NCL Internet Package Question

[hollieann144]

We are going on NCL for the first time next week - we have done Royal Caribbean before. I wanted to get the unlimited internet for my daughter, but when I go to "add to cart" it seems to want to add it under my name. Will this be a problem moving forward or can I still give it to her by acting as if her phone is mine? Thank you in advance. 

[hallux]

The cruise line doesn't care who owns the phone, just who is signing in to the internet with it.  If your daughter is guest 3 or 4 in the room, she's not eligible for the upgrade option as I don't believe she gets the 150 minutes free, though that's not specified in the T&C's as it is for others with the restriction.

 

The other possibility is if your daughter is over 13 she is eligible for her own MyNCL account, the cruise might show up once that's registered and the upgrade could be purchased through there.

 

A tip - you can get the non-streaming unlimited internet for $109 IF you wait until the second day to do the upgrade AND don't activate the Free-at-sea minutes.

Edited March 29, 2023 by hallux

[Need-a-vacation]

I just booked for the Encore and have the free-at-sea WiFi included.  I see the ability to add an upgrade for the entire cruise.

1. How do they count a minute?

2. Once I'm onboard, is there any option to upgrade for a single day, or a pro-rated package if you upgrade later in the cruise?  For example, if there's a work emergency and I need a premium connection for just one day, do I have to purchase the whole cruise package?

3. Can you use a single connection to provide a hotspot for multiple devices?

 

Thank you!

[hallux]

23 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

1. How do they count a minute?

Log in/log out as needed.  I don't believe it rounds up to the nearest minute (if you use 1 minute and 45 seconds, that's ALL it counts).

 

24 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

2. Once I'm onboard, is there any option to upgrade for a single day, or a pro-rated package if you upgrade later in the cruise?  For example, if there's a work emergency and I need a premium connection for just one day, do I have to purchase the whole cruise package?

As I noted above - if you decide to upgrade on board you can wait until day 2 and save the cost of the first day.  This allows you a discount of $100 if you don't use any of your 150 minutes.  If you need a VPN for your work connection you would need to upgrade to the top level internet plan.  I don't know about upgrading for a single day.

 

26 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

3. Can you use a single connection to provide a hotspot for multiple devices?

I didn't try it, but if the device allows for sharing of a WiFi network (hotspot used to only be for creating a WiFi network to get a data connection on a wifi-only device when only a cellular network was available) it's worth a try.  Do you REALLY need multiple devices on simultaneously if you're not even sure you're going to do the upgrade anyway?  If you need a different device on at some point you can just kick the first one off, I did it on my last cruise, the system prompts you when you log in on the second device.

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, hallux said:

Log in/log out as needed.  I don't believe it rounds up to the nearest minute (if you use 1 minute and 45 seconds, that's ALL it counts).

Based on our experience last week, it does round up 😞 We lost a few minutes, because we had used 4 minutes, 28 seconds, but then when we'd go to the login screen, it would tell us we used 5 minutes. Maybe the internal clock does keep the actual seconds, but it didn't appear so when we looked at the time we used. 

[hallux]

@cruiseny4life maybe it does?  It's been a year since I used the metered internet.

[SunshineGal2022]

19 hours ago, hallux said:

The cruise line doesn't care who owns the phone, just who is signing in to the internet with it.  If your daughter is guest 3 or 4 in the room, she's not eligible for the upgrade option as I don't believe she gets the 150 minutes free, though that's not specified in the T&C's as it is for others with the restriction.

 

The other possibility is if your daughter is over 13 she is eligible for her own MyNCL account, the cruise might show up once that's registered and the upgrade could be purchased through there.

 

A tip - you can get the non-streaming unlimited internet for $109 IF you wait until the second day to do the upgrade AND don't activate the Free-at-sea minutes.

 

I don’t understand the need to wait until the second day.  I only have the 150 FAS min but I have the option to upgrade to the unlimited non-streaming wi-if for $109.93 pre-cruise.  Am I missing something?  This is for a 7 day cruise.  

 

Also, how do guests who are not the first person get their own NCL account?  Do they need to call CS and get emails sent for each person, or can person #1 submit emails for everyone else in the cabin?

[BirdTravels]

6 minutes ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

 

I don’t understand the need to wait until the second day.  I only have the 150 FAS min but I have the option to upgrade to the unlimited non-streaming wi-if for $109.93 pre-cruise.  Am I missing something?  This is for a 7 day cruise.  

It is game that a very very few people play to save 1 day of internet charges. 

[SunshineGal2022]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

It is game that a very very few people play to save 1 day of internet charges. 

I understand that, but people lately say the day 2 upgrade is $109, which is saving them the $29 for not using any day 1 minutes.  But you can pay $109 if you pre-buy the Internet package anyways.  Unless you want to use OBC for the Internet, I don’t understand why people feel the need to wait.  You can buy it for only one person pre-cruise, right?  

[hallux]

33 minutes ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

I don’t understand the need to wait until the second day.  I only have the 150 FAS min but I have the option to upgrade to the unlimited non-streaming wi-if for $109.93 pre-cruise.  Am I missing something?  This is for a 7 day cruise.

The pre-cruise purchase is a discounted per-day price, accounting for the $30 difference.

 

25 minutes ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

Unless you want to use OBC for the Internet, I don’t understand why people feel the need to wait

 

Why wait?  Some, like myself, want to spread out the spending.  In my case, buying the internet on board was supposed to put my purchase on the next month's credit card statement compared to buying it pre-cruise (statement was scheduled to close 3/26, cruise ended 3/25, I planned for some processing time but it cleared immediately, oops).

 

[hawkeyetlse]

26 minutes ago, hallux said:

The pre-cruise purchase is a discounted per-day price, accounting for the $30 difference.

It looks like the full price to me. $29.99 per day – $100 credit for the 150 minutes = $109.93.

 

If you don't use the minutes and wait until after midnight on the first day, the price of the upgrade offer should should go down to $79.94. It often makes sense to wait, since Day 1 is such a short, busy day (and until sailaway you can keep using your cellular data).

[hollieann144]

So I decided to just buy the internet package before since it was only $109 for 7 nights, and it leaves Saturday. When I went to add it, it said it was unavailable at the time and to inquire on board. So I called NCL, and they said since we booked through Expedia we have to upgrade through them? 

 

Has anyone experienced this?

[MeHeartCruising]

2 minutes ago, hollieann144 said:

So I decided to just buy the internet package before since it was only $109 for 7 nights, and it leaves Saturday. When I went to add it, it said it was unavailable at the time and to inquire on board. So I called NCL, and they said since we booked through Expedia we have to upgrade through them? 

 

Has anyone experienced this?

 

Probably true.  I think the cutoff time to purchase things for your cruise online yourself is 3 days prior to the cruise.  You're probably past that cutoff point.  They do this so they can switchover the records/accounting to the ship's computers in time for your cruise.   And since you used a travel agency, the cruise line will not talk to you directly about much of anything.  You are the customer of the travel agency first and foremost.  If Expedia can't do it for you, you'll likely have to buy it online.

[hollieann144]

8 minutes ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

Probably true.  I think the cutoff time to purchase things for your cruise online yourself is 3 days prior to the cruise.  You're probably past that cutoff point.  They do this so they can switchover the records/accounting to the ship's computers in time for your cruise.   And since you used a travel agency, the cruise line will not talk to you directly about much of anything.  You are the customer of the travel agency first and foremost.  If Expedia can't do it for you, you'll likely have to buy it online.

Online or on the ship? I just want to make sure I can get it some kind of way! 🙂

[genealogyfan]

23 hours ago, hollieann144 said:

We are going on NCL for the first time next week - we have done Royal Caribbean before. I wanted to get the unlimited internet for my daughter, but when I go to "add to cart" it seems to want to add it under my name. Will this be a problem moving forward or can I still give it to her by acting as if her phone is mine? Thank you in advance. 

Just confirm with the crew members at the internet desk that the other people in your cabin won't lose their 150 free minutes. We had that issue in Sept. The employee at the internet desk told us since I bought the unlimited internet, I would need to log off if my friend wanted to use the internet. Then he would need to logoff, if I wanted to use it. We were told that my friend lost his 150 free minutes, as it was one internet account per cabin and since I bought the unlimited, the free 150 wasn't accessible anymore.  I have since found out from others we were probably given the wrong information.

[screenname2004]

3 hours ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

 

I don’t understand the need to wait until the second day.  I only have the 150 FAS min but I have the option to upgrade to the unlimited non-streaming wi-if for $109.93 pre-cruise.  Am I missing something?  This is for a 7 day cruise.  

 

 

Upgrade to unlimted before the cruise or on day 1 is $109.93. Upgrade cost on day 2 is $79.94. Upgrade cost is $49.95 on day 3 or after. All these figures assume none of the 150 FAS minutes have been used.

[hallux]

1 minute ago, screenname2004 said:

Upgrade to unlimted before the cruise or on day 1 is $109.93. Upgrade cost on day 2 is $79.94

I must have been overcharged then, I definitely paid $109.93 and definitely upgraded on day 2.  Too late now, I guess. 

[screenname2004]

39 minutes ago, hallux said:

I must have been overcharged then, I definitely paid $109.93 and definitely upgraded on day 2.  Too late now, I guess. 

When was your cruise? When we were on NCL Bliss in March 2022, they had one price for day 1 and 2 and another price for day 3 - 7..

[hallux]

9 minutes ago, screenname2004 said:

When was your cruise?

Last week

[Need-a-vacation]

Thanks for all the information.  We are on a 4 -night with a 75 minute package. To upgrade to the premium right now would be $99.99 each.  I *may* need to be able to do a little bit of work on day 3 or 4.  If I understand correctly, if I use any of my FAS minutes and then want to upgrade, I will have to pay the full 99.99 even if it's the last day?

 

 

[spenecer]

 

On 3/29/2023 at 6:27 PM, hallux said:

Log in/log out as needed.  I don't believe it rounds up to the nearest minute (if you use 1 minute and 45 seconds, that's ALL it counts).

 

As I noted above - if you decide to upgrade on board you can wait until day 2 and save the cost of the first day.  This allows you a discount of $100 if you don't use any of your 150 minutes.  If you need a VPN for your work connection you would need to upgrade to the top level internet plan.  I don't know about upgrading for a single day.

 

I didn't try it, but if the device allows for sharing of a WiFi network (hotspot used to only be for creating a WiFi network to get a data connection on a wifi-only device when only a cellular network was available) it's worth a try.  Do you REALLY need multiple devices on simultaneously if you're not even sure you're going to do the upgrade anyway?  If you need a different device on at some point you can just kick the first one off, I did it on my last cruise, the system prompts you when you log in on the second device.

NCL counts your seconds. 

If your cabin member has an NCL account and it is linked to your reservation before you sail then that person can use their own account. If the person does not have an NCL account then they use your account. NCL then counts the number of devices connected simultaneously on the account. I bought the unlimited through the Free at Sea Plus. I have both my device and my daughter’s device logged in simultaneously using my account (I get two devices).

 

Do not hotspot your phone. The router connectivity is already very slow. Turning your phone into a hotspot will slow it down even further. Also, you have to be in airplane mode on your phone which on most devices automatically turns off personal hotspots. If you want to hotspot, buy an external hotspot and take the hit in decreased speed. 

[screenname2004]

On 3/30/2023 at 10:40 PM, Need-a-vacation said:

Thanks for all the information.  We are on a 4 -night with a 75 minute package. To upgrade to the premium right now would be $99.99 each.  I *may* need to be able to do a little bit of work on day 3 or 4.  If I understand correctly, if I use any of my FAS minutes and then want to upgrade, I will have to pay the full 99.99 even if it's the last day?

 

 

How did you arrive at the $99.99 figure? Does it include the credit for your unused FAS minutes? If you have used any of those minutes, I don't think you will get any credit unless the  Internet Cafe Manager over-ride the system.

[Need-a-vacation]

34 minutes ago, screenname2004 said:

How did you arrive at the $99.99 figure? Does it include the credit for your unused FAS minutes? If you have used any of those minutes, I don't think you will get any credit unless the  Internet Cafe Manager over-ride the system.

$99.99 is the price listed on my booking if I want to upgrade to the premium service before the cruise. It doesn't mention a credit, but it seems like it should assume I won't use the FAS minutes.  Should I expect a different price onboard?

[screenname2004]

15 minutes ago, Need-a-vacation said:

$99.99 is the price listed on my booking if I want to upgrade to the premium service before the cruise. It doesn't mention a credit, but it seems like it should assume I won't use the FAS minutes.  Should I expect a different price onboard?

The pre-cruise price was the same as on day 1 for our cruise 2 wks ago. We didn't upgrade pre-cruise because we want to use our onboard credit to pay for the internet package.

[hawkeyetlse]

5 hours ago, Need-a-vacation said:

$99.99 is the price listed on my booking if I want to upgrade to the premium service before the cruise. It doesn't mention a credit, but it seems like it should assume I won't use the FAS minutes.  Should I expect a different price onboard?

If it says "upgrade" then it includes a credit for the 75 minutes, which will be replaced in your booking by the unlimited package (you won't still have the 75 minutes to use on another device).

 

It looks like the minutes are worth a $20 credit: $29.99 × 4 days – $20 = $99.96.

 

It should be the same price on board, and for a short cruise, I don't know if it gets any cheaper as the cruise days go by. They do sometimes offer packages for brief internet access towards the end of the cruise (for people to check in for flights home) but I'm not sure about unlimited. Ask the internet manager what they can do for you.

Edited April 2, 2023 by hawkeyetlse