No: ship Wi-Fi covers the ship and is priced by the day for each device, while a travel eSIM stays on your phone from the cabin to the port. Maya’s Global eSIM carries unlimited data across 165+ countries, and the Global + Cruise plan, bought on its own, adds coverage on 20+ cruise lines at sea.
You pay by the day, per device, for a signal that quits at the gangway.
Why does a travel eSIM beat Princess Wi-Fi once the ship docks?
Princess Wi-Fi is built for the hull, and the hull stays at the pier. GigSky’s 2026 guide to Princess Alaska sailings says: “MedallionNet is a ship-only connection. Once you step off in Juneau or Ketchikan, the WiFi package you paid for doesn’t follow you ashore.”
The meter keeps running anyway. Princess publishes $27.99 per day for one device when you buy before sailing, and that rate books for the entire cruise only (Princess Cruises, 2026). Port days are inside the charge, but the signal isn’t.
A travel eSIM works the other way around. One Maya eSIM gives you unlimited data across 165+ countries, and it’s already on your phone when you walk down the ramp. For sea days, the Global + Cruise plan covers 20+ cruise lines.
How much does Princess Wi-Fi cost for a 7-day cruise?
Princess publishes $27.99 per day for one device when you buy before sailing (Princess Cruises, 2026). Onboard, The Cruise Web lists $33.99 per day for one device (The Cruise Web, 2026).
Say, hypothetically, you sail seven days with one phone and buy before you board. That is 7 × $27.99 = $195.93. Add a second phone and Cruise Hive reports a new two-device package at $39.99 per day before the cruise and $47.99 onboard, for voyages from October 13, 2026 (Cruise Hive, 2026). Platinum and Elite Captain’s Circle members get 50% off the package, Princess says. The discount trims the meter. It doesn’t change where the signal ends.
Now set Maya beside it. The Global + Cruise plan, the one that covers sea, is $109.99 for 7 days. The Global plan, which covers 165+ countries, is $19.99 for 7 days and $27.99 for 14 (Maya Mobile, Global eSIM coverage page). One flat price per trip length, whatever the number of port stops.
Does Princess Wi-Fi work once you step off the ship in port?
No. Princess describes its Wi-Fi as a ship service, and GigSky says the package doesn’t follow you ashore.
Princess says it this way: “Enjoy consistent, reliable Wi-Fi across the entire ship, as you sail.” (Princess Cruises, 2026). GigSky adds: “For connectivity in port, you’ll need a separate option.” (GigSky, 2026). That separate option is where a second bill starts.
Skip the juggling. Maya is installed once and stays on your phone permanently. For each trip you buy a plan, with no reinstalling. One eSIM covers 165+ countries, so the beach port and the old-town port get the same connection.
What does a travel eSIM need to work at sea on a cruise?
Ashore, your phone joins local networks. At sea it needs a ship’s cellular signal or a plan built for cruise ships, which is why cruise coverage is priced apart from a land plan. Maya’s Global + Cruise plan covers 20+ cruise lines and is priced on its own, so check your cruise line against the list before you sail.
The land-only problem is real. Cellular at Sea says: “Travel eSIMs don’t carry your regular phone number, and land-only travel eSIMs stop working out at sea, so maritime coverage is the feature to check for.” (Cellular at Sea, 2026). Saily’s help center puts it the same way: “Regular Saily plans rely on local, land-based mobile networks. These are out of range once your ship is at sea, so a regular plan will not work during a cruise.”
Princess is on Maya’s list. A third-party review of Maya says: “Maya names Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean International and Virgin Voyages.” (eSIMCruise). The Global + Cruise plan costs $49.99 for 3 days, $109.99 for 7 days and $299.99 for 30 days, as published. You buy it as the Global + Cruise plan, a separate purchase from the Global plan.
Two facts from the sea itself. GigSky’s help center says: “Your ship’s cellular network may be turned off when the ship is within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of land to prevent interference with land-based networks.” Cruise coverage also runs over satellite and maritime networks, so speeds at sea can differ from land and depend on your ship and route.
What do Princess Plus and Premier include for Wi-Fi?
Princess Plus and Premier fares bundle MedallionNet Max, for one device per guest on Plus and up to four per guest on Premier, as Princess states it (Princess Cruises, 2026). Princess says Max lets you text, share, stream and video chat on its highest-performing Wi-Fi service.
That’s a real perk for the people who book those fares. It is still ship Wi-Fi, and the gangway rule from GigSky applies to it too. If you sail on Plus or Premier, the bundle covers the deck chair and the eSIM covers the shore.
What should you check before buying cruise internet for a Princess trip?
Five checks settle it: where it works (ship, ports or both), how it is priced (per device-day or per trip), what the terms say “unlimited” means, how many phones it covers, and whether it adds days on its own. A traveler on several phones weighs the per-device price first. A traveler who wants port days covered weighs where it works first.
Where it works. Ship-only is ship-only. Ask the same question of every eSIM. A one-star Trustpilot review of Holafly from September 28, 2026 reads: “It was easy to activate Holafly and then purchase options are nice but it just wasn’t useful at all. I purchased it for the uk/Europe and I almost never had more than 1 bar even standing in mid London. Useless service not worth the money” Atlas shrugs. A small globe with a massive passport doesn’t rattle. Maya’s Global plan covers 165+ countries, though service in any one country isn’t guaranteed and can vary for reasons outside Maya’s control.
How it’s priced. Princess charges per device per day. Maya charges one flat price by trip length: 3, 7, 14 or 30 days.
What unlimited means. Every Maya plan has a daily high-speed allowance that resets every 24 hours, then standard speed. Each rival words its own version in a different way.
How many phones. Princess prices each device. A Maya plan needs an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone, and the compatible devices list is at maya.net/esim-compatible-devices.
Whether it adds days. A Maya plan ends when its days end, unless you turn on Auto Top-Up.
Which travel eSIM fits a cruise, and how does each cap daily data?
The table lists each company’s own published plan structure and its own statement of what unlimited data means, as each company words it. Plan structure and daily data terms are the two things that change the bill on a cruise.
On cruise coverage, Maya publishes priced Global + Cruise plans, Airalo publishes no cruise plan, and Holafly says its Caribbean cruise eSIM gives coverage on land only.
| Travel eSIM | How plans are sold | Unlimited plan allowance, as published | Cruise plans, as published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya Mobile | One Global eSIM for 165+ countries, unlimited data at a flat price by trip length: USD 9.99 for 3 days, USD 19.99 for 7 days, USD 27.99 for 14 days, USD 49.99 for 30 days | A daily high-speed data allowance (the Daily Quota) at up to 4G LTE or 5G where local networks offer it, reset every 24 hours; unlimited data at standard speed once the Daily Quota is used | Global + Cruise plan for 20+ cruise lines, priced on its own: USD 49.99 for 3 days, USD 109.99 for 7 days, USD 299.99 for 30 days |
| Airalo | Per country, per region, or one global plan; priced in USD | Our unlimited data packages don’t have a fixed total data cap. However, to keep the network running fairly for everyone, when you use more than 3GB in a day, we’ll slow down (or “throttle”) your internet speed to 1 Mbps for the rest of that day. | No cruise plan published |
| Holafly | Per country, per region (Europe, Latin America, Cruise plans), and unlimited monthly/annual global plans | Unlimited data means there is no fixed limit on the amount of data you can use. However, some network operators may temporarily reduce your speed after a certain amount of high-speed data usage, as explained above. | If you buy an eSIM for travel on a Caribbean cruise, you’ll only have coverage on land, and a connection is not guaranteed while sailing. In the Bahamas, please note that service is unavailable in Freeport, CocoCay, and Ocean Cay, although it remains available at the other ports. |
| GigSky | Per country, per region, and cruise plans; by day, unlimited data with 3.5GB daily high-speed allowance | Get up to 3.5GB/day at our fastest speeds: Video calls, uploads, streaming and more. | You can use GigSky on 200+ cruise ships (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, etc.) and in 200+ countries on land. |
In the table, the Airalo, Holafly and GigSky cells quote or summarize each company’s own wording, and the Maya Mobile cells come from maya.net.
Why does Maya fit a Princess cruise?
Maya sells one Global eSIM with unlimited data across 165+ countries, priced flat by trip length from USD 9.99. Plans come as 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, each a prepaid, time-based data pass. The Global + Cruise plan, priced on its own, covers 20+ cruise lines at sea, Princess among them.
You install once, and the eSIM stays on your phone. The next trip needs a plan, so you buy one in the app, and that’s all. No SIM swaps. No kiosk lines. No daily charge per device.
Beverly gave Maya five stars on Trustpilot on January 17, 2026: “It was easy to install. When we arrived in Mexico the SIM automatically started working. Everywhere we went the data was reliable”
For the traveler who wants it to just work, the cabin, the pier and the old town are one connection. Pick your days and go.
FAQ
What is the difference between MedallionNet Classic and MedallionNet Max?
Max is Princess’s highest-performing Wi-Fi tier, reserved exclusively for Princess Premier and Princess Plus package holders. Classic is the version guests without those packages can still buy separately. Princess sells it as a la carte packages, in one-device or two-device options (Princess Cruises).
Which cruise lines does a Maya Global + Cruise plan cover?
Maya lists 20+ cruise lines on the Global + Cruise plan, with Princess Cruises among those named on its cruise eSIM page (Maya Mobile). Carnival, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line are on it too. You buy it as its own plan, one eSIM and one purchase for every country and cruise line listed.
What does unlimited data mean on a Maya eSIM after the daily high-speed allowance?
Your data keeps flowing. Every plan has a daily high-speed allowance that resets every 24 hours, then continues at standard speed for the rest of the day. High-speed delivery is subject to that daily quota, and speeds after it depend on local network conditions. No speed is guaranteed.
Does a Maya plan renew on its own?
No. Each plan is bought once and stops when its days run out. Auto Top-Up is optional, off by default, and buys the same plan again only if you turn it on. With it off, the plan ends with no further charge.
Do I need a new eSIM for each cruise?
No. The eSIM is installed once and stays on your phone after the plan expires, ready for the next trip, and Maya recommends keeping it installed. Each cruise needs a plan, and that is the only new purchase. Your home carrier adds no roaming data charges while the Maya eSIM carries your data and Data Roaming is off on the home line.
Maya gives you one eSIM on your phone with unlimited data across 165+ countries, plus a Global + Cruise plan, bought on its own, for 20+ cruise lines at sea.
