Staying Connected: A Guide to Your Cruise Ship’s Internet

Along with the usual holiday essentials like sun cream and shades, more and more passengers are bringing their laptops, tablets and smartphones onboard – because who doesn’t love making everyone back home jealous with a few sunny snaps on their Facebook feed?

Thanks to the ever-improving technology on cruise ships, and the fact that nobody wants to go without it nowadays, Wi-Fi is now a common onboard feature, giving guests the chance to stay connected with friends and family over the course of their cruise.

You’ll be glad to hear that onboard Wi-Fi is getting faster and cheaper too, so surfing the web while you sail the seas is a far less frustrating experience that it used to be. But what kinds of internet packages do the big cruise lines offer – and at what cost? We’ll answer both, and take a look at where water-based Wi-Fi is heading too, below…

Do cruise ships have Wi-Fi?

They do indeed! All cruise ships offer their own supported internet connectivity. However, you can still connect to the internet using your phone’s 3G or 4G so long as you’re not too far from shore if you don’t fancy paying for your ship’s internet. Remember to turn off your data roaming if you don’t want hefty charges on your phone bill, too! When you’re way out at sea, you’re less likely to have access to this though.

That said, connecting to the internet at sea might not be the same as your internet at home. You might need a fair bit of patience when it’s time to sign in. There’s still hope though. With advancing technology and state-of-the-art equipment coming out at a rate of knots, it’s becoming much easier and quicker to get online.

If you’re taking a trip to the Caribbean, for instance, then you’ll certainly be in luck. Why is this? With more satellites in low orbit above the area, ships can stay within these satellites’ footprint for a journey’s duration – keeping you connected throughout your cruise.

Many cruise lines are also turning to hybrid solutions which combine satellites with terrestrial broadband connectivity. So even if you happen to be in a location where internet access isn’t great, you’ll still be able to send that email, upload that picture or do a spot of retail therapy.

The Resilient Lady — Resilient Lady - **Virgin Voyages**

The next step: Starlink on cruise ships

Developed by tech boffin Elon Musk, Starlink is a satellite-based internet company that’s capable of delivering internet speeds of 150Mbps to pretty much anywhere on the planet. In other words: it’s pretty fast.

And five cruise liners have plans to offer it to guests, including Carnival, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean – whose Starlink trial on Freedom of the Seas was a rousing success. As well as quicker connectivity and faster speeds, the use of Starlink will also allow guests to use more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming and video calls!

Cruise line internet packages: what’s available?

Azamara Club Cruises

The line offers three packages at the following prices:

60 Minutes: $19.95

One-Day Pass: $29.95

Full Cruise: $19.95 per day

Carnival Cruises

Carnival offers three packages, which cost:

Social Wi-Fi Plan: starting at $12.75 per person, per day

Value Wi-Fi Plan: starting at $17.00 per person, per day

Premium Wi-Fi Plan: $18.70 per person, per day

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity’s two Wi-Fi packages include:

Basic Wi-Fi: $20 per person per day (free when you book through the line’s Always Included fare)

Premium Wi-Fi: $35 per person per day (discounted when you book through the line’s Always Included fare)

Please note that Wi-Fi packages are not included on ships sailing from the Galapagos.

Costa Cruises

Costa offers three internet packages based on the amount of data you’ll be using – as well as how you’re using it. These include:

Refill Internet Package

Here, you’ll receive unlimited internet access – until the pre-paid threshold is reached, as follows:

€35 for the 250MB

€45 for the 500MB plan

€110 for the 3GB plan

Next, there’s the social package which costs just €5 a day and lets guests access to many of the biggest social media sites.

There’s also a pay as you go option, starting at €0.25/minute, with an account creation fee of €3.

Cunard Cruise Line

All Cunard ships feature the following two internet packages:

Essential plan: $18 per day when purchased for the whole voyage

Premium plan: $24 per day when purchased for the whole voyage

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

The line’s Social Media Package will cost guests the following:

1 day - £10.00

5 days - £40.00

7 days - £55.00

14 days - £100.00

The line’s General Browsing package, which adds WhatsApp and Email access into the mix, will cost guests the following:

1 day - £12.00

5 days - £50.00

7 days - £63.00

14 days - £120.00

Holland America Line

Guests can make use of the line’s two internet packages, priced as follows:

Surf: $15 per day (or included in the Have It All fare)

Premium: $20 per day

MSC Cruises

MSC feature three packages as part of their ships, which cost as follows:

The Social Package: €3.90 per day or €14.90 for a full seven-day cruise

The Surfer Package: €9.90 per day or €29.90 for a full seven-day cruise

The Streamer Package: €19.90 per day or €59.90 for a full seven-day cruise

Norwegian Cruise Line

With two internet packages, guests can choose from the following:

Unlimited Wi-Fi Package: $29.99 per day (does not support streaming functions)

Unlimited Premium Wi-Fi Package: $39.99 per day

Oceania Cruises

All guests onboard an Oceania cruise have access to the line’s FREE ship-wide internet Wavenet, though they’re welcome to upgrade to Wavenet Prime at a cost of $9.99 per person, per day for the duration of the cruise, should they wish to stream movies or music.

P&O Cruises

Guests can connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi through one of the following two internet packages:

My Wi-Fi Essential: £12 per day with a cruise plan, or £18 per day

My Wi-Fi Ultimate: £18 per day with a cruise plan or £24 per day

Princess Cruises

Included in their fares when booking Princess Plus or Princess Premier, guests can access MedallionNet across all ships. The line calls in the best Wi-Fi at sea! Guests can also make use of unlimited day packages for as little as $9.99 a day.

Royal Caribbean International

Six times faster than other ships’ Wi-Fi offerings, guests can connect to VOOM, what the line calls the fastest internet at sea. Packages start at the following:

VOOM Surf Voyage Package: $15.99 per day for one device

VOOM Surf and Stream Package: $22.99 per day for one device

Surf the web on your next cruise adventure

With technology advancing and equipment constantly being revolutionised, it’s a wonderful opportunity for guests to be able to share their cruising experiences with family and friends at home.

Looking for your next adventure? Head to our homepage to find the best cruise deals going.