Buying internet on board

[6vacruisers6]

We want to use onboard credit to purchase internet when we get on board the ship. Is the cost the same if you purchase internet onboard as it is purchasing it pre-cruise? We do not have the have it all package. Thanks.

[Cruise Suzy]

The Premium Internet is less if pre-purchased. The Social and Surf Internet can only be purchase once onboard.

 

 

 

[6vacruisers6]

Thank you

[crystalspin]

17 hours ago, 6vacruisers6 said:

We want to use onboard credit to purchase internet when we get on board the ship. Is the cost the same if you purchase internet onboard as it is purchasing it pre-cruise? We do not have the have it all package. Thanks.

As Suzy said, Premium is 20% less pre-purchased for the whole cruise. The internet (speed and bandwidth) is the same just more apps/programs are blocked and the data caps are lower for the non-premium packages. You can read here:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-packages/cruise-ship-wifi.html

[kmchisholm]

Thanks for this!  We just want our phones available for emergency text (iMessage or SMS). I would assume the social plan is fine. Any idea if you can sign up for it mid-trip and pay for the remaining days? 

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, kmchisholm said:

Thanks for this!  We just want our phones available for emergency text (iMessage or SMS). I would assume the social plan is fine. Any idea if you can sign up for it mid-trip and pay for the remaining days? 

I don't think the social plan would allow texting. I know I can on premium, but I have never had the middle level.

As far as I know you can buy the plan mid cruise, but you might end up paying more, definitely more per day, because the cost per day goes down with longer plans. It is not a set rate per day.

[Catlover54]

With premium internet , can two users from the same cabin have access at the same time?

 

If not, can you pay (and if so, roughly how much pp/day) for that privilege?

 

[Florida_gal_50]

No, 2 can’t use it at once.  You can pay to have more devices but I don’t recall how much it was.

[TiogaCruiser]

6 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

No, 2 can’t use it at once.  You can pay to have more devices but I don’t recall how much it was.

I seem to recall it was $10-15 day

[iflyrc5]

2 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

With premium internet , can two users from the same cabin have access at the same time?

 

If not, can you pay (and if so, roughly how much pp/day) for that privilege?

 

Only one device connected at a time unless you pay for a second device and I believe that the second device is the same price at the first.

[Real NHDOC]

For those with a small amount of technical capability there is a device called a WIFI bridge that will permit the sharing of a single internet connection among multiple devices.  It's only as good as the connection itself (in other words if the connection is slow then the shared connection will be slower since the bandwidth is shared) and it's not without some quirks but it does work.  We travel with one and use it in the cabin to prevent us from having to log on and off.  Basically you connect it to the ship's wifi and then it creates a hotspot that you connect all of your devices to.  As an example, this is one type:

 

https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/tl-wr902ac/

 

Available on Amazon for around $40.

[TiogaCruiser]

11 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

Only one device connected at a time unless you pay for a second device and I believe that the second device is the same price at the first.

When I logged on, I got an offer to add a second device for either $10 or $15. I don’t remember which. This was on Zuidie in April 

[crystalspin]

18 hours ago, kmchisholm said:

Thanks for this!  We just want our phones available for emergency text (iMessage or SMS). I would assume the social plan is fine. Any idea if you can sign up for it mid-trip and pay for the remaining days? 

We could not text (nor make voice calls) with Surf on recent B2B on Koningsdam. iMessage may have a work-around DNK as Android/Samsung here. I think I have read on CC that WhatsApp will work on Social but I do not have others ready to use that one! Facebook Messaging is indicated as working on Social, here:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/onboard-packages/cruise-ship-wifi.html

[soccermom4]

5 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

When I logged on, I got an offer to add a second device for either $10 or $15. I don’t remember which. This was on Zuidie in April 

Was that per day or total?  

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, soccermom4 said:

Was that per day or total?  

Per day 

[kazu]

21 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

With premium internet , can two users from the same cabin have access at the same time?

 

If not, can you pay (and if so, roughly how much pp/day) for that privilege?

 

 

The others have answered your questions but just want to point out - if you don’t need to be on at the same time - you can use as many devices as you want.  Just give your partner the password (and it’s pretty simple now and the other device gets bumped off.

 

For many one package works fine unless you both need to be on 24/7.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, soccermom4 said:

Was that per day or total?  

The price to add a second device is $10/day but includes up to three devices without any additional charge.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Crew News

[soccermom4]

Thanks. With 31 days on board I think we will figure out how to share. We don’t usually buy internet but will this time. 

[TiogaCruiser]

15 hours ago, kazu said:

 

The others have answered your questions but just want to point out - if you don’t need to be on at the same time - you can use as many devices as you want.  Just give your partner the password (and it’s pretty simple now and the other device gets bumped off.

 

For many one package works fine unless you both need to be on 24/7.

I’m not doubting you, Kazu, just wanting to be absolutely clear on the current state of internet. 
 

Can someone confirm they have used more than 1 device (not at the same time) recently?

The reason I ask is on Zuidie in March 2022, I pre-purchased internet, and the only way I saw to connect was through the Navigator on my phone. DH looked and found no way to connect on his (under his account.) In addition, there was no creation of an account (and no internet password to share.) It was all “bound” in the Navigator. I suggested he log into my navigator account on his phone but he declined (hence the following questions.)

1) So for those who have been on with more than 1 device, how have you done it?

 

AND

 

2) How can I pre purchase internet under the second pax on a booking?

 

(Our reservation is under DH’s name (private sale) and I’m the planner/ organizer. So I need access to the master file on Navigator, and internet to execute our plans. We’re on Volendam.)

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by TiogaCruiser

[kazu]

22 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I’m not doubting you, Kazu, just wanting to be absolutely clear on the current state of internet. 
 

Can someone confirm they have used more than 1 device (not at the same time) recently?

The reason I ask is on Zuidie in March 2022, I pre-purchased internet, and the only way I saw to connect was through the Navigator on my phone. DH looked and found no way to connect on his (under his account.) In addition, there was no creation of an account (and no internet password to share.) It was all “bound” in the Navigator. I suggested he log into my navigator account on his phone but he declined (hence the following questions.)

1) So for those who have been on with more than 1 device, how have you done it?

 

AND

 

2) How can I pre purchase internet under the second pax on a booking?

 

(Our reservation is under DH’s name (private sale) and I’m the planner/ organizer. So I need access to the master file on Navigator, and internet to execute our plans. We’re on Volendam.)

 

 

I was just on 2 cruises and had 3 devices.  I just signed up at the beginning and if I used a different device - then it said it had to bump the other one off and I ok’d it.

Alternatively you can log out first to be safe and then log in on the next device.

Before, when I travelled with DH, we had one plan.  We both used the internet (at different times) on 3 different devices.  I’ve never had a problem doing that.  (He logged in under my name).

to log in as him - just pretend you are him - no biggie.  Just input his name instead of your own and you will be all set.  If he is primary you definitely want to be him signing in to see the full account on Navigator.

[Real NHDOC]

In order to use the internet you need to be logged into the account of the guest who has the plan, that is the only "hitch".  So if a husband buys the plan and his wife wants to use it she needs to log into his navigator account and log in then.  After that she can log out of his account and will stay connected until the next device is connected.

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

In order to use the internet you need to be logged into the account of the guest who has the plan, that is the only "hitch".  So if a husband buys the plan and his wife wants to use it she needs to log into his navigator account and log in then.  After that she can log out of his account and will stay connected until the next device is connected.

 

Exactly - I tried to say it and you did it better.  Thank you 🙂 

[richwmn]

I am currently on Zuiderdam and have been regularly switching between 3 devices (laptop, tablet, and phone) no problem. If you try and switch devices and another device is currently chosen you will be given the opportunity to disconnect the other device.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't remember for sure, but I think I was able to log onto wifi and the internet on my laptop without going through navigator after the initial setup.  After I had problems with my laptop, I used my phone to check email. As Kazu said, there's a prompt to say that another device was on the account and did I want it to be logged off. I said yes and was able to log on with my phone and no additional charge. I suppose if you say no, it will offer to sell a second plan for a second device to be used at the same time as the first.

 

I have to say, HAL isn't clear in their descriptions. The plans are for "one device." HAL should say "one device at a time," because that's how it really works. 

[crystalspin]

On a laptop or tablet, you can enter

 

https://navigator.hollandamerica.com/#/

 

And it will ask about logging the other device off. My husband went between his laptop in the cabin and his phone elsewhere. We each had our own plan via HIA...