There’s no doubt that you’ve heard the buzz with Pokemon Go. The new app only came out a few weeks ago and has made headlines everywhere. That’s what happens when you have an app downloaded more than 100 million times in a single month.
If you are a Pokemon player or you have kids cruising with you, then you may be wondering if the app will work on a cruise.
The answer is yes, Pokemon Go works on cruises, but there are some limitations.
Internet Access at Sea
As you may know, the game relies on a data connection to operate and track your location. If you are just taking your phone out with you on the ship, you’ll soon learn that there is no cell reception in the middle of the open water.
Instead, you’ll have to connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi to play. That means you’ll have to buy an Internet access package. This is doable, but it does cost some decent cash. For example, Carnival charges $25 per day for it’s fastest connection.
According to some players, however, just because you have Wi-Fi doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get an accurate GPS signal that’s needed to play the game.
A Reddit user recently mentioned “We picked up the ship Internet but it only lets you get a gps signal from the upper 3-4 levels.”
So even if you purchase the Internet package, it may not mean the game works flawlessly.
Playing Pokemon Go on the Cruise
What’s more is that out in the ocean, you aren’t going to find a lot of wild Pokemon. A Quora user had this to say when asked if you can catch Pokemon in the ocean:
“I found the answer on my last boat ride. It is no. Turns out pokemon spawn rates are based on cellular usage density and a usage density of zero (Open ocean, no humans in miles.) equals a pokemon density of zero. While idling out of the marina, a few water types can be found along coasts, but more than 100 meters out, the spawns stop.”
What you can do, however, is make some progress hatching eggs. We’ve read from Reddit users that the ship’s movement can be used to help you out:
“We booked a last minute cruise before the game came out from FL to Bahamas. Expected to be off game and going through withdrawal. However we discovered the Incense 60sec/200m moving rule just before it was posted.
The cruise ship generally moves just above the speed needed to hatch eggs. However with an active incense my wife and I were pulling spawns every 60sec and in general the were upper tier quality 1/5 times, mid range 2/5, and fodder 2/5.”
Note: Cruise ships can travel at up to 25 miles per hour, above what people report is the “speed limit” for hatching eggs.
Playing Pokemon Go in Ports
Where you’ll need to be careful is when you hit a port of call. While Pokemon should be available in the wild in these ports, keep in mind that playing the game will mean you have to have a data connection. If you are in a foreign port, be careful of using roaming data, which can lead to insanely high bills. Instead, either connect to Wi-Fi where available or look into your phone plan to see about getting international coverage.
Have you played Pokemon Go on a cruise? Let us know your experience in the comments below…
