The folks at Carnival Cruise Line know that vacation or not, passengers need the internet. It might be great if we could all disconnect when we set sail, but some of us can’t… and most of us won’t. So every ship in the fleet is outfitted with wireless internet which can be purchased. But how much will it cost and what are the various packages? That’s what nearly every cruiser wants to know, and that’s what we’re here today to answer.
When the internet was first rolled out on cruise ships in the early 2000s, guests had to go to a workstation — usually, a bank of computers set just off the atrium — in order to access the web. Back then, there was almost always a full-time employee of the satellite company which provided the internet access to assist you with getting online and any billing discrepancies.
These days, connecting to the internet is far simpler, and it’s almost hard to imagine a time when we couldn’t just pop open our laptop on the balcony of our stateroom and check our email, or use our smartphone to make everyone back home jealous with a few great selfies.
So let’s dive in and discuss what you need to know about accessing the web — and how much it will cost — during your next cruise on a Carnival ship.
Carnival Cruise Internet Pricing and Packages
Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line
There are three different internet packages for you to choose from while onboard. Which one is best for you will depend entirely on what you’re looking to do. Some people just want to check Facebook and send out tweets, while others want to watch movies or Skype with the office. Keep in mind that all of the internet plans are offered at a reduced rate if you purchase them before your cruise. In order to do so, all you need to do is sign on to your account at Carnival.com and click on the Cruise Manager page.
You can also head to Carnival.com/FunShops and find information on internet packages there. If you’d rather wait to buy until you’re on board — which will cost you about 15 percent more than you’ll pay if you pre-purchase — you can do so through the Hub app. As we discuss the various program and pricing options, note that all prices are listed in U.S. dollars.
Breakdown of Carnival WiFi Plans
The Social Plan is $4 per day and allows unlimited access to most of the popular social networking sites. This is for folks who want to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and similar websites/apps. You’re also able to access airline website apps to check in for your flight. Some of the airline applications currently supported are American, Delta, Southwest, United, Spirit, Southwest, Air Canada, Allegiant, Hawaii Airlines, and West Jet. This plan is good for the basic internet user. The plan can be used on multiple devices, but only by signing out on one before signing in on another. But if little Johnny and Susie are both going to want to be on their phones at the same time, you’ll need separate plans.
- Pre-Cruise price: $4.00 per day, per device
- Onboard price: $5.00 per day, per device
- Onboard price for 24-hour plan: Not currently available
The Value Plan is $10.25 per day and gives you access to all the social sites mentioned above plus email, online banking, news, lifestyle, sports, and weather websites. Neither the value or social plans provide access to streaming of any kind. This plan is good for the moderate internet user looking to stay connected via social media while also perusing the web.
- Pre-Cruise price: $10.25 per day, per device
- Onboard price: $12.00 per day, per device
- Onboard price for 24-hour plan: $16.00 per day, per device
The Premium Plan is $14.88 per day and offers both of what the social plan and value plan offers, along with internet streaming. Carnival boasts that this plan is three times faster than their value plan and lets you use Skype. I’ve also used Facebook Video and Facetime with this plan and it worked well when a lot of people were not on. 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. seemed to be the optimal times for video streaming. This plan is a good choice for the person that needs to be fully connected or who has to work on vacation.
- Pre-Cruise price: $14.88 USD per day
- Onboard price: $17.70 USD per day
- Onboard price for 24-hour plan: $25.00 USD
How strong a signal you get on the various plans can vary greatly from ship to ship. For instance, Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon have upgraded bandwidth to allow more people to surf and stream video. When I sailed Carnival Magic in early 2018, the WiFi was awful. Even on the Premium Plan, it was pulling only around .04 Mbps. (For those of you who aren’t technically-minded, suffice it to say it was really slow.)
