How does Internet access work on a cruise ship?

Internet on cruise ships is provided primarily by satellites, though some cruise ships have technology onboard that allows them to switch to land-based signal towers when sailing within a certain distance from land.



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At sea, mainstream cruise lines usually do not include Wi-Fi in their cruise fares, but premium and luxury lines almost always do. Cruise lines that include free Wi-Fi for all passengers are luxury lines like Seabourn, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, along with upscale cruise lines Oceania Cruises and Viking.

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Can I Use Wi-Fi on My Cell Phone? Yes, you can use the Wi-Fi feature on your cell phone to connect to your cruise ship's Wi-Fi, but you will have to purchase an internet package.

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But, please be aware that cellular data used on the ship or in certain ports of call will result in charges from your cell phone provider. As you sail into international waters, these expenses can add up, so we recommend that guests turn off their cellular data and connect to the ship's Wi-Fi instead.

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Can you use WhatsApp on a cruise? Yes, but bear in mind video calling services such as Skype or messaging services like WhatsApp will use your onboard data if you're connected to the cruise ship's Wi-Fi.

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Keep a watchful eye on your airplane mode setting, ensuring it's always on when you're on board your cruise ship. If you forget, you won't be charged for incoming calls you don't accept, but some service providers will charge for unread text messages that arrive while your phone is roaming.

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When the ship is sailing on international waters, you will be able to use the WMS network for incoming and outgoing calls, SMS, and Data services (email and web surfing). Once in port, you can connect to local roaming networks as permitted by your home carrier.

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To avoid unwanted charges, your safest bet onboard your cruise ship is to switch to airplane mode, reactivate your wireless feature and log in to the ship's Wi-Fi network. (Note: Switching to airplane mode will turn off wireless until you manually reactivate it.)

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If you're not able to wait for ports of call (or don't have international data on your phone), it might be worthwhile to pay for a Wi-Fi package. Although prices have decreased over the years, it can still be pretty costly to purchase Wi-Fi for your cruise.

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Royal Caribbean's VOOM internet is the gold standard when it comes to cruise ship Wi-Fi, with the fastest speeds out there. Some Cruise Critic forum members report speeds of up to 24Mbps, which, believe us, is fast! With Voom, there's not much you can't do. Need to upload pictures to Facebook or Instagram?

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When you connect to an access point (Hotspot or Wi-Fi) you don't know if it's a legitimate hospitality wireless network, or one that is set up to steal your information. Even legitimate Wi-Fi networks (as mentioned in the 2021 EOS Report for NCLH) may be collecting information about you.

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If you use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or WeChat, you may be able to use them whenever you have a Wi-Fi connection. Other suggestions are dependent on the cruise line you are traveling. Guests can use the following apps for texting: Shipmate (available in Apple and Google Play Stores)

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Cruise ships are constantly moving, which means that they must rely on satellite technology to provide Wi-Fi service. This type of technology is more costly than traditional land-based networks and requires specialized equipment and expertise to install and maintain it.

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Thankfully, there are a few ways in which you can prevent maritime network roaming charges during a cruise.
  1. Turn off your phone. The easiest, but by no means the nicest, is to turn off your phone. ...
  2. Use airplane mode. ...
  3. Use the ship's wifi.


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To avoid unwanted charges, your safest bet onboard your cruise ship is to switch to airplane mode, reactivate your wireless feature and log in to the ship's Wi-Fi network. (Note: Switching to airplane mode will turn off wireless until you manually reactivate it.)

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Upper decks should be avoided if you have motion sickness as you will feel the ship's rocking more. If you do suffer from this, the lower and central decks would be best suited to you.

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Food and drinking are usually complimentary on the cruises. You are also allowed to bring your own snack on the cruise so that you can have what you love. A certain time is fixed for every meal - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can either have it with everybody in the dining room or bring it to your room.

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Is WhatsApp free on a cruise ship? By default, WhatsApp is not free on a cruise ship. You need to be online, and most cruise lines charge for internet access, unless you have a special fare that includes WiFi access.

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