Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi

Yesterday, I got back from Miami and my 2 back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. Royal Caribbean to their credit made some excellent changes to the Wi-Fi rates on the ship. They are as follows:

Unlimited minutes on 2 devices at the same time - $129.95
Unlimited minutes on 1 device - $95.95
24 hours of continuous connection - $49.95
1 hour of use (can be used continuously or in segments) - $29.95

The Wi-Fi hot spots remain the same.

As you can see, this is a LOT better deal then the previous plans they offered. If you're on the Internet a LOT, you can get the unlimited plan and, it will save you over $300 over the 1,666 minutes pre-paid plan they offered before.

Connection wise, I found I still had problems. One night during my first cruise, I tried repeatedly and couldn't get it to hook up. Since I was using my free minutes for being a Diamond Crown & Anchor member, I wasn't very upset. I would've if I had paid for minutes.

FYI, for those who are Diamond Crown & Anchor members, you'll get either 1 free hour of Wi-Fi or $29.95 you can use toward one of the other three plans.

Happy web surfing all!

Original entry below

Here is the promised blog entry on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi. For those who haven't read my previous posts. Last Friday (September 27th, 2013), I finished 2 back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. While cruising on the ship, I did use it's Wi-Fi during the 2nd cruise. I tried to use it the first cruise but, it wouldn't let me hook up. I checked with the ship's customer service and, they said they were having satellite problems at that time.

First, the ship's Wi-Fi rate:

You can pay as you go in which case you will pay 75 cents a minute to use their Wi-Fi. The ship offers pre-pay plans which offer cheaper per minute rates. They are the following:

38 minutes for $24.95 which breaks out to 66 cents per minute
90 minutes for $49.95 which breaks out to 56 cents per minute
208 minutes for $99.95 which breaks out to 48 cents per minute
555 minutes for $199.95 which breaks out to 36 cents per minute
1,666 minutes for $399.99 which breaks out to 25 cents per minute

In regards to these plans, the 1,666 minute plan is ridiculous unless you have a family which shares the account. For 1 person, that person would have to spend 27 HOURS on the Internet to use up all their minutes. Keep in mind, the Majesty of the Seas only does 3 and 4 night cruises. I can't imagine anyone spending an entire day on the Wi-Fi during one of these cruises. Remember, you lose any minutes you don't use up by the end of the cruise. I asked if I could carry over minutes I had remaining from my first cruise to my 2nd cruise and, they said NOPE!

Second, Majesty of the Seas hasn't received the upgrade other Royal Caribbean ships have. By this, I mean that you CAN'T access the ship's Wi-Fi throughout the ship. You can only access it at certain hot spots. They are:

Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 14
Windjammer Marketplace on Deck 11
Spectrum (Disco) on Deck 8
Conference Center on Deck 7
Boleros Bar on Deck 7
Schooner Bar on Deck 7

One bit of outdated information that the Majesty's flier states is that only the Freedom class of ships offer Wi-Fi throughout the ship. This is totally erroneous.

Another problem with the ship's Wi-Fi is it will drop out. Twice during my 2nd cruise, I was connected and unexpectedly the connection broke. I don't know why. One time, it didn't come back till the next day.

If you're a Crown & Anchor member, you can get a discount on the overall cost or a percentage of the cost of the pre-paid plans. As a Gold level member, I received a coupon for $10 off (I think) or 10% off a pre-paid plan. As a Platinum or Emerald member, I received $10 off or 15% off a pre-paid plan. I don't know what discount you would get if you're a Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle member. I do know at one time that Diamond Plus members received a coupon that got them 45 minutes of free Internet time. I met a Diamond Plus member during 1 cruise who showed me the coupon.

There are cheaper alternatives to using the ship's Wi-Fi providing you have either a laptop or a Wi-Fi capable device such as a Nook e-reader.

During the 3 night cruise, you make port in Nassau, Bahamas. There is a Starbucks coffee shop on
Charlotte Lane (it's across the street from the Hard Rock Café) which is just outside the gate of the compound which you go through to get to the ship. The shop offers Wi-Fi for $3 an hour.

During the 4 night cruise, you also make port in Key West, Florida. Key West has a small Starbucks on Duval Street which offers FREE Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi on Majesty of the Seas can be handy WHEN it works. I used it to check in and print (I have a mobile printer) my boarding passes the night before we arrived back in Miami saving a bunch of hassle at the Miami International Airport. However, as you can see, it is expensive. More so than on other Royal Caribbean ships as far as I know unless they've come out with new pre-paid plans for those ships.

The short cruises on Majesty of the Seas can be a real plus for those who want to cruise but can't get the time off for a longer cruise. However, for those who want to use the ship's Wi-Fi, they can create some problems because you can't use up all the minutes on the more affordable per minute pre-paid plans. Remember, any minutes you don't use during your cruise, you lose. For my 2 cents worth, you might want to look at the alternatives I've suggested in this case as they could save you some serious money. Happy web surfing all!

Update: Last month, it was announced by Royal Caribbean International that Majesty of the Seas will be transferred to Pullmantur in 2016. Pullmantur is one of five cruise lines including Royal Caribbean International that belong to Royal Caribbean Limited (I believe). Majesty of the Seas last cruise with Royal Caribbean will be April 29, 2016. (Source: www.royalcaribbeanblog.com)

Update: Today (July 6, 2015), Royal Caribbean announced it has reversed its decision and will be keeping Majesty of the Seas in its fleet. For WiFi users, the announcement has a huge surprise. The ship will be fitted with its new VOOM system and will offer FREE and UNLIMITED Internet to all its customers on the ship. This is a huge change with them. No other ship in their fleet offers totally FREE WiFi. Folks will be able to try the new free WiFi starting May 27, 2016 when the ship starts sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida vice its old port Miami.

Update March 27, 2016: Royal Caribbean reversed its decision to offer free WiFi on Majesty of the Seas and won't be offering it any longer. They've been changing a number of their plans for the ships which is annoying. Personally, I think this decision is dumb. On this ship's short cruises (3 and 4 nights), you can get by without the WiFi. Remember, Starbucks offers it for a small fee in Nassau, Bahamas and for free in Key West, Florida. During my 4 cruises on this ship, I never signed up for it. With their inept handling of this, I'm glad I most likely won't ever sail on this ship again.