Last week, while trying to earn more Starbucks reward points so, I can keep my Gold status for another year (you have to earn 30 reward stars to do that), I saw some of their dark chocolate peppermint graham crackers on sale at one (there are 2 of them) of their Laurel, Maryland shops (store 7257 located at 929 Washington Boulevard). The grahams were 40% off and seemed a cheap way to earn another reward star. With the 40% off, it cost me $4.77 for 3 of the grahams (they come 3 in a pack).
The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!
Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Sunday, January 03, 2016
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Starbucks Refresher Drink Product Review
One product I've tried a number of times at Starbucks coffee shops when I haven't felt like have a glass of their tea is their Refresher drink product. The drink comes in 3 flavors in their stores: Valencia Orange, Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus. A 16 ounce glass of the drink will cost you approximately $3.00 at one of their stores.
Starbucks also makes available the drink in 2 other forms - cans and powder. The 8.4 fluid ounce cans come in 3 flavors: Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Acai and Raspberry Pomegranate. You can purchase the cans at either the Starbucks stores where they will cost you approximately $2.45 each or in stores where you can buy a 4 pack of the cans for at least $4.55. Calories for the cans depend on the flavor. Their lemonade has 60 calories per can while the blueberry flavor has 90.
The powdered drink come in 3 flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime. The powdered drink comes in a small box with five .7 ounce packets. Each packet makes two 8 ounce glasses of the drink. The boxes of the drink sell for $5.95. Calorie wise, each 8 ounce glass has 35 calories. One plus of buying the powdered drink box flavors is you receive 1 bonus crown point in Starbucks reward program for every box you buy.
One of the noteworthy aspects of Starbucks refresher drink is their use of green coffee extract. Starbucks draws the caffeine out of green coffee beans and inserts it in the refresher drinks. As the green coffee beans haven't been roasted yet, the extract doesn't have the coffee taste so many know while giving the drink a natural caffeine boost. I can vouch that none of the refresher drinks have any kind of coffee taste (I'm not a fan of coffee).
Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and would recommend it. I don't think you get a big caffeine fix from it as I haven't been pinging off the walls after drinking a glass of this drink. I believe the powdered form offers the best value for money. If nothing else, it does give you an alternative drink at Starbucks if you're not in a coffee or tea mood one day when you're visiting one of their stores. Happy drinking all!
Starbucks also makes available the drink in 2 other forms - cans and powder. The 8.4 fluid ounce cans come in 3 flavors: Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Acai and Raspberry Pomegranate. You can purchase the cans at either the Starbucks stores where they will cost you approximately $2.45 each or in stores where you can buy a 4 pack of the cans for at least $4.55. Calories for the cans depend on the flavor. Their lemonade has 60 calories per can while the blueberry flavor has 90.
The powdered drink come in 3 flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime. The powdered drink comes in a small box with five .7 ounce packets. Each packet makes two 8 ounce glasses of the drink. The boxes of the drink sell for $5.95. Calorie wise, each 8 ounce glass has 35 calories. One plus of buying the powdered drink box flavors is you receive 1 bonus crown point in Starbucks reward program for every box you buy.
One of the noteworthy aspects of Starbucks refresher drink is their use of green coffee extract. Starbucks draws the caffeine out of green coffee beans and inserts it in the refresher drinks. As the green coffee beans haven't been roasted yet, the extract doesn't have the coffee taste so many know while giving the drink a natural caffeine boost. I can vouch that none of the refresher drinks have any kind of coffee taste (I'm not a fan of coffee).
Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and would recommend it. I don't think you get a big caffeine fix from it as I haven't been pinging off the walls after drinking a glass of this drink. I believe the powdered form offers the best value for money. If nothing else, it does give you an alternative drink at Starbucks if you're not in a coffee or tea mood one day when you're visiting one of their stores. Happy drinking all!
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Starbucks Portland Commercial Street Restaurant Wi-Fi
While in port during my recent cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, I got to visit the Starbucks on 145 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine and try out their Wi-Fi. Due to expensive rates on the ship, I was looking for alternative Wi-Fi locations and, this Starbucks fit the bill superbly. Also, another nice thing about this Starbucks is that it isn't that far from the Portland cruise ship terminal. I think it was about 4 or 5 blocks from the terminal. As the terminal doesn't have Wi-Fi as far as I know, this is maybe one of the closer places to the terminal that offers it.
Also, the Commercial Street Starbucks has convenient hours. They are:
Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (current at the time of this post)
Overall, I was very pleased with the Wi-Fi connectivity at this Starbucks as well as the service. Prices were the same as at other Starbucks and, they do accept Starbucks giftcards as well as participate in their reward program. I'd definitely recommend this Starbucks and plan to use it again when I make port again in Portland some time in the far future. Happy web surfing all!
Also, the Commercial Street Starbucks has convenient hours. They are:
Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (current at the time of this post)
Overall, I was very pleased with the Wi-Fi connectivity at this Starbucks as well as the service. Prices were the same as at other Starbucks and, they do accept Starbucks giftcards as well as participate in their reward program. I'd definitely recommend this Starbucks and plan to use it again when I make port again in Portland some time in the far future. Happy web surfing all!
Sunday, June 01, 2014
Market House Annapolis Maryland WiFi Review
Today, I got to visit the old part of Annapolis, Maryland. I wanted to post something on the Internet from my Nook e-reader so, I looked for a place with free WiFi. I walked into Market House at 25 Market Place and saw a sign claiming they have free WiFi. Awesome! I bought 3 scoops of gelato from their Firenzes Gelateria, sat down and tried to connect to the Internet. No go. It turned out the sign was total bs. The place doesn't offer free WiFi. A worker at one of the shops I spoke with said the local government was supposed to do something about it but, they apparently haven't. :-( Thankfully, there are a couple places in the dock area that do offer free WiFi like the Starbucks at 124 Dock Street. So, if you want to surf the web, skip the Market House. Happy Internet surfing all!
Sunday, February 02, 2014
The Mall in Columbia Wi-Fi Review
The Mall in Columbia as it's titled (it's located in Columbia, Maryland) brags about offering free Wi-Fi. I decided to test it and find out if there are any strings attached with their Wi-Fi. I found out really fast there is. The first is you have to join The Club. The Club is where they send promotions and events by email. You can also receive them by text message though this part is optional. The email thing isn't. Second, once you've sign up for The Club, you click on freewifi-TheClub signal. Then, you call up a brower window where you'll use your email address to log in to their free Wi-Fi. According to my Nook e-reader, their Wi-Fi signal rated as good though I think it's more ok. When I first tested the mall's Wi-Fi, the signal actually dropped out and, I had to disconnect and re-connect to it to get it to work again. I'm definitely not impressed with their free Wi-Fi.
However, there is an alternative. The Mall in Columbia has a Starbucks located in the C section of the mall next to the entrance (close to Sears) on the upper level. Starbucks doesn't require you join anything. All you have to do with them is agree to their terms of use. Like at other Starbucks, ATT provides their Wi-Fi connectivity. Signal strength wise, it was good. Sadly, their signal doesn't carry very far so, you must be in the Starbucks or right next to it to use it.
Between using the mall's Wi-Fi and Starbucks, I found I preferred Starbucks Wi-Fi as it was more reliable and has fewer hassles. Also, I suspect you won't have to deal with as many people using the bandwidth. Happy surfing all!
However, there is an alternative. The Mall in Columbia has a Starbucks located in the C section of the mall next to the entrance (close to Sears) on the upper level. Starbucks doesn't require you join anything. All you have to do with them is agree to their terms of use. Like at other Starbucks, ATT provides their Wi-Fi connectivity. Signal strength wise, it was good. Sadly, their signal doesn't carry very far so, you must be in the Starbucks or right next to it to use it.
Between using the mall's Wi-Fi and Starbucks, I found I preferred Starbucks Wi-Fi as it was more reliable and has fewer hassles. Also, I suspect you won't have to deal with as many people using the bandwidth. Happy surfing all!
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Snowden River Starbuck Wi-Fi Review
The second place I decided to check Wi-Fi wise today was the Snowden River Starbucks located at 7090 Deepage Drive in Columbia, Maryland.
The Starbucks there is your standard Starbucks. It offers good parking, the standard Starbucks menu and FREE Wi-Fi (it isn't always free as I found out when I used it in Nassau, Bahamas, see my review on that). The Wi-Fi is provided by ATT. When you click on it, it says there is a log-in which threw me initially. However, I persevered and found out there isn't any password you need. You click on a button that takes you to an ad provided by the sponsor of the Wi-Fi which you can skip if you wish. Once you're past the ad, you're in. The Wi-Fi has good connectivity though I can't tell you what the connection speed is there. I didn't try to access any video to if it could handle that. I posted on my Facebook page and checked emails on my Nook e-reader and, it worked fine.
The only thing I could knock about the place was I wasn't wiped out by their peppermint hot chocolate venti I bought. I don't know what milk they used if they used any but, it wasn't very good though it did have a noticeable mint flavor to it. Still, this has nothing to do with the Wi-Fi which was the most important thing to me. Other people like me used it to surf the web and as far as I could see, they weren't having any problems either. This Starbucks did seem to be pretty popular as they were doing a good bit of business today. Happy web surfing all!
The Starbucks there is your standard Starbucks. It offers good parking, the standard Starbucks menu and FREE Wi-Fi (it isn't always free as I found out when I used it in Nassau, Bahamas, see my review on that). The Wi-Fi is provided by ATT. When you click on it, it says there is a log-in which threw me initially. However, I persevered and found out there isn't any password you need. You click on a button that takes you to an ad provided by the sponsor of the Wi-Fi which you can skip if you wish. Once you're past the ad, you're in. The Wi-Fi has good connectivity though I can't tell you what the connection speed is there. I didn't try to access any video to if it could handle that. I posted on my Facebook page and checked emails on my Nook e-reader and, it worked fine.
The only thing I could knock about the place was I wasn't wiped out by their peppermint hot chocolate venti I bought. I don't know what milk they used if they used any but, it wasn't very good though it did have a noticeable mint flavor to it. Still, this has nothing to do with the Wi-Fi which was the most important thing to me. Other people like me used it to surf the web and as far as I could see, they weren't having any problems either. This Starbucks did seem to be pretty popular as they were doing a good bit of business today. Happy web surfing all!
Monday, December 02, 2013
Starbucks Trump Plaza Boardwalk Wi-Fi Review
Yesterday, I drove to Philadelphia and Atlantic City so, I could visit the Hard Rock Cafe's there. I wanted to get them added to my Hard Rock travel map and get closer to earning my first reward for visiting so many different cafe's. You get the first one when you visit 10 different cafe's.
While in both cities, I visited Starbucks so I could use their free Wi-Fi to post updates on my travels on Facebook. For me, the biggest reason I visit Starbucks is because of the free Wi-Fi. I have to use Wi-Fi to access the Internet when I use my Nook e-reader. Accessing the Internet this way is way easier than carrying my laptop around. I use a Sprint USB modem I own to access the Internet on my laptop.
I thought all Starbucks shops offered free Wi-Fi barring the small ones in airports as I found out in the Miami airport. To my surprise, the one in Trump Taj Mahal doesn't have Wi-Fi (according to the lady who was working behind the counter). So, I went in search of another Starbucks. I figured there had to be another one some where in Atlantic City.
To my delight, I found another Starbucks at the Trump Plaza Boardwalk. They confirmed they have free Wi-Fi. I tried connecting and, it requested a password. They told me the password is starbucks (makes sense). I entered the password and, my nook e-reader waited and waited and waited and waited for an IP address that never came. I asked the folks there what might be the problem. First, they said try turning the Wi-Fi off and on. It didn't help. Then, they suggested I completely shutdown my e-reader and bring it up. That caused me to get constant Wi-Fi errors stating that the network was overloaded and, I couldn't connect. The people at the Starbucks assured me their Wi-Fi worked but, I was never able to connect there. Later, a saleslady at the Under Armour Outlet store said she'd had the same problem. As luck would have it, there is a Starbucks at 120 North Michigan Ave which is less than a block from the Under Armour store. I tried to connect to their Wi-Fi and, my e-reader connected immediately. Also, I didn't have any problems connecting to the Starbucks Wi-Fi at the Philadelphia shop on 12th and Maple (I believe that's the address) I visited. Because I didn't have any problems elsewhere and the lady at Under Armour experienced the same problem, I have to believe there is some kind of problem with the Wi-Fi at the Trump Plaza Boardwalk. I definitely wouldn't recommend the place because of this.
Note: there are Starbucks located at the Showboat, Caesar's, Golden Nugget, The Borgata, Tropicana Casino and Resort and Tropicana Marketplace which MAY offer Wi-Fi. As I didn't know about these other locations, I didn't visit them to try them and see if they offer or how well the Wi-Fi works at these places.
While in both cities, I visited Starbucks so I could use their free Wi-Fi to post updates on my travels on Facebook. For me, the biggest reason I visit Starbucks is because of the free Wi-Fi. I have to use Wi-Fi to access the Internet when I use my Nook e-reader. Accessing the Internet this way is way easier than carrying my laptop around. I use a Sprint USB modem I own to access the Internet on my laptop.
I thought all Starbucks shops offered free Wi-Fi barring the small ones in airports as I found out in the Miami airport. To my surprise, the one in Trump Taj Mahal doesn't have Wi-Fi (according to the lady who was working behind the counter). So, I went in search of another Starbucks. I figured there had to be another one some where in Atlantic City.
To my delight, I found another Starbucks at the Trump Plaza Boardwalk. They confirmed they have free Wi-Fi. I tried connecting and, it requested a password. They told me the password is starbucks (makes sense). I entered the password and, my nook e-reader waited and waited and waited and waited for an IP address that never came. I asked the folks there what might be the problem. First, they said try turning the Wi-Fi off and on. It didn't help. Then, they suggested I completely shutdown my e-reader and bring it up. That caused me to get constant Wi-Fi errors stating that the network was overloaded and, I couldn't connect. The people at the Starbucks assured me their Wi-Fi worked but, I was never able to connect there. Later, a saleslady at the Under Armour Outlet store said she'd had the same problem. As luck would have it, there is a Starbucks at 120 North Michigan Ave which is less than a block from the Under Armour store. I tried to connect to their Wi-Fi and, my e-reader connected immediately. Also, I didn't have any problems connecting to the Starbucks Wi-Fi at the Philadelphia shop on 12th and Maple (I believe that's the address) I visited. Because I didn't have any problems elsewhere and the lady at Under Armour experienced the same problem, I have to believe there is some kind of problem with the Wi-Fi at the Trump Plaza Boardwalk. I definitely wouldn't recommend the place because of this.
Note: there are Starbucks located at the Showboat, Caesar's, Golden Nugget, The Borgata, Tropicana Casino and Resort and Tropicana Marketplace which MAY offer Wi-Fi. As I didn't know about these other locations, I didn't visit them to try them and see if they offer or how well the Wi-Fi works at these places.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)