Free at sea wifi upgrade

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

Always for everyone.

 

It's worded poorly - the "credit" you get just offsets part of the package you bought, they bill you for the entire thing then apply the credit to your account.

 

I've attached the relevant lines from my invoice in March - 

What happens if you don't spend any money on the ship though? Do you just go to the lobby area and cash out? I typically don't spend anything in addition to the package purchase or on gratuities at the end. 

[mistertomatoe]

I am Platinum so I get a 15% Internet discount but I don't see it precruise when I add the upgrade or full package to my cart and go to payment. Is it supposed to show precruise?

 

Also, looking at my 3 upcoming cruises, my upgrade price which after accounting for the Free at Sea "credit" is priced at $29.99/day for basic for the May cruise but my other cruises in Oct and Dec are showing $24.99/day for basic. Is the $24.99/day a precruise discount or does the price change closer to sailing so the May one jumps to the regular price of $29.99/day? I booked all three this year and after I was Platinum.

 

 

[BirdTravels]

10 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

I apologize for bringing back up a "dead" topic (I didn't want to have to start a new thread all over again), but could use some clarification since I'm cheap and not very intelligent. 

 

I'm narrowing down Mediterranean cruises for this summer and will likely go on a 9 day cruise and take the FAS package with the 150 minutes of wifi. It's probably enough for me since everyday is supposed to be a port day, however I'd feel a bit more better taking the unlimited option if available later for a decent discount.

 

From what I read on here, someone on a 7 night cruise who has the 150 minutes as part of their FAS package will get offered the unlimited upgrade for $180 for 6 days (after waiting I guess until day 2 of the cruise to activate?) where you will get a $100 credit. Is this always offered or is this a targeted promotion for just some cruisers (I rarely cruise and have no status with NCL)?

 

If my cruise is 9 days and I wait until the 2nd day to activate it will likely be $240 with a $132 credit correct? 

 

My understanding is the credit you get back has to be used during the cruise. Before you could not use it towards gratuities at the end of the cruise. Is that still the case?  Assuming it is, can you use it in the casino or for transportation/tour with transportation for when you disembark? If I cannot use it for any of these things I figure to just use it towards laundry and gum. 

 

Thank you

 

Before you spend time thinking about this OBC, everyone will use it to offset the cost of the internet upgrade. Don't think of it as an OBC. Think of it as credit for giving up your free entitlement in favor of the unlimited plan. It is non-refundable (i.e., it can not be "cashed out"). Yes, you can save a few bucks by waiting until Day 2, but very very very few will bother, they upgrade as soon as they embark. We cruise 6-8 times a year and never have and never will game the system and upgrade on Day 2. There is chance of accidentally touching the free minutes. And, with 10's of thousands at an embarkation port, it is sometimes better to use the ship's wifi than fighting the local phone company which is overloaded with passengers facetiming their friends and family from the ship. 

Edited May 6, 2023 by BirdTravels

[hallux]

10 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

What happens if you don't spend any money on the ship though? Do you just go to the lobby area and cash out? I typically don't spend anything in addition to the package purchase or on gratuities at the end. 

Except you HAVE "spent" it by buying the upgrade.  The credit just offsets part of the cost since they bill you for the entire cost to upgrade, then issue the credit.

[eileeshb]

11 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

What happens if you don't spend any money on the ship though? Do you just go to the lobby area and cash out? I typically don't spend anything in addition to the package purchase or on gratuities at the end. 

If you upgrade the wifi you have already spent the "credit/OBC", same for cruise next vouchers.. do not let them bamboozle you with their "free money" speel. 

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

4 hours ago, eileeshb said:

If you upgrade the wifi you have already spent the "credit/OBC", same for cruise next vouchers.. do not let them bamboozle you with their "free money" speel. 

I guess I'm still having trouble following. I apologize for being dense but appreciate peoples time and patience with explaining this to me. 

 

Is this accurate?

 

I book a cruise and decide to book the FAS package where you get 150 minutes of wifi. I go on the ship and do not touch the ship's wifi. I go to activate it on the 2nd day of the cruise and will get an upgrade offer where for $180 I can upgrade and will receive a $100 credit. I don't buy anything during the cruise except for the upgrade offer (and pay the gratuities at the end of course) and never touch the $100 "credit". I will see a charge on my credit card for $80 when the cruise ends. 

 

 

Oddly enough I understand the CruiseNext thing but the wifi upgrade I cannot figure out. 

[mamajean1113]

I upgraded my wi-fi only for my upcoming trip.  If I did it on my phone we both had to do it but I did it on my desktop computer and I was able just to upgrade my plan.  I did this last year as wel, l as soon as we were on board we went down to the computer tech and he was able to transfer my 150 free minutes to my husband so he had 300 which was more than enough for him.  I plan to do the same thing this year.

[Bluewake]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:27 PM, mking8288 said:

Here was our Joy upgrade pricing at Day 2 of our 7 Days CNE Cruise in September and the free 150 minutes credited as $100, making our "net" upgrade cost at $79.94 ($29.99 / day x 6 days for unlimited basic, non-streaming, satellite WiFi) ... before we offset it using non-refundable OBC, that we either use it or lose it.  There was no connection fee whatsoever, not before C19 and not on 3 cruises this year, not with setting up for using the other free 150 minutes on a 2nd account and not for upgrading.

 

I stand corrected, but eyes on those OBC posted to your account and if something related to WiFi usage appeared, just chat nicely & calmly with the iCafe manager during her/his posted "office hour" onboard ... don't wait until the last 2 days.

 

As for enabling or using a WiFi or MiFi hotspot, I'm well aware of those "tools" and my traveling Sony Vaio travel notebook has that built-in AP/bridge option (bypassing "Mac address" connection security check) ... it isn't going to be very useful or practical should you notice a further drop or reduction in available bandwidth, speed & errors ...  Speed results as measured were better onboard the Getaway & Escape (and, pre-Covid on the Gem & Dawn) than on the Joy, perhaps more passengers online these days & spending money on unlimited plans - effectively cutting down the shared available data bandwidth.  

 

Upgraded recently to Samsung Galaxy S22+ and Google Pixel 7 Pro with the latest functions, and it work well with Fios & 5G or 4G signals as AP (hotspot) while on the move ... seriously doubtful, it is a practical or usable solution for sharing satellite connections in a maritime environment.  Perhaps, if NCL decided to roll with Starlink, until then - most definitely have a Plan "C"    And, BTW ... good luck. 

 

 

 

Cisco servers/hardware used onboard the Joy are solid and delivering very good speed via 802.11ac (WiFi 5 standards) capable of delivering Gigabit traffic ... the "problem" is the bottleneck further upstream.  

 

Just to be clear…

 

So, am I correct in understanding that if I wait until the second day of my cruise to attempt to log on the internet, I will see the “offer to upgrade” that your above screen shots illustrated?  Then, instead of hitting the button redeeming my 150 minutes, all I have to do is click on the upgrade option and I will be upgraded to the unlimited package and a credit of $100 will be added to my onboard account.  Is that correct?

 

Or do I have to see someone at the Internet desk to get this offer?

 

I am Platinum, a few points short of Sapphire, but that will not matter…correct?
 

Thanks a lot for confirming!

 

 

[eileeshb]

3 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

I guess I'm still having trouble following. I apologize for being dense but appreciate peoples time and patience with explaining this to me. 

 

Is this accurate?

 

I book a cruise and decide to book the FAS package where you get 150 minutes of wifi. I go on the ship and do not touch the ship's wifi. I go to activate it on the 2nd day of the cruise and will get an upgrade offer where for $180 I can upgrade and will receive a $100 credit. I don't buy anything during the cruise except for the upgrade offer (and pay the gratuities at the end of course) and never touch the $100 "credit". I will see a charge on my credit card for $80 when the cruise ends. 

 

 

Oddly enough I understand the CruiseNext thing but the wifi upgrade I cannot figure out. 

Yes

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

Don't know why NCL cannot just say "You will receive a partial refund". 

[clavichord]

On 5/6/2023 at 12:12 PM, mamajean1113 said:

I upgraded my wi-fi only for my upcoming trip.  If I did it on my phone we both had to do it but I did it on my desktop computer and I was able just to upgrade my plan.  I did this last year as wel, l as soon as we were on board we went down to the computer tech and he was able to transfer my 150 free minutes to my husband so he had 300 which was more than enough for him.  I plan to do the same thing this year.

If transferring the 150 minutes is possible, then can you get $200 credit if you upgrade on that account (I assume you do not have to activate the new 300-minute account when doing the transfer?)

[mamajean1113]

3 hours ago, clavichord said:

If transferring the 150 minutes is possible, then can you get $200 credit if you upgrade on that account (I assume you do not have to activate the new 300-minute account when doing the transfer?)

I very much doubt it.  Those are free minutes that was part of Free at Sea. I was very appreciative they did that which gave him more minutes to use.

[clavichord]

3 hours ago, mamajean1113 said:

I very much doubt it.  Those are free minutes that was part of Free at Sea. I was very appreciative they did that which gave him more minutes to use.

Right, but the free at sea minutes can be swapped to credits when upgrading the internet as long as it has not been activated. There is a table for the conversion where 150 minutes = $100 and 300 minutes = $200.

Edited May 14, 2023 by clavichord

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/13/2023 at 8:30 PM, clavichord said:

Right, but the free at sea minutes can be swapped to credits when upgrading the internet as long as it has not been activated. There is a table for the conversion where 150 minutes = $100 and 300 minutes = $200.

We were unable to transfer for a second credit. 

[dhanakorn]

On 5/13/2023 at 5:30 PM, clavichord said:

Right, but the free at sea minutes can be swapped to credits when upgrading the internet as long as it has not been activated. There is a table for the conversion where 150 minutes = $100 and 300 minutes = $200.

 

300 minutes will give you about $145 credit, not $200. On 12-day cruise, you get 300 minutes as part of free at sea. The full price for 12-day unlimited plan is 12x$30 = $360. The price to upgrade the 300-min to the unlimited plan is $360-$145 = $215. Price to upgrade to premium unlimited plan is $480-$145 = $335. This is the upgrade price before taking the cruise. Price when upgrading when you already board the ship may vary.

[mistertomatoe]

I’m Platinum so I get 15% off Internet but it doesn’t apply to upgrades, multi devices, pay as you go, and time plans. I did save some money by not upgrading to unlimited until the second day. Thanks for that tip!

 

In the app under onboard account, there are two items that say “Internet Cafe” for $299.90 and -$100.00 for my 11 day cruise which I activated and upgraded to unlimited on the second day.

Edited May 25, 2023 by mistertomatoe

[mking8288]

These recent screenshots should help further explain the credit for applying unused FAS minutes (300 x 2) on our 12 nights cruise, doing the upgrade via the App ourselves, after midnight or Day 2, for 11 days of unlimited basic WiFi.  Latitudes Platinum/Sapphire discount do not apply or get stacked.  The other pax's free minutes remained usable with the upgrade.  You cannot combine them to get a higher allowance credit. 

 

Register as many devices as you desire or want to, but only one can connect to the inTERnet at any given time - other devices can stay connected to the ship's free inTRAnet, i.e. the Norwegian App, as long as it is on Airplane Mode with WiFi enabled ... (sounds complicated, but not really, stop at the iCafe Center or desk onboard, there should be a mini printed card available, the simplified instructions are also found within the Freestyle Daily)  

 

 

Edited May 25, 2023 by mking8288