<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 TRANSITIONAL//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; CHARSET=UTF-8">
<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="GtkHTML/3.24.5">
</HEAD>
<BODY>
My apologies if this already was covered this week. <BR>
<BR>
Anybody know the real deal regarding internet services aboard Royal Carribean ships? Apparently their staff doesn't. I'm getting roped into going on cruise with in-laws this summer.<BR>
<BR>
What protocols are supported? are any protocols specifically blocked? (SSH? SMTP? Skype? VPN?) how is billing allocated? If I have laptop and smartphone, can they share the billing account? How does the minutes billing start/stop? Do I have to run my smartphone in Airplane mode the whole dang trip to avoid getting billed? Similarly do I have to turn off wireless on the notebook? (Can do that under Vista, but Ubuntu doesn't appear to know how to do that on HP notebook. Hah - thought I couldn't work Linux in here somewhere!)<BR>
<BR>
Of course the parrot on the other end of the chat window helpfully notes: To use our WI-FI access, you'll need:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<I>A laptop</I><BR>
<I>Windows operating system</I><BR>
<I>802.11b Wireless networking capability</I><BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
So, smartphones not supported? IPads not supported? Macs not supported? Does not supported mean they don't know, or do they take specific evil steps to make sure those devices won't work? <BR>
<BR>
What's the bandwidth like? I can generally get ssh to work over a poor 1xRTT phone connection with a taut piece of string... but would bandwidth support Skype, or are they wise to that? I'm guessing that thousands of people are sharing a single satellite connection and I can do long division. <BR>
<BR>
What's the coverage like? Are there big holes en-route, and only coverage in port, when you are off the ship anyway? We'd be talking about Baltimore to US Virgin Islands roughly. <BR>
<BR>
Thanks. <BR>
<BR>
Neal<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</BODY>
</HTML>