đłď¸ Cruise Internet
There are many options to be connected at sea
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Internet is a must-have for many cruisers. Business passengers require it, whether theyâre a digital nomad, remote worker, or professional staying in touch with the office. Other passengers use it to watch movies, share their cruise pics and videos, post to social media, or talk with family and friends back home.
21 Tips
What do you need? Internet can be complicated on the ship. We have over 20 tips below. The cruise line sells packages that are convenient but expensive. Determine your hard requirements - who needs to access the Internet, when, how often, where, what media, how much data, etc. to guide your decisions.
Donât bring your own. Satellite Internet equipment is small enough these days to pack in your bags. But cruise lines donât allow it, nor wifi routers.
It ainât perfect ... Cruise Internet is typically very good these days, especially on Starlink-enabled ships. But there may be glitches or occasional slowdowns. Be prepared in case of problems.
⌠it ainât fast âŚ. Top speeds, even with the most expensive package, often are just 5 MB/s. You can watch streaming video. But this is just a fraction of what youâre used to at home.
⌠and it ainât cheap. Cruise wifi can be very expensive at $30-40/day for the fastest speed. Thatâs potentially a $500 add-on cost for 2 people for a week. We share a bunch of ways to bring this cost down.
Do you really need to watch the full Game of Thrones on the ship? ⌠If you donât need video, buy the less expensive basic package, which can handle email, social media, and messaging.
⌠You do? OK, you donât have to stream the video. Subscription video services have apps for laptops, tablets, and computers that allow you to download the video at home and then watch it later on the cruise ship. There are other options to load video from purchasing or renting movies and TV series to finding them on P2P file sharing services.
Ship messaging is free if thatâs all you need. Most cruise lines provide a shipboard app that enables you to send and receive messages from other passengers, as well as access the ship schedule, your billing, and other onboard services. There may be a small fee.
Be loyal. High-end cruise line membership programs may provide discounted Internet.
Buy early. Save on your ship Internet when you buy it before you depart. Snag a special deal in your cruise line promotional emails or check your online cruise account.
Avoid the Internet ripoff. Much like drinking (see drink package ripoff), you only need Internet part of the day on embarkation, debarkation, and port days. Why pay for a full day when you donât use it? Buy it when you need it. You can order ship wifi by the day, good for 24 hours.
Pass it on. Some cruise lines like Carnival Cruise Line allow the ship Internet account to be passed to another person in your party, provided the first person logs off. Some like MSC Cruises attach the account to a specific device so you canât do that.
It wasnât me. If youâre with a partner or group, you can access someone elseâs wifi via mobile hotspot.
What is an eSIM? Most recent phones support eSIMs (embedded SIMs) for alternate phone and data network access, which can be useful when sailing. The eSIM companies provide software with their mobile carrier info that you download and install. When you start your phone the eSIM connects to their network (not your normal phone companyâs network) and enables you to make voice calls and/or send and receive Internet data.
eSIM at sea. The Gigsky esim piggybacks on the cruise ship data network. Itâs less expensive than the ship Internet but comes with various limitations. Price starts at $55.99 for 3GB for 15 days. It doesnât work with all ships. Speed and bandwidth are limited. Some people report that it can be slow and interior locations like their cabin are not able to get access. One Gigsky advantage is that it works both on the ship and at the port.
Can you hear me now? Once youâre at port, your regular phone calling and data plans may apply and will be your best bet for Internet. Check your phone carrier for their coverage.
Turn off roaming. Major phone carriers provide Internet in the Caribbean and across the world through roaming, which can be expensive. Your phone will automatically connect. So unless youâre intentionally using roaming, turn it off to avoid surprise charges at ports.
eSIM at port. Most travel eSIMs are for land only. They provide inexpensive (much less than Gigsky) and low bandwidth Internet and messaging. They can be valuable if youâre spending multiple days at port and have been reported to provide access on the ship when sailing by the coast.
Free at last. You may be saying that after reaching dry land at port. You also can say that if you're willing to limit Internet access to cafes and other free wifi locations.
Did you get the message? Cruise ships may provide ship-to-shore messaging via their onboard app. Royal Caribbean charges a small fee. Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line do not support this.
Stealth messaging. On some lines (Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises), users on cruising forums note that the shipâs network sometimes allows basic iMessage texting without a wifi package. However, this is an incidental, unreliable perk.