOM is fast enough to support streaming so it was not a big deal.

[sperkins921]

You should be able to set up the phone as a hotspot and then log your fire TV onto that, I would imagine. As I say, I honestly don't know what will be possible as far as streaming, but I am willing to see what I can do. I have experience with these hacks, so should be a fairly reliable person to investigate. Not going to mess with a VPN or anything - that seems like overkill. And I don't consider this any type of infraction of Carnival's policies. If they deny access to a site, that is their prerogative, and I don't intend to circumvent it. But, whatever works is fair game. Now I'm mostly curious - have no intention of sitting in my cabin watching TV!

 

I honestly appreciate any info you find out. Like I said to others, I'm not trying to get to Hulu OR Netflix. Yes, there is some TV that I'd like to watch, but honestly, it's more because at home I use white noise to fall asleep. I use an Echo in the bedroom, but because of the portal- it can't be configured to use the ship wifi. Same sleep sound apps are on the FTV and also on the stick. Either one we bring we'd be able to use those apps. And I agree, VPN is totally unnecessary based on what we're trying to do. I just think instantly when you post a legitimate question such as this people automatically assume you're trying to skirt the rules. Or in the case of the "just YouTube it" don't realize the true nature of the question. In this case, if they block Netflix and Hulu and the like, I wondered if they blocked the apps/content for these other devices too.

 

Would you do me the favor of PMing me whatever you find out? Thanks again for being willing to help.

[sperkins921]

There is no doubt it can work, do a search on YouTube!

 

Now imagine I had responded to your "can I change in the bathrooms" question as tersely as you just responded to me. Yet, I didn't. I gave a well thought out answer to your question. If you can't do the same why waste either of our times??

[ParrotRob]

Neither is an issue. You don't need a web browser on Fire TV to log into wifi, you simply navigate to a settings page.

 

You do if it's a captive portal that requires it.

[Hans van Smeiter]

So, there are no PMs on this board, so will plan to post my info here.

 

Recently off the Horizon (6/13-21), then a brief stay in NYC afterwards. The TLDR version is that yes, you can use your device on the TVs in the cabins. I can confirm that Amazon Prime and YouTube can be streamed, albeit with a longer than normal buffer time. Netflix is expressly blocked, and I think Hulu is also listed as blocked, though I don't have an account, and therefore didn't try. There are a couple of caveats, and then I will go into detail.

 

1. If you ever want to use the internet on your phone, it is kind of a pain to switch it over, use it, then log back onto the WiFi with the device, reenter the Folio, etc. Doable, but inconvenient. Could have a separate internet access, but of course would have to pay for it.

 

2. I don't own easily portable front end devices, so for my example I used a Chromecast. Since it doesn't have much of an OS and doesn't have a browser of its own, I used a portable router to connect it to the WiFi. I feel safe assuming that a FireTV or AppleTV device with a browser could be self-contained in this regard. The router actually made the situation a little more annoying, as I would have to log my phone onto my own network, and off the Carnival WiFi, to make it work. Which caused me to be off the HUB app, which we used for chat and other ship functions.

 

Will start another post with a description of what I did and a few photos, for the unbelievers ;p

[Hans van Smeiter]

Okay, so, as mentioned, I set up a portable router in our (DW and my) room. DS and friend were in a room across the hall. They were not more than 15 feet away from the router location, but their access to it was VERY limited. When I logged the router onto the ship's WiFi, could then access the internet splash page, use my logon, and connect multiple devices to the internet through the router. 2 problems with this: one, the limited range as noted above, so only multiple people sitting in our cabin could simultaneously use the internet, which definitely limits its usefulness; two, DW totally Bogarted the internet almost the whole time, kicking the router off and making it impractical to relog over and over again! :rolleyes:

 

As far as the TVs go - and note, this is on the Horizon, I have no direct knowledge of any of the older TVs - there is a joystick control on the bottom of the panel that allows you to switch the input (and the screen mode, if you are watching a movie and don't feel that super contrast is desirable).

 

There were 2 HDMI and 2 USB ports on the left side of TV, the USB port was able to power the Chromecast.

 

I hadn't used the Chromecast in a couple of years, but was able to update it (twice) over the internet after connecting it to the router (which was connected to the internet through the ship's WiFi).

 

I did make a video of my streaming a YouTube video to the TV over the Chromecast, but since I was using my phone to do it, the video is on DW's phone, so don't have it to upload. I also tested Amazon Prme video streaming on my phone - it took 3-4 minutes of buffering to start, but once started, was able to stream the first 10 minutes or so of a movie with no problems. Then I figured I had better things to do and went back out of the cabin :D.

 

Also note that even though Carnival's website says FaceTime isn't supported, we used it without any issues. So, that may be outdated info.

 

So, there you have it. Not terribly convenient, but not terribly complicated, either. If you have questions, I will answer them to the best of my abilities.

[sperkins921]

Okay, so, as mentioned, I set up a portable router in our (DW and my) room. DS and friend were in a room across the hall. They were not more than 15 feet away from the router location, but their access to it was VERY limited. When I logged the router onto the ship's WiFi, could then access the internet splash page, use my logon, and connect multiple devices to the internet through the router. 2 problems with this: one, the limited range as noted above, so only multiple people sitting in our cabin could simultaneously use the internet, which definitely limits its usefulness; two, DW totally Bogarted the internet almost the whole time, kicking the router off and making it impractical to relog over and over again! :rolleyes:

 

As far as the TVs go - and note, this is on the Horizon, I have no direct knowledge of any of the older TVs - there is a joystick control on the bottom of the panel that allows you to switch the input (and the screen mode, if you are watching a movie and don't feel that super contrast is desirable).

 

There were 2 HDMI and 2 USB ports on the left side of TV, the USB port was able to power the Chromecast.

 

I hadn't used the Chromecast in a couple of years, but was able to update it (twice) over the internet after connecting it to the router (which was connected to the internet through the ship's WiFi).

 

I did make a video of my streaming a YouTube video to the TV over the Chromecast, but since I was using my phone to do it, the video is on DW's phone, so don't have it to upload. I also tested Amazon Prme video streaming on my phone - it took 3-4 minutes of buffering to start, but once started, was able to stream the first 10 minutes or so of a movie with no problems. Then I figured I had better things to do and went back out of the cabin :D.

 

Also note that even though Carnival's website says FaceTime isn't supported, we used it without any issues. So, that may be outdated info.

 

So, there you have it. Not terribly convenient, but not terribly complicated, either. If you have questions, I will answer them to the best of my abilities.

 

Thank you! I really appreciate the description! Everyone was so negative and it can’t be done and you need a web browser etc. I was pretty confident that it may not be as simple as at home but that there must be a way to do it. Again, we don’t plan on spending a whole lot of time in front of the TV, but there are times where maybe you want to watch something. What if we have bad weather, or one of us isn’t feeling well etc. I just like knowing that the option is there.

 

Sounds like bringing the router is the way to go. Did you end up disconnecting it and hiding it when you were out of the cabin so the state room attendant wouldn’t see or did you leave it in plain sight?

[Hans van Smeiter]

Plain sight. No one cares, as far as I can tell. Hope you have a great trip!

[Organized Chaos]

OP, the reason people were making a big deal out of needing a web browser is because you have to navigate to Carnival's "carnivalhub.com" page in order to connect to their wifi. Then enter your folio number and DOB. The device won't just simply connect to an available network. Apple TV's have the Safari browser.

 

We were aboard the Glory a couple of weeks ago and I used the so-called YouTube workaround to get the inputs to change. All you have to do is disconnect the gray communications line from the back of the TV, which feeds Carnival's television programming into the cabin. I was able to successfully hook up and use a Nintendo Switch for my son and his friend. I didn't need to manually change inputs on the TV, it did it automatically once I unplugged the gray cable and plugged in the HDMI. But if necessary, the TV had an input/source touch button on the TV itself. As you said, another way would be using a universal remote. Sometimes it took some playing with it to get the input to change and the Switch screen to appear. Unplug the HDMI and plug it back in again. We always carry a long extension cord, so I just used that to power the Switch, but in our case, the TV was probably close enough to the outlet to reach. I just made sure they disconnected everything and plugged the comm. line back in when they weren't in the cabin. Maybe the steward won't say anything, but Carnival obviously doesn't want people changing TV inputs, so I didn't want to take any chances.

[sperkins921]

OP, the reason people were making a big deal out of needing a web browser is because you have to navigate to Carnival's "carnivalhub.com" page in order to connect to their wifi. Then enter your folio number and DOB. The device won't just simply connect to an available network. Apple TV's have the Safari browser.

 

We were aboard the Glory a couple of weeks ago and I used the so-called YouTube workaround to get the inputs to change. All you have to do is disconnect the gray communications line from the back of the TV, which feeds Carnival's television programming into the cabin. I was able to successfully hook up and use a Nintendo Switch for my son and his friend. I didn't need to manually change inputs on the TV, it did it automatically once I unplugged the gray cable and plugged in the HDMI. But if necessary, the TV had an input/source touch button on the TV itself. As you said, another way would be using a universal remote. Sometimes it took some playing with it to get the input to change and the Switch screen to appear. Unplug the HDMI and plug it back in again. We always carry a long extension cord, so I just used that to power the Switch, but in our case, the TV was probably close enough to the outlet to reach. I just made sure they disconnected everything and plugged the comm. line back in when they weren't in the cabin. Maybe the steward won't say anything, but Carnival obviously doesn't want people changing TV inputs, so I didn't want to take any chances.

 

Yeah, I understood why people made a big deal out of it, but while I can't speak for ATV (I have used one in hotels but don't own one) the FireStick that I have has not been an issue even with captive log in screen. I can think of 5 places off the top of my head (one being a cruise ship- though not Carnival) where I had to enter that kind of info and a browser window of some sorts popped up. I was able to log on just fine. More of a POS is the need to have a universal remote (didn't work on Princess though they had Samsung TV's, which we have at home but I wasn't chancing bringing ours and losing it on the flights to Athens, cruise, and back) with you to change the inputs if the TV is locked or doesn't recognize the device. Granted, I've never bought my gaming systems with me- but could see the need or desire if I had kids with me. But I've always been curious if that too, could be done.

 

Mostly, I asked the question because I was curious whether those services would be blocked the way they say they block Netflix, Hulu, etc. I didn't want to bother taking FireStick or TV with me if I wouldn't be able to stream the satellite apps (HBO and the like). I was curious if Netflix and YT would be blocked through those means as well, which it looks like they aren't.

 

I'm very grateful that someone took time out of their trip to experiment and let me know, so thanks again Hans!

[Organized Chaos]

Mostly, I asked the question because I was curious whether those services would be blocked the way they say they block Netflix, Hulu, etc. I didn't want to bother taking FireStick or TV with me if I wouldn't be able to stream the satellite apps (HBO and the like). I was curious if Netflix and YT would be blocked through those means as well, which it looks like they aren't.

Well, Carnival does specifically state that video streaming is not supported, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work. People have been able to use certain things that Carnival says isn't supported. It's just their way of covering their rears if it doesn't work well. But as has been said, network speed will probably be your biggest determining factor. It was garbage aboard the Glory a couple weeks ago and I've read many other cases of it being about the same on several other ships. The two newest ships have their latest, faster internet service, and they're supposed to be rolling it out fleet-wide, but I haven't read much about how well it works.

[Masonjar]

I used this Numedia on a cruise this past week, They give you codes (3) to run on different applications. I have it on my firestick and my Tablet. As long as I had a connection, which I tethered off my phone even, I had TV. They have 2,000 channels and all the premium channels like HBO etc are included. It works great for me. The premium channels added up about equal the price they offer. Check it out: they have a free trial right now : https://numedia.biz/free/43977