Zoom Video On Board?

[LawyerCat]

Has anyone ever been able to video call via Zoom from the ship?  I'm a lawyer and have an emergency hearing possibly set while at sea - my partner will handle but I'd like to be on via Zoom if it's possible.  I got the premium streaming unlimited wifi.

[graphicguy]

Tried ZOOM calls but it was right after the restart.  It was dismal at best, and undoable, at worst.  Connections kept dropping if it wasn’t outfight freezing up.  I was using a MacBook Pro, but I kind of doubt that had anything to do with it.

 

Is it better now?  Don’t know.  Depends on where you’re going and where you’ll be when you make the call.  Also depends on where you are on the ship.  Some areas have better coverage than other areas.

 

Personally, if it’s an emergency and you absolutely need to communicate, I’d probably bit the bullet and pay for ship to shore calls.

Edited June 3, 2023 by graphicguy

[eileeshb]

If you’re on Breakaway then more likely to be ok as that ship has Starlink. Unfortunately the planned roll out to the rest of the fleet has been badly delayed. 

[psuboater]

Premium internet works more like basic internet in my experience. Also, because of the metal cabins, it's almost impossible to get good signal in your room, which is where I'd imagine you'd want to take the call. 

[TrumpyNor]

An NCL Internet Manager once told me that IF at any time I had problems with internet connections on board while out at sea, then the closer I was to the location of the internet cafe on board, the better connections....

[eileeshb]

1 hour ago, TrumpyNor said:

An NCL Internet Manager once told me that IF at any time I had problems with internet connections on board while out at sea, then the closer I was to the location of the internet cafe on board, the better connections....

Oddly not my experience on Epic, I was streaming a rugby match, couldn’t even get the player to load when I was close to the cafe but it worked perfectly well in my cabin. I’d say keep an eye out for the access points fixed to the corridor ceilings, if your cabin is near one then you should get a decent connection. However the back haul satellite connection is a big issue so if there are a good lot of people trying to communicate with the outside world your connection could be slow no matter which package you pay for. 
 

[mking8288]

As end user, your choice and use of hardware (whether it's your "old" iPad, newest 2022 iPhone 14 Pro or 2023 Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus/Ultra, or recent Chromebook running the most current OS, security patches and apps, etc. - will be in "play" in optimizing that connectivity experience ... over WiFi 5, WiFi 6 (as in 802.11 ac and 802.11 ax, although WiFi 6E isn't likely to make any difference)  vs. being "online" using much older WiFi 4 (802.11.n standards)  - data traffic are generally less "congested" over 5 Ghz band, as long as you are within the operating range of those routers or hotspot locations.  

 

We've managed to pull, mostly, 5 to 6, sometimes 7 to 8 Mbps download speed lately (cruises in 2022 and 2 newest ones in 2023) on the Getaway, Joy and Epic - as always, YMMV.   Others have reported getting much lower speed, however ... 

 

BTW, turn off & disable those background (apps) refresh & updates, backups ... and if you have VPN enabled by default, switched it off can make a big difference.  

 

Enjoy surfing the net and happy cruising ... 

Edited June 3, 2023 by mking8288

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, LawyerCat said:

Has anyone ever been able to video call via Zoom from the ship?  I'm a lawyer and have an emergency hearing possibly set while at sea - my partner will handle but I'd like to be on via Zoom if it's possible.  I got the premium streaming unlimited wifi.

I have done zoom calls onboard. 
 

Reception in most rooms is very good. The whole ship runs on Wi-Fi (all of the crew handi phones). It has nothing, zero, nil to do with being near the Internet cafe. 

[cruiseny4life]

My husband has done Zoom calls on two separate sailings: both on Getaway. Once on our way to Bermuda, once on our way south to Florida/Bahamas. He wasn't able to turn his video on, but could participate fully. May the odds be ever in your favor.

[Russiamomm]

I had no problems on the Breakaway in the fall of 2021.  As always happens, there was an emergency that came up and a Zoom call I needed to be on.  I just had the basic internet package and an iPad, no laptop.  I asked the internet manager if I could upgrade just for a day.  He said there was no need, the basic package would handle it,  maybe I got lucky, but there were no issues,  I did the entire 2 hour call from my cabin, with no glitches.  Good luck!

[YVRteacher]

On our last cruise, one of the officers scheduled for Dunner with the Officers had to cancel at the last minute because he had an emergency Zoom meeting.  So yes, Zoom works on board but this is not from my personal experience.

[YVRteacher]

Dinner.  Not Dunner.  Maybe I need glasses.  

[AtSeaAlways]

I have done Zoom on the basic Internet in the cabin.  Make sure you are in a good Wi-Fi signal spot.  Move the laptop if needed for stable Wi-Fi signal and the most bars.  You can shut off the video if the satellite link is congested and possibly stay on the call more reliably,