Cost of internet service on board

[spongerob]

How much does HAL charge passengers for internet connection time? Is wireless access available, and if so, is there a difference in price? Any "perks" for free usage based on number of cruises, etc.?

 

I tried searching for the answer but keep getting the WSOD.

 

TIA,

[dakrewser]

No free internet for Mariners, unfortunately. But head over to the Digital Seas web site (HAL's service provider) for all the scope on pricing, availability, etc.

[spongerob]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) Too much

[CPeters40]

How much does HAL charge passengers for internet connection time? Is wireless access available, and if so, is there a difference in price? Any "perks" for free usage based on number of cruises, etc.?

 

I tried searching for the answer but keep getting the WSOD.

 

TIA,

 

Hi,

I have the prices in front of me, having just got off the Oosterdam last Saturday. The prices for using their computer or your own laptop are the same.

Package 1 250 minutes for $100.00 (40 cents a minute)

Package 2 100 minutes for $ 55.00 (55 cents a minute)

Pay as you go rate 75 cents a minute.

In Cabin Dial-up Pay as you go 50 cents a minute (didn't try it--heard it was slow)

 

Wireless is available in most all the common areas of the ship. I brought my laptop, and did all my reading and answering email off line, and then just hooked up to send and receive, and disconnect, in which I used 2 minutes, for $1.50 a day, and there is a one time $3.95 connection fee for set up. Have a super time!

Chris (in Cold Snowy Iowa)

[cruisedoctor]

We were on the Noordam over XMAS, and they offered a deal where if you bought a 250 minute package on the first day, you received an additional 20 free minutes. The catch is you need to have the internet manager add those 20 free minutes to your account AFTER you used up your initial 250. If you forget to do that, or coultn't find him, then you are out of luck.

 

Also, if you buy a package keep careful track of how much time you use each session. Every time you log-off, the system will let you know exactly how long you were on-line (down to the second). When my package minutes ran out alot sooner than my calculations said it should, I had the internet manager print out an itemized billing report for each session...finding that their system deducted about 30 minutes more than it should have for one of the sessions. He accepted the "daily session log" that I had been keeping as valid proof that this was indeed an error on their part.

[Fblack]

Plus HAL has a ridiculously high one time set up fee. $3.95 just to get an account. On a 7 day HAL cruise once I needed to quickly check my e-mail. After adding in that fee plus 2 minutes of Internet use it cost me over $2.50 a minute. Princess has free Internet for Platinum cruisers. Plus as I recall, Princess, RCL, and Celebrity have no setup charge.

[dakrewser]

Plus HAL has a ridiculously high one time set up fee. $3.95 just to get an account. On a 7 day HAL cruise once I needed to quickly check my e-mail. After adding in that fee plus 2 minutes of Internet use it cost me over $2.50 a minute. Princess has free Internet for Platinum cruisers. Plus as I recall, Princess, RCL, and Celebrity have no setup charge.

 

Princess is eliminating free internet for Platinums and does have a setup charge. Go over to the Princess boards and see the OP's posting on his 'comparison shopping' among cruise lines and internet charges.

[jtl513]

...finding that their system deducted about 30 minutes more than it should have for one of the sessions.

That's a pretty big error! :eek: 12%! I'll have to watch my time much more carefully from now on!

[RedmondCruiser]

Along with the cost you have to take into account the speed of the service. Its like watching paint dry at 75 cents per minute. I normally pick up my internet time on shore.

[asctony]

Princess is eliminating free internet for Platinums and does have a setup charge. Go over to the Princess boards and see the OP's posting on his 'comparison shopping' among cruise lines and internet charges.

You may have misread the postings. Platinum and Elite have the follow Internet benefits as of 04/01/07.

Free Internet Access

Credit Towards Internet Café Packages (effective April 1, 2007)

$75 for voyages of 7 days or less

$100 for voyages of 8-20 days

$200 for voyages of 21 or more days

They have reduced it was 'unlimited' to the above.

Happy Cruising!

[mick70]

Well IMO the cost is too much... I can live with out it for the cruise!

[marco]

lasst week on the Maasdam it was $33 for 100 minutes and $3.95 for the initall connect fee. I'm a Mariner, no "deals" or "freebees". As I'm not a CEO of a fortune 500 company, I decided I could live without. Besides, I'd rather be sitting nextt to the pool instead of infront of a computer

[jtl513]

lasst week on the Maasdam it was $33 for 100 minutes and

Was this an end-of-cruise special? The 100 minute package has been $55 for several years, and the 250 minute package $0.40 /min. I can't believe they'd cut that to $0.33/min without a whole lot of hoopla that we would have heard about!! See digitalseas

[Jade13]

posting error

[Jade13]

the Veendam in Alaska. It was enough for 7 days to check-up on our pets (check with the person taking cae of them). We didn't need that many minutes but that was the least expensive package. We bought it the first day and I believe the prices went down.

 

Did the prices go up this year?

[jtl513]

the Veendam in Alaska. Did the prices go up this year?

On the Westerdam 9/05, Noordam 6/06, and Veendam last month the rates were as listed on Digital Seas: $100 for 250 min, $55 for 100 min, or $0.75/min by the minute. On the last full day of the cruise there were "specials" of 15 min for $8.25 or 30 min for $15. It appears to me like you got an end-of-week special at the beginning somehow.