Quality of On board WIFI? - Constellation.

[charity709]

Hi everyone!

 

First time cruiser - second post on this forum. Had great answers for my first question, so figured I'd throw another out there.

 

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation in May for Western Mediterranean. 

 

We were able to choose 3 of 4 promotions when we booked (drink package, free prepaid gratuities and onboard credit) and now are wondering if we made a mistake not choosing unlimited internet.  I didn't realize that roaming packages on our cell phone wouldn't work at sea (rookie mistake, lol).  From the website it seems like we can only buy packages for the whole cruise which is very costly. I'm mostly concerned about wanting to connect on our 2 sea days.

 

My questions are - do you usually forego wifi while cruising? If you do pay for it, is the service spotty or slow on the ship? 

 

Thanks!

[jelayne]

Service isn’t like you get at home but it is normally pretty good.  

The internet package for 2 devices is quite expensive.  If we don’t get it as a booking perk then we purchase a1 device package.  It is usually the very last option under internet packages in your Cruise Planner.  It allows for only one device to be connected at a time, but you can switch between devices. DH and I share it as we never have a need to both be connected at the  same time.

[keesar]

5 hours ago, charity709 said:

 

 

My questions are - do you usually forego wifi while cruising? If you do pay for it, is the service spotty or slow on the ship? 

 

Thanks!

 

We do not take Internet as a perk.  We have found it to be spotty and slow.  I don't like spending my vacation waiting and waiting, especially on sea days.  I have been able to get much faster and reliable service at ports.  Often, you cannot beat the price at ports.

[Jim_Iain]

I always get the internet package.   The coverage in the Med is pretty good.   Speeds will not be as fast as home but livable.   

[Shadow9612]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I always get the internet package.   The coverage in the Med is pretty good.   Speeds will not be as fast as home but livable.   

I concur....I've had WiFi on the Constellation, and was happy with quality.

 

If the cost of WiFi for your cruise is more than the OBC you received as a perk, then it might be more worthwhile to switch your perk to unlimited Wi-Fi. 

 

[GottaKnowWhen]

10 hours ago, charity709 said:

Hi everyone!

 

First time cruiser - second post on this forum. Had great answers for my first question, so figured I'd throw another out there.

 

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation in May for Western Mediterranean. 

 

We were able to choose 3 of 4 promotions when we booked (drink package, free prepaid gratuities and onboard credit) and now are wondering if we made a mistake not choosing unlimited internet.  I didn't realize that roaming packages on our cell phone wouldn't work at sea (rookie mistake, lol).  From the website it seems like we can only buy packages for the whole cruise which is very costly. I'm mostly concerned about wanting to connect on our 2 sea days.

 

My questions are - do you usually forego wifi while cruising? If you do pay for it, is the service spotty or slow on the ship? 

 

Thanks!

The internet package perk is always for two devices, a waste in our experience. We are more likely to choose other perks, and buy one single internet connection onboard. And then share. If Spouse seems to be reading the News, I say “Hey are you on or off? I would like to check my mail...?” Spouse says “No I am not on, I’ve downloaded the News and don’t need to be on...” and I log on, bumping Spouse off in the process. No harm, no foul.

Quality will vary with time of day, extent of competition for limited bandwidth, weather interference with satellite reception, phase of the moon, and how urgently you need the robust connection. But hey, you are a cruise. Rein in your expectations, relax, your stuff will download/upload eventually...

 

Stan

[SteveGT3]

If your cell phone service provider is Verizon Wireless, go to their website and look at their Int'l plans. They treat cruise ships like any other foreign country and that may be a good choice for you instead of the ship's internet. With that said, my wife and I use the ship's internet and Celebrity has made good strides at providing decent service. Like others have said, not as good as at home but a lot better than it used to be (or still is on some other cruise lines).

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, SteveGT3 said:

If your cell phone service provider is Verizon Wireless, go to their website and look at their Int'l plans. They treat cruise ships like any other foreign country and that may be a good choice for you instead of the ship's internet. With that said, my wife and I use the ship's internet and Celebrity has made good strides at providing decent service. Like others have said, not as good as at home but a lot better than it used to be (or still is on some other cruise lines).

 

From other posts it is important to check the details of Verizon Plan-    You could be in for a big surprise -

 

Others have reported -

 

"Let me clarify that many ships have a cell phone tower and your phone will work on the ship, but the ship's cell phone service is NOT included in TravelPass and the $10 fee does not cover you on the ship. You will pay by the minute and by the text message if you use the ship's cell phone service.

 

Therefore, put your phone in airplane mode on the ship, and take it out of airplane mode on an island if you want to use TravelPass.

 

Also, you need to turn on TravelPass for each phone before your trip. No charge to turn it on, only to use it."

 

 

[SteveGT3]

thanks for providing additional information. I was aware of how Verizon's plan worked and that it was not in the big list of travel pass countries that Verizon offers a low rate for. It is, however, possible to use your ship in your Verizon phone if you are willing to pay for it.

[justcrusn]

We found it good. The wife even used FaceTime occasionally with kids/grands.

i think a speedtest was something like 2-3 megs most often. The big problem with wifi on a ship is all the steel, blocking and reflecting radio waves. So it is better in one spot than another.

[PelicanLvr]

Suggest you go with low expectations of internet quality ...hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

OP is a "first time cruiser".  Internet quality and speed (although improved from the past) is still well below home or hotels.  Don't expect much.

[SteveGT3]

Agree with PelicanLvr. Speed is better than in the past but far below what you expect and receive at home. Unless absolutely necessary, forget email and enjoy your vacation....