Do Cruise Ships Have Wifi? This is always the first question I get asked when people hear I’m a cruise junkie. The answer is YES – but not every ship is the same!
“Do cruise ships have wifi?“, is a common question this day and age. It’s important for folks to be able to stay connected whether it’s to work, kids at home, or friends and family afar. The simple answer is yes, cruise ships universally do have wifi available, but depending on the cruise line and ship you can have vastly different wifi experiences.
For more cruising tips check out our other articles: What to Do on Sea Days, The BEST Cruise Packing List (with FREE printable checklist).
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Do Cruise Ships Have Wifi
This article is published in partnership with Princess Cruises. All content and opinions belong to Mama Loves Food.
Is Wifi the Same on Every Cruise
Wifi is NOT the same on every cruise! If connectivity is important to you, it is crucial that you research before sailing. As an avid cruiser (7 trips in the past two years!) I can unequivocally tell you that some ships do it (much) better than others.
Which Cruise Line Has the Best Wifi
The best wifi that I’ve experienced, hands-down, has been the wifi on the Medallion Class Princess ships. We recently sailed on the Caribbean Princess, and our wifi was as good on the ship as it was at home. We were able to stream video, Facetime with our kids, and I even did a full live cruise tour on Facebook using the wifi!
Caribbean Princess now features MedallionNet™, offering guests Wi-Fi connectivity that is fast, reliable, unlimited and affordable with an access point in every stateroom.
Guests on MedallionClass™ ships experience land-like connectivity for streaming sports, movies, music and videos, communicating on video phone calls from anywhere on the ship, and sharing their vacation experiences in real time with friends and family back home on social media platforms – another factor contributing to higher guest satisfaction scores.
What is MedallionClass™?
Princess MedallionClass™ Featuring the OceanMedallion™ includes these amazing features:
- Hands-Free Keyless Stateroom Entry: Access to staterooms is a seamless experience where each guest is securely validated as the door automatically unlocks. Personalized greetings including loyalty level recognition welcome the guest on their door portal.
- OceanCompass™: Available on guests’ smart devices and portals throughout the ships, OceanCompass™ leverages the OceanMedallion to enable point-to-point wayfinding throughout the ship. OceanCompass™ guides guests throughout their journey, providing directional information so they can seamlessly navigate to their next point of interest, as well as easily locate and chat with friends and family on board using ShipMates.
- JourneyViewTM: Available now on ship portals and coming soon to smart devices, this interactive timeline lets guests scroll through all of the events available on board during their voyage. Functionality will also soon give guests the ability to bookmark and add activities that appeal most to them to their own personalized itinerary.
- MedallionPay™: An easy to use payment feature, enabling crew members to focus on meaningful guest interactions.
- OceanCasino™: On smart devices and select portals, guests can wager real money on games, including slots, poker, bingo, roulette, keno and lottery from anywhere on board.
- PlayOceanTM: On portals located shipwide and using smart devices, PlayOcean offers guests a new level of fun with interactive games, a digital scavenger hunt, customizable avatars, and more. PlayOcean also transforms guests’ mobile devices into game controllers for interactive gaming on the massive Movies Under the Stars screen.
- OceanViewTM: Guests can stream more than 100 hours of award-winning Ocean Original travel shows to their smart device anywhere on the ship at no cost – content which airs nationally on weekends on ABC and NBC. OceanView is also available on stateroom TVs as well as on Roku, Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
Breakthrough Technology
Considered a breakthrough in the vacation industry and recently honored with a CES® 2019 Innovation Award, the OceanMedallion features leading-edge technology that delivers personalized service through enhanced guest-crew interactions, eliminates friction points and enables interactive entertainment.
Medallion Class Makes Cruising Better
Princess MedallionClass vacations offer guests a portfolio of experiences specifically designed to enhance their cruise vacation, including:
- From curbside to poolside in a breeze – guests who arrive at the terminal with travel documents (i.e. passports) uploaded to their profile have a personalized check-in process that starts their vacation with ease. Personalization starts pre-cruise by guests becoming OceanReady™ while at home.
- The best Wi-Fi at sea: MedallionNet™ is fast, reliable, affordable and unlimited. MedallionNet provides land-like speeds that allow guests to stay connected from anywhere on the ship including staterooms which are each equipped with a Wi-Fi access point. With MedallionNet guests easily share vacation experiences with friends and family back home, stream TV shows, movies and sports events, and even make voice and video calls.
- On demand beverage delivery: Using smart devices, guests have the ability to order drinks using OceanNowTM and have them delivered directly to them throughout the ship and even in their stateroom.
How Do You Get a MedallionClass™ Cruise?
Experiencing a MedallionClass™ cruise is as easy as booking one! As of this writing, Princess currently has three Medallion Class ships, and will have 8 more by the end of 2020, with plans to make the entire fleet Medallion class soon.
Check out where the MedallionClass™ ships are sailing here: Princess MedallionClass™.
What Happens After Booking a MedallionClass™ Cruise?
After you’ve booked your MedallionClass™ cruise, download the OceanReady app on your phone and follow the instructions to have your OceanMedallions sent to you!. A lanyard is included, but you can also upgrade and request different wearable items.
If you don’t want to make the decision immediately, no worries! You can purchase wearables on the ship. The medallion is easy to pop in and out depending on your mood too. I went back and forth between the necklace and the sport wristband while Wesley preferred the lanyard.
My Medallion Arrived!
Yay! If you registered through the app at least a few weeks before the cruise, your medallions will be sent to your home. This is HUGE as it allows you to get everything in order for a super speedy embarkation. It took us less than 15 minutes to get onto the ship from the time our taxi dropped us off at the port. So convenient.
Pop into the app and make sure that all your details are filled out and you have green checkmarks next to the name of each passenger. Go ahead and pack up – you’re ready to cruise!
P.S. Not sure what to pack? Check out our super comprehensive cruise packing guide with free printable checklist!
Oh, and don’t forget to pack your Medallions!
Getting On Board
Getting onboard the ship is incredibly easy with your phone app and cruise medallion. You will speed through the line, tapping your Medallion to kiosks and confirming your identity. Make sure to stop for a picture before climbing aboard!
I’m Onboard, Now What?
The first thing I like to do on any ship is orient myself with a map. You can do this two different ways. First, pull up the map on your phone with OceanCompass™! You’ll find that the Medallion will be able to show you exactly where you are on the ship, and how to get where you want to be.
Your other option is to walk up to one of the many interactive maps onboard. You can tap your Medallion and it will pull up all sorts of information from where you are, to where your guests are!
How Do I Get Into My Room?
It may seem strange to be keyless at first, but I’ll tell you – second to the amazing wifi – it was my favorite thing. I am notorious for deactivating and losing key cards, so having it around my neck or wrist at all times was a lifesaver.
When you’re ready to head to your stateroom, just walk up to the door and the panel will recognize that you are there and will unlock and welcome you with a personalized greeting and a picture of your face.
I won’t lie, my husband and I got such a kick out of this that we went in and out of the room several times when we first arrived.
Okay, I’m In – But Now I’m Hungry!
Fear not, hungry traveler! On the Medallion Class ship, food and drinks are that much easier. Find yourself a comfortable table or deck chair and order some delicious food directly to your table. I personally suggest the grilled chicken sandwiches and the pizza. Along with a margarita, of course.
The OceanMedallion can track your whereabouts, so the waitstaff can find exactly where you’re lounging by the pool for deliver your food and drinks. Cruising has just leveled up.
Help! I Left My Medallion By the Pool – Or Maybe in the Casino?
No worries! That same technology that allows your waiter to find you by the pool makes it easy to track down dropped and lost medallions. That said, unless you took it off and forgot to put it back on, there’s little worry about it falling off on its own.
Only one person in our traveling group of twenty misplaced theirs during the trip, and no one’s fell off!
Okay, But Now Let’s Have Some Fun!
Whether it’s gambling on the interactive casino screens placed throughout the ship, using the screens on various levels for a virtual scavenger hunt, doing word puzzles while waiting for the elevator, or hanging on the pool deck racing fellow cruisers on the big screens, there are lots of ways to use and OceanCasino to have a good time. PlayOceanTM and OceanCasinoTM to have a good time.
Why Is Medallion Class Better?
Medallion Class makes Ocean Vacations more personal, immersive, simple and seamless than previously considered possible. At the heart of this personalized experience is the Ocean Medallion, which enables endless vacation possibilities.
The Ocean Medallion has no discernible technology – no on-off switch, no charging, no menu to navigate – and can be worn as a pendant on a wristband in a clip or simply placed in a pocket to reveal enhanced services and personalized experiences without guests having to push a button or take any action.
The pre-cruise engage will allow guests to provide preferences that detail their wants, needs and desires so that their onboard experience can be personalized.
Where we’ve cruised
Europe
Copenhagen, Denmark | Berlin, Germany | Tallinn, Estonia | St. Petersburg, Russia | Helsinki, Finland | Stockholm, Sweden
Caribbean, Central, and South America
Cozumel, Mexico | Belize City, Belize | Roatan, Honduras | Grand Cayman Island | Costa Maya, Mexico | Ochos Rios, Jamaica | Limon, Costa Rica | Panama City, Panama | Cartegena, Colombia | Aruba
Alaska and Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia | Whittier, Alaska | Skagway, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Hoonah, Alaska
Must-read cruising tips
Recipes Inspired by Our Travels
- Nutella Cookies
- Gazpacho
- Chocolate Overload Cake
- Smoked Salmon Dip
- Homemade Cracker Recipe
- Classic Margarita Recipe
- Pineapple Margarita
- Mango Margarita
- Grapefruit Margarita
- Mango Pineapple Salsa
- Pickled Green Tomatoes
- Whole Fruit Popsicles
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