I have wireless card on laptop. Do I still need to pay $100 or will it just connect?

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

I am confused about the internet connection. I have the wireless card in my laptop and when I logged on at the hotel in Hawaii it just connected me to their wireless network. There was a cost per day if you needed the cable.

 

It sounds like the cost is for the hardware to be able to connect. If that is the case then I already have the hardware.

 

I'd like to know what I should do so I can be ready when I get onboard. Thanks.Karyn

[bilyclub]

Nope. There is a charge by the minute for any internet onboard, including wifi. In port you might be able to scam a free connect.

[PH8]

You still have to get the $100 setup.............if you're going to use it in your cabin.............

 

OR

 

The WiFI spots are in certain areas but you'll still pay(by the minute)............

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

Nope. There is a charge by the minute for any internet onboard, including wifi. In port you might be able to scam a free connect.

 

I'm fine paying for what I'm supposed to but I don't want to pay for something that I already have. If it is for the connection that is fine by me.

[spaceguy]

On our last Princess cruise the hardware worked in our laptop...but.....What they did is encript the signal so you have to buy the access code.. which is what I think they then link to your on board account so they know who to charge the minutes to. I know the initial login page came up for us.. but the first thing you had to do was enter an access code.. which we didn't get.

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

On our last Princess cruise the hardware worked in our laptop...but.....What they did is encript the signal so you have to buy the access code.. which is what I think they then link to your on board account so they know who to charge the minutes to. I know the initial login page came up for us.. but the first thing you had to do was enter an access code.. which we didn't get.

 

That makes sense to me.

[Linda in MI]

You need to create and pay for a password to access their wireless signal. They offered a plan for $50 for the week on our recent Empress of the Seas cruise.

 

Linda

[wraithe]

If you want cyber cabin, which is a pseudo dial up connnection that only works in your cabin and is sloooooowwwww, like 300 baud slow, no not 33.6K, 300 baud, as in 1988 speeds. Cyber cabin is full time, you only pay once and use it as much as you want, but is subject to drop outs, and takes forever to reconnect according to many post. Wi-Fi only works in hot spots, except for Freedom, which is Wi-Fi stem to stern. The Wi-Fi is 50 cents/min unless you buy a package, then the price can go down to 33 cents/min if you buy 150 minutes ($50.00 U. S.). If you're computer is Wi-Fi enabled and a Windows box, then it should work. Several threads have suggested that Mac users sometimes have trouble. More info here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=294633&page=3, post # 41. Hope this helps.

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

If you want cyber cabin, which is a pseudo dial up connnection that only works in your cabin and is sloooooowwwww, like 300 baud slow, no not 33.6K, 300 baud, as in 1988 speeds. Cyber cabin is full time, you only pay once and use it as much as you want, but is subject to drop outs, and takes forever to reconnect according to many post. Wi-Fi only works in hot spots, except for Freedom, which is Wi-Fi stem to stern. The Wi-Fi is 50 cents/min unless you buy a package, then the price can go down to 33 cents/min if you buy 150 minutes ($50.00 U. S.). If you're computer is Wi-Fi enabled and a Windows box, then it should work. Several threads have suggested that Mac users sometimes have trouble. More info here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=294633&page=3, post # 41. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks. Sounds like the $50 deal will be the best.

[iluvcruzin]

You need to create and pay for a password to access their wireless signal. They offered a plan for $50 for the week on our recent Empress of the Seas cruise.

 

Linda

 

Really??? I didn't know they had wireless on the Empress. COOL!

[Valerie]

I'm going to be on Freedom this weekend, and would love to bring my laptop. What I can expect to pay for the Wi-Fi is $50.00 for $150.00 minutes, is that the cheapest package they have?

[wraithe]

I'm going to be on Freedom this weekend, and would love to bring my laptop. What I can expect to pay for the Wi-Fi is $50.00 for $150.00 minutes, is that the cheapest package they have?

 

Don't know for sure about Freedom, but I would assume that the charges are the same as the rest of the ships.

[wrp96]

I don't think the $50 was for unlimited access though. I've seen $50 for a certain number of minutes but not for unlimited internet access. I actually had good luck with the CyberCabin on Brilliance and it wasn't much slower than the Wi-Fi and that was about $100 for 10 days unlimited.

[PVDCruiser]

For the cabin Internet, I assume it's just a normal network cable? If I ever use it maybe I'll set up a wireless connection in my room.

[wraithe]

1) The $50 Wi-Fi deal is not unlimited, it's only 150 minutes. It is the least expensive Wi-Fi plan.

 

2) Freedom has Wi-Fi stem to stern, even in the cabins, so you don't have to go looking for the hot spots.

 

3) For cyber cabin, there's some sort of device that you have to connect to the wall plug, then replug your cabin phone and your laptop into it. I haven't used it, but if you do a search, there's many threads with mention of how the cyber cabin things works. The cyber cabin boxes are limited, too, if you want to get one, it's first come, first served.