Carnival cruise WiFi rates, Unlimited Internet

The Carnival Wireless Internet Service is a Wireless 802.11b card compatible (standard). While on board, guests may use their personal Internet devices, such as laptop, iPhone and all the rest WiFi equipped devices without restrictions. VPN access is restricted to connections of the type different then IPsec or PPTP connections.

Unlimited Internet package

As of July 2015, Carnival already boasts “massively popular, faster, cheaper and all-round brilliant Internet packages” that cost just $5 per day - the so-called “Social” Internet plan lets users connect only to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat and other popular sites; discounted plans are available for the entire sailing). At $16 per day, guests can benefit from the “Value” plan, which offers casual Internet usage with access to e-mail and entire Internet, excluding music streaming, Skype or other bandwidth-intensive services. The “Premium” plan is at $25 per day - designed especially for heavy Internet users of the entire Internet. Note: 13 of Carnival's ships already offer the Internet packages listed above. The roll-out to entire fleet will be completed by the first quarter of 2016. The ships without the new packages are operating under the by-the-minute plans. Passengers can upgrade from one Internet plan to another. They can use only one device at a time, and may print at no charge. The line's unlimited Internet access plans (connected 24/7) are currently available on Dream, Glory and Magic ships, but they are not very popular due to the usual issues with low Internet speeds. These plans can be used on all personal devices or in the Internet Cafe, anytime throughout the sailing until debarkation. Once purchased there are no refunds.

From May 2016, Carnival is introducing faster and cheaper internet and social media packages on its ships based in Australia - Carnival Legend and Carnival Spirit. The improved internet access offers “significantly increased” bandwidth and speed, with “value package” (AU$ 30 per day) for unlimited access to the web and faster “premium package” (AU$ 50 per day), which allows vacationers to make Skype video calls to family and friends. The new social media package offers unlimited access to sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, from AU$ 15 per day. Additional discounted plans are available for the entire sailing. The new packages follow the 2015 launch of Carnival’s Selfies at Sea app. Available for download free of charge at Android and Apple stores, the app collates a series of photos taken onboard into a mini-movie which to be shared on social media channels.

Carnival's WiFi Internet technology

The line's owner Carnival Corporation started rolling out the WiFi@Sea Internet across technology not exclusively to Carnival Cruise Lines ships, but to all its brand lines fleets. The new technology features a hybrid connectivity (satellite and land-based data) system. It combines bandwidth with several available for pre-purchasing Internet plans, different levels of pricing and also new Internet packages.

The process of implementing the new system started in 2014. Carnival Corp's largest brand - the Carnival cruise line - was the first that moved from the traditional pay-as-you-go Internet (USD 0,75 per minute, or discounted Internet packages) to pay-per-day packages. The cheapest is the "social" package priced US$5 per-day allowing access to popular websites and apps. Next is the "value" package US$16 per-day (with restrictions for some intensive websites). The third "premium" package cost US$25 per-day (with full web access and guaranteed fast speeds).

The new Carnival "cruise WiFi" system is first-of-its-kind in the passenger shipping industry It's an enhanced (high-speed) hybrid wireless network service to be rolled out to all ships in the fleets of all 9 Carnival brand lines. The new system is expected to encourage the interest in ship cruising among the new tech-savvy generation. The new plans already show better penetration and higher usage rates. The new system allows greater number of mobile devices, while the new Internet pricing is easier to understand.

This unique system integrates land-based, strategically located antennas (installed along the cruise itinerary routes), advanced satellites (over 31 satellite systems) and cruise port Wi-Fi connections, forming the Carnival's "smart hybrid" network. The system gives cruise passengers the highest possible strength of signal and bandwidth capacity. The new network provides Internet connectivity speeds 10 times faster than previously offered by Carnival.

All system upgrades, hardware changes and new Internet equipment installations are done during the Carnival cruise ships' dry-dock stays.

Carnival cruise Internet Cafe

The Internet Cafe is open 24-hours, as a venue it features private PC terminals (Windows XP) for web browsing, chat and e-mail services. For guests convenience, there is an Internet Cafe Manager for assistance. Here passengers can browse through the following "Carnival free of charge websites": Carnival. com and GoCCL. com. Funville (forum), JohnHealdsBlog. com. CellularAtSea. com and Barclay Carnival MasterCard.

All these websites can be accessed without purchasing an Internet plan. At the terminals, you can't edit or save MS Office documents, but most files can be viewed (in their "read only" mode).

Carnival Cruise WiFi Internet

Read our review about Carnival cruise Internet Access prices and the new Carnival cruise WiFi rates. Another topic is Carnival unlimited Internet package cost and the WiFi cost. All Carnival Cruise Lines ships do have Internet via satellite connection. The onboard Internet access is facilitated through the Internet Cafe and WiFi ship-wide coverage. And yes - guests may use without restrictions their personal laptops, iPhones, smart phones and the rest of the WiFi equipped devices while on board the Fun Ships.