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Onboard access is facilitated through Internet Cafe and shipwide WiFi coverage. Passengers can use (without any restrictions) their personal laptops, iPhones, smartphones and other WiFi-equipped devices on the Fun Ships. From e-mail to video calls, our Premium plan promises the fastest possible connection, at speeds up to 3 times faster than our Value Plan. Supports Skype, Zoom and Teams video calling, where coverage allows. On a sailing on one of the Carnival ships outfitted for faster internet, Carnival Sunrise, I did notice a significant improvement in cruise Wi-Fi speed.
Carnival Cruise WiFi – The Ultimate Guide To Carnival Internet Plans! All Your Questions Answered
This includes apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and FaceTime, allowing you to keep in touch. Understand that this is only for service while onshore in a port. When you are on the ship and in the middle of the ocean, you will need to use the ship’s wi-fi or cellular service. It may be worth it to use just one service or another instead of paying for both during your cruise. In addition, many companies — such as T-Mobile — include calling in Mexico and Canada (home to several popular cruise ports) automatically in their plans.
If I buy a Social or Value Package can I upgrade later?
That said, wi-fi access is not free, nor is it as quick as you are used to back on land. It is still a challenge to get access while hundreds of miles in the middle of the water. We recently put Carnival’s Internet access through the paces to give you all the details on what we experienced with the service. If you're sure Carnival is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who understands all the little quirks that are unique to Carnival's cabin categories and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see the cabins firsthand. Carnival has a point-based frequent cruiser program, the VIFP Club, that has five tiers, ranging from Blue (requiring no points) to Diamond (200 points).
How do I avoid mobile phone charges at sea?
Of course, if you buy a lower-tier plan that doesn’t allow full access to the internet (such as Carnival’s Social plan) then you won’t be able to access the full internet. Even if you do have full online access, you can still expect some content filtering. It wasn’t that long ago that having internet access at sea was a nice perk, but hardly a necessity. Today, most people must have wi-fi — even if they are on a cruise in the middle of the ocean.
But the promised access to Netflix streaming wasn't quite as smooth as I had hoped. Clicking on a favorite show, I only could watch for a few minutes before the connection inevitably froze. Carnival cruise Wi-Fi is also fast enough to support Netflix streaming on some ships, the company says. The cruise line uses a hybrid system that combines faster satellite connections at sea with a network of less-expensive land-based towers that take over as its vessels near coastal areas. And there are certain parts of the world where satellite coverage is too thin or nonexistent to allow for internet access on cruise ships. Yes, all cruise ships today offer an internet connection, but it might not be the seamless experience you've come to expect on land.
Carnival Is Raising Prices for Wi-Fi and Some Specialty Restaurants - TravelPulse
Carnival Is Raising Prices for Wi-Fi and Some Specialty Restaurants.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Like Celebrity, Princess also has special fares with things like drink packages, gratuities, and wi-fi already included. In other words, you may have to pay nothing extra for service if you book one of these deals. In general, expect to pay about $20-30 per day, per device for wi-fi access. But before you head out into the middle of the ocean, there’s likely a few things you’ll want to know about getting online on a cruise. We’ve answered some of the biggest questions so that you know what to expect once you board your ship.
Carnival cruise WiFi rates, Unlimited Internet
The fast internet service was first announced in January of 2023, and since then, the cruise line has upgraded eleven ships in total. Cruise lines offer discounts to passengers who buy the service before they sail. This discount can be significant — often 10-20% off the price of booking onboard. However, if you are trying to look at pages with adult themes, then you’ll likely find you’re unable to connect. For example, Carnival says that “access to certain sites such as mature or violent content is blocked” over their network.
Carnival adds an automatic service gratuity of $16 to $18 per person, per day to final bills, depending on the cabin category (children under the age of 2 are exempt). If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can adjust this amount at the Guest Services desk before disembarking. Also, an 18% gratuity is added to bar bills and the cover charge of the Chef's Table. On the vast majority of Carnival ships, there's not just a single waterslide but a whole water park area. Dubbed WaterWorks, these areas vary in size and features from vessel to vessel.
WiFi package cost USD 12 per day, with a discount price of US$10,25 (if pre-purchased prior departure). Premium WiFi package cost USD 17.70 per day ($14,88 if pre-purchased). In December 2023, CCL increased the Social Plan's onboard price from US$15 to $18 per person per day.
We’ve personally have had issues as well in tests we’ve done on cruises. Expecting to have blazing fast internet on the ship like you would back at home? Well, it’s time to lower your expectations a little bit before you get online.
The crème de la crème of Carnival’s internet plans, the Premium Plan costs $18.70 per day if purchased before your cruise and $22 per day onboard. This offers all the perks of the lower-tier plans but with faster speeds and the addition of Netflix streaming. However, this plan restricts access to most websites and doesn’t support video/music streaming or Wi-Fi calling. Premium (~$21 per day) — Offers the fastest speeds on the ship and full web access. While Carnival’s website says this plan doesn’t support video streaming (outside Netflix) or FaceTime calls, we’ve personally done both with this plan. If you are a heavy phone user on your cruise or want to make video calls, then you’ll likely want the Premium package.
To use your cell phone on your cruise, you have two options — either connect to the ship’s cellular service or connect to the ship’s wi-fi. Carnival Corporation launched a new WiFi@Sea system on all cruise ships sailing in the Caribbean. The global fleet roll-out continued with Alaska (2015 summer) and in 2016 extended to Europe (Baltic, Mediterranean, Western Europe) and Asia. Starting April 19, 2017, the company offers pre-purchasing internet plans (first introduced on Carnival Fascination and Carnival Vista, fleetwide rollout by mid-summer 2017). The option is available via "Manage My Booking’ (tab at Carnival.com) where customers can select a package for the itinerary duration.
So I always pre-purchase it ahead of boarding and treat it as a business expense. Cruise ship Wi-Fi is way more expensive than what we are used to paying at home. For many folks, the price can become a good reason to unplug from the Internet.
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