Ship's communications: Telephone, Fax, Email etc.

[cunardqueen]

And a couple of emails. QE2 had such a nice simple format. but when you study them... they do insist on that damned Princess stuff  tut tut

[Rod]

Does anyone know the cost to the users for this service?
Do todays pax pay?

[Pete Hamill]

 Yes, passengers pay for internet service on the ships today. However, one of the features of the World Club tiers is free internet packages included in the membership.

Diamond tier members receive 8 hours of internet usage worth (if I remember correctly) around $400.
Not a bad perk if you make use of it.
It's not the fastest service in the world, but useful for keeping up to date with email and keeping in touch with home.

[Thomas Hypher]

On Cunard, one still has to pay unless eligible for the World Club free internet packages. There are some cruise lines that include Wi-fi with cabins/suites at a certain grade and above or in general for all their cabins/suites at no extra cost - hopefully Cunard follows suit as their ship's internet capabilities have improved a lot over the last decade, and even since I was last onboard in 2014. The bandwidth available has increased as part of this improvement as people have hosted livestreams on Facebook onboard the ships in recent years using the onboard Wi-fi (not just mobile networks when close to shore and on deck - not deep in the ship) which was only a dream on QM2 a decade ago!

SpaceX's StarLink and any similar operations could also open up more possibilities over time in addition to the advances seen in shipboard internet in recent years. We do live in the age of the "Internet Of Things" after all, so having the infrastructure in place is vital for that. Within the Carnival empire, Princess Cruises seemed to be taking the lead in this regard, just before the pandemic, with their "Medallion" gadget and things related to it.

[Chris Thompson]

Isn't the whole idea of going on a cruise to get away from it all?? The last thing I want is to check in on any internet site.....even this one when I'm on vacation. A shady spot on deck and a good book will suit me just fine...

[Thomas Hypher]

Isn't the whole idea of going on a cruise to get away from it all?? The last thing I want is to check in on any internet site.....even this one when I'm on vacation. A shady spot on deck and a good book will suit me just fine...

That's what a cruise or a transatlantic is to me too - an opportunity to get away from it all technology wise as much as possible, but many people still need to be connected in some form for better or worse. Snail speed satellite internet is a bloody nuisance when you really need to rely on it as I found on QM2 for college work!