How to find the best prices and discounts when booking a cruise
Use these tips to find the cruise that fits your budget.
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- Wi-Fi is now a standard feature on cruise ships and the quality has improved considerably in recent years.
- Cell phone service on cruises allows guests to continue using their cell phones just as they would on land – with some key differences.
- Travelers may have used foreign SIM cards – cards that allow mobile networks to determine the owner’s information – or eSIMs, as fewer phones have physical SIM slots, to avoid roaming charges.
Last winter, I spent more than a week on an Antarctic cruise, walking alongside penguins, watching whales, and sailing past icebergs. But one of the most breathtaking moments was uploading Instagram stories from the Aurora Expeditions ship thanks to shockingly fast Wi-Fi.
Modern technology allows passengers to stay connected in places they might never have expected. And while some travelers take a cruise to escape their everyday lives, for others staying in touch with those on land is vital.
But Wi-Fi isn’t the only way to do this. Here’s what you need to know.
Is there WiFi on cruise ships?
Wi-Fi is now a standard feature on cruise ships and the quality has improved greatly in recent years. In the past, it was common for the internet to be slow, disconnect users or fail completely, according to Theresa Scalzitti, chief operations officer at Cruise Planners.
“A lot of it was, ‘Let me walk around the ship and see where I have good reception,'” Scalzitti said. That started to change when many cruise lines equipped their ships with SpaceX’s Starlink.
Carnival Corp., which owns Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and others, announced in May that it had completed installation across its fleet. Other companies, such as Royal Caribbean Group, have announced similar plans.
Wi-Fi is usually offered in packages with multiple tiers.
At Carnival, for example, there are three options:
- The Social Wi-Fi plan costs $15.30 per person per day for access to social media such as Instagram and Facebook, as well as major airline websites.
- The Value Wi-Fi plan offers sites included in the Social plan at higher speeds, plus email and additional browsing for $19.55.
- The Premium Wi-Fi plan is up to three times faster than the other plans and allows users to video chat, stream movies, and more for $21.25.
Norwegian Cruise Line, meanwhile, offers two options. The Unlimited Wi-Fi package offers web browsing, email and messaging for one device for $29.99 per day, while the Unlimited Premium Wi-Fi package includes video and audio streaming for $39.99. Guests can also add additional devices for an additional charge.
Scalzitti said whether or not to buy Wi-Fi is a “very personal decision” that depends on the traveler’s priorities. For those who plan to work from home, for example, it may be a must. Others may choose to turn it off during the trip and reconnect at port to save money.
Do I have cell phone reception on cruise ships?
Yes, believe it or not. Like Wi-Fi, cellular service on cruises allows guests to continue using their cell phones just as they would on land—with a few key differences.
WMS, a major provider, is building cellular networks on cruise ships. Its Cellular at Sea service runs over a satellite connection, allowing users to make phone calls, surf the Internet and send and receive messages, including SMS.
That makes it a better choice for passengers who want to exchange text messages between Android and iPhone devices, since they will appear green instead of blue. “That wouldn’t work over Wi-Fi,” said Pramod Arora, president and CEO of WMS.
Travelers may also be able to use their phone’s Wi-Fi calling feature to make calls, but Arora said these are less secure and typically of lower quality than calls made via cell phone.
The company has roaming agreements with 400 mobile operators worldwide, accessible from 200 cruise ships from 25 cruise lines. In these cases, travelers’ devices will automatically connect to the network when the ship is far enough from the mainland – provided roaming is enabled and airplane mode is turned off.
The details of the plans and prices vary. For example, Verizon offers a Cruise Daily Pass for $30 that includes 50 minutes of calls, unlimited texts and 0.5 gigabytes of data (with an additional charge of $1.99 per minute) for a 24-hour period. However, the pass is only valid for users on board the ship, so they will be charged the applicable rates in the countries where they disembark.
Passengers can sign up for the service through their mobile operator before or during their cruise, but it’s worth checking the options in advance.
Guests who plan to use their devices frequently, especially for “data-intensive” activities like watching YouTube videos or Netflix, may be better off with Wi-Fi, according to Arora.
Can I work remotely from a cruise?: That’s how it was
Can I use a foreign SIM or eSIM on a cruise?
Travelers may have used foreign SIMs – the cards that allow mobile networks to identify owner information – or eSIMs, as fewer phones have physical SIM slots, to avoid roaming charges. WMS offers a data-only eSIM option for users whose mobile operators don’t have a roaming agreement that they can also use on land.
However, the cost difference may not be as great as it once was, as carriers have moved to a cheaper day pass model for international coverage. “If you can pay $10, $15, $20 a day and get that from your home carrier, the eSIM providers have to match that if they want to be competitive, right?” Arora said.
Nathan Diller is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. Reach him at [email protected].
