MSC And Royal Caribbean Rolling Out New Internet Options

 
Photo by Chris Owen


As demand for Internet at sea increases, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean International are beginning to offer new tiered plans that better pair capability with affordability.
Over the next several months, MSC Cruises is rolling out dynamic high-bandwidth Internet connections and new pricing packages fleet-wide, and they are already available on MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa. The line cites resources of “several hundred Mbit/s (megabits per second) available in the Marlink Sealink cloud” across three plans.

READ MORE: Attention, Cruise Lines: Here's How to Make Internet Access Better

The Social Package is ideal for accessing networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest on one device for $4.50 per day or $16.50 per seven-night cruise. The Surfer Package is designed for moderate use of social networks and basic browsing and email access on up to two devices for $11 per day or $33 per seven-night cruise. The Streamer Package opens up full speeds for all browsing and even streaming on up to four devices for $22 per day or $66 per seven-night cruise.
“We are constantly seeking new ways to innovate and enhance guest experience aboard what is already the most modern fleet at sea,” said Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises CEO. “We know that staying connected while on vacation is increasingly more important to our guests, hence we are rolling out state-of-the-art technology to allow them to stay connected, whether they are looking to share experiences and memorable moments, stay in touch with friends and family, stay on top of work emails or simply catch up with daily news.”

READ MORE: 8 Tips For Getting The Most Out of Your Smartphone On A Cruise Ship

As for Royal Caribbean International, the Royal Caribbean Blog is reporting that the line has expanded its high-speed Voom service from one plan to several tiers as well, offering two bandwidths priced according to device count. The Voom Surf Voyage Package is good for browsing and email and social media access. It starts at $9.99 per day for one device. The Voom Surf + Stream Voyage Package adds in enough speed to facilitate all the above and streaming services. The upgraded plan starts at $12.99 per day for a single device.
Currently, Royal Caribbean’s website indicates Voom is available only on Oasis- and Quantum-class ships in the Caribbean, Mediterranean or Asia, but the Royal Caribbean Blog also said that the high-bandwidth service is expected to expand fleet-wide by this month.
Of course, in practice, speeds at sea are variable and often throttle down when more guests are logged on simultaneously. As to which offers the best value often depends on the user experience, which can vary accordingly. Where the packages on either line succeed most is in their unlimited nature. As speeds fluctuate, the time in which it takes to perform any given action online also changes. So, at least that variation does not count against daily or cruise time allotments like it would on lines that offer packages by the minute.

Source: www.travelpulse.com

Celebrity Cruises Makes It Faster And Easier To Share Modern Luxury Moments With New ‘Xcelerate’ High-Speed Wireless Internet

Faster web browsing, accelerated page loads, and more dependable video streaming capabilities

 Celebrity Cruises has just announced its latest modern luxury experiential offering: the addition of Xcelerate – cutting-edge, high-speed internet capability – across its entire fleet. Xcelerate will make it easier for guests to stay connected while on vacation, with higher-speed internet at sea that will allow for faster web browsing, accelerated page loads, and more dependable video streaming capabilities.

Xcelerate provides the type of wi-fi access that modern luxury travelers have come to expect. With the improved capability, guests on Celebrity’s ships now will be able to access, with ease, some of their favorite technology for staying connected, such as Facebook, FaceTime, Skype, YouTube, Netflix and more, with ease.

“Xcelerate is going to give our digitally connected guests a new opportunity to share their amazing travel experiences with the world in real time, whether docked in Europe’s sought-after ports-of-call or gliding through the ocean on all of our large ships, anywhere in the world,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises CEO and President. “We know that this is what our guests expect – it’s what we expect when we travel, too – and we are thrilled to be answering that expectation with Xcelerate, which offers some of the fastest access at sea.”

Xcelerate is available on Celebrity Reflection, and soon will roll out to the remainder of the premium cruise line’s large ships. (Celebrity Xpedition, the 100-guest ship sailing year-round in the Galápagos Islands, is not scheduled to receive Xcelerate.)

Xcelerate is yet another incentive for travelers to take advantage of Celebrity’s signature “Go Big, Go Better, Go Best!” offer, which includes the opportunity to enjoy free unlimited streaming internet onboard.  Guests who book an oceanview or higher stateroom and “Go Big” can enjoy a free perk from the choice of Classic Beverage Packages, unlimited internet packages, gratuities or $150 to spend onboard. Vacationers can even choose to upgrade and “Go Better” to get their choice of two perks, or “Go Best” and get all four perks, plus a Premium beverage package upgrade. Most of Celebrity’s 2017-18 sailings are eligible for “Go Big, Go Better, Go Best!”. Full details about this offer are available at celebritycruises.com/gobigbetterbest.

Celebrity offers numerous Xcelerate packages, all of which can be pre-booked before departure or purchased onboard for the same rate. Xcelerate’s streaming features are well-suited to the unlimited package, which starts at $140 per person for five to nine days and $199 per person for 10+ days.

About Celebrity Cruises:Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 10 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska and Canada. Celebrity is one of six cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.