What You'll Pay: Whether you bring your own laptop and take advantage of shipboard Wi-Fi or park yourself at the computer center onboard, you will pay high rates for often slow internet connections. On the up side, connection speeds are improving, and select cruise lines can offer land-like speeds.

Cruise lines are no longer consistent in how they package or price Wi-Fi. Some lines charge 75 cents a minute for pay-as-you-go plans and offer packages that reduce the cost to around 55 cents a minute for buying internet time in bulk. Other lines charge daily rates based on how much bandwidth you use and which types of sites you can access; for example, a social media plan on Carnival might be $5 a day, while a premium plan with no streaming is $25 per day. An unlimited plan, including streaming, on Disney is $89 for 1,000 megabytes.

Savings Tip: Many cruise lines offer Wi-Fi packages as an added perk when booking certain promotions. Also look for free Wi-Fi access in port; you might need to buy a cup of coffee or a snack at a cafe to access it. You can also find cheaper internet centers in port. Some cellphone plans offer free or package data plans in foreign ports that might be cheaper than the cruise ship options. Plus, new cruise line apps offer certain planning and communication services, often for free or discounted rates, when you're onboard. #inCruises