Unsolved problems during first Viking cruise

[SempreMare]

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the British Isles Explorer itinerary on my first cruise with Viking.  

 

This topic is about problems I experienced but did not anticipate or solve during the cruise.

 

If you don't take a lot of iPhone photos, these first 2 problems probably would not affect you.
 

[SempreMare]

=== 1)  iPhone photos backup

 

I was never able to completely back up my iPhone photos to iCloud at any point during the cruise. I can replace my phone if I lose it tomorrow.  I can’t replace trip pictures not yet uploaded to iCloud.

 

Before the trip, I did not think on-ship WiFi speed or off-ship cellular speeds would be important as long as 

a) WiFi  was fast enough to get Google Maps directions, send urgent emails, etc. 

b) I didn't get sick and had to be isolated in-room.

I already downloaded my favorite music playlists for when in the shower or chilling in room.  I already downloaded a couple movies for the plane.   I have zero interest in watching Netflix when on vacation, unless I am sick and need the distraction while in room isolation.  

 

However, what I didn't realize was:  
Viking ship's WiFi completely blocks iPhotos backup.  (this was confirmed by a Viking staff I sat next to on a tender boat.)     Initially was not obvious.  On my iPhone, the status "backing up photos..." Is still shown.  But zero progress appears to be made. 

 

OK no problem, 
Plan B: I'll just use 5G cellular speeds when in bigger city ports.  

 

Nope.  

 

Viking staff I sat next to on a tender boat enlightened me as to why I was experiencing sloggy slow upload speeds:
 

While pax with UK cellular contracts can enjoy true 5G speeds, my US cell ATT international "day pass" service speed is CAPPED at 1.5 Mbps.   I tried switching to 4G, to LTE, etc.  Doesn't matter.    1.5 Mbps was too slow to backup my new photos while off the ship.  The Viking staff member showed he could get 80 Mbps while on the tender boat.   I could only get 1.5 Mbps, connected to the same network.

 

Could someone from the US with Verizon or T-Mobile reply with their experience?  I would switch to Verizon if their situation was better.

 

Plan C :
I'd always check if the Excursion Bus provided WiFi.  Maybe.... 20% actually did.  
A couple drivers said the bus provided WiFi.  However, sometimes the WiFi would let me connect to the router but it would not actually provide internet access.

 

BTW, Edinburgh Scotland buses won my Best Buses prize.  Edinburgh busses had: 
1) Most comfortable seats
2) Bus WiFi that actually worked* 
3) USB charging port near the seat

Maybe... 4) I think they had the best seat belts too, including shoulder straps.  Several buses  had these.

 

Plan D / BTN (Better Than Nothing):
Use the sloggy slow 1.5 Mbps and backup whatever possible over 1.5 Mbps cellular.  
Problems with BTN Plan :
- That was never fast enough to catch up with the # of photos I took.  Always had several hundred photos not backed up.
-  Backing up photos over slow cellular creates a constant huge battery drain.

 

After the cruise ended, thanks to the Thon Hotel Opera's 80 Mbps WiFi speed in Oslo, I was able finally to get all of my trip pictures backed up to iCloud.

Edited October 9, 2022 by SempreMare

[SempreMare]

=== 2) Keeping my iPhone 13 Pro Max charged for an entire day was challenging

 

My iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life is currently at 90% of "Maximum Capacity".   { Settings --> Battery --> Battery Health }

 

Things I did to create battery drain when away from the ship: 

 

2a) Starred and "hearted" locations I would love to visit again with Google Maps.  

Ex: I really wanted to see the National Gallery of Ireland during Dublin's post-excursion free time.
However, after I walked there, I learned they had 'sold out' of the free reservations.  

 

Had I planned the day on my own, I would have pre-reserved a reservation.  But it didn't occur to me to do that after a cruise excursion. Please learn from my mistake ;-). 

 

So I "starred" and "hearted" that as a favorite in Google Maps for next time I'm there.
 

Plan B:  I had a GREAT time at the nearby O'Donoghue's Bar where an adorable bartender and patron perched at the end of the bar proceeded to debate what I should try given I like Sam Adams.

 

I totally enjoyed what they recommended, something new from Guinness.
Plus a really decent non-alcoholic beer from Guinness.

 

Lesson learned: Always remember what you hear the local Viking guide describe as a "good street for pubs and to hang out / people watch" before you venture off on your own.  Those locations make good Plan B's when you have an hour to chill before needing to be back on the ship.

2b) Took lots of photos

2c)  Backed up photos { Photos app --> Swipe up to see your iCloud sync backup status }

 

2d) Looked at urgent videos.  

Ex:  I had created a US Postal Service hold mail request before I left.    Home video security alerted me that my postal carrier was still delivering email, despite the hold mail request.  

While on the ship, I couldn't get the video to play, so I wasn't sure what the security alert was about.   Correcting this took 2 time-sucking phone calls to USPS customer service line.  I needed to take the time to correct this since I didn't want my thyroid med to be sitting out in Texas heat for a week after delivery.

To charge my phone when away from ship, I used: 

 

a) Wireless MagSafe chargers
 
It's been widely documented that MagSafe wireless chargers aren't as efficient as wired chargers.  I can vouch this is true. 

Ex: Even with a MagSafe wireless charger attached, during a breakfast at World Cafe when I ate outside and took a bunch of pics as we approached port, my phone battery would drain from 100% to 92%.  

 

As soon as the ship was close enough to port to get a cellular signal, I'd turn off phone WiFi to escape the ship's restrictions on photo backups / upload. 

MagSafe battery chargers just helped the phone discharge slower.  They only actually increased the battery % if I paused upload of iCloud photo backup.    

 

But in terms of usability, MagSafe chargers sure are easy to snap on, snap off, and keep attached while taking photos

 

b) Old thin chargers / power banks that require a lightning cable 

Really awkward to take photos with, but they do actually slowly charge the battery, even under the loads described above.

I have several really thin power banks with built-in Lightning cables.  Wish I had purchased more of these since I can't find them anymore.  

Like this only thinner.

 

[Jim Avery]

That's why we changed from AT&T to T-Mobile.  

Can I offer some friendly advice for your next cruise?  Put.  Down.. The... Phone...🍸

[TayanaLorna]

We move our photos from camera and our 2 phones to a USB stick.  We never use the cloud.

[CDR2001]

With multiple trips to Italy and a few cruises, we have learned not to depend on the cloud for backups. We also use a photo backup stick for phone, and hubby backups his camera via the laptop.  I also carry two wired phone chargers with me. Good luck for future trips, it’s hard to keep up with technology options for sure…said the retired grandma! 
here’s our hint for the USPS issue…we tape a large note inside the mailbox confirming the Mail Hold request, and we have a neighbor double checking it. We’ve experienced delivered mail while gone many times. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by CDR2001

[SempreMare]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Put.  Down.. The... Phone...🍸

Jim, I don't even have a Facebook account.

That's like saying, "Put down your camera."   

I enjoy re-living vacations and remembering special places via  photos too much for that.

 

PLUS....  Long after a trip, I love how:

1) iOS Photos creates trip photo collections, without any extra work from me, and re-surfaces them

Ex:  It recently showed me "Best moments from Keukenhof (Netherlands)"  with music 
 

2) Same thing but with Amazon Echo devices.  I keep a redundant (to iCloud) cloud backup of photos via Amazon Photos app, at no charge thanks to Amazon Prime membership.    When in the kitchen chopping an onion, I can ask, "Alexa, show my photos taken in Norway."  And it does!  

 

3) I can send selected photos to family and friend's smart Picture Frames.   

ex:  My favorite Auntie could automatically see my favorite 20 photos that I send to her picture frame via the app, all while sitting in her favorite chair, without doing anything.

 

I did encounter 2 Viking cruisers on excursions who took more photos than I. Both were using my previous favorite travel camera - Canon Elph PowerShots.  Now I just use my iPhone.

Edited October 9, 2022 by SempreMare

[SempreMare]

58 minutes ago, CDR2001 said:

We also use a photo backup stick for phone

 

Do you recall which one you use?   

 

Is this a special USB stick with an iPhone lightning port? 

  

58 minutes ago, CDR2001 said:

here’s our hint for the USPS issue…we tape a large note inside the mailbox confirming the Mail Hold request, and we have a neighbor double checking it. 

 

Great advice!   I'll add that to my Day Before Leaving check list. 

 

I had the opposite problem upon returning BTW.  Mail delivery service never resumed till 4 days later I phoned USPS Customer Service and asked, "Why has my mail delivery never re-started?"  This is the first time I've had problems with hold mail. 

 

Thank you for the tip @CDR2001! 

[Iloveketo]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

That's why we changed from AT&T to T-Mobile.  

Can I offer some friendly advice for your next cruise?  Put.  Down.. The... Phone...🍸

I LOVED 🥰 your response! I take very few photos… but I have wonderful memories!

 We had a GoPro when we traveled with our Waverunner and ended up giving it to my son (the GoPro NOT the Waverunner!), because we found we were concentrating more on the filming than the adventure!

Edited October 9, 2022 by Iloveketo

[Jim Avery]

37 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

Jim, I don't even have a Facebook account.

That's like saying, "Put down your camera."   

I enjoy re-living vacations and remembering special places via  photos too much for that.

 

PLUS....  Long after a trip, I love how:

1) iOS Photos creates trip photo collections, without any extra work from me, and re-surfaces them

Ex:  It recently showed me "Best moments from Keukenhof (Netherlands)"  with music 
 

2) Same thing but with Amazon Echo devices.  I keep a redundant (to iCloud) cloud backup of photos via Amazon Photos app, at no charge thanks to Amazon Prime membership.    When in the kitchen chopping an onion, I can ask, "Alexa, show my photos taken in Norway."  And it does!  

 

3) I can send selected photos to family and friend's smart Picture Frames.   

ex:  My favorite Auntie could automatically see my favorite 20 photos that I send to her picture frame via the app, all while sitting in her favorite chair, without doing anything.

 

I did encounter 2 Viking cruisers on excursions who took more photos than I. Both were using my previous favorite travel camera - Canon Elph PowerShots.  Now I just use my iPhone.

Haha, just poking a little fun.  Cruise Critic is my only social media.  At all.  All our pix are on our phones.  When we get home Lois makes an album at Snapchat or some such and that's it.  Modern phones hold thousands of pix so I look back on them or look at the albums if I can't recall stuff.  Again, just havin' fun.

[SempreMare]

10 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

We had a GoPro when we traveled with our Waverunner and ended up giving it to my son (the GoPro NOT the Waverunner!), because we found we were concentrating more on the filming than the adventure!

 

Agreed - I would have same problem with a GoPro because I am much less familiar with it.  Plus I'd rather have access to photos that are immediately useful on all the picture frames than video that requires editing. 

 

Taking good iPhone photos usually requires little of my energy or concentration.  But YMMV. 

Taking great iPhone photos does require prep.  I can't claim I'm there yet.

 

I recently discovered Jefferson Graham's podcast iPhone Photo Show

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/iphonephotoshow/id1601122274

 

REPLAY: 5o Top Tips for iPhone Photography

Their Sept 9 episode above would have been useful for me ;-).

[Iloveketo]

5 minutes ago, SempreMare said:

 

Agreed - I would have same problem with a GoPro because I am much less familiar with it.  Plus I'd rather have access to photos that are immediately useful on all the picture frames than video that requires editing. 

 

Taking good iPhone photos usually requires little of my energy or concentration.  But YMMV. 

Taking great iPhone photos does require prep.  I can't claim I'm there yet.

 

I recently discovered Jefferson Graham's podcast iPhone Photo Show

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/iphonephotoshow/id1601122274

 

REPLAY: 5o Top Tips for iPhone Photography

Their Sept 9 episode above would have been useful for me ;-).

iPhones do take good photos!

My husband is my photographer, so I don’t have too. 😆 

I do like having a few photos to look back on after the cruise. 
BTW, what does YMMV mean?

[UWDawg]

23 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

what does YMMV mean?

YMMV = Your mileage may vary

[Twitchly]

The Wi-Fi on Mars was abysmal. I was never able to send more than one or two photos to anyone; each took about an hour. I marvel at the posts here on CC full of photos people post during their cruises. That just wasn’t possible from Mars unless I wanted to spend all my time sitting in my room and swearing at my phone. No thanks.

 

I did not check to see if my photos were backing up to the cloud or not. I assume they were because I never saw any messages to the contrary. Fortunately, they were all still on my phone when I got home.

[CurlerRob]

7 hours ago, SempreMare said:

Jim, I don't even have a Facebook account.

That's like saying, "Put down your camera."   

Certainly you want to have a camera - and lots of people prefer to use their phones. I continue to use my Canon, but am just as paranoid about loss, so I back up to our iDevices.

 

You may well be aware of these other options, but here are two that I have used over the years:

 

1) If you can get access to a laptop/desktop (maybe even a (new) friend on board, you can copy all your iPhone pics to the laptop or a flash drive plugged into it. Your iPhone should show up as a device in Windows explorer when you plug the USB cable into the laptop - navigate to DSIM and copy away.

 

2) If you have a second, or old iDevice (I actually have an old iPod Touch with 64 GB), punt your photos to that device via AirDrop. No need for WiFi - just proximity via Bluetooth. 🍺🥌

[CCWineLover]

10 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

Certainly you want to have a camera - and lots of people prefer to use their phones. I continue to use my Canon, but am just as paranoid about loss, so I back up to our iDevices.

 

You may well be aware of these other options, but here are two that I have used over the years:

 

1) If you can get access to a laptop/desktop (maybe even a (new) friend on board, you can copy all your iPhone pics to the laptop or a flash drive plugged into it. Your iPhone should show up as a device in Windows explorer when you plug the USB cable into the laptop - navigate to DSIM and copy away.

 

2) If you have a second, or old iDevice (I actually have an old iPod Touch with 64 GB), punt your photos to that device via AirDrop. No need for WiFi - just proximity via Bluetooth. 🍺🥌

That’s exactly what I do.  No cloud no worry about WiFi speed.  Copy to my memory sticks.  Always works well!.  Clouds are great except when they are not.

Edited October 10, 2022 by CCWineLover

[DrKoob]

A few thoughts:

• We were on Sky for three weeks in September. I took more than 3,000 photos (I am a travel photographer that sells my travel shots), and I was able to upload them to my Dropbox account (so I guess they haven't blocked that yet). 
• I am also a fanatic about backup. My Nikon (you don't want to lug it around, it weighs 5+lbs) has two card slots, and every shot gets saved twice to start with. Then I have my Mac with me and back up all photos to two external drives.
• Yes, T-Mobile will give you plenty of fast 5G to upload your photos when in all but six countries in the world (you probably won't go to those—too dangerous). They are owned by Deutsch-Telecom, so they are a true world provider. My cell service is always better in Amsterdam than it is here in Seattle.
• I loved the speed of the WiFi on Sky. I was able to back up photos, write blog posts, add hundreds of photos to my blog and much more—some of the best WiFi I have ever had. But it should be noted that much of this depends on the position of the ship in the world with respect to satellites.
• Keep taking those photos and yes, keep backing them up. 
• I loved your comments on the rest of the cruise.

[philw1776]

Viking really, really needs to put SpaceX's StarLink onboard.  Silversea is doing it.

[Cruisetones]

21 hours ago, SempreMare said:

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the British Isles Explorer itinerary on my first cruise with Viking.  

 

This topic is about problems I experienced but did not anticipate or solve during the cruise.

 

If you don't take a lot of iPhone photos, these first 2 problems probably would not affect you.
 

Sounds like the Wi Fi on the ship is limited.  I wonder if anyone rented a pocket wi Fi for a couple of weeks from destination A, used that and returned it at Destination B.

 

 

[hbtraveler]

I'll second the T-Mobile recommendation.  Although they only guarantee 3G, I never had less than 4G and mostly had 5G while we were in range of shore cell towers.  Although I didn't specifically backup photos, I believe all of my iPhone photos ended up backed up to my Amazon Photos storage automatically.  I was able to send text messages with photos without issue using cell service.  I agree that the onboard WiFi isn't good for large data transfers (and really needs to be improved).  As far as battery is concerned, the radios in the phone (wifi, cell, and bluetooth) really eat battery life.  Even if you aren't in range of cell towers, the phone will still keep on trying to connect until you're in contact with the next cell tower.  If you are away from land, go to Airplane Mode to cut off the celluar until closer to shore.  Otherwise, I didn't have any battery issues with my iPhone 13 Max.  If you are having problems maintaining charge, a visit to an Apple Store might be advised.