Sun internet for streaming?

[CathyGo]

Has anybody recently been on the Sun and bought the Premium internet package? Was it actually good enough to stream internet videos on a laptop? 

[fredflint]

Streaming video is not that intensive to tell the truth.

The minimum bandwidth required for 1080p (HD) streaming is 5 Mbps, 

you also usually have some buffering too..

[CathyGo]

16 hours ago, fredflint said:

Streaming video is not that intensive to tell the truth.

The minimum bandwidth required for 1080p (HD) streaming is 5 Mbps, 

you also usually have some buffering too..

So have you signed into a streaming service while on the Sun? Some of the NCL ships have upgraded internet and some don't so I'm asking for first hand information.

[fredflint]

It also depends on where you located, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, or a Transatlantic so all you can do is offer a general answer unless you provide the actual cruise and ask people who were just off the ship on the same itinerary.  

[UKstages]

i’m very disappointed.

 

i was hoping this was a thread about solar-powered internet onboard NCL ships.

 

disappointment is also a word that can describe the internet on every NCL ship I have ever been on. i made the mistake once of purchasing the enhanced premium service (allegedly capable of streaming) and found it no better than the standard internet. throughput was rarely above 2 mbps. this was on the gem on a caribbean cruise in april of last year.
 

as for starlink, the new internet provider, it’s only on one or two ships at this point. few people have experienced it on NCL. i anticipate improvement, but I don’t anticipate robust streaming.

[ICutTheCheese]

You are in a wonderful cruise vacation, UNPLUG and enjoy teh cruise!

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, ICutTheCheese said:

You are in a wonderful cruise vacation, UNPLUG and enjoy the cruise!

Actually, streaming is totally dependent on the load on the internet. You are sharing a satellite link with 2200 of your newest friends. 

 

No, the premium service is not "better" than the regular service, but it does open the streaming ports. You are still sharing a satellite link, which, in itself, has the latency of transmitting data to a geostationary satellite (in the case of NCL) 23,000 miles up and 23,000 miles down. NCL does use cache servers to give the illusion of better  performance when web surfing,,, but they don't help with streaming or interactive internet access. 

[CathyGo]

On 9/14/2023 at 11:47 AM, ICutTheCheese said:

You are in a wonderful cruise vacation, UNPLUG and enjoy teh cruise!

There's always that one person that decides that everybody should want the same things out of a cruise as them. 😑 
 

[proton-excitement]

I'm currently on the Sun and purchased the premium internet package. I've been mainly using it to check my home security cameras and to VPN in to work and for that I've had no issues, other than the expected delay/latency. No trouble streaming news clips online or movies/TV from Plex; just need to let it buffer a bit. My last speed test was 4.2 Mbps down, 1.2 Mbps up, if that helps.

[ICutTheCheese]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:38 PM, BirdTravels said:

Actually, streaming is totally dependent on the load on the internet. You are sharing a satellite link with 2200 of your newest friends. 

 

No, the premium service is not "better" than the regular service, but it does open the streaming ports. You are still sharing a satellite link, which, in itself, has the latency of transmitting data to a geostationary satellite (in the case of NCL) 23,000 miles up and 23,000 miles down. NCL does use cache servers to give the illusion of better  performance when web surfing,,, but they don't help with streaming or interactive internet access. 

 

Actually it is geosynchronous

[fastpitchdad]

I was on the Sun last year and streamed a Mariner playoff game and a Seahawk game (hooked my laptop to one of the Sports Bar TVs). It was a challenge but I managed to pull it off. Both were sea days int he middle of the afternoon (so just about the worst time). I did have to find lower datarate streams and it did freeze a couple of times but it was mostly pretty good. 

[fredflint]

14 hours ago, proton-excitement said:

I'm currently on the Sun and purchased the premium internet package. I've been mainly using it to check my home security cameras and to VPN in to work and for that I've had no issues, other than the expected delay/latency. No trouble streaming news clips online or movies/TV from Plex; just need to let it buffer a bit. My last speed test was 4.2 Mbps down, 1.2 Mbps up, if that helps.

 

Nothing like the horses mouth so to speak 🙂