In app texting while on board

[BeachBum92]

Hello, sorry if already answered, I did not search in hopes to get the most up to date information without bothering those so kind to do live cruise updates.

Is there now texting available within the NCL app that allows you to text like on airplanes now? 
and was there any cost to you to utilize it?

Thank you.

[hallux]

17 minutes ago, BeachBum92 said:

Is there now texting available within the NCL app that allows you to text like on airplanes now?

There has been since at least 2019

17 minutes ago, BeachBum92 said:

and was there any cost to you to utilize it?

$10 per person.

[BeachBum92]

Was that $10 per day?

[zqvol]

45 minutes ago, BeachBum92 said:

Was that $10 per day?

No, $10 for the voyage 

[CaptainBazz]

The app allows you to text people on the ship (as long as they to have the app and have paid) and costs $10 for the cruise. It does not allow you to text people back home.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Do you get an actual audible alert as with "normal" texting?  My only experience is with Princess....their app does NOT give you any type of audible alert!  You have to keep "checking" the app to see if you have received anything.  Useless!

[cruiser2015]

On 3/13/2024 at 2:07 PM, BeachBum92 said:

Hello, sorry if already answered, I did not search in hopes to get the most up to date information without bothering those so kind to do live cruise updates.

Is there now texting available within the NCL app that allows you to text like on airplanes now? 
and was there any cost to you to utilize it?

Thank you.

Also, note that if al involved users have iphones, and are registered on the ship for internet use (therefore on the ship's wifi) , you can text between phones without paying that $10 per phone.

[hallux]

5 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

and are registered on the ship for internet use (therefore on the ship's wifi)

They need to be on the WiFi but they certainly don't need to have paid for an internet plan to have iMessage, unless they want to send pictures.

[cruiser2015]

49 minutes ago, hallux said:

They need to be on the WiFi but they certainly don't need to have paid for an internet plan to have iMessage, unless they want to send pictures.

Don't you have to purchase internet in order to get wifi access?

[CaptainBazz]

11 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Do you get an actual audible alert as with "normal" texting?  My only experience is with Princess....their app does NOT give you any type of audible alert!  You have to keep "checking" the app to see if you have received anything.  Useless!

Unfortunately no audible alert...you have to keep checking.

[CaptainBazz]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

Don't you have to purchase internet in order to get wifi access?

No...you get free access to the ship's wifi so that you can use the app. The wifi only works on the ship. To access the internet you need to purchase an internet plan (or use the FAS internet minutes).

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

Don't you have to purchase internet in order to get wifi access?

No

[UKstages]

this has been covered many times in many different threads. people use the terms "wifi" and "internet" indiscriminately. a better term for "wifi" in this instance would be "network." you are connecting to the ship's network. it's what allows you to use the NCL app at no charge.

 

(of course, you connect to the network through wifi! that's what makes it so confusing for some folks. but you are not charged and you don't consume "minutes"  in your internet package until you choose a plan and proactively connect to the internet.)

 

once connected to the ship's network, there currently is a backend imessaging loophole that allows iOS users (iphones, macs, ipads) to send and receive text messages (no images) at no charge. a forthcoming update to imessaging security protocols may change that (TBD), but at the present time, apple users can send and receive text messages to those onboard, as well as those ashore, at no charge, without consuming "minutes" or being connected to the pay-for-play internet.

 

(if you want to get technical about it, yes, the imessaging loophole operates on the backend through... the internet! yes, a backend part of your device is communicating via the internet... you're just not being charged for it. it's the same backend loophole that allows you to receive alerts from your apps... but if you try to access those apps, you won't be able to, unless you activate your internet minutes.)

 

Edited March 15 by UKstages

[BeachBum92]

Thank you for all the information, lucky we are all iPhones for now.

[joespin]

Hi everyone. We had some friends just off an NCL cruise. Like us they only had a basic internet plan. I believe it is 150 minutes for the duration of the cruise. In any event, unbeknownst to them, they found out that even if you do not use the internet but have your phone connected to their wifi network you will be consuming minutes. They had to argue with the staff to get their minutes reinstated. What this means to me is you have to continually logon and log off of the wifi network to conserve your minutes. Does this sound correct to you?

[zqvol]

4 minutes ago, joespin said:

Hi everyone. We had some friends just off an NCL cruise. Like us they only had a basic internet plan. I believe it is 150 minutes for the duration of the cruise. In any event, unbeknownst to them, they found out that even if you do not use the internet but have your phone connected to their wifi network you will be consuming minutes. They had to argue with the staff to get their minutes reinstated. What this means to me is you have to continually logon and log off of the wifi network to conserve your minutes. Does this sound correct to you?

That does not sound correct at all. Connecting to the network does NOT cause you to use minutes. You have to actively connect to the Internet by logging in for minutes to be used. Your friend probably forgot to log off when the stopped using the Internet. 

[seemoreroyals]

5 minutes ago, joespin said:

Hi everyone. We had some friends just off an NCL cruise. Like us they only had a basic internet plan. I believe it is 150 minutes for the duration of the cruise. In any event, unbeknownst to them, they found out that even if you do not use the internet but have your phone connected to their wifi network you will be consuming minutes. They had to argue with the staff to get their minutes reinstated. What this means to me is you have to continually logon and log off of the wifi network to conserve your minutes. Does this sound correct to you?

You have to sign out each time you use internet.  If not your free 150 minutes will be gone in a flash.

[joespin]

2 minutes ago, zqvol said:

That does not sound correct at all. Connecting to the network does NOT cause you to use minutes. You have to actively connect to the Internet by logging in for minutes to be used. Your friend probably forgot to log off when the stopped using the Internet. 

 

1 minute ago, seemoreroyals said:

You have to sign out each time you use internet.  If not your free 150 minutes will be gone in a flash.

Thanks for the reply's but there is still confusion based on them. You don't "log off" the internet, you just close browser. The only thing you log out of is the wifi network so I assume @seemoreroyals is correct when he says you have to sign out, meaning sign off from the wifi?

[zqvol]

Just now, joespin said:

 

Thanks for the reply's but there is still confusion based on them. You don't "log off" the internet, you just close browser. The only thing you log out of is the wifi network so I assume @seemoreroyals is correct when he says you have to sign out, meaning sign off from the wifi?

No that is not how it works. You have to log off the Internet when you are done using it. You never have to log off the WiFi network. 

[hallux]

28 minutes ago, joespin said:

You don't "log off" the internet, you just close browser

Wrong.  You have to go to a site such as logout.com (it redirects to the correct page because of how web browsing works) to then log off and stop the clock.  Been there, done that, did it less than 2 months ago.  This is the ONLY way to stop the clock on internet use.

Edited March 15 by hallux

[joespin]

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

Wrong.  You have to go to a site such as logout.com (it redirects to the correct page because of how web browsing works) to then log off and stop the clock.  Been there, done that, did it less than 2 months ago.  This is the ONLY way to stop the clock on internet use.

OK, thanks,I stand corrected. Never heard of logout.com. So just to clarify, if for example I go to google.com and then search for some info. I go to that site and read the article. Then I have to go to logout.com to end my internet session?

[zqvol]

3 minutes ago, joespin said:

OK, thanks,I stand corrected. Never heard of logout.com. So just to clarify, if for example I go to google.com and then search for some info. I go to that site and read the article. Then I have to go to logout.com to end my internet session?

That is correct

[joespin]

1 minute ago, zqvol said:

That is correct

got it, enjoy your cruise

[UKstages]

i always use the app, but i'm pretty sure the browser-based address while onboard has always been loginnow.com and not anything else. (that may have changed with the introduction of starlink service, i don't know.) 

[zqvol]

16 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i always use the app, but i'm pretty sure the browser-based address while onboard has always been loginnow.com and not anything else. (that may have changed with the introduction of starlink service, i don't know.) 

It’s logout.com or 1.1.1.1