Would like some feedback from those of you who "worked" while cruising

[Aurora's Mommy]

Hello All,

My sister's boyfriend would really, really, REALLY like to cruise with us next month. His problem is that he would likely have to work while on board (he has the flexibility to not work at the office, have laptop, will travel). We will be on the Fantasy, so the questions I'm throwing out there is who has done this? How really is the internet access (particularly has anyone video chatted)? Where is the best place to get some work done?

Thanks!

 

[KathyTX]

Internet access on board is very slow, and very expensive. I would not count on video chat unless in port at an Internet cafe/land based hotspot. Access on the ship is satellite based.

 

[SailingSeas]

I've had the opposite experience while working on the ship; I find it far faster since the satellite upgrades, if you work in non-peak hours. For a one week trip, i usually buy an $89 package; I may need a second $39 package depending on if it's mainly email or if there are a ton of file transfers going on. as soon as I hit the ship, I try and ask a couple of different CM's when their friends use the wifi to call home, and avoid those times. He'll learn pretty quick not to log in at 4am for example, and wait until 6, or forget doing anything during the 5-10PM timeframe.

I find the best spots for me are in Cove Cafe (outlets) and O'Gills (outlets under the long bank of curved booths) and in my stateroom if i have a strong signal. Sometimes Deck 4 is good, on the shaded side. The nice thing about O'Gills is that someone brings appetizers in the late afternoon, so if you are really in a crunch, you can take time to munch. the one drawback to O'Gills is... well... it's a bar. Make friends, they are going to find you there, and interrupt you.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Internet access on board is very slow, and very expensive. I would not count on video chat unless in port at an Internet cafe/land based hotspot. Access on the ship is satellite based.

Exactly. And a Western Caribbean itinerary would be better because of the extra port where he could find a reliable internet connection. With that said, unless he only needs to work a few hours, I would not do it.

 

[DL1957]

I agree with Sailing Seas. Under the old program you purchased minutes and when the system was slow you were using up minutes. The package is now data which is much more economical. We were on the Fantasy in May for 7 nights and the Magic in June/July for 11. I have no issues with connectivity. Use the $89 package for the 7 night and the $89 plus $39 for the 11 night,
Prior to the change in the plans it was slower. I don't know about video confernce and how much data that uses. I accessed a lot from our room with no challenges. If you have veranda room which we did this is likely to be even better.

 

[jburge12000]

One the Wonder and Dream last year and no issues with email or accessing my companies sites. My son, wife and I all got the free package they give you on the first day. My son used it all in the first half hour before we even pulled out of port facetiming his friends. He did get cut off or froze quite a few times. My wife and I each bought extra data packages on day 3 or 4, used the free package until then but we were really only replying to emails. We were usually on before dinner while we were getting ready or in the morning before we headed out for the day and did not really have any issues with speed or connectivity. Leaving in a few weeks on the Magic and I am bringing my ipad and my wife her laptop. I'm not to worried about it given how the Wonder access was.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

It depends on what types of programs he will need to access through the internet. I have had to work on both of my DCL cruises (the last one on the Fantasy) and found that email and document attachments were 'reasonably' quick to access, but in order to log on to Citrix in order to access my computer and server at the office, the only time I could log on without timing out was late at night, and even then, it was SLOW. While he may be able to video chat for work, he should prepare himself that his only method of reliable communication may be via email.

 

[RebelHawk]

I used the onboard internet for multiple DCL and Carnival cruises. While slow it was sufficient for emails but large file attachment killed me. I sublimated onboard internet with cellular tethering to my laptop when in port and had much better success. Of course my cellular bill was much higher than what I most likely would have spent if I stuck with onboard internet.

 

[kid-at-heart]

I found using the internet early in the morning was best in regards to speed. Early in the day the internet was quick enough for what I needed. Later in the day switching between screens, waiting for mail (or in my case, student papers to upload) was much slower. I am an early bird so I would get up around 5 or 6 in the morning and spend a couple of hours working. Then I would spend the rest of the day enjoying my "vacation".