Mobile and Data on Cruise Ship

tmike on 19/09/2015 - 09:42

Hi - I am going on a Cruise from Sydney to Noumea in November. The wifi charges on the ship are ridiculously high. Is there a better way to stay connected with data and mobile whilst on the ship and out at sea?

Thanks

Mike

Travel

Comments

  • Colombian on 19/09/2015 - 10:11
    +18

    My suggestion to you is to enjoy your trip and forget about wifi.

    • Cheeper on 19/09/2015 - 12:02

      The best thing about a cruise… leave the mobile phone at home, no newspapers, just pure escape :-)

  • MITM on 19/09/2015 - 10:42
    -1

    EXPENSIVE

  • ablecookie on 19/09/2015 - 11:12

    Get a new mobile number and only let those you need to keep in contact know of the new number.

    • tmike on 19/09/2015 - 12:03

      Does it cost to receive phone calls?

      • captain fatguts on 19/09/2015 - 13:46
        +1

        Yes.

        You will need to consult your international roaming charges, look under satellite or maritime.

        We travel frequently on cruise ships and always keep in touch whilst away.

        My advice is
        1. Turn off data
        2. Turn off voicemail
        3. Use sms to keep in touch…. Approx 70 c and free to receive.

        Wi-Fi onboard varies by cruiseline and location
        Princess tend to have good signal strength and easily maintains VOIP (I receive free Wi-Fi due to loyalty)
        P&O Australia is generally poor
        Holland America was intermittent and very slow.
        Royal Caribbean is quite solid
        Celebrity is as good as Princess

        I use woolies international sim for calls at ports (note that calls from New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji are approx $1.80 pm)

        I suggest looking for where the crew gather at port… Normally the best free Wi-Fi.
        I use Skype for calls to phones and messenger for other VOIP

        The cruise terminal in Noumea has free Wi-Fi, but buy a beer at the cafe and their Wi-Fi is better.
        Bars and cafes downtown Port Vila all provide WiFi

        • tmike on 19/09/2015 - 20:00

          Thanks for your help - Can you use the Woolies international SIM on the ship whilst at sea? and is it worth paying $26/day for unlimited wifi access on the ship?

        • Live Dimension on 20/09/2015 - 08:36

          Princess tend to have good signal strength and easily maintains VOIP (I receive free Wi-Fi due to loyalty)

          Parents went on princess maybe 5 years back and the wifi internet was so terribly slow it was completely unusable. There is always the capacity that it could of been upgraded by now however.

        • captain fatguts on 20/09/2015 - 11:04

          @Live Dimension:
          Again it depends on the region.
          Asia generally has great signal, South Pacific is quite sporadic.

        • captain fatguts on 20/09/2015 - 11:08

          @tmike:
          Yes you can use woolies sim on board BUT cost per min is much the same as global roaming on OZ based sim.

          I personally wouldn't pay the $26 per day, but again that depends upon your neccesity of connection.

  • AMLagonda on 19/09/2015 - 12:06

    Cruise ship Wifi is very slow and very expensive, don't even bother… unless you're close to the mainland and can pick up phone reception.

  • Davo1111 on 19/09/2015 - 15:59

    Is there a better way to stay connected with data and mobile whilst on the ship and out at sea?

    No, unless you're within a few kms of a mobile tower, you'll get zero bars constantly. And if you go within range of a country's mobile signal, you'll get hit with roaming charges.

  • idjces on 19/09/2015 - 22:09
    +1

    As far as i understand the cruise ship's wifi is provided via satellite, the only way you'll get a mobile connection is through some form of satellite based plan

  • Live Dimension on 20/09/2015 - 08:34

    Just forget it.

    Speaking from experience the ship wifi bandwidth is extremely limited and there are so many people trying to use it. It gets so slow that most sites time out, and the ones that don't is slower then the ol' 56k.

    Mobile coverage would be spotty at best. But any sort of mobile usage out on sea really skyrockets on cost, especially if the ship is using a mobile relay. People have been (mistakinly) charged hundreds of dollars when using mobile internet near a ship that's docked at land because of roaming charges and the mobile switched to the ship's mobile relay.

  • jimtulloch on 20/09/2015 - 10:51
    -1

    For goodness sake, unless you are required for an emergency call ( and that can be made to the ship for about $A1.70) leave your mobile at home !!!!!!
    Phone calls to P&O (Carnival) ships from Australia cost about $A1.70 for 5 mins…calling from the ship will cost around $A7 min RCCL ships very expensive both ways

  • justhooked on 20/09/2015 - 10:55

    The best way if you have to use the Internet on the ship is to write all email off line then login to send and down load emails
    Then log off to read new emails rather than staying all the time
    Also the best time to check is when others are a sleep or eating you will get better speeds

  • bradsmrbetty on 20/09/2015 - 12:37

    You could try https://covermoreglobalsim.com/

    I haven't used them personally, but it might be cheaper depending on the destination.

    • tmike on 20/09/2015 - 13:15

      Thanks - Unfortunately Covermore global does not work in international waters or cover Noumea

  • Ocean on 20/09/2015 - 17:15

    Satellite data is hideously expensive but if you just want to talk to someone renting a satphone is a viable option as rates have got much better last few years. I rented an iridium from epirbhire.com recently for around 120pw - free to receive calls (caller pays as if calling australian mobile) and 99c to send a text - ie you text them to call you. You do need a clear view of the sky.

    Very handy on a yacht but on a cruise ship i would turn the phone off and enjoy the pool.

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