Premium WiFi with streaming

[doolfan]

I’m just wondering if this works well? I don’t mind spending the money if it truly does. I’ll be traveling with my daughter who will be 22 and just graduating college. Being able to stream and post video content is going to be a must for her.  

[SunshineGal2022]

I think it depends on which ship you are on and where you are going.  

[Elsammo46]

Had a similar question myself for a similar reason. I’ll be on the getaway in May going to southern/eastern Caribbean 

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, doolfan said:

I’m just wondering if this works well? I don’t mind spending the money if it truly does. I’ll be traveling with my daughter who will be 22 and just graduating college. Being able to stream and post video content is going to be a must for her.  

It depends on when you are going and what ship. 
 

Right now, it does not work well. But it works.
 

It is satellite internet shared by 2000-4000 of your new friends. It is painfully slow compared to a land based Wi-Fi. 
 

But,,, I think that a 22-year old will want whatever she can get. 
 

In the future, NCL will convert over to Starlink. Right now, that works very well, but will probably become bogged down as it supports more users. The link to the satellites will be fast, but at some point, the data needs to exit to a terrestrial network and that will become the choke point. 

[doolfan]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It depends on when you are going and what ship. 
 

Right now, it does not work well. But it works.
 

It is satellite internet shared by 2000-4000 of your new friends. It is painfully slow compared to a land based Wi-Fi. 
 

But,,, I think that a 22-year old will want whatever she can get. 
 

In the future, NCL will convert over to Starlink. Right now, that works very well, but will probably become bogged down as it supports more users. The link to the satellites will be fast, but at some point, the data needs to exit to a terrestrial network and that will become the choke point. 

Thank you! This is our first cruise. We’re going to be on Viva in spring 2024. A few years ago my kids loved our visit to Yellowstone but hated not having any service while we were there. I know people say to unplug and enjoy, but I feel that’s more a mentality for adults disconnecting from work, teens/20s definitely want to stay connected to their friends and followers!

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, doolfan said:

Thank you! This is our first cruise. We’re going to be on Viva in spring 2024. A few years ago my kids loved our visit to Yellowstone but hated not having any service while we were there. I know people say to unplug and enjoy, but I feel that’s more a mentality for adults disconnecting from work, teens/20s definitely want to stay connected to their friends and followers!

Do you remember your kids trying to get service at Old Faithful? That's how NCL's WiFi can be on some days. Other days it's like being in West Yellowstone or Gardiner and works like a breeze. Side note, I lived and worked in Yellowstone for five years, so suffered through all the terrible service, but hey, I knew exactly where I could get service! 

 

Anyway, I don't like to unplug either, so I understand your kids being annoyed by a lack of service. By the time you cruise on Viva, 2024, Starlink should be on board and I think you'll have great service. Everything over on the Royal Caribbean forums indicates WiFi is excellent (they switched to Starlink a few months ago). 

[mking8288]

1 minute ago, doolfan said:

... This is our first cruise. We’re going to be on Viva in spring 2024. A few years ago my kids loved our visit to Yellowstone but hated not having any service ... 

What you and your "kids" use to connect to the WiFi network onboard the ship, can also help make a difference next Spring does it used 802.11n, ac, or ax protocol - that's hardware doing its share or part in getting the usable signal, whether it's the iPad, smartphone, tablet or Chromebook, etc. 

 

I've been able to document, onboard the Getaway last month, that given the same "EMC" satellite connection, several devices tested within minutes of each other obtained widely varied results, anywhere from 5 to 6 Mbps to 3 or 4 Mbps, down to the usual & typical 1 to 2 Mbps download speed, with upload even lower.  

 

If the speed is sufficient and adequate to meet their needs, spent the money & upgrade - and, if not ... just don't.  Wait until you are onboard to decide and in most instances, those that asked for were issued refunds, some partially for poor connectivity.  Starlink, rolling out gradually across the entire fleet - starting with the mega ships, expected & promised to make a significant difference ... but, also - could appeal, attract and result in more paid users - that's network traffic congestion & bottleneck, like your shared cable connection.  

[Laszlo]

10 hours ago, doolfan said:

I’m just wondering if this works well? I don’t mind spending the money if it truly does. I’ll be traveling with my daughter who will be 22 and just graduating college. Being able to stream and post video content is going to be a must for her.  

That might not work out so well for her. Too many variables, depends on the ship, time of day, amount of users (time of day).

[kylenyc]

In ideal conditions, you will be able to do VOIP or wifi calls and streaming video (netflix, etc) using the lowest quality settings.

 

In my experience, you can count on poor wifi quality at some point during the cruise due to one of these issues:

• Poor weather conditions
• A influx of passengers trying to connect at the same after returning from shore in order to surf, share pics and videos, etc.
• More passengers connecting on sea days than port days
• NCL over selling the streaming package.
• An incorrectly configured connection. If your connection is slow, have the internet services check your connection. You might have prepaid for streaming but might not be getting it on board.

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by kylenyc

[Cruise5life]

Just off the joy 15 day Panama.   And the wifi premium package cost 450.00 for the 2 weeks and was terrible.  No way was it worth the price.    
just off the RC wonder OTS and that service was 1/3 the price and hands down the best I’ve had on a ship so far.