When we think about travel, we think about social media. Everyone wants to show what they are doing on vacation, what unique things they have tried and what beautiful things they are seeing. We want to be able to share those things as they are happening. I know for myself and my wife we will take pictures throughout the day and settle into our hotel at night and post on social media about the highlights of our day. The access to Wi-Fi should be readily available when traveling, but is it?
Most cruise ships are equipped with Wi-Fi, but how available is it to the passengers? According to Cruise Port Advisor, “Almost all cruise lines offer internet packages allowing users a certain number of minutes or megabytes per day or week for a set fee, however it can be quite expensive. (Cruise Port Advisor, 2018, para 1)” Most places don’t charge for Wi-Fi, like airports, hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. On a cruise boat it is costly to get online and share about your day or let your loved ones know you are safe. Now, one thing that is available on most cruise ships is an app that helps you stay connected with other passengers. “Most ships now have branded apps that allow cruisers to chat with each other onboard and superfast high-bandwidth Wi-Fi that makes communicating at sea much easier than it used to be. (Rotondo, 2020, para 1)” Why is there free Wi-Fi provided on the boat to stay connected with people you are traveling with and no free Wi-Fi to stay connected with those we love back home?
There are a few reasons why offering free Wi-Fi on cruise ships would benefit them greatly. First, when I travel, I take pictures I am in the moment and I want to post them in the moment. I rarely post pictures when I get home from a trip because that feeling of being in the moment has passed. Second, without free Wi-Fi, the cruising industry is missing the mark for marketing purposes. Now with Facebook Live and Instagram Stories being really popular, they don’t give you the opportunity to share anything live while cruising. How many people do you know that post everything to social media when they get home from their vacation? By the time you get home, it’s already old news! Finally, with providing free Wi-Fi on cruise ships, people would be encouraged to travel longer and even be able to work from anywhere in the world. However, because there is no free Wi-Fi, there is no way that some people can be away from work that long. Free Wi-Fi could mean a longer vacation!
What are cruise companies trying to do to improve the situation? Lyons says “Maritime communication companies have sped up this process, which used to take a long time, through various means including adding more satellites, increasing the bandwidth that can be sent during each transmission and linking up with land-based towers when sailing closer to shore. (Lyons, 2020, para 6)” While other companies are making leaps and bounds according to Ship Technology, “using VSAT technology, internet speeds reached 2.15 Gbps at the end of February, breaking the previous limit of just over 500 Mbps on MSC Cruises’ new build MSC Seaside. The average speed for cruise ships is around 10 to 20 Mbps per ship, according to Carnival. Now, the brand has partnered with SES Networks to introduce 1.5 Gbps on board the Princess Cays, allowing guests to stream Netflix or Hulu – luxuries once only available on land. (Ship Technology, 2018, para 9&10)” Companies are definitely making strides when it comes to internet. There was a time that there was no internet on cruise ships and now ability to stream Netflix or Hulu has become a reality.
Image found on Westbase.io
We live in a society that Wi-Fi in readily available and at everyone’s finger tips. We have come a long way in technology, but still have a ways to go. Even with the great strides that are being made to have quicker Wi-Fi on cruise ships, will Wi-Fi ever be free? In a day where Wi-Fi is free everywhere we go, it should be something that is offered for free, as most people would consider it an essential when out at sea. Maybe one day in the near future, there will be free Wi-Fi everywhere, including in the middle of the ocean.
Do you post on social media while on vacation or do you wait until you get home?
Image found on OrlandoSentinel.com
Facebook: If you take a selfie while on vacation and no one sees it, did it really happen? Did you know not all cruise boats have free Wi-Fi? Click here to learn more: http://bit.ly/socialcruising
Twitter: No Wi-Fi 4 U! The next wave of technology is about to hit the ocean! #socialmedia #FOMO #FreeWiFi #cruising #sinkorswim
Articles:
Cruise Port Advisor. (2018). Do cruise ships have free wifi or internet. Retrieved from https://cruiseportadvisor.com/do-cruise-ships-have-free-wifi-or-internet/
Lyons, Ben. (2020, January 8). Internet at sea: 7 things you need to know [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1419&taparam=ECCGoogleUS_K531176875_A93582263458_NS&&supai=414221736916&supsn=g&supmbl=&suppos=&supap1=&supap2=&supdev=c&suprnd=2055940334769783868&source=131208&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv96L9re35wIVD56fCh0QTwA-EAAYASAAEgKxNPD_BwE
Rotondo, Andrea. (2020, January 8). Connecting at sea: internet and phone use onboard your cruise [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=45
Ship Technology. (2018, May 15). The race for faster Wi-Fi on board cruise ships. Retrieved from https://www.ship-technology.com/features/race-faster-wifi-board-cruise-ships/
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Thanks for the post. I’m probably the opposite. I don’t really post photos of my trips in real time. I want to leave technology behind on my vacations for the most part. It is important to be able to communicate with family members though if need be, like during an emergency. It’s probably taking the cruise industry longer to include this on their ships because of cost. Cruises are already super expensive, companies would have to figure out a way to sneak the costs into the package until they can provide it for free.
I absolutely understand wanting to leave social media at home while you are on vacation, Although we were on a 3 week cruise to Hawaii and it was a little worrisome knowing that our families really had no way to reach us. But I can understand both sides, it all comes down to preference and vacation type:) Thank you for your comment and taking the time.