Maybe when you cruise you disconnect, which is great. I, however, always purchase internet access when cruising. Sometimes this is because I’m working from a cruise ship, sometimes it’s for the same reason we all have internet access these days. This isn’t without challenges, as some lines, like Carnival, block VPN services some may require for work. On a recent cruise, we found that Virgin Voyages made some changes that meant if we wanted to use Zoom, we'd have to pay up. So, we tried something new instead.
When I first noticed this change, I was frustrated (and still am, Virgin - if you’re reading). I thought we’d have to pay $150+ for a higher internet package, but then I remembered seeing a third party service offering eSims (cellular service you can initiate without visiting a store - more on that later) that they claimed also worked on cruise ships. In fact, the company that runs the service reached out to me several times in the past asking if I’d write about them - they even offered an affiliate program (where CruiseHabit would get a small bit of support if we referred them business). I ignored those emails because I figured the service would be slow, it might not work in some parts of the ship, and ultimately, it was unnecessary, as in recent years, shipboard internet has served me well. Suddenly, however, because of the much higher prices Virgin was now charging, I had incentive to try this service out, so I contacted GigSky, the provider. In transparency, they offered me the chance to try this for free (though they made no requirement that I’d talk about it, let alone promote it).
How GigSky Compared to Cruise Ship WiFi
As mentioned, I was skeptical - I have been for a while. Cellular internet on cruise ships had always been insanely expensive, and when I’d tested it - it just wasn’t very good, either. But, here I was giving it a shot. I want to go over what I found to be the good and bad parts of staying connected this way - and there are truly positives and negatives to weigh.
The Good with GigSky
Out the gate I found GigSky very easy to set up. I just downloaded their app, selected a plan, paid, and clicked a button to install the eSim on my phone. For those not familiar, sometimes, installing an eSim can be…annoying. You may have to scan a QR code (which is trickier when that code is ON your phone), and paste information into phone settings. On my phone, at least, the process this time was easier than connecting to some ship and hotel WiFi networks.
The first two things I did once this was set up were also promising: I ran a speed test, and I joined a Zoom call. The first speed test was…okay, but I was able to connect to a video call, that was a success. That first speed test was in my cabin, and I did notice that the signal strength there wasn’t bad…but it wasn’t excellent. That may have been a contributing factor, and getting wireless signals into the metal boxes that are cabins is always tricky, which is why newer ships have WiFi access points in every single room.
Trying other areas on the ship, however, including restaurants, stairwells, and lounges, I found the speed was much better (as was the signal strength). The screenshot below is from Sip Lounge on deck 7 of Scarlet Lady. I should have checked some areas on the lowest passenger decks, but I honestly just didn’t think of it until writing this. At no point, however, did I notice an area where I completely lost connection with the cellular network, aside from it briefly getting hairy in an elevator once or twice. So, overall the coverage was better than I was worried it would be, and in many areas, it was significantly faster than what I was getting on the shipboard WiFi - a nice surprise. On a much larger ship, I can imagine that coverage might have more dark spots.
Another nice surprise, depending on the length of your cruise and the cruise line you’re sailing, is the price - we’ll cover that later in the article, but please do use coupon code CRUISEHABIT to save even more and support the site.
One more positive note here, which didn’t apply to me - but could be a nice win for other folks, is that the cruise ship plans from GigSky also let you use your data on land in a wide variety of other countries. So, if you don’t already have adequate international roaming on your mobile plan, this is a “two in one” kind of solution. As an added bonus, you don’t have to remember to turn off or change your cellular connection to avoid roaming or get back online, since using GigSky means that, once activated, your phone will just work whether in port or on the ship.
Where Shipboard WiFi May Have the Edge over GigSky
While using GigSky absolutely solved a problem for us, and it was a largely positive experience, by nature of it being a cellular solution there are some downsides you should know about. These may or may not matter to you, but are important to understand.
For one, you’re switching to a different phone service, and it’s data-only. This means you’ll not get calls or texts that you may have received using WiFi calling (on some lines, at least - Carnival blocks WiFi calling). In a perfect world, because you’re connected to the internet, this should work - but today, at least, it’s just not the way things run, and I don’t expect that to change. There are workarounds - like calling and texting using services like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. T-Mobile customers can even use the DIGITS app to use their ‘normal’ carrier number for calls and texts. Where this is a big problem, however, is if you use text/SMS for multi factor authentication. In other words, if you need a number from a text to login to something, you’ll not get that text.
If you use multiple devices when you cruise, and are used to switching back and forth by just logging in and logging out, that’s not an option here, since this isn’t WiFi. You can, however, turn on your mobile hotspot/tethering, to share the GigSky connection via WiFi, and have your other devices connect, so there’s a decent workaround here.
Whether on your phone, or tethering to your tablet or laptop, while we found the speeds to be better than expected, there are two considerations here. One is that GigSky service is metered - you have to buy an allotment of data, ranging from 512MB up to 10GB, so you’ll need to keep track of that so you don’t use it all before your trip is over, (there’s no opportunity to purchase more?) and you’ll want to estimate your needs so you can buy what’s right for you. In addition, under load, the latency on GigSky was higher than on some ship WiFi networks (though lower than others, in fairness) - this means that downloading an individual file, or streaming something, may be quick, web browsing, or other activities with a lot of different things happening at once, may feel slower.
Your itinerary also plays a role in how effective GigSky may be. Ships' cellular networks, which GigSky relies upon, are turned off when the ship is within 12 miles of land. In most cases, this just means when leaving or approaching port you may have a period where you're too close for that system to be on but too far to connect to terrestrial cellular (with GigSky or any other plan). Some inside pasage itineraries in Alaska, and even certain Mediterannean itineraries could be impacted by this.
The final caveat with GigSky service is that not everyone can use it. There are two basic requirements your phone has to meet: it must support eSims, and be unlocked (carrier/subsidy unlocked). The iPhone XR, released in 2018, and newer, generally support eSims, and most Android devices sold in the past several years also support eSims - though you’ll absolutely want to make sure your specific phone is supported. As for being unlocked, this isn’t about your lock screen, but it has to do with your phone carrier lets you use another carrier’s SIM. If you didn’t buy your phone from your carrier, in many cases you’re in good shape. If you did, or you're not sure, just call your carrier ahead of time and ask if your phone can be unlocked - don’t pay some shady third party to do this. In most cases if your phone is paid off, the carrier is required to remotely unlock it upon request. If you’re still making payments, they sometimes make temporary exceptions for travel.
How Much Does GigSky Cruise Cost?
Shipboard internet isn’t cheap. Depending on the length of your cruise and the plan you purchase, it’s usually more than you pay for a whole month of service at home, or even from your mobile carrier. On the upside, these days, it’s usually unlimited - meaning you don’t have to pay attention to how much data you’ve used in order to not “run out.” GigSky, however, offers plans with different allotments of data over a certain period of time, ranging from 512MB for a day up to 10GB for 30 days. This means, no matter how you intend to use your device, you’ll probably want to make sure that you’re not syncing photos with any online services, and that in general, you have things set to NOT automatically update while on cellular.
You can check on the cost of WiFi from the cruise line via the line’s website after logging in to your sailing and looking at available packages, but expect to pay somewhere around $25 per day per device, for the higher-tier packages. So, for a seven night cruise, that might be $175. There are many GigSky plans, but if you needed 3GB of data for up to 15 days on a Caribbean or European cruise, that can cost you between $50 and $65 - heavier users may want the 10GB plan, good for 30 days, for about $110 as of this writing (with coupon). Quick note here, if you use coupon code CRUISEHABIT at checkout, you’ll get 10% off your plan (excluding those for the North Sea), and you’ll help support the site.
As you can see, the price point can be pretty compelling for those not using an enormous amount of data - especially if you were already planning on paying for an international data add-on for when you’re ashore, since these plans work on land as well!
Wrapping Up My Experience with GigSky
I guess I’m a bit of a convert. Some of the things I thought were true about shipboard cellular were simply outdated ideas, and GigSky proved to be a really easy way to get online when I needed it the most. Will I use it every time?
For me, this is going to come down to what I’m doing on a cruise. If I’m uploading large videos to the YouTube channel, I’m going to need the unlimited data cruise lines provide. If I’m just going on a cruise to relax, and I’d otherwise need to pay for data to stay connected, or if I need to work and find the cruise line has restricted certain services, I’ll be purchasing a GigSky plan every time. This really does open up opportunities for me, offering a “backup” of sorts, where cruise lines previously had a monopoly. Further, while it may only be a savings to me on some sailings, for a lot of cruisers simply looking to keep up on social media, research destinations they’re visiting, or send photos to friends, this could be a really great way to do that while handing over a little less money than you’d have to with the cruise line’s plans.
If you try GigSky, do let us know what you think, and remember to use code CRUISEHABIT at checkout for a discount!