NCL Joy - Starlink

[SliderNc]

45 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

it doesn't have to be starlink equipment. it's probably not. many people believe NCL left the wifi infrastructure on the ship untouched. again, starlink is new to NCL... starlink gets the bandwidth to the ship;  what happens after that is of no interest to starlink.

 

 

because they wish to sell two different packages... one "regular" package and one allegedly suitable for streaming. so they can reserve capacity for senior officers and business use of the internet by select staff members. so they can reserve the right to offer better faster connections to VIP customers.

Even with the other platform they were using (forget the name) there are multiple dishes that service the ship.  Once it reaches the ship, NCL has control of it on their network and rate limit it.  Getting a single dish and 500mbit for all 5000 people and services on the ship to use would be a poor way to distribute.  I would assume, as a previous poster mentioned that they have multiple dishes getting internet and have their network segmented to certain dishes for NCL use vs. passenger use.  That was how I would do it as a network engineer.

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, detroitlions said:

All this also depends on which package NCL purchases from Starlink they have many confusing packages. I think that may be some of the reasons folks are reporting different experiences.

 

do they offer a 2.0 mbps service?

 

if so, you will have solved the mystery!

 

if not, then it is NCL throttling, for sure.

 

1 hour ago, detroitlions said:

That and the point that the access points are all over the ship and there may be dead spots. 

 

there may well be. there usually are, but if you have signal and can conduct a speed test, you are not, by definition, in a dead spot!

 

please understand, nobody is badmouthing starlink here. starlink is a fine product, albeit with questionable business practices that have nothing to do with cruise lines. the thrust of the dialogue here is to say that starlink is not our savior. (it would be if NCL were simply passing the product on to its guests with no speed brakes.)

 

so whatever weight or value we placed on NCL switching to starlink in the hopes of improving its wifi and internet service has been misplaced. because, in the end, the new internet service on NCL ships is pretty much exactly like the old internet service. because that's the way NCL wants it.

 

Edited February 14 by UKstages

[mking8288]

28 minutes ago, SliderNc said:

Starlink provides the internet, just like they would for a home user.  After it hits the router, it is connected to NCL's internal network/wifi, which they have full control over and can easily throttle connections and rate limit ... 

Agreed ... I had better, faster but somewhat inconsistent satellite speed on EMC, NCL's established WiFi vendor onboard the Escape & Epic last Spring and Fall, Starlink wasn't activated nor onboard. 

 

Over Starlink on the Prima, it was clearly capped at no faster than 4-5 Gbps, usually just under 4Gbps but much lower ping time. 

 

The end user's choice of hardware also can play a role, i.e. WiFi 5 (mine has WiFi, which didn't boost extra speed). Crew's are on their own hidden SSiD dual band) over their inTRAnet - especially newer ships using plenty of portable tablets & handhelds. It will be years before 6 Ghz or tri-band routers get adopted. 

 

[podgeandrodge]

1 hour ago, detroitlions said:

Did you board yesterday? How are the changes on the Joy?

I hadn't been in her before, but had been on the Encore.

 

From what it seems, the seating areas in the walkway port side are gone, whereas remain on the starboard side. 

 

But all the observation windows are still there as far as I can see. 

 

Ship has a new feel to it for things like carpets and general appearance. 

[podgeandrodge]

I asked the internet manager why the slow speeds, he said they had had 40 Mbps the day before (I was getting just under 2) and that the main reason was the cloud/fog/middle of Atlantic. 

 

I have no idea whether this is plausible but presume some on here will have a view.

 

 

Edit: no fog this morning, nice and sunny. 

Getting 0.8

Edited February 15 by podgeandrodge

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

I asked the internet manager why the slow speeds, he said they had had 40 Mbps the day before (I was getting just under 2) and that the main reason was the cloud/fog/middle of Atlantic. 

Edit: no fog this morning, nice and sunny. 

Getting 0.8

How's that westbound "Joy" ride heading away from coastal Spain/Portgual heading for Miami at 17 knots this afternoon ?  Just looked at a few indicators, bright & clear skies, not a cloud in front of ship's live webcam.   Glad to know that Starlink is live ... you aren't exactly way, way out in the deep Atlantic - still within the region with lots of oceanic traffic in the waters.  But, on previous (recent ... 2023) TA crossings of ours, that area was said to have known interference & spotty coverage ... but when it worked, speed shouldn't be that low at all.   It does fluctuate a bit, often times it'll recover to the 2 to 4 Mbps range ... maybe the onboard engineers are "testing" and you are cached, bandwidth restricted ... with ship's operations hogging the data traffic.  Areas by the iCafe (lobby) generally has fairly consistent speed as a whole, check out a few public area randomly to see if that 0.8 speed varied.  

 

Enjoy the TA and ship sailing not quite full ??  No matter what, enjoy ! 

[K_S]

It's quite probable that the Starlink gear was installed, but they simply fed the new bandwidth into existing networking gear on the ship.  If that gear was as originally outfitted in 2017, it's certainly understandable that there would be a bottleneck. 

 

I'm curious if they upgrade the WAPs when they get back to the states.  *shrug*  I suppose I simply won't expect anything good. 

 

Only thing other's haven't commented on was whether the speeds listed currently are from the standard or premium service tiers...

[podgeandrodge]

I'll do a few ship wise tests.

 

When upgrading to unlimited today (day 3 so used my 150 latitude minutes first to save when upgrading) the internet manager said not to expect any faster speeds if I went premium. As I didn't need streaming I just went basic at $169 (upgrade price for 8 remaining days).

 

Captain said slowing down this afternoon for some ship tests (not sure if he meant lifeboats or something else).

 

Otherwise, our more southerly route as a result of his diversion due to low pressure weather has resulted in nice sunny skies and a little bit of warmth. 

 

And the best battered fish I've had in years, in the Garden Cafe!

[love4god]

Have you been on the Joy before? Been to the observation lounge?  I think that was a lot of people's big concern with the dry dock renovations, hoping the space wasn't too gobbled up by the new suites. 

 

On another note...

It's interesting to me how little people know about network access control and security.  If you are connecting to the internet through a company of any size just assume that they have complete control and visibility of everything that you are doing through that connection. This is not paranoia or conspiracy, it's the reality of business today.  Anyone in the industry knows the control that any company is REQUIRED to have if they're going to do business with other corporations.  There is a litany of certifications and compliance SOPs that have to be kept in order if you want to remain in business. Part of this certification process is control and accountability for everything that occurs on your network.

 

The network controls we have at work are exhaustive.  An admin can see every address, every download, every email, every click that is made and touches our network.  Now there is also accountability within the department, everything that an admin looks at is also tracked.  So if someone is just snooping around for no good reason there will be consequences.  But if the company needs to know what you were doing just assume it's like someone were sitting in a chair looking over your shoulder the entire time you were on their network.  This includes controlling your level access, bandwidth, and every other aspect of that connection.   Just an FYI.

[D. B.]

I have experienced Starlink on another cruise line a lot in the past year.

 For the most part it has been Outstanding (on That cruise line) but the way the satellites are arranged in orbit means that some places in the world have less coverage.

 When in Port nearby operations can interfere with the signal.

  Because the Starlink satellites are in low earth orbit and there are a Lot of them their coverage is pretty good.

  People need to understand that unlike at Home you are on a Moving Ship that's trying to stay connected to an object in space.

[UKstages]

9 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

he said they had had 40 Mbps the day before (I was getting just under 2) and that the main reason was the cloud/fog/middle of Atlantic. 

 

22 minutes ago, D. B. said:

People need to understand that unlike at Home you are on a Moving Ship that's trying to stay connected to an object in space.

 

well, i was on the getaway for ten days and my "standard" internet never surpassed 2.5 mbps.

 

so, i can only assume there was enormous low lying fog and cloud cover the entire ten days and that the ship had great difficulty connecting to an object in space for the entire ten days, as well.

 

people!

 

yes, starlink service can ebb and flow based on atmospheric conditions and other variables. but this isn't about starlink. if it looks like NCL throttling, if it smells like NCL throttling, if it tastes like NCL throttling... there is a very good chance it's NCL throttling!

[podgeandrodge]

Still 1.8 wherever I go, not to worry, fine for browsing. 

 

Separately, the ship is diverting (slightly) to Ponta Delgada, due to a medical emergency.  Lucky for said passenger that we're already more south then planned due to weather patterns. It docks at 5am and we've been told not to set clocks back as planned tonight so as to keep ship time in line with our stop. 

[podgeandrodge]

Ponta Delgada unscheduled stop 5am. 

Edited February 17 by podgeandrodge

[zqvol]

4 minutes ago, podgeandrodge said:

Ponta Delgada unscheduled stop 5am. 

Please revolt about the itinerary change. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 2/14/2024 at 8:23 AM, UKstages said:

i have.

 

i don't need to google to know that the starlink connection is as slow as molasses.

 

the reason for it is open to discussion.

I'm a relative newbie as far as NCL is concerned, having only done 2 sailings (pre-Starlink) and booked on an upcoming cruise in April.  We have done a LOT of Princess cruises.  Internet on multiple ships (Princess) could be horrendous pre-Starlink, based primarily on ship location (to be expected.)  After all Princess ships were retrofitted with Starlink there are very few itineraries that don't have GREAT internet!  The difference is pretty much night and day.  I guess it remains to be seen as to how *NCL* implements their Starlink...but I can speak first-hand about how *good* it is on Princess ships.

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 2/15/2024 at 10:35 AM, love4god said:

Have you been on the Joy before? Been to the observation lounge?  I think that was a lot of people's big concern with the dry dock renovations, hoping the space wasn't too gobbled up by the new suites. 

 

On another note...

It's interesting to me how little people know about network access control and security.  If you are connecting to the internet through a company of any size just assume that they have complete control and visibility of everything that you are doing through that connection. This is not paranoia or conspiracy, it's the reality of business today.  Anyone in the industry knows the control that any company is REQUIRED to have if they're going to do business with other corporations.  There is a litany of certifications and compliance SOPs that have to be kept in order if you want to remain in business. Part of this certification process is control and accountability for everything that occurs on your network.

 

The network controls we have at work are exhaustive.  An admin can see every address, every download, every email, every click that is made and touches our network.  Now there is also accountability within the department, everything that an admin looks at is also tracked.  So if someone is just snooping around for no good reason there will be consequences.  But if the company needs to know what you were doing just assume it's like someone were sitting in a chair looking over your shoulder the entire time you were on their network.  This includes controlling your level access, bandwidth, and every other aspect of that connection.   Just an FYI.

Dare I even mention the term "PCI"?  (Shudder...)

[BirdTravels]

Today on another cruise line in the same general area as my post #15 above on NCL. 
 

 

[knitlady037]

I was on the Getaway in January. With the upgraded premium wifi had no trouble streaming hulu and prime service. I could not stream my IPTV service most times. I was able to use it on the Escape in September. Both ships had starlink. On Getaway I was trying to use IPTV in my balcony cabin on deck 9, on Escape I streamed no problem when in the haven courtyard, even with the very heavy fog and cloud conditions from hurricane Lee.

[Ella2]

On 2/13/2024 at 7:46 AM, podgeandrodge said:

They sent is an email saying it wouldn't be for the TA

Thanks so much for the updates!  I'm on the Joy in June and would be interested to know if the new Thermal Suite will have any type of pool.  I know it's not open yet, but is there any info on what is included for when it is operational?  I'm pretty sure it does NOT (which is a shame) but just checking to be sure.

 

Thanks for all of the helpful information!

[alsgirl]

On 2/14/2024 at 10:49 AM, podgeandrodge said:

I hadn't been in her before, but had been on the Encore.

 

From what it seems, the seating areas in the walkway port side are gone, whereas remain on the starboard side. 

 

But all the observation windows are still there as far as I can see. 

 

Ship has a new feel to it for things like carpets and general appearance. 

Do you know if vibe has a pool? 

[zqvol]

6 minutes ago, alsgirl said:

Do you know if vibe has a pool? 

Vibe does not have a pool

[podgeandrodge]

16 hours ago, Ella2 said:

Thanks so much for the updates!  I'm on the Joy in June and would be interested to know if the new Thermal Suite will have any type of pool.  I know it's not open yet, but is there any info on what is included for when it is operational?  I'm pretty sure it does NOT (which is a shame) but just checking to be sure.

 

Thanks for all of the helpful information!

I went up to the Spa today and asked. They said they have a "whirlpool" holding up to 8 people. No other pool. 

 

It will be open in time for its first cruise from Miami. Word has it that it might be open before the end of this TA.

[Ella2]

2 minutes ago, podgeandrodge said:

I went up to the Spa today and asked. They said they have a "whirlpool" holding up to 8 people. No other pool. 

 

It will be open in time for its first cruise from Miami. Word has it that it might be open before the end of this TA.

THANK you so much for taking the time to check!  This definitely helps me decide if the Thermal Suite is worth it (or not) for our sailing.  

[princevaliantus]

On 2/13/2024 at 7:12 PM, tqdrivenws6 said:

Didn't realize the Getaway had starlink.

 

I had the base unlimited plan on the Breakaway Feb of 2023 and was getting 70+Mb/s download on Starlink. 

 

December of 2023 we were on Escape without Starlink and got speeds like you're referring to.

 

I'll be on the Joy March 9th and can post some speed test results. 

How is the speed on the Joy?

[tqdrivenws6]

On 3/14/2024 at 9:33 PM, princevaliantus said:

How is the speed on the Joy?

Sorry, missed this until now.

 

Plenty of speed tests throughout the week. 1.3 to 1.9Mb downloads very consistently. However it always functioned for things that can struggle on land with 10x-50x more speed which makes no sense.