Internet problems continue for Carnival cruise line ships sailing along the Northeast seaboard of the United States. This week, the cruise line issued a new letter to guests booked aboard two Carnival cruise ships sailing from New York and Baltimore, saying Internet connections will be limited.
This is the second time in a month that Carnival has informed guests about internet access problems on board. The problem seems to seriously only affect ships sailing in this area. It’s especially painful since Carnival recently announced it would raise prices for Internet connections on its ships.
Visitors informed of limited Wi-Fi access
Guests sailing on board The magic of carnivals today, September 17, from New York City, and guests sailing aboard the Carnival Legend from Baltimore, Maryland, today and September 25, have been informed that their cruises will have limited Internet access during the voyage.
The email, sent to guests booked on any of the three voyages, read as follows: “Due to challenges with some of the ship’s satellites, there will be limited Wi-Fi access during your cruise.”
“We will automatically refund all pre-purchased Wi-Fi packages as onboard credit to your Sail & Sign® account. Social and Value plans will still be available for purchase at the discounted pre-cruise price if you choose to shop on board daily. The premium plan will not be available.”
The Carnival Magic cruise departs today, September 17, from New York City and will head to Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Sydney, Nova Scotia, and will return to New York on September 24. The following cruise will be a six-night Bermuda cruise, which seems intact right now.
The legend of carnivals
The legend of carnivals will sail from Baltimore today on an eight-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. With calls to Turks and Caicos on September 21st and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic on September 22nd, this voyage has also been affected by Wifi issues.
However, there may be more bad news for guests booked on this trip. The cruise is planned to be exactly in the area where Tropical Storm Fiona will pass in the following days.
Carnival has already issued a different letter to guests aboard the Carnival Legend, stating the following:
“Together with our Fleet Operations Center in Miami, we have been actively monitoring Tropical Storm Fiona, which is located in the Caribbean. Since the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority, we will stay a safe distance from the storm at all times. We will continue to monitor the weather and provide you with timely updates if our route is affected.”
The second voyage affected by the Wi-Fi issues is a six-night Bermuda cruise from Baltimore, departing Sept. 25 and returning to Baltimore on Oct. 1.
Carnival raises prices for WiFi
Carnival Cruise Line’s announcement that the Wi-Fi will not be strong enough to offer the premium package onboard comes at a painful time for the cruise line.
The premium plan is the highest-rated Wifi package on Carnival ships and is supposed to enable guests to make video calls and perform other high-bandwidth activities on their devices.
Carnival said recently it would be the implementation of a price increase for its internet packages from October 1. The basic package costs $8.50 per day if guests purchase the package before sailing. This price will increase to $10.20 per day.
The Value Pack is increasing to $14.45 per day, an increase of $3.40 per day from the old rate of $11.05. The Premium package will increase by $2.55 to $17.00 per day. These are pre-purchase prices, if guests decide to buy on board, these prices increase by 15%.
Problems with Internet connections have continued for some time aboard Carnival cruise line ships, pointing to a much larger problem that appears to be plaguing the onboard IT systems. The question arises why Carnival is not going to Starlink Maritimea move Royal Caribbean made a few weeks ago.
