Do cruise ships have Wi-Fi?

By Cruise Booking Team

Updated on: May 30, 2023

At present, almost every cruise line offers Wi-Fi services to its passengers with the help of satellite internet. The internet on cruise ships is slower compared to that of land, but in the past few years with advancement in technology internet speed on cruise ships have improved a lot. While at sea, you could simply check your social media sites and emails and even stream movies if you have a good internet connection. If you have plans of using the internet on a cruise, you can easily choose a package while buying tickets or purchase it when you board the ship.

Here are important things that you should be aware of if you are planning to use Wi-Fi during your cruise vacation.

1 - Internet speed will be slower than on land

Internet access at sea is offered by satellite. However, the speed is lower than that of connections on land. The majority of cruise ships have incorporated technological advancements. Therefore, the internet speed at sea has gradually improved. The maritime communication firms that provide internet have been installing additional satellites and connecting their systems to land-based towers that link with ships. But it fluctuates a lot as sometimes it will be faster while sometimes it will be slower. Cruisers can browse Google, access social media sites, and view movies on OTT platforms with decent internet speed on ships, but these things may take longer to load at times.

2 - The cost of the internet going down

Previously, the cost of internet service was higher, and guests had to spend several dollars merely to use it for a few minutes. Guests used to pay an average of $45.50 per hour to use the internet. To decrease these costs, cruise lines began to adopt hybrid systems, which combine more costly satellite connections with less expensive land-based connections. Now travelers are offered per-day internet packages, which cost anywhere around $10 to $25 for a single day. Internet plans have become more common, with either a fixed daily charge or a fixed price per cruise determined by the number of days. Luxury cruise lines have begun to include basic internet service in their cruise tickets.

Also Read: Do cell phones work on Cruises?

3 - VPN is not allowed on most of the cruise ships

Most people use a VPN to access their work privately, however, in many circumstances, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) will not work aboard cruise ships. The Carnival cruise company has said clearly that VPN services are not allowed in its Wi-Fi network. If passengers purchase the Unlimited Premium Wi-Fi plan from Norwegian Cruise Line(NCL), they are allowed to access the internet through VPN. You won't be able to use VPN if you purchase any other packages besides the premium one. Using a VPN affects Wi-Fi internet speed, which could be a problem in addition to the already slow cruise ship connection.

4 - Tips to save money on the internet

Book the internet package in advance because cruise lines give discounts to passengers who purchase the service before sailing. These discounts can be significant, ranging from 10% to 20% off.
Whenever you are traveling on a cruise ship, setting your phone to airplane mode can save you from any kind of unwanted data charges. If you do not use airplane mode there are chances you may receive significant data charges.
If you want to connect two devices at the same time, the cost of utilizing the internet will be doubled. So share your internet with others in order to save money.

Conclusion

The Internet is very important for people even when they are on a cruise ship, as they love to use social media and do some crucial work. Most cruise lines have internet connectivity aboard their ships, but there are several things you should be aware of before purchasing a Wi-Fi package. When purchasing any kind of Wi-Fi package while on a cruise, carefully read the terms and conditions.