French line Ponant this week became the latest luxury line to offer free, unlimited WiFi to all guests even in the most remote destination in the world.
All guests will have free access to WiFi throughout the ship during their cruise irrespective of the category of their stateroom.
Using satellite connection, the service allows passengers to take to the sea without losing contact with family or friends, Ponant disclosed this week.
Ponant joins growing number of luxury lines which now offer free, unlimited Wifi connection for guests including Regent Seven Seas and Crystal Cruises.
This means that guests can browse the net, post photos on social media, check emails and stay connected with family and friends.
Silversea and Oceania will introduce free, unlimited internet access for all guests from April this year.
Other lines continue to charge varying fees based on different packages for internet access.
Notable among them is ultra-luxe line Seabourn. The line’s president told Cruise Passenger that guests get free caviar – but are charged US$19.95 for 120 minutes or a basic charge of US40cents a minute for internet.
Among other lines, Azamara Club Cruises charges US$19.95 for 60 minutes; P&O charges $55 for 100 minutes, Princess charges US$24.99 a day to surf the net without streaming and Royal Caribbean International charges US$15 a day for high-speed internet and $20 a day for older ships with slower internet access.
Both Viking River and Ocean cruises also offer unlimited FREE WiFi and also make available FREE computers for your use and FREE printing of documents such as outbound airline boarding passes on their ocean cruises.