Wifi reliability on Transatlantic Crossing

[Want2cruise-now]

My niece is considering joining me for the April 2024 Rotterdam crossing FLL to Rotterdam. She will need access to Zoom for work conference calls. Can anyone share their experience of ease and reliability of wifi on Rotterdam VII on transatlantic voyages?  Your thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated. WhatsApp and Facebook messenger are not available to her to use with her business server. 
I’m really looking forward to the trip. Will be my first transatlantic and I’m excited about the sea days. 
Happy Cruising!

[kazu]

I have been on a lot of transatlantic but not the Rotterdam - that comes in October this year - I will be reporting LIVE so if there are wifi issues, you will certainly hear 😉  Stay tuned - we just have a few weeks to go.

 

In the early days, the TA’s usually had a “dead” day but since then the reception was pretty good until last year on the Oosterdam - worst internet ever on any ship.  I’m guessing the internet guy had no clue if they still have one.  (Great cruise otherwise).  I am an early riser and usually at that time, it’s easy peasy and I was struggling to use the internet.

So generally it has been not bad and I know friends face timed on cruises previous.  

For your niece to zoom she will need the top internet package which is cheaper if purchased pre-cruise on line (unless she has HIA of course and just upgrades)

 

[kochleffel]

I have the same concern, because I’ll be taking two online courses during a TATL - and it’s on the Oosterdam. One course is asynchronous, but the other is synchronous and class participation counts.

[oakridger]

Personally, if internet access was an absolute requirement at any given time I would not cruise on any line.  There are no guarantees and what happened last week on any ship does not ensure anyone will have the same experience next week.  The same for weather!

 

~Nancy

[seekatz]

Agree, if internet is a must have, especially for streaming or Zoom calls it is not reliable enough.

So many issues effect coverage, strength of signal and other factors. 

[0106]

@kochleffel I was on the TA on the Oosterdam with Jacqui last Fall.  I decided to reminisce about the trip and read her live thread.  One day, I posted this message we received from the Captain.  

We received a notice a notice on the Navigator about satellite connectivity.  Here is a portion: 

As we approach our Atlantic crossing, we would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention that as we travel across the ocean, it is typical to see a reduction in deliverable satellite connectivity. 

Although the high bandwidth satellite footprint does extend into many sea and ocean areas, it does not cover the entire Atlantic Ocean region.  As a result, we are anticipating a reduction in bandwidth availability, which may result in a slower browsing experience, up to partial loss of signal and temporary outages.

It was all down hill from there.  I sent my emails and tried to post on CC at night.  Downloading pictures took a very long time.  The officers were joking about it during the coffee chats and even the Captain was joking about it during his cooking challenge.

 

Order the premium internet package.  Speak to your instructor who requires class participation beforehand to see if you can keep your camera off and participate through the chat.  When I was teaching virtually, I had students who isn’t want to be on camera for a multitude of reasons but actively comment in the chat.

 

Here’s the thread of you are interested.

 

[kochleffel]

6 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@kochleffel I was on the TA on the Oosterdam with Jacqui last Fall.  I decided to reminisce about the trip and read her live thread.  One day, I posted this message we received from the Captain.  

We received a notice a notice on the Navigator about satellite connectivity.  Here is a portion: 

As we approach our Atlantic crossing, we would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention that as we travel across the ocean, it is typical to see a reduction in deliverable satellite connectivity. 

Although the high bandwidth satellite footprint does extend into many sea and ocean areas, it does not cover the entire Atlantic Ocean region.  As a result, we are anticipating a reduction in bandwidth availability, which may result in a slower browsing experience, up to partial loss of signal and temporary outages.

It was all down hill from there.  I sent my emails and tried to post on CC at night.  Downloading pictures took a very long time.  The officers were joking about it during the coffee chats and even the Captain was joking about it during his cooking challenge.

 

Order the premium internet package.  Speak to your instructor who requires class participation beforehand to see if you can keep your camera off and participate through the chat.  When I was teaching virtually, I had students who isn’t want to be on camera for a multitude of reasons but actively comment in the chat.

 

Here’s the thread of you are interested.

 

Thanks. I’ve already upgraded to the premium package. I’ll be in PHL airport during one class session, where the Wi-Fi will be OK but the mic will have to be muted, and aboard ship but probably docked for one, so I think that only one session will be while at sea.It will help if I can keep the camera off.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Want2cruise-now said:

My niece is considering joining me for the April 2024 Rotterdam crossing FLL to Rotterdam. She will need access to Zoom for work conference calls. Can anyone share their experience of ease and reliability of wifi on Rotterdam VII on transatlantic voyages?  Your thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated. WhatsApp and Facebook messenger are not available to her to use with her business server. 
I’m really looking forward to the trip. Will be my first transatlantic and I’m excited about the sea days. 
Happy Cruising!

 

Assuming that Rotterdam has Starlink installed, either currently or by next April. SpaceX now claim to have global maritime coverage, but pax on a World Cruise earlier this year reported a number of days with poor to no signal and/or bandwidth - in both Atlantic & Pacific Oceans.

 

With the INMARSAT geo-synchronous sats, they were visible most of the time, except in high latitudes, but the Starlink satellites move across the sky in a low orbit. While they are constantly launching additional satellites, you have no guarantee of having a satellite above the horizon 24/7, as the maritime coverage map still shows limited connectivity across the ocean.

 

By next April, Starlink will have launched additional satellites to improve connectivity, so you could possibly have service during the entire crossing. However, the satellites have limited bandwidth, which you are sharing with your fellow pax, crew and ship's business. I'll suggest you may be able to conduct zoom meetings, but you have no guarantee of receiving sufficient and reliable bandwidth 24/7 mid-ocean.

[FlaMariner]

We've been on 3 TA's 2019, 2021, 2022.....We do not need/require/buy/use internet when cruising.......but we always hear our fellow passengers complaining about slow/no internet on these TA's. 

 

And many of these complaints revolve around having to do stuff for work.......

 

I suggest that no-one put their job at risk or their sanity by relying on ship internet.  Things happen....or as they say...ship happens.

 

You have been advised.....so if the internet is fine, so be it....but if it is not, you were warned. 

 

Enjoy the journey.............regardless of the internet connection.  Because, like the weather, it is unpredictable and there are no guarantees. 

[richwmn]

14 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Assuming that Rotterdam has Starlink installed, either currently or by next April. SpaceX now claim to have global maritime coverage, but pax on a World Cruise earlier this year reported a number of days with poor to no signal and/or bandwidth - in both Atlantic & Pacific Oceans.

Starlink was not installed on Zuiderdam until the end of the World Cruise

[L454S]

We were on the Nieuw Statendam this past April on the eastbound T/A. Our first Holland America sailing in 18 years. The Internet was fine for streaming all the way across to Europe. I did not make note of the speeds though.

 

Was the first T/A  we had been on where that was the case, and we have been on many in both directions.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, richwmn said:

Starlink was not installed on Zuiderdam until the end of the World Cruise

 

I wasn't referring to the HAL W/C.

[donandmelissa]

Was on Nieuw Statendam TA in April. There were many dead WiFi periods during the 6 consecutive sea days at the beginning of the cruise. It didn’t matter what package you bought. There just wasn’t a signal for long periods of time. If you need to work remotely during that period, you likely will not be successful. 

[Want2cruise-now]

Thanks so much to everyone that commented. My niece has figured out the connection issues and has decided to join my sister, brother-in-law and me on this cruise. We all are so excited.