Cruise wi-fi

[Pelican1927]

What is the mystery in cruise lines advertising free wi-fi when in fact, it's not free and frankly, very expensive. Why do they lie about this and get away with it?

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

First, some definitions here. WiFi is your connection from your device to the ship's intranet. It is not surfing the worldwide web. I don't know of any cruise line that charges for that.

 

Internet access costs money on most cruise lines. I don't know all cruise lines, which are claiming internet access is free?

[leaveitallbehind]

There are some cruise lines that do not charge separately for WIFI but it is included as part of the base stateroom fare.  It may be part of an all inclusive fare that includes WIFI and beverages, for example, or part of a stateroom category such as suites.  But those who include WIFI as part of their pricing in these manners are not lying about it as you are not receiving a separate charge for it as with most other cruise lines and their fare structure.

 

Also, part of the expense is based on the fact that since the ship is at sea, their WIFI connection is via satellite, which is not cheap.

Edited October 8, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[Pelican1927]

I appreciate your quick answer. Thank you. I just think the term Free wi-fi is used to lose and of course it’s done on purpose to deceive naive people like me. I think a foot note by the cruise lines would be honest and helpful.

[Spudd]

2 minutes ago, Pelican1927 said:

I appreciate your quick answer. Thank you. I just think the term Free wi-fi is used to lose and of course it’s done on purpose to deceive naive people like me. I think a foot note by the cruise lines would be honest and helpful.

How exactly? Which cruise lines are you thinking of?

[leaveitallbehind]

5 minutes ago, Pelican1927 said:

I appreciate your quick answer. Thank you. I just think the term Free wi-fi is used to lose and of course it’s done on purpose to deceive naive people like me. I think a foot note by the cruise lines would be honest and helpful.

There are cruise lines, such as Celebrity, that offer all inclussive pricing that includes WIFI, but also offer "standard" pricing that does not.  (Their AI also includes their standard beverage package as well).  If you go with their standard pricing, you can purchase WIFI separately and they publish that rate on your cruise planner. So it is transparent.  Often bundling the WIFI and beverages through their AI pricing is discounted with both somewhat, but you can easily see the difference between the two to determine if AI is advantageous or not.

 

If you are new to cruising, working with a travel agent can be beneficial as they will know how the different cruise lines address this pricing and how much they typically charge for it.

Edited October 8, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

10 minutes ago, Pelican1927 said:

I just think the term Free wi-fi is used to lose and of course it’s done on purpose to deceive naive people like me. 

I wouldn't say you are naive - just probably not familiar with it.  It's not unlike most businesses "come on's" with advertising. Nothing is free and you will most certainly pay for everything in one manner or another.  It's all in how the fares are constructed - and the cruse lines are pros at convoluting fares to make one thing or another seem attractive LOL. 

[Pelican1927]

45 minutes ago, Spudd said:

How exactly? Which cruise lines are you thinking of?

Royal

[leaveitallbehind]

34 minutes ago, Pelican1927 said:

Royal

Royal includes WIFI with their suites (which, if they are, may be what they are calling "free").  But it is charged separately for standard staterooms and purchased once a booking is made through their cruise planner or once on board.  Prices are published on their website.

Edited October 8, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[Pelican1927]

6 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Royal includes WIFI with their suites (which, if they are, may be what they are calling "free").  But it is charged separately for standard staterooms and purchased once a booking is made through their cruise planner or once on board.  Prices are published on their website.

Thanks 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

First, some definitions here. WiFi is your connection from your device to the ship's intranet. It is not surfing the worldwide web. I don't know of any cruise line that charges for that.

 

Internet access costs money on most cruise lines. I don't know all cruise lines, which are claiming internet access is free?

Oceania provides all booked cabins with at least one complimentary wifi account with unlimited data except streaming is blocked (though you can pay extra for that). Starting Oct. 1, 2013, every cabin gets at least two of those complimentary accounts.

And please don’t post that O is “expensive.” If you add all of O’s inclusions to any mass market fare at their extra price, you’ll be quite surprised at the comparable bottom line.”

And that’s before you figure in all that you don’t get (or want) on a mass market line (e.g., mediocre food, thundering herds, incessant announcement and pesky photogs…..

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, Pelican1927 said:

Royal

We totally enjoyed our one RCCL cruise (well, not so much the lunch buffet, but we developed our own routine of breakfast, coffee-hour "brunch", and an early dinner). Strangely, though, Royal never picked up with e-mailing me so we haven't cruised again with them.

 

Anyway, if it's like it was in 2018, RCCL practices Dynamic Pricing with the price of almost everything varying day to day or even within the day! I booked the cruise on line, myself [refundable], and rebooked multiple times until I had obtained everything we wanted (beverage package, wifi, on top of the cabin) at the lowest price I could imagine, when I finally said ENOUGH watching throughout my day!

 

You may want to browse and post to the RCI "board" to get a feel for the culture and learn from repeat cruisers.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

[leaveitallbehind]

19 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Strangely, though, Royal never picked up with e-mailing me so we haven't cruised again with them.

 

Anyway, if it's like it was in 2018, RCCL practices Dynamic Pricing with the price of almost everything varying day to day or even within the day! 

Other than emails regarding an active booking RCCL won't email you without your permission by opting into emails.  They only know your email address if you provide it to them and allow them to email you with marketing updates.

 

Most mass market cruise lines use dynamic pricing, or some version of that, as that is nothing more than reacting to, and adjusting pricing based on market demand.  In our 30 years plus experience the changes are not typically that frequent that daily price watches are warranted. (And there are websites that will track fare changes for you - as will good TA's).  But the benefit is that up until final payment you can adjust your fare downward when changes occur, but are protected against price increases from your original booked fare. And a rebooking is not necessary to do that - they just adjust your fare accordingly with your request.

Edited October 8, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, leaveitallbehind said:

…..But the benefit is that up until final payment you can adjust your fare downward when changes occur, but are protected against price increases from your original booked fare. And a rebooking is not necessary to do that - they just adjust your fare accordingly with your request.

There’s at least one premium line (Oceania) that has a “price drop match” guarantee up until the day of embark if you originally did a BoB. 

[John Bull]

10 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

There’s at least one premium line (Oceania) that has a “price drop match” guarantee up until the day of embark if you originally did a BoB. 

 

'scuse me, Flyer, but you've already used your usual Oceana advert further up this thread 😏

 

JB 🙂

[ldubs]

On 10/7/2023 at 9:04 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania provides all booked cabins with at least one complimentary wifi account with unlimited data except streaming is blocked (though you can pay extra for that). Starting Oct. 1, 2013, every cabin gets at least two of those complimentary accounts.

And please don’t post that O is “expensive.” If you add all of O’s inclusions to any mass market fare at their extra price, you’ll be quite surprised at the comparable bottom line.”

And that’s before you figure in all that you don’t get (or want) on a mass market line (e.g., mediocre food, thundering herds, incessant announcement and pesky photogs…..

 

I'm sorry but I've done this comparison many times for the cabin types we use.   Unless you consider a thou or more per person chump change, the prices are not comparable for "any mass market fare" with all the packages added.  Do not misinterpret that I'm saying you and many others don't find value in O's pricing.   I just don't agree with a blanket statement that "all-in" pricing is in the same ballpark.  Might work for suite prices, IDK, but not across the board for any cabin type. 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

…  I just don't agree with a blanket statement that "all-in" pricing is in the same ballpark.  Might work for suite prices, IDK, but not across the board for any cabin type. 

 

 

Of course if one is seeking the cheapest fare for the most bare-boned cruise experience, he should stick with the likes of NCL and Carnival.   But once good food well, served, comfortable accommodations, and some amenities (such as included Wi-Fi, the ability to bring aboard wine for cabin consumption without charge, free room service, etc.) are figured in (as is the case with those who seek more than bare bones when sailing with NCL or Carnival) the pricing comes very close.

 

Quite a few folks who do sail with the mass market lines and opt to upgrade from barebones cruising DO wind up paying totals “in the same ball park” for a given cabin type.

Edited October 9, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[ldubs]

33 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course if one is seeking the cheapest fare for the most bare-boned cruise experience, he should stick with the likes of NCL and Carnival.   But once good food well, served, comfortable accommodations, and some amenities (such as included Wi-Fi, the ability to bring aboard wine for cabin consumption without charge, free room service, etc.) are figured in (as is the case with those who seek more than bare bones when sailing with NCL or Carnival) the pricing comes very close.

 

 

I guess it might depend on what you call very close.    I've never been on NCL.  I've done the calculations for balcony and inside cabins a number of times over the years for our preferred lines.   I'll stand 100% behind my previous comment about these often made blanket statements.   Just to again clarify.  I'm not saying O isn't a great experience for many who choose that line.  

 

 

 

  

Edited October 9, 2023 by ldubs

[Flatbush Flyer]

19 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course if one is seeking the cheapest fare for the most bare-boned cruise experience, he should stick with the likes of NCL and Carnival.   But once good food well, served, comfortable accommodations, and some amenities (such as included Wi-Fi, the ability to bring aboard wine for cabin consumption without charge, free room service, etc.) are figured in (as is the case with those who seek more than bare bones when sailing with NCL or Carnival) the pricing comes very close.

 

Quite a few folks who do sail with the mass market lines and opt to upgrade from barebones cruising DO wind up paying totals “in the same ball park” for a given cabin type.

Absolutely.

And, even when O is a tad more in price, the better quality/value is worth the added cost. 

19 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 

I guess it might depend on what you call very close.    I've never been on NCL.  I've done the calculations for balcony and inside cabins a number of times over the years for our preferred lines.   I'll stand 100% behind my previous comment about these often made blanket statements.   Just to again clarify.  I'm not saying O isn't a great experience for many who choose that line.  

  

If you do a search here on CC, you’ll find some comparisons done several years ago that found RCC and HAL with almost identical intercontinental itineraries/cabins (and optionally added  O inclusions) to be priced similar to O cruises. One of the big equalizers was O’s inclusion of intercontinental air or air credit.

O itself has also published price comparisons in the past to “higher end” mass market lines like Celebrity with the same results.

[ldubs]

10 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

If you do a search here on CC, you’ll find some comparisons done several years ago that found RCC and HAL with almost identical intercontinental itineraries/cabins (and optionally added  O inclusions) to be priced similar to O cruises. One of the big equalizers was O’s inclusion of intercontinental air or air credit.

O itself has also published price comparisons in the past to “higher end” mass market lines like Celebrity with the same results.

 

I've done the comparisons more than once and understand the reality.  The fares might be close in some circumstances but not in general, as is often claimed.  All that aside, I'm glad you have found your perfect fit.  

[leaveitallbehind]

11 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I've done the comparisons more than once and understand the reality.  The fares might be close in some circumstances but not in general, as is often claimed.  All that aside, I'm glad you have found your perfect fit.  

Been following your conversations and agree that comparisons are difficult to make as the factors are not always apples to apples.  Are comparisons being made with standard to standard staterooms, or suites to suites (or standard to suites)?  Are the fares compared as base fares or all inclusive?  Do the compared lines charge separate for specialty dining or include it as part of the price?  The variables are many. (And as most lines allow wine to be brought on board in some manner, that is really not a differential perk IMO LOL).

 

The point being, we all have our preferences and cruising stye, and a budget that we can live with to allow those criteria to be met.  And yours may be different than mine and so on, but that doesn't make mine or yours any better than the other.  It just - as you say - is a matter of one's "perfect fit".

[ldubs]

17 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Been following your conversations and agree that comparisons are difficult to make as the factors are not always apples to apples.  Are comparisons being made with standard to standard staterooms, or suites to suites (or standard to suites)?  Are the fares compared as base fares or all inclusive?  Do the compared lines charge separate for specialty dining or include it as part of the price?  The variables are many. (And as most lines allow wine to be brought on board in some manner, that is really not a differential perk IMO LOL).

 

The point being, we all have our preferences and cruising stye, and a budget that we can live with to allow those criteria to be met.  And yours may be different than mine and so on, but that doesn't make mine or yours any better than the other.  It just - as you say - is a matter of one's "perfect fit".

 

Same cabin types.  All extra charges included so as to be as close to equivalent as possible, or to put it another way, as "apples to apples" as possible.  Not really that difficult. 

 

Of course everyone has their preferences, that isn't the issue, or shouldn't be.  I was simply responding to a comment about pricing. 

 

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

… The variables are many. (And as most lines allow wine to be brought on board in some manner, that is really not a differential perk IMO LOL).

 

…

Some lines permit just one or two bottles of wine to be brought on board - and will charge corkage - regardless of where you plan to consume it.  Other lines have no limit on the number of bottles - and will not charge corkage if you drink it in your cabin: certainly IS a “differential perk” - a couple on a fairly long cruise might easily go through quite a few bottles.

[leaveitallbehind]

9 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Some lines permit just one or two bottles of wine to be brought on board - and will charge corkage - regardless of where you plan to consume it.  Other lines have no limit on the number of bottles - and will not charge corkage if you drink it in your cabin: certainly IS a “differential perk” - a couple on a fairly long cruise might easily go through quite a few bottles.

.....it was just a tongue in cheek comment.

Edited October 11, 2023 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Same cabin types.  All extra charges included so as to be as close to equivalent as possible, or to put it another way, as "apples to apples" as possible.  Not really that difficult. 

 

Of course everyone has their preferences, that isn't the issue, or shouldn't be.  I was simply responding to a comment about pricing. 

 

Maybe I misunderstood.