Onboard Internet and CWC benefits with daily internet rates

[majortom10]

On 11/12/2023 at 9:38 AM, Winifred 22 said:

Yes I was hoping for two lots but I suppose post the shut down they have tightened up. Internet access is important to me so I just factor it in as an additional necessary expense as with the gratuities. Now you can’t use Shareholder OBC for gratuities I will just use that element of OBC towards internet. 

If true that you cannot use Shareholder OBC for payment of gratuities then that is a very recent change. Gratuities have always been taken off account automatically with Shareholder OBC already added with no problem.

[bluemarble]

On 11/12/2023 at 3:38 AM, Winifred 22 said:

Now you can’t use Shareholder OBC for gratuities

 

16 minutes ago, Wonky said:

Is this new? Can’t find this anywhere.

 

I believe this is a misunderstanding caused by some verbiage in the Carnival Corporation & PLC Shareholder Benefit document which states "This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account."

 

This was mentioned on another thread as possibly being new verbiage restricting the shareholder benefit from being used to pay gratuities. But similar verbiage has always been in the shareholder benefit document (or at least as far back as the oldest shareholder benefit document I have in my archives from 2013). In practice, the shareholder benefit can be used to pay the onboard Hotel and Dining Service Charge which used to be referred to as "gratuities".

[Winifred 22]

I was told this had come in from September I read it on here. I could use it at beginning of September and am onboard on 16th of this month so will report back 

[TonyLon]

A quick clarification if anyone can help.

 

Both my wife and I have the $45 Gold credit.
 

Does that mean that I can only purchase the daily (Esssential) allowance (when on board) at the higher $24 charge or is there some way I can buy for the entire voyage (we're doing a 7 day transatlantic) to get the $15 "voyage plan" rate which can be paid for out of the $45 credit for both of us. (Which if my maths is correct mean we'd only up paying for one day - out of OBC - as our credits would pay for 6 days between us.)

 

Is my understanding correct?

 

[Winifred 22]

30 minutes ago, TonyLon said:

A quick clarification if anyone can help.

 

Both my wife and I have the $45 Gold credit.
 

Does that mean that I can only purchase the daily (Esssential) allowance (when on board) at the higher $24 charge or is there some way I can buy for the entire voyage (we're doing a 7 day transatlantic) to get the $15 "voyage plan" rate which can be paid for out of the $45 credit for both of us. (Which if my maths is correct mean we'd only up paying for one day - out of OBC - as our credits would pay for 6 days between us.)

 

Is my understanding correct?

 

You can’t combine your allowances on the same package. You could buy some days at the higher rate then use the other allowance towards the end of the journey for the whole voyage package at 15 $ a day. 

[Splice the mainbrace]

My wife and I are Platinum members so we can buy 3 days worth each from our $80 individual allowance. On port days we can use our normal mobile phone data allowance.

 

For us it was better when its was a hour allowance and we’d log on for an hour or two a day, we don’t need 24 hour access. Also the allowance is the same whether it’s a 1 week or 4 week cruise, although for the longer cruises they used to reallocate the allowance for each leg ie for QM2 trans Atlantic and Caribbean it was split into 3 legs, not sure if that is still the case though.

[TheOldBear]

Last year, 26 nights [eastbound crossing , Norway, westbound crossing] it was one allocation - and Mrs Bear's WC credit went unused.

 

[Pear Carr]

Currently on board QM2 26 nights round trip Caribbean and confirm we have each been given $80 (platinum) per segment - 3 x $80.  The essential package has increased to $36 for 24 hours and speed/access is excellent - no need for us to upgrade to premium.

[bluemarble]

15 minutes ago, Pear Carr said:

Currently on board QM2 26 nights round trip Caribbean and confirm we have each been given $80 (platinum) per segment - 3 x $80.  The essential package has increased to $36 for 24 hours and speed/access is excellent - no need for us to upgrade to premium.

 

Interesting. That's a significant price increase to $36 for the 24-hour Essential Plan. They are listing the on board price of the 24-hour Essential Plan as $24 in My Cunard and the on board price of the 24-hour Premium Plan as $36. What are they charging now on board for the 24-hour Premium Plan?

[Splice the mainbrace]

We are currently on QV and we are paying a pay as you go daily essentials price of $24 a day, so we get 3 days each from our Platinum $80 each plan.

[Splice the mainbrace]

54 minutes ago, Pear Carr said:

Currently on board QM2 26 nights round trip Caribbean and confirm we have each been given $80 (platinum) per segment - 3 x $80.  The essential package has increased to $36 for 24 hours and speed/access is excellent - no need for us to upgrade to premium.

I hope they do something similar on our QM2 Cape Town to Perth then finishing in Sydney (with other stops in between). Might get 2 lots🤞. One lot of $80 per person (3 days of essential) seems rather tight for a 26 day cruise when you could get the same allowance for only 7 days.

[Pear Carr]

You are correct - my error - when setting up it has defaulted to premium unbeknown to me hence the $36 charge per 24 hours and the super speed! I thought it was excessive given only paid $24 in June but thought it was due to the new satellite! Thanks to you I will now get more days and better value out of my freebie!👍

[alibabacruisers]

Thank you for this info!!!

 

I also got caught out with me thinking essentials was 24 and getting charged 36 on most of my cruise!  I thought 36 for essential was high, but the way the process goes makes it unclear. On my next allotment,  I will check carefully and heaven forbid if I see that the process steers me to premuim vs essential......to the pursers desk I will go.  I will report back.

Edited November 28, 2023 by alibabacruisers

[sfred]

The internet purchase page on the Cunard MyVoyage intranet offers the premium service first, and you usually need to scroll down a little ways to find the lower price and purchase button for the basic service.  This is especially true if using a mobile phone with a mall screen size.  Not a bad business strategy for Cunard, but it can be a little misleading and result in passengers buying the higher priced premium service by mistake.

[alibabacruisers]

Sfred.....Exactly!  When this cuurent allotment runs out shortly, I am going to check it out.

[alibabacruisers]

Yes, when you go to get the internet the page comes up and show the words Premium package and then Essential last and then a price of 36, which I incorrectly assumed was the essential price. You actually have to click on either Premium or Essential and if you select Essential it will then show $24 as the price.

 

When I addressed this at the Pursers Desk, the look on the lady's face told me ths has caught out many people.  They need that page to actually say select one, in my opinion, especially those of us who are technically challenged/inexperienced.

[exlondoner]

9 hours ago, sfred said:

The internet purchase page on the Cunard MyVoyage intranet offers the premium service first, and you usually need to scroll down a little ways to find the lower price and purchase button for the basic service.  This is especially true if using a mobile phone with a mall screen size.  Not a bad business strategy for Cunard, but it can be a little misleading and result in passengers buying the higher priced premium service by mistake.

I would call it sneaky rather than not a bad business strategy.

[tv24]

First the good news:  The internet service has improved noticeably.  I no longer have to wander the halls aimlessly with my open laptop in hand searching for a server that will provide me a basic connection.  Good news.

 

We are Diamond status.  On a recent 13-day Elizabeth crossing, the Diamond benefit was not sufficient to cover the full cost of high-level internet service.  Annoying since the only other benefit we get from being Diamond is a free lunch in the Verandah.  Oh, yeah, I forgot the label pin.

 

On a recent 8-night QM2 crossing, the Diamond benefit was insufficient to cover the cost of the high-level internet service.