IT and techy matters (so all of you will now see how bad my writing actually is because Seraphine refuses to edit my 100110010110 speak).

Making and Receiving calls:

I know that for a lot of you this is your first proper holiday away from the kids and we really really appreciate that. We also know how important it is that you have a good reliable connection to the outside world so that you can regularly contact your beloved family members. Most of the days we will be docked next to a major island which should mean a good mobile phone signal. So for those of you needing to make or receive calls it won't be a problem.

For those of you that have emergency calls when we aren't in port the cruise ship has a satellite phone service that you will be able to use. If you would like to give out a number that can be reached in case of emergencies only, and when your own mobile is out of service, you can give the following number: +47 236 74 517 

Please only use that number in the case of real emergencies only and when your own number is unreachable. 

Data Connectivity - 3G/4G Wifi Hotspots:

For data connectivity we have also purchased a bunch of local data SIM chips and will be placing 3G/4G wifi hotspots in the main public areas of the boat. So you won't have to use your roaming data package.

  • Please use this responsibly as you are sharing it with another 200 passengers.
  • Please don't use this bandwidth to download movies, photos, Facebook etc.
  • Also please make sure you turn off any syncing services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud etc. those will really eat up a lot of the bandwidth.
  • Please also disconnect from the wifi network when you are no longer using it. Each wifi hotspot can only accommodate 14 users at one time. So if you don’t disconnect you are stopping others from getting onto the wifi network.

If any of you have issues with figuring all of this out I have nominated Terence Loo and Keith Tsui to act as the IT support desk. Get to know them, kiss their ass a bit and they should help you out.

These devices unfortunately won't work while we are sailing at sea and there isn't a strong 3G/4G signal. But most nights we should be partying so it shouldn't matter too much.

Le Lyrial Satellite Internet Wifi Service:

For those of you that really need to have Internet access while we are away from port there is wifi internet access via satellite available from the cruise ship. This is very expensive and will be charged to your room account.

The price is as follows:

100 minutes = € 30

240 minutes = € 60

1000 minutes = € 180

You will be able get more info about this on the cruise ship itself.

Mobile Chatting Tool - Firechat:

To further save on the data and also to allow people to chat to each other when we have no network service, I am also recommending that everyone please download the app Firechat.

This app was made famous during Occupy Central in Hong Kong last year. It allows people to chat to each other even when there is no network service at all. You will need to turn bluetooth for it to work but the good thing is that you can chat to other people on the boat without having to use data.

Please download the apps below:

FireChat by Open Garden Inc

This app allows us to chat to each other “off grid” which basically means we don’t use up the internet bandwidth to chat to each other or to our respective teams.

It is very easy to setup and once you have you can create chatrooms for whatever subject you wish but just using a hashtag.

I have already created one using #bigfatcruisewedding. You guys can create chatrooms for whatever you want, could be your Olympic teams for example.

Just be warned though, all the chats are completely and totally public. So please be aware that whatever you are posting can be seen by the whole world, and your opposing team members.