WiFi charges

[kabux]

Just curious, is there a reason the wifi charges are still so high, or even a thing anymore?  I assume the answer is "because they can"💰💰💰

But in 2023, what is the reason behind the cost for internet for each person?  I'm traveling with 5 people in March and internet is over $500!!!  And before you all start, I know it's vacation and internet is not necessary but again, it's 2023, we all use it daily for so many things.

Happy Holidays!!

 

 

[shof515]

20 dollars a day is typical price on all cruise lines that i sailed on from carnival, royal to Norwegian. Satellite internet like starlink is not cheap 

[mz-s]

It is priced high because it's a huge profit center for them and people pay it.

 

I'm sure their cost has decreased over time, yet they charge more and more people are buying it - more money for Carnival.

[BlerkOne]

You can share Internet packages (only one connected at a time) to save some money.

 

Starlink is cheaper (for now) for the cruise lines, but the price they charge hasn't come down. I suspect one reason is it is well known Internet consumption will increase to saturate available bandwidth, no matter how much the cruise line provides. Reducing demand via price is one solution.

[pinto18]

I remember the times where they charged by the minute...and it was super slow so you ended up paying for the pages to load. For me its much more cost effective now

[glrounds]

3 hours ago, pinto18 said:

I remember the times where they charged by the minute...and it was super slow so you ended up paying for the pages to load. For me its much more cost effective now

LOL, I remember those days also  . . . signing onto AOL at $6.00 and hour . . . those were the days complete with that squeaky squaky connectionl

[alex_gregor]

5 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

consumption will increase to saturate available bandwidth

It's just like building more lanes for the freeway.

[VentureMan_2000]

I don't understand how people managed to cruise pre-internet -- savages...  🤣

[mz-s]

15 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

You can share Internet packages (only one connected at a time) to save some money.

 

Starlink is cheaper (for now) for the cruise lines, but the price they charge hasn't come down. I suspect one reason is it is well known Internet consumption will increase to saturate available bandwidth, no matter how much the cruise line provides. Reducing demand via price is one solution.

 

Goldfish grow to the size of their tanks.

[jimbo5544]

If it was cheaper, everybody would be in and the service would be pathetic.  Happy here with the upgrade to starlink and the performance and willing to pay for that.

[Boomer222888]

On 11/28/2023 at 12:57 PM, BlerkOne said:

Anyone who have used the wifi on a cruise ship would say how hard it is to get connectivity in the MDR and/or the theater (so many people in one small area).  So sharing the Wifi over dinner or waiting for the show to start might not work. If one member of the family has a smart phone that can share Wifi, you can get away with one internet connection (no need for 5). While all smart phone are capable of sharing Data, not all can hot spot Wifi. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 6a are phones that can hot spot Wifi.  I had cabins next to each other, and the beds where facing the wall back to back....I had no issues with my daughter sharing the internet with me...until she left the cabin with her phone 🙂

 

[TiredTrucker]

On 11/28/2023 at 8:22 AM, kabux said:

Just curious, is there a reason the wifi charges are still so high, or even a thing anymore?  I assume the answer is "because they can"💰💰💰

But in 2023, what is the reason behind the cost for internet for each person?  I'm traveling with 5 people in March and internet is over $500!!!  And before you all start, I know it's vacation and internet is not necessary but again, it's 2023, we all use it daily for so many things.

Happy Holidays!!

 

 

I read that Carnival recently invested heavily in new Starlink hardware, so there's that.   And satellite internet is fairly expensive and much lower in bandwidth than the fiber many of us have access to at home. 

[Joanne G.]

On 11/28/2023 at 9:22 AM, kabux said:

. . . .  "because they can"💰💰💰

 

 

I'd say that is the reason!  If people refused to pay it, the price would come down.   I pay it, by the way. I cruised in the days before onboard internet - and in the days when you paid by the minute - and the current cost is worth it to me for enjoyment and convenience. 

[JMAE]

When we started to cruise you purchased minutes and we never purchased internet packages until our last few cruises.  We purchased the Social package at $5/day.  At $15/day I will be going back to my early days and not purchase internet access for 7 days and use the time to relax and enjoy my 7 days on the high seas away for a screen.     

[pfdaxe358]

I just notice for our Celebrations cruise that they recently raised the prices $3 per day... UGH