Cruise ship Wi-Fi: 5 essential facts about staying connected at sea

Good news for those who think the only way to keep in touch with home while cruising is through a message in a bottle: Cruise ships now offer internet, with Wi-Fi speeds improving rapidly and costs decreasing.

While accessing emails and browsing the web may still require some patience on certain ships, many vessels are experiencing technological upgrades that, combined with advanced satellite and ship-to-shore systems, make cruise internet access much closer to what you experience on land.

If you're new to cruising, you might be wondering about the basics: Do cruise ships provide Wi-Fi, and what are the costs? Seasoned cruisers who have dealt with unreliable service may want to know the best ways to achieve fast connection speeds on their devices while avoiding extra fees.

Let me help you navigate the details of Wi-Fi on cruise ships. Here are five important points to consider about onboard internet before your journey begins.

Cruise ship Wi-Fi will never match the speed (or reliability) of your home connection

Indeed, all modern cruise ships provide internet access, but it may not offer the seamless experience you're used to on land.

Throughout my years of writing about cruising, I've found that internet connections at sea have typically been not just slow, but excruciatingly so. Clicking on a website could lead to several seconds of aggravation—sometimes the page would load, and sometimes it wouldn't, leaving you stuck while the cruise carried on.

What causes these sluggish speeds? Firstly, there isn't a Comcast cable running to your cruise ship. Most of the data you download to your devices on board is transmitted via satellite, which isn't a fast or cost-effective method.

Companies specializing in maritime communication have been working to improve internet speeds for ships in recent years. Their strategies have included deploying additional satellites and connecting their systems to land-based towers that assist ships as they approach the coast.

Ultimately, there are limitations to how effectively a satellite system can function. For instance, a ship must maintain a clear "line of sight" to a satellite to transmit data, which isn’t always possible. Cruise ships navigating the renowned Norwegian fjords, for example, may lose satellite signals because of the towering mountains surrounding them.

Additionally, there are regions in the world where satellite coverage is sparse or entirely absent, preventing internet access on cruise ships. While sailing in the Russian Arctic aboard a Hapag-Lloyd Cruises ship, I experienced a week without internet due to insufficient satellite coverage in the area (which, I must admit, was quite delightful).

Thus, although onboard cruise Wi-Fi speeds are improving, they will never reach the level of home internet, where a wired connection delivers the signal directly to your router.

Internet speeds on board are significantly increasing

On certain cruise ships, the signal has improved so much that you can now stream Netflix from the comfort of your cabin — a feat that would have seemed impossible just a few years back.

Recent advancements in satellite technology, alongside multimillion-dollar investments in onboard systems, are truly transforming the experience. A significant milestone occurred in 2014 when cruise leader Royal Caribbean teamed up with satellite provider O3b Networks to develop a new internet system that claimed to be six times faster than any previous option at sea. Named Voom, this system utilized new Medium Earth Orbit satellites operated by O3b, which could beam signals directly to moving ships.

When I conducted a speed test of Voom on Adventure of the Seas, I found that the fastest package, Surf + Stream, typically delivered download speeds of about 3 megabits per second. While I never exceeded 4 Mbps, I did observe speeds dropping to as low as 1.5 Mbps. Though these speeds are still considerably slower than many home connections, they are sufficient for streaming Netflix and other video services, albeit with occasional grainy video and buffering issues.

Royal Caribbean continues to assert that Voom is the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi option on cruise ships today. However, we remain somewhat skeptical — not due to the Wi-Fi being slower than claimed, but because other cruise lines, such as Carnival Cruise Line, are rapidly closing the gap.

According to the company, Carnival cruise Wi-Fi is also fast enough to handle Netflix streaming on select ships. The cruise line employs a hybrid system that merges faster satellite connections at sea with a network of cost-effective land-based towers that take over as vessels approach coastal regions.

During a voyage on one of Carnival's ships equipped for enhanced internet, Carnival Sunrise, I experienced a noticeable boost in cruise Wi-Fi speed. However, the anticipated Netflix streaming access wasn't as seamless as I had hoped. When I clicked on a favorite show, I could only watch for a few minutes before the connection froze.

In just the past year, some cruise lines have started collaborating with Elon Musk's Starlink system to provide high-speed internet.

The cost of cruise internet has decreased

Not too long ago, accessing the internet on a cruise ship could cost you a small fortune. For years, the basic rate for onboard Wi-Fi began at around 75 cents per minute, which meant $45 for just one hour online!

The outdated pay-by-the-minute model, which could lead to exorbitant bills for even casual internet users, is being replaced by simpler and more affordable "unlimited browsing" plans on many cruise lines.

So, how much does Wi-Fi cost on a cruise today? Currently, the highest-speed version of Royal Caribbean's Voom connection is priced at $26.99 per day for a single device. In the days of 75 cents per minute, that same amount would have bought you only 36 minutes online.

Royal Caribbean also provides a slower version of Voom, which doesn’t support streaming, for $19.99 per day for one device. Both internet packages offer discounts for adding more devices and for pre-purchasing a package before your cruise.

Another cruise line significantly reducing internet costs is Carnival. At the very low end, it now has a Social Wi-Fi plan that grants access to major social media sites (like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and messaging services such as WhatsApp, for just $15.30 per day ($18 if purchased onboard). A slightly pricier Value Wi-Fi plan is available for $19.55 per day when bought in advance ($23 when purchased on board) and includes access to email and most websites.

Carnival's premium Premium Wi-Fi plan is available for $21.25 per day when purchased in advance ($25 if bought onboard) and triples the speed of the Value plan while allowing VoIP calls on messaging apps and Skype (though not FaceTime). Keep in mind that you might still be able to make Wi-Fi calls from an iPhone or via WhatsApp with the cheaper plan. Passengers who purchase a Carnival Cruise Wi-Fi plan in advance receive a 15% discount.

One of the most significant changes in cruise internet costs recently is that several high-end lines have started to offer internet access for — believe it or not — free. Lines like Viking, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Silversea Cruises now include unlimited internet time as part of the voyage's base fare. At some of these lines, such as Regent, you can pay extra for a speedier connection.

Another way to score free or discounted internet time on cruise ships is by joining cruise line loyalty programs. Many of these programs offer complimentary cruise Wi-Fi or reduced package prices to customers who reach mid- to upper-tier membership levels.

For example, at Celebrity Cruises, members of the top Zenith tier in the Captain's Club loyalty program enjoy unlimited free Premium-level internet (the fastest plan offered by the line). At Princess Cruises, customers can receive a 50% discount on MedallionNet internet packages upon reaching the Platinum level in the Captain's Circle loyalty program (to qualify, you need to complete either five cruises or 50 cruise days).

On Royal Caribbean, you can access free internet during your cruise by booking one of their high-end suites. If you reserve a Sky Class or Star Class suite (all suites above the junior suite level), you'll receive complimentary Voom.

Apps provide a free alternative to cruise Wi-Fi

In recent years, many cruise lines have launched free apps that allow you to make reservations for onboard dining, spa services, and other amenities without leaving your comfy lounge chair by the pool. On certain Carnival ships, you can even use an app to order beer and pizza delivered to your location.

These apps often include a schedule of daily events, ship deck layouts, and sometimes port maps to assist you in navigating the ship. On Celebrity Edge and other Celebrity Cruises Edge-class vessels, you can even use the app to unlock your cabin door, change TV channels, and switch off the lights remotely.

Although these apps utilize cruise ship Wi-Fi, the great news is that you don’t need to purchase a plan to access them. Most features are free of any additional fees.

At Carnival, you can add a "chat" feature to the complimentary HUB app for just $5 per cruise, allowing you to send text-like messages to other passengers using the app. Similarly, Norwegian Cruise Line charges a fee of $9.95 per cruise for the messaging and calling capabilities of its Cruise Norwegian app.

Cruise internet tip: Activate airplane mode to prevent unexpected charges

Regardless of whether you’re purchasing a Wi-Fi package on a cruise, my top recommendation is to switch your phone to airplane mode as soon as you board and keep it that way for the entire journey.

This is the best way to steer clear of hefty data charges, which can be astronomical. (Consider the infamous incident where a family incurred $14,000 in data fees while cruising.)

As many travelers have learned the hard way, international phone plans like AT&T's $10-a-day International Day Pass do not apply on cruise ships at sea. If you allow your AT&T phone to roam on a ship, you’ll be charged $2.05 per megabyte of data — even if your home plan offers unlimited data. Additionally, calls will cost $3 per minute, texts $0.50 each, and sending a photo will set you back $1.30. Those costs can add up rapidly.

AT&T provides a "Cruise Plus" plan for a flat rate of $100, allowing unlimited talk and text for sailings of up to 30 days. However, it includes only 1 gigabyte of data, which can be quickly used up if you start streaming movies. Any additional data costs $10 per 100 megabytes, and the plan isn’t available on every ship—over 175 vessels are part of the program.

If you choose to keep your cellular service active during a cruise, at the very least, turn off any background apps (as they consume data and inflate your bill) and disable automatic email checking.

Personally, I prefer to simply activate airplane mode. Once in airplane mode, I turn on my phone's Wi-Fi to connect to the cruise Wi-Fi and subscribe to a shipboard plan that allows me to stay connected via email or a VoIP app like WhatsApp.