Wifi Question

[lovespositano]

Satellite bandwidth connections are still relatively cheap. I used to have 5 mbps in my RV 6 years ago and it was $49 a month for 5mbps and yes, it could track the satellites in motion. Certainly the technology has improved and costs has gone down. The price is insane.

 

You know it's been almost 12 years since I've been on a cruise and things have changed a lot. However one thing that surprises me is that people actually believe that these new charges should just be "part of life" and we should be conditioned to think that everyone should have to pay the same price for their steward even though one person stays in an inside room and another person a double suite with a balcony. What is now called a "service charge" we used to call a tip.

 

Bottom line ... I'm not giving Princess a single dime on this cruise. Not a single penny and I'm going to post daily updates and a copy of my debarkation receipt to prove it. I'm also going to tip my steward cash for a job well done, not well expected.

 

Oh but don't get me wrong ... I am bringing a big fat wad of cash to blow on items "less conditioned" and more deserved.

WOW! You need an attitude adjustment and I hope your cruise will be kind to you!!!!

[STLPilot]

WOW! You need an attitude adjustment and I hope your cruise will be kind to you!!!!

Ha! What do you think I'm taking the cruise for? It's been three years since I took a vacation. All I want is Internet at a fair rate. $7 a beer ... no problem, I usually pay about that much ... the going rate. But .75 a minute for the Internet? If a beer was $50 a bottle, then it would make much more sense to me ... I would get it.

[paul929207]

Ha! What do you think I'm taking the cruise for? It's been three years since I took a vacation. All I want is Internet at a fair rate. $7 a beer ... no problem, I usually pay about that much ... the going rate. But .75 a minute for the Internet? If a beer was $50 a bottle, then it would make much more sense to me ... I would get it.

Since you will not be buying any beers on the boat, why do you care if they are $7 or $700 each?

[VibeGuy]

Of course. Everyone knows there's never a price premium for Marine, Aviation or Medical-grade products. *eyeroll*

 

It's exceptionally easy to beam data *to* any spot on the planet cheaply at very high rates. See also Dish Network/DirecTV.

 

When you can fix a ground-based antenna to a single bird in space, it's also quite easy to move data the ~24,000 miles each direction. See also HughesNet. It's pretty inexpensive, comparatively. HughesNet may *claim* speeds of 2.5/1.5, but that's burst. With the plan the OP cites, the *committed bit rate* is only 50KBPS, AKA, dialup. But hey, for $400/month, all you can chew, it's useful. It won't cut it on a ship, and they specifically don't cover the oceans. Brownwater-only. Take a look at the Hughes AUP to see how the "bucket" works, and what happens when you drain the bucket. Ugly.

 

 

The cost of a truly global system that works in, say, Kenya, is not comparable to the Hughes product. Not even close. Anywhere-on-the-planet satellite broadband with a 1-m dish is excruciatingly spendy - I can lift data off equipment anywhere I can see the sky, given enough money, but that doesn't mean I can do it for the same price as doing it at the Motel 6 in Podunk, MT using HughesNet. And NONE of the commercial global products come with unlimited pricing - you always pay by the bit. Part of this is the agreements with the various governments to license the uplink broadcast frequencies; the US licensed the Ku band for effectively zero; countries with state-controlled PTTs are loathe to do so, as satellite bypasses these systems.

 

Where it gets complicated is in trying to maintain a broadband-speed uplink to a bird where you're constantly moving in three dimensions. The uplink signal strength is very low, and even with highly stabilized platforms, you need progressively larger (read, "more expensive") equipment and birds with more powerful amplifiers and sensitive transceivers to pick the bits out of the noise. To cover the heavy rainfall in the tropics, for example, the best technique is to use a C-band uplink, which requires a much larger dish than Ku band. The satellite companies are for-profit enterprises and wring every last possible dime out of subscribers.

 

So, for the OP, I agree, don't spend a dime on the Princess service. Sit on deck or your balcony and use a BGAN. Bring a compass, as it really simplifies where you can find the bird. They run $175/week for short-term rentals (available from a wide variety of vendors) and the data prices are as follows:

 

25MB $166.25

50MB $325

100MB $605

250MB $1487.50

500MB $2875

1000 (1GB) $5500

 

So, to download a single movie, you're looking at $5500. Way to save a buck.

 

I just don't "get" how the contention that one is being gouged is valid when the evidence points to global coverage satellite internet being extremely expensive.

 

E

[GBeret]

Ha! What do you think I'm taking the cruise for? It's been three years since I took a vacation. All I want is Internet at a fair rate. $7 a beer ... no problem, I usually pay about that much ... the going rate. But .75 a minute for the Internet? If a beer was $50 a bottle, then it would make much more sense to me ... I would get it.

 

 

STLPilot:

 

I'm thinking your beating a 'dead horse' here. The more you complain and whine about internet pricing on the Princess ships the more you come out sounding like a troll. Your whining to the choir here.

 

That said, I agree that what one is charged for WiFi and/or Computer service on the ships is way out of line for such service in this day and age. Do I think it will ever get less expensive? It's not likely; however, if you convince enough people to complain about the price, to Princess, perhaps Princess will listen.

 

I would think that if other cruise lines offered less expensive internet service, Princess would be forced to reduce their prices as well, in-order to remain competitive.

 

I noticed today, most of the major airlines will be offering internet service on their flights. They announced some price structuring, for the service by the number of hours of the flight, etc. It sounded reasonable; however, like most things, the prices will vary and some will try to out do others, reducing prices in-order to remain competitive, etc.

 

Talking about Hiway robbery, etc. I'm convinced the airlines are ripping people off with their ridiculous charges on 1st and/or second bags and in one case talking about charging to use the restroom. :eek:

[Pia1913]

STLPilot:

 

I'm thinking your beating a 'dead horse' here. The more you complain and whine about internet pricing on the Princess ships the more you come out sounding like a troll. Your whining to the choir here.

 

That said, I agree that what one is charged for WiFi and/or Computer service on the ships is way out of line for such service in this day and age. Do I think it will ever get less expensive? It's not likely; however, if you convince enough people to complain about the price, to Princess, perhaps Princess will listen.

 

I would think that if other cruise lines offered less expensive internet service, Princess would be forced to reduce their prices as well, in-order to remain competitive.

 

I noticed today, most of the major airlines will be offering internet service on their flights. They announced some price structuring, for the service by the number of hours of the flight, etc. It sounded reasonable; however, like most things, the prices will vary and some will try to out do others, reducing prices in-order to remain competitive, etc.

 

Talking about Hiway robbery, etc. I'm convinced the airlines are ripping people off with their ridiculous charges on 1st and/or second bags and in one case talking about charging to use the restroom. :eek:

 

Did you see today's newspaper where Delta is going to start charging (July 1st) $50 for a second bag on international flights and $100 for a 3rd? Overweight bags: $200.

[RickEk]

Of course. Everyone knows there's never a price premium for Marine, Aviation or Medical-grade products. *eyeroll*

 

It's exceptionally easy to beam data *to* any spot on the planet cheaply at very high rates. See also Dish Network/DirecTV.

 

When you can fix a ground-based antenna to a single bird in space, it's also quite easy to move data the ~24,000 miles each direction. See also HughesNet. It's pretty inexpensive, comparatively. HughesNet may *claim* speeds of 2.5/1.5, but that's burst. With the plan the OP cites, the *committed bit rate* is only 50KBPS, AKA, dialup. But hey, for $400/month, all you can chew, it's useful. It won't cut it on a ship, and they specifically don't cover the oceans. Brownwater-only. Take a look at the Hughes AUP to see how the "bucket" works, and what happens when you drain the bucket. Ugly.

 

 

The cost of a truly global system that works in, say, Kenya, is not comparable to the Hughes product. Not even close. Anywhere-on-the-planet satellite broadband with a 1-m dish is excruciatingly spendy - I can lift data off equipment anywhere I can see the sky, given enough money, but that doesn't mean I can do it for the same price as doing it at the Motel 6 in Podunk, MT using HughesNet. And NONE of the commercial global products come with unlimited pricing - you always pay by the bit. Part of this is the agreements with the various governments to license the uplink broadcast frequencies; the US licensed the Ku band for effectively zero; countries with state-controlled PTTs are loathe to do so, as satellite bypasses these systems.

 

Where it gets complicated is in trying to maintain a broadband-speed uplink to a bird where you're constantly moving in three dimensions. The uplink signal strength is very low, and even with highly stabilized platforms, you need progressively larger (read, "more expensive") equipment and birds with more powerful amplifiers and sensitive transceivers to pick the bits out of the noise. To cover the heavy rainfall in the tropics, for example, the best technique is to use a C-band uplink, which requires a much larger dish than Ku band. The satellite companies are for-profit enterprises and wring every last possible dime out of subscribers.

 

So, for the OP, I agree, don't spend a dime on the Princess service. Sit on deck or your balcony and use a BGAN. Bring a compass, as it really simplifies where you can find the bird. They run $175/week for short-term rentals (available from a wide variety of vendors) and the data prices are as follows:

 

25MB $166.25

50MB $325

100MB $605

250MB $1487.50

500MB $2875

1000 (1GB) $5500

 

So, to download a single movie, you're looking at $5500. Way to save a buck.

 

I just don't "get" how the contention that one is being gouged is valid when the evidence points to global coverage satellite internet being extremely expensive.

 

E

 

Another dude with the facts! Thanks... and to the OP... :p

 

Maybe if you took some more cruises, you'd qualify for free internet... I know I'll be enjoying free internet on my next cruise. :rolleyes:

[siuc78]

So, if you don't like the cost of the internet on the ship, then don't use the internet on the ship!!!! :eek: If people don't use it that sends a stronger message to Princess than whining about it.

[Pam in CA]

To cause even more hard feelings we just got off a twenty day HAL Noordam cruise where the interent was so speedy it scared me. I wonder why we're not supposed to have any negative comments that might cause better service from the cruise lines.

I suspect it had more to do with where you're sailing than anything else. HAL uses the same system as Princess and on my 28-day Prinsendam cruise last October and 21-day Amsterdam cruise in January, it certainly wasn't any faster -- probably slower -- than my Sapphire cruise in April. Now, my HAL cruises might have been an abberation but since it's the exact same system, I tend to think not.

[VibeGuy]

It can actually be a question of rocket science, or, rather astrophysics. For satellites in a geostationary orbit at the Equator, the closer you are to said Equator, the better the performance for a given dish size. There's also the question of sea conditions. Rougher = less-impressive lock on the satellite. Despite the claims that an RV moving at 60mph on a road where the grade never varies more than 20% can hold a lock on a bird perfectly, a ship moving in three dimensions experiences much more signal loss in motion.

 

If those 20-day Noordam sailings were the (awesome - seriously, I'd love to do their Wayfarer/Seafarer) So. Caribbean itineraries, it wouldn't surprise me that the performance would be better. Calm waters and equatorial latitudes are both a recipe for an awesome vacation and ideal satellite communications. Polar regions are the worst.

[Konarina]

I used my mini laptop in the cabin and thought it was well worth the cost to be able to use it whenever I wanted to.

 

While I agree that the cost of the internet is higher than I would have expected, still it is nice to be able to email family while on board. I did not use it to surf the net, since I only wanted the email accessibility. The access was easy and the speed was acceptable. Dropping of access was a bit of a problem at times but easy to work around.

 

I suppose I could have tried to access something on land when in port, but it wasn't worth the hassle. I think and hope that in the future, the cost will moderate but it will never be as cheap as an home connection, simply because marine conditions are different and more variable.

 

On the other hand, we hated the CNN connection on the TV; it was awful!

[donna5]

HAHA! I don't get angry, I get upset. Now my bodyguard, he gets angry. :)

 

It just seems like everything in life has changed over the last 10 years and too fast. Nothing can be appreciated anymore ... these days you just simply pay for it.

 

But imagine taking a cruise one day coming back, going into a coma and waking up 12 years later ready to book another cruise. Imagine what you just learned that day.

 

12 years ago and more, princess and the other cruises were much more expensive and wifi wasn't available. Princess has another company run the internet and are actually paying that company for our Captain Circle benefit of $75 package. And how many all inclusive resorts have you gone to that include free internet? We stayed at the Pan Pacific and it didn't have free internet, we would have had to pay.

 

I hope STLPilot isn't in tradtional dining, I pitty the poor tablemates. With anytime, he can share his complaining.

 

The best thing to do is write Princess and tell them what you want included and then see if they can adjust your cruise price to include everything you want. That would be fair.

[shining gem]

Did you see today's newspaper where Delta is going to start charging (July 1st) $50 for a second bag on international flights and $100 for a 3rd? Overweight bags: $200.

 

Aussies have been putting up with that for ever! I was always amazed at the amount of luggage my US mate was able to fly around with, at no charge. Hairdryers, pillows and all sorts of wonderful items came out of her bags! We are stuck with 20kg (for a three month trip) or pay for extra! Amazing what you can do without!!! I'd be very happy to pay only $50 for a second bag. Meg

[zacc]

Sorry I was over simplifying because I was aware of the prices. "Maritime" has nothing to do with the cost equation. Commercial maybe, but satellite IP systems do not know the difference between a construction site in Kenya or on a boat. The only difference is that the system utilizes some king of tracking dish which can cost less than a couple grand.

 

5mpbs on Hughes, $349 a month, commercial rate. That's for a month.

 

Listen I've seen threads of people complaining about everything and everything, most especially liquor, but this is a service not a drink. Beer and liquor only has hundreds of percent markup, I can assure you what you think is fair is a complete jab in the back.

 

But hey, I'm the bad guy, the one complaining. Princess, they should be given a medal for providing such a wonderful "service".[/quote]

 

 

Technical talk aside, the bottom line here is that providing internet access is not providing a service. Rather a cruise line, by offering internet service, is providing its passengers with an alternative way to communicate or receive information. As a passenger you have the option of using it or not. I enjoy using the internet while on board-being Platium provides more than enough free time. Would I pay to use it....no. But then I won't miss it either. Kind of like my cell phone....turn it off when I board and turn it back on when I disembark.

[STLPilot]

I don't really think I'll be in traditional dining, not really concerned with the fluff these boats offer. I only made this decision less than 2 weeks ago and sailing Saturday. We chose a cruise over trains and hotels for the sheer simplicity and short window of opportunity. Frankly this boat ride is will be nothing more than a water taxi and a bed IMHO. Fluff, who needs it, but it would be nice to have a wifi connection at a reasonable pricetag so that I can make my daily plans by visiting "ports of call" on cruise critic each evening. But over the last 24 hours, I've siphoned as much information that I need for the ports whose dock is more than an hour away from the center of the main attractions. Either way, all is well.

[STLPilot]

[QUOTE]
Technical talk aside, the bottom line here is that providing internet access is not providing a service.
[/QUOTE]Got it. The Internet Service Provider that provides the Internet access to the boat, is a Service Provider. However once it's resold, it becomes a luxury. It's funny how we as humans a coaxed into thinking that some things become luxuries when someone else simply resells a service at a higher price. If Internet access is a luxury these days, then what does that make a Ferrari? Can I write off Internet access for my business, of course, up to any dollar amount. Can I write off a Ferrari? Nope. The Internet is not a luxury, it's just a binary replacement of the telephone, map and encylopedia.

[Pia1913]

[quote name='STLPilot']I don't really think I'll be in traditional dining, not really concerned with the fluff these boats offer. I only made this decision less than 2 weeks ago and sailing Saturday. We chose a cruise over trains and hotels for the sheer simplicity and short window of opportunity. [B][COLOR=red]Frankly this boat ride is will be nothing more than a water taxi[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR=red][B]and a bed IMHO. Fluff, who needs it[/B][/COLOR], but it would be nice to have a wifi connection at a reasonable pricetag so that I can make my daily plans by visiting "ports of call" on cruise critic each evening. But over the last 24 hours, I've siphoned as much information that I need for the ports whose dock is more than an hour away from the center of the main attractions. Either way, all is well.[/quote]

Pretty expensive boat ride you're taking. Can't imagine why you are going in the first place.