Our family loves to travel on cruise ships for our annual holidays. But like most families, we are an internet data-hungry family.
Now, the cost associated with getting internet on cruise ships is very high. Just have a look at Carnival’s internet packages as of 2025 Australian prices.
- Social only starting at AUD $17.00 /person per day
- One device starting at AUD $25.50 /person per day
- Premium 4 devices starting AUD $90.00 /per day. Really, come on!
Many cruise shipping companies are all charging around the same prices for internet so Royal Caribbean, Princess, P&O, and others have very similar costs. Going on a cruise for 1 week is going to hurt your hip pocket if you need wifi internet for many family members.
Most families and groups simply select one package and then swap details whenever someone else in the family needs internet access. It works like this, say I purchase the internet package, it will be tied to my account, so when I first log in, it may ask for my last name, room number, and date of birth.
Giving these details to other party members will give them internet access for free, but it will kick me off my 1 device for internet. This is not ideal, but it is a free way to share your internet connection with other members. For those that are wondering, no, setting up a hotspot won’t work from a phone.
Read on for how I share my 1 internet connection to 4 family members.
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So, how can we share this one account with many people or devices at the same time? Short answer: You need a portable travel router.(Amazon)
I use the famous GL.iNet A1300 Slate Plus because it just works everywhere. In short, it has long-range wireless, built-in VPNs, it’s easy to set up, and will connect to Hotel WiFi, cruise liners, & captive portals. The phone tethering is handy, can be used as an access point. Small pocket-sized for traveling and simple to update the firmware.
Best Portable WiFi for cruise ships
A travel router is a device that lets you input your hotel or ship’s login details. This signal can then be repeated or shared to many devices at the same time. It’s called a Wi-Fi repeater.
One of the best portable Wifi routers for cruise ships is the GL.iNet range of travel routers. There are many different versions depending on the features. I have the GL.iNet GL-A1300, and we found it to work flawlessly on our many cruise trips.
How to set up a travel router
The best way to set up a travel router for cruise ships is to first set it up at home. This will make you familiar with using graphic interfaces. Write all of the logon details down so you don’t forget and take all of the quick start documentation with you on your trip for reference. There is often useful information on the back of the small router.
I like to plug the travel router in with a LAN cable to first set it up. Otherwise, you can log in via the Wifi details printed on the bottom of the router.
Log in to your travel router and go to the main admin panel. The user documentation will show you how to log into the web interface. The GL.iNet GL-A1300 web address is 192.168.8.1 and then set it up with a new admin password and Wifi details that you will remember on the cruise ship.
Most important is to set the travel router in Router mode and also in Wifi Repeater mode. This enables the router to repeat the single logon details for all members of your group.
Once you are on the cruise ship, use a device such as a smartphone or tablet to first connect to the onboard internet. This will make sure everything is working before transitioning to the travel router.
You will then need to use a second device to connect to the travel router first via wifi. Go to the ship’s log on web page on that new device to activate the travel router settings. This will force it to remember the login details. Generally, this will be the first page that will auto-load. Take note of this page’s address.
If it won’t auto-load, you will have to ask for help at the service desk, or you can try these addresses
www.onboardicafe.com or www.carnivalwifi.com for P&O / Carnival cruise liners.
What devices can be used on a travel router?
With young kids, some cruise boats don’t have a huge amount of activities or content to keep them occupied when we are all relaxing in the cabin. Some ships have smart TVs, some don’t. What I have found works well is to take a Chromecast or Fire TV Stick to insert into the HDMI port of the TV, then use a phone or tablet to cast Netflix or Disney+ to the TV. The Chromecast will connect to the travel router as well as the phone at the same time.
This way, the children can watch their favorite shows, and I can do my work on a laptop at the same time with only one internet connection.
Travel routers will not get you internet for free, but is sure will let you share the connection to extra members of your family without having to spend more on data plans.
Can the travel router be used outside the cabin?
Yes, some travel routers can be used outside the cruise ship cabin, but you will need a power source. To test this theory, I used a 10000mAh power bank. This one is great INIU Portable Charger, as it has the battery level remaining as an LCD display. We just put the travel router in a backpack/handbag, connected to the power bank, and walked around the ship.
Occasionally, we would lose internet connection between floor levels, but a reboot of the travel router was all that was needed to establish internet again. I am guessing connecting to different hotspots was causing the dropout.
The power bank was large enough to provide internet for around 7 hours. So I was very impressed.
Problems I faced with travel routers.
Apart from the occasional drop-outs while roaming the ship, we never had any real issues. Be careful with leaving power banks in a bag out in the sun, as they can overheat.
5Ghz or 2.4 GHz,? This will be a personal preference and what range you can get. I prefer 2.4GHz as I get better range and a more stable connection. Try forcing 20MHz on 2.4GHz if you are having connection issues.
Make sure to test out your travel router at home as this will make you familiar with the device and solve 90% of your login issues.
Check online for any firmware updates and apply them before going on your trip. This will sort out any bugs that can be in the system.
Disconnect your travel router when not in use and put it away when you are out of your cabin. Some cruise liners are starting to crack down and ban travel routers. I need them for work to connect through a VPN for security so it’s a working holiday for me. But best not to advertise your hardware.
Conclusion
I have used many travel wifi devices over the years, and I can say that the GL.inet (Amazon) range of devices are the best I have come across. They are so easy to use, fast, and can be used with a power bank.
Remember to bring a power board as you will soon use up all of your cabin’s wall outlets. One USA/Australia wall adapter also helps convert those wall adapters.
For those who are addicted to an online world, a cruise ship will have many distractions, but on those down days when you just want to relax in front of a screen. Sharing your internet connection with a family of four can become a breeze with a good travel router.
Let me know in the comments below if you are having any issues sharing a ship’s internet connection, and I will try and help you out.
I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.
I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.
