Posted July 7, I have two specific questions 1 On a cruise I would often prebook some things before boarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options Joe Posted July 7, I cannot answer your last question with certainty. Jamesatgsu Posted July 7, It is quite annoying that you can't use it to take advantage of pre-cruise discounts. S and D cruisers Posted October 13, Posted October 13, I have used OBC to book excursions before booking in the past. You cannot use OBC for medical.
Posted October 14, I will be more than glad to help you get rid of some of your OBC. Trueblueky Posted October 14, Posted October 15, MommytoAsquared Posted October 15, I might have to re-think my strategy. S and D cruisers Posted October 15, AtomicCruiser Posted January 14, Posted January 14, Create an account or sign in to comment You need to be a member in order to leave a comment Create an account Sign up for a new account in our community. Register a new account.
Sign in Already have an account? Sign In Now. Go to topic listing. Forum Jump. Forum Assistance. New Cruisers. River Cruising. Special Interest Cruising. Cruise Discussion Topics. UK Cruising. Canadian Cruisers. North American Homeports. Ports of Call. So who does buy art at cruise ship art auctions?
You see, if you do your research, you may find that many of the pieces can be purchased for a fraction of the onboard price elsewhere. Work out how much you expect to pay in gratuities based on the number of guests in your room, your stateroom type and the duration of your cruise.
Then subtract this amount from the amount of onboard credit you have. This will leave you with an amount of onboard credit to spend on treating yourself.
The best uses for any leftover onboard credit are speciality dining, access to the spa, shore excursions and photos. Whichever suite you choose, the price you pay will vary depending on which travel agent you book it with, even though what you get will be exactly the same! Click here to compare the best prices for Carnival cruises.
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What are your thoughts will we enjoy sailing with so much going with new variant. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What does onboard credit mean? How to get Carnival onboard credit There are many ways that you can get Carnival onboard credit. What can Carnival onboard credit be used for? What happens to unused onboard credit? Gratuitites Gratuities are distributed to the crew you interact with as well as those behind the scenes.
The Thermal Lounge. Grand Cayman shore excursion. The Cherry On Top is the place to buy gift cards. You can use onboard credit to play bingo. You can use onboard credit in art auctions. How to book your Carnival cruise for less… Whichever suite you choose, the price you pay will vary depending on which travel agent you book it with, even though what you get will be exactly the same!
Furthermore, when the ship has to change course quickly, it isn't uncommon for the signal to be temporarily lost. Consider this yet another reason to frequently back up what you're writing. Barring any obstructions, you can still get an Internet signal down in Antarctica and as far as 80 degrees north latitude in Svalbard. Congestion within the path also can be a problem. As more people are on their computers or cell phones requiring data, congestion can build up and passengers could notice slower speeds.
Interestingly, river boats many of which offer free Internet continue to offer a particularly frustrating online experience, if only because of heightened expectations. Being so close to civilization, you'd think there should be a quicker connection. However, hills or mountains in the river valleys often block satellite connections, so river ships are forced to use cellular for their primary Internet connection. When the ship is near a cell phone tower, newer 3G or 4G service can provide faster service than what can be delivered through satellite.
The disadvantage comes in areas with a lack of cell towers, where the cell signal is weaker and the connection speed slower. The satellites used for at-sea Internet connections cost hundreds of millions of dollars. A single cruise line can't afford to put a satellite up but they are teaming up with maritime communications companies that either own their own satellites or rent such large amounts of bandwidth that they can bring prices down.
Prices are being driven down even further as some cruise lines the Carnival family of brands, for instance begin to use hybrid systems that combine the more expensive satellite connections with cheaper land-based links. But social media does not require a lot of bandwidth; cruisers who want to use bandwidth-hogging applications like FaceTime and Skype will usually have to pay a lot more.
Additionally, updating cruise ships with modern technology takes time, and it will take a couple of years for entire fleets to be updated. And that's only for cruise lines that have chosen to prioritize Internet connectivity. How much will you spend? Traditional onboard Internet prices are about 75 cents a minute, though you can buy packages offering anywhere from 60 minutes to hours that work out to be cheaper on a price-per-minute basis.
On many ships, payment is per megabyte instead of by minute. As with per-minute pricing, buying megabytes via a package brings the price down. As a rough guide, with 10 MBs you can spend 30 minutes on Facebook, Skype for four minutes or upload three photographs. While coverage of destinations around the world is getting better, the connectivity on cruise ships in the Caribbean is still the best you'll find.
With so many cruise ships visiting the Caribbean, maritime communication company SES Networks has placed several satellites in medium orbit above the area in order to create the maximum possible coverage, or footprint. The company has medium orbit satellites around the world as well. Because the signal is strongest in the center of a satellite footprint and weakest as the edges are approached, MTN Communications has created a method to keep its satellite aimed at ships in the Caribbean as they move.
In that way, the ships stay within the satellite's footprint for most of their sailings. Remember, as mentioned in point one above, many cruise lines are transitioning to a hybrid communications solution that combines satellites with terrestrial broadband connectivity so that if you're not in a destination with perfect satellite access, you're not out of luck.
For those searching for the fastest Internet connection, try to use the Internet when few people are online, such as late at night or in port when most passengers are ashore. The first is especially important while sailing far out to sea.
The more people online sharing limited bandwidth, the slower the connection will be. Another tip, because some ships switch to terrestrial land-based towers when sailing close to shore, try saving the bulk of your Internet usage for times when you're nearest land. Unfortunately, there isn't much else an individual cruiser can do. Users won't find any difference between connecting through Wi-Fi or through a cable to a potential data port in their cabin, nor will the ship's Internet cafe offer any difference in connection.
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