How is wireless Internet service on the Star? Can Platinum credit be used?

[Cruiser Cats]

We are travelling on the Princess Star next month to South America and Antarctica. I am trying to decide whether to bring a laptop. Can anyone tell me how the wireless service is on the Star--is the speed decent? Are there multiple places on the ship where it can be accessed?

 

Also, a Princess phone rep told me the Platinum Onternet credit can be used for 250 minutes either wireless or on the ship's computers. Can anyone validate that? The last time we sailed, the credit wasn't good for wireless and wireless was more expensive than accessing the Internet on the ships computers.

 

Any comments about how good the wireless service is around South America and Antarctica?

 

Thanks!

[Colo Cruiser]

We are travelling on the Princess Star next month to South America and Antarctica. I am trying to decide whether to bring a laptop. Can anyone tell me how the wireless service is on the Star--is the speed decent? Are there multiple places on the ship where it can be accessed?

 

Also, a Princess phone rep told me the Platinum Onternet credit can be used for 250 minutes either wireless or on the ship's computers. Can anyone validate that? The last time we sailed, the credit wasn't good for wireless and wireless was more expensive than accessing the Internet on the ships computers.

 

Any comments about how good the wireless service is around South America and Antarctica?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Internet service on all Princess ships is hit and miss and slow.

Yes you get 250 mins at the Platinum level (wireless too).

[vickie_bernie]

we used the internet service on the Star last month -- it was very good but certainly not like home. they use a satelite to hook up the net so sometimes you need to be patient and it also depends on how many users are on it.

 

For Platinum you will get 250 minutes and can be used for wireless too.

[Pam in CA]

Over the past year, Princess installed a new Internet system on its ships. With the old system, your cruise card was swiped in order to access the Internet; with the new system, you first log in using your first initial, last name and cabin #, and your PW is your birthdate. You then change the PW and from then on, can access the Internet either from the ship's computers in the Internet cafe or your own computer via wireless connection. With the old system, there was no way to swipe your card using your own computer so it couldn't be linked to the billing system and your Platinum/Elite credits; with the new system, it doesn't matter how you log on, it's linked to the billing system.

 

To use your own computer, set the wireless connection to the ship's wireless connection and open I.E. The log-in page will appear and you sign in. Logging out is a little trickier since you can't access the system's log-out page. Instead, either completely shut down your computer or type http:1.1.1.1 (I think that's it) into your browser and it'll log you off. It sounds complicated but is actually very simple. If you don't break the connection or log out, you'll continue to be logged in and using minutes you didn't know you were.

 

As for the speed of the connection, I don't think anyone expects that it'll be as fast as a land connection, and it's not. There's limited bandwidth and if it's being used heavily, everyone's connection will be slow. I usually go either early in the morning or after dinner and the connection is "adequate."