Internet access on cruise ships Nigel Kirkness, Cheshire, writes Every time we cruise we fall for the cruise line's extortionate charging for what is normally an unreliable and very slow internet service. Is there any prospect of an improvement of the speeds and a reduction of the cost? Jane Archer, cruise expert, replies I am constantly frustrated by the internet connections at sea. Cruise lines warn that service will be slower than on land and this can be to do with satellite location. But it also has a lot to do with the bandwidth provided by the ship. I have been unable to get online on a Crystal Cruises" ship in the Mediterranean, but had fast connections cruising to the Falkland Islands on P & O's Adonia. It doesn't help that MTN Satellite has a virtual monopoly on the service or that cruise lines have come to rely on internet charges as a lucrative revenue stream. Carnival Cruise Lines (carnivalcruise.co.uk) charges $0.75 (49p) per minute, Azamara Club Cruises (azamaraclubcruises.com) $0.65 (42p) per minute, though both have packages that bring the price down. British cruise lines tend to be more reasonable. Thomson Cruises (thomson.co.uk/cruises) charges £10 for one hour (16p a minute) and £18 for three hours. This summer, Royal Caribbean International is trialling a service which claims to offer speeds four times faster than is currently available at sea. Increasingly ports offer free Wi-Fi in their terminals, which is one way around the charges.