Cruise Connectivity

Edited by Madelyn Miller, the Travellady

Using the cabin telephone on a cruise vacation is now as passé as the midnight buffet. For that matter, $10 a minute satellite phone calls are also nearly extinct, thanks to the cruise industry's efforts to embrace the very latest satellite and wireless communications technologies.

Personal cell phones, BlackBerries and other digital communications devices keep people connected with home and the office on many of today's cruise ships. The cruise lines have made this possible by teaming with Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), which has roaming agreements with more than 300 carriers in 180 countries, to provide this service. These include U.S. carriers AT&T (Cingular), Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and Alltel. SeaMobile, a WMS competitor, also provides this service to the cruise industry.

International roaming charges apply when calling or text-messaging from sea, ranging from $2-$5 per minute. But, this still beats what one pays if the stateroom telephone is used – up to $25 per minute on some cruise lines. Once a ship comes within 12 miles of shore, local land-based cellular operators with their own roaming charges and airtime rates take over.

"We're more attached to our cell phones than ever before and many cruise lines have listened to their customers loud and clear by installing the latest communications technology on their ships," said Bob Levinstein, CEO of CruiseCompete.com, the world's only competitive cruise shopping Web site. "In the past, only the largest cruise lines could outfit their ships with such tools on their ships but, thanks to falling equipment prices, even the smaller cruise lines are installing such technologies now."

For those guests who want to stay connected with the outside world via the Web, Internet cafes are now considered standard on ships and a great place for grabbing a coffee, checking e-mail and mixing with other passengers. Today, most ships also offer Wi-Fi access for guests bringing their own laptop computers or renting them from the cruise line.

"Some people just can't leave work at home," Levinstein said. "But checking your email on your laptop while lounging near the pool on a cruise ship makes it a lot easier."

Onboard wireless Internet locations typically include lounges, bars, clubs, cafes, atriums and select open decks, including poolside locations. Some ships offer Wi-Fi access in the staterooms. Guests can pay up to 75 cents per minute for wireless access, or they can pre-purchase minutes in bulk at lower rates, typically $40-$55 for 100 minutes; $75-$100 for 250.

PERSONAL CELL PHONE CONNECTIVITY NOW VIRTUALLY STANDARD ACROSS CRUISE INDUSTRY

Wi-Fi hotspots also found on most ships; some with bow-to-stern Internet connectivity.
Here is a summary of j the Internet services offered by a number of the most popular cruise lines:

Azamara Cruises – All ships feature Wi-Fi service bow-to-stern, including staterooms, for those travelers with personal laptops. Each ship also features an Internet café.

Carnival Cruise Lines – Wireless access aboard its entire fleet in areas adjacent to its 24-hour Internet cafés. The Carnival Valor, Liberty and Freedom offer 100-percent bow-to-stern Wi-Fi service, including staterooms.

Celebrity Cruises – Internet access and shipboard e-mail services are available in each ship's cyber café. For guests with their own laptops, Celebrity's Millennium-class ships offer Internet access in staterooms. Certain ships have Wi-Fi hotspots, including all staterooms on the Celebrity Century.

Crystal Cruises – Wi -Fi and cell phone access is available on Crystal ships. Certain areas, however, are blocked to not disturb the ambience of various locations for guests. The Internet connection on Crystal cruises uses the same technology as the U.S. Navy.

Disney Cruise Line – In addition to Internet cafés on its ships, Disney offers Wi-Fi hotspots in most public areas for people with wireless laptops.

Holland America Line – Guests can access the Internet 24/7 in the Explorations Café, plus guests with their own laptops can use Wi-Fi zones throughout the public areas on a ship.

Norwegian Cruise Line - All of its ships have Internet centers and offer wireless access in most public areas and some staterooms. Guests are provided with their own cruise-line e-mail addresses with their trip documents.

Princess Cruises – Internet access is available on all of its ships via Internet cafés and wireless networks.

Royal Caribbean International – Guests with their own laptops can access the Internet from their staterooms, plus all of the fleet's ships have at least six Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas and workstations with 24-hours Internet access. The new Freedom of the Seas offers wireless connectivity everywhere.

Regent Seven Seas – The cruise line has improved Internet connectivity fleet wide, offering digital satellite feed and Wi-Fi hot spots in select public areas. On three ships, suite PCs can be connected to phone jacks for Internet service.

Seabourn Cruise Line – Most public areas and all suites on the luxury yachts have Wi-Fi access. Each ship also offers a computer center with desktop computers connected to the Internet and printers.

Silversea Cruises – The cruise line offers wireless Internet access in designated public rooms for guests with their own laptop computers, plus shipboard Internet centers feature state-of-the-art computer workstations.

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GREAT GUIDEBOOKS

HAPPY SAILS
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ESCAPES FROM SOMEDAY ISLES
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Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves to cruise. Now that she can stay connected, she hopes to do it more often.

Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com She hopes to start more websites soon.