TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Wifi access

Seems that one of our guests will need Internet access almost daily (attorney, working vacation). Do most harbors have WIFI hotspots?
I was down there two years ago and it was spotty at best. Hate to spend 65 bucks a day from renport for Internet. Anybody have ideas or suggestions?
I would rather be unplugged, but Captain may need to accommodate needs of crew.

I would have him rent from renport. Only other option would be to get your own simcard and your own router. That is an option that would be less expensive. I'd probably go with digicell as I've not had good luck with LIME lately and had better luck the one time we were given a router to use that was digicell.

Wifi is available in many spots, but not as reliable in the anchorage so it might require a trip to shore.

If he just needs email access, then getting an unlocked phone and sim card would be an option as well.

David,

To you and all captains out there, no one appreciates all the responsibilities we must bear!

I'd pretty much agree with maytrix on the choices. I bought an alpha range wifi range extender several years ago and it really pulls in the signal but most of the sites are password protected these days. Going to shore might work out but I would think it would be a pain for all but casual use. I got the renport deal for $150 for 10 days at Sunsail so you might be able to negotiate. If it was $50/day I'd be thinking about a phone and a plan that allows tethering, a usb stick, assuming he has a usb port for communications or your own hotspot.

It's all sounding like way too much trouble..., I may leave her in West End and pick her up on the way back!! She'll have a whole 4 hours sailing under her belt and it'll be off her bucket list.

It's not really that big a deal. And since she's the one that needs it, why not have her take care of it?

Renting would be the easiest and least work at the highest cost. Getting a simcard and an unlocked phone to handle email isn't a big deal either. www.mrsimcard.com and buy an unlocked phone on amazon. I use a Lumia 520 and it works.

If she has AT&T, when on the west side (norman, soper's JVD) you can often get a decent AT&T signal.

Thanks Matt
I'll throw it in her court.

Ha! Love it! Actually, if you do not normally have a need for connectivity while on vacation I think it is perfectly legitimate to explain the options available and let her make the decision and do the leg work and the paying. Part of being a captain is making the hard decisions (even if you go with the West End one)!!!

I find that's the best way to handle it when someone has a special need that only they have. I wanted to have connectivity on the boat, so I figured it out myself. But when you don't want/need it, best to let the person who does handle it.

I'd apply the same to special food needs..etc.

BeerMe
You made me laugh out loud (no simple LOL)
She's a dear friend and wouldn't want to make it a burden on her to be able to work on the road. I'll talk to her, between her and her tech's, and what I've read on the Forum, we'll figure something out.

Thanks

It is not that hard to stay connected. most charter companies have wifi available on their boats. You just pay the fee and go. I do payroll every two weeks and check in occasionally by tapping into my work computer and send emails. My staff can always call, text email me if they need to. So far I have not had any panic calls, only a few computer issue questions when we first had digital imaging. Staff knows I'm here to relax and they are great about taking care of themselves

I've been dealing with managing expectations and iffy personalities lately for our next two trips. Usually we are alone and all is fine but the very first trip was with another couple and it was mostly a disaster. I vowed to make sure anyone else who ever stepped on board with us had very realistic expectations for the good of the group and that entails many things.

I had a brother in law bring his two daughters to a family reunion but he had to work to save his vacation time. He went to McDonalds every morning, for wifi access even though we had it there and stayed there most of the day. I really wish that hadn't happened. On a boat everything gets intensified and I think it is important to make sure one bad apple doesn't spoil the batch. If she has serious work commitments she may not belong on a small boat in the Caribbean. It sounds harsh but I'd have an honest discussion about your expectations and theirs. I've had 9 great trips in the BVI's and one very bad one. If you make sure to let them know about all the not perfect stuff (heat, breakdowns, rocking, rain at night, living in close quarters, connectivity...) and you and they still agree it's a go then you've done as much as you can to make it a successful trip. It may be easier to fix a friendship due to work than to fix a friendship due to someone who had to work while supposedly on vacation. Hope that helps.

There's no reason to bring an iffy personality. We've never taken anyone we've thought might be an issue. We have had some people we didn't know well - family of others..etc but its all worked out fine as everyone knew what to expect.

Setting expectations is key. A good reminder that this is not a cruise ship, but a boat where everyone is crew and no one is a guest is a good place to start.

Didn't mean to give a bad impression of her.
She just returned from a 4 week trek through south east Asia and a one week turn around trip trip for a reunion in Florida. I think she's just catching up from her absence. We had dinner with her on New Year's Eve and she just said she would need Internet access if she came along. That's where I'm coming from. Would like her to join us, but not make it a burden on anyone else.

She's a hoot and would love to have her along,

Ah yeah, if she's a fun person that's great, if she's a hoot I need her email address! I'm a little jaundiced so just trust your own instincts. I was only pointing out worst case. If she only needs "some" internet don't leave her at West End!

Beerme, sorry but this:" due to someone who had to work while supposedly on vacation" is not a bad thing. Some of us are able to vacation because of connectivity. We use Team Viewer, and can see my works PC from my boat. I can also do payroll from the boat. The only thing someone at home has to do is put checks in the printer.

I'm with sail2wind, we could not plan as much time in the islands if I could not be in touch with my offices and work a bit a couple of mornings each week. I'm done working before my lady is up and have my second cup of coffee with her as the day starts. I'm free to enjoy the rest of the day with no worries.

It looks like we're going to pull the trigger on the Digicel prepaid option. The price of the router is cheaper than a week's worth of ATT international data roaming for two. I like the idea of adding a fixed 4G LTE router on the boat that just plain works when you need it.

Cheers, RickG

That's what I did. I got a mifi from digicel. Usually good coverage. Poor coverage deep in the bite of Norman. Poor coverage in anegada. No coverage at peter when mega yachts where on the dock blocking our view of tortola. Portability is nice when driving around virgin Gorda.

Ok sail2wind and RickG I stand corrected! I just had visions of someone on the bow with a dock line just as her boss is calling... I do tend to conjure up these things in my mind - some island time improves this condition.

We had good coverage with the Digicel 120V router out to Anegada from Leverick, in the anchorage and all the way to Jost. I have an ATT mifi and I like it, but to keep on the boat I'd just as soon have something semi-permanently mounted.

Cheers, RickG

Call me dumb
But is this something you pack along with you for a charter, or is this a permanent installation on your own boat???

You can simply pack it along with you.

The mifi device is tiny and potable. It is charged with a usb cable. The 120 volt router is a different beast. Much larger and requires more energy.

We're adding a Digicel router to our boat. It will stay there. I also have an ATT mifi that I pack along.

Cheers, RickG

I may try the router too, but I know someone who went the other way