Jump to content

Cell Phones


HootieTootie
 Share

Recommended Posts

Are you able to use your cell phone while on the Viking River cruise? In Germany and Budapest?

 

The answer here is not a simple yes or no and lots of people are going to jump in with details that I can't provide.

 

The long and the short of it is is this: yes, cell service is available but it will cost you (check with your service provider about their international plans) and if you want to use your cell while the ship is underway that is a different story that someone more knowledgeable than I will have to address. And there are ways to lessen the impact on your pocket book (like phone and messaging services that operate via the wi-fi service on board, like keeping your phone in airplane mode if you aren't using it to make a phone call, etc).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We also have T-Mobile.. that good to know. I will have to check on the international plan and see if our phones will be ok

The really nice thing about the T-Mobile international plan is that texting and data are free. Also, if you hook up to the ships wi-fi you can use apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber to place phone calls for free, but the receiving party needs to also have the apps installed on their phone. And of course if you have an iPhone you can use Facetime for free as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you for your help. We were just wanting to be able to use the phone to send a text every now and then to the family to let them know we were there and safe. I will check with your carrier

 

You may all laugh but I'm too cheap to pay for international services; I'm always afraid that I am going to go over the limits--and having to keep track of them is beyond my patience. So, when I board the plane, I switch my phone to airplane mode and there it stays until we land again on our side of the pond. And Verizon also has this pay by the day plan, which I think I have turned on, which will cover us in emergencies.

 

We use "What'sApp," which works on wi-fi, for texting the family and for finding one another while on board the ship. I download maps to my phone for off-line navigation while we are walking around but even then I still prefer a good old-fashioned printed on paper map for getting around. And since I can surf the internet and download my mail to my phone, I don't even carry a laptop or a tablet anymore. Yes, this plan is not perfect; I am the first to admit it but it has worked for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All I need is a way to let my kids know we are there and doing good and thats all.

 

Then as long as you have a smart phone capable of running the app, I'd just have your kids get you all set up in a group on WhatsApp and then use the onboard wifi to stay in touch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HootieTootie, any of the newer T-Mobile plans should automatically include international text messaging and data for no additional charge. Call customer service and find out. If you do have this, our experience is that it works great, and exactly as advertised.

 

The data is slowish (capped at 2G speed, or 3G speeds if you pay a tad extra), but even at the slower speed it worked pretty well for us in India last year. I upgraded to the higher speeds before our more recent trips and we've used it a ton all over Europe, Australia, and South America. I even had cellular data on Easter Island!

 

You can also tether a laptop to your phone and use the international data that way. Last November I had to take care of something on the work VPN. I couldn't get in through a wi-fi connection but I could get in while tethered to the phone.

 

Calls over a local cellular network while abroad are only 20 cents per minute. And I think incoming calls are actually free. But if you are connected to a decent wi-fi network, you can call over wi-fi (without an additional app, it's through T-Mobile) for free. On one of our Europe trips last year our car had mechanical issues getting to the airport and I had to make hours of calls back to the US while we were away. It cost maybe $5 extra for everything.

 

Peregrina651, you are not cheap, just smart. We had Verizon for years. Their international plans are horribly expensive and it is the one and only reason we left them after 25 years. Once we started to travel as much as we do, it just was not worth it to pay extra for international data or roaming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Verizon worked in Germany not in Switzerland on our recent cruise

 

Really... I wonder why? Does it say that on their website? We have Verizon and will probably be in Switzerland next May.

 

I use WiFi calling to text and call free when we travel. It's a service that is on some newer cell phones, like the iPhone 7 and 8. You do need an Internet/WiFi connection to use. And unlike large cruiseships, most river cruises offer free WiFi. ;)

 

https://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2015/02/free-wifi-river-cruise-companies-include-in-fare/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just got off the Viking Grand European itinerary on Sunday and we are now in Sweden for three weeks. Prior to leaving for our trip last month, I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile. We had been with AT&T since our first cell phone. We travel a lot and I was tired of paying their exorbitant rates for international coverage. My T-Mobile plan is $50 a month which includes unlimited data and text while traveling international. It served us well while traveling in Hungary, Budapest and Germany. There were only a few places along the river where service was spotty. Check it out, you can’t beat the plans that T-Mobile offers.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A word of caution on wifi - it might be offered on all river cruises but that doesn't mean you'll always have great connections ;-) We had a lot of dead zones on our cruise between Strasbourg and Basel - hotel director blamed it on a location issue (and country boundaries - service providers, I guess?) We had actually bought german SIMs for our phones which worked great in Germany, but of course by then we were out of service on those too. We managed fine, but do be aware that when it comes to IT, what is advertised isn't always what you are able to get ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A word of caution on wifi - it might be offered on all river cruises but that doesn't mean you'll always have great connections ;-) We had a lot of dead zones on our cruise between Strasbourg and Basel - hotel director blamed it on a location issue (and country boundaries - service providers, I guess?) We had actually bought german SIMs for our phones which worked great in Germany, but of course by then we were out of service on those too. We managed fine, but do be aware that when it comes to IT, what is advertised isn't always what you are able to get ;-)

 

 

 

I thought that there was full cellphone roaming in Europe. I’m hoping so since I plan to get a SIM in Denmark next year and use it in Norway and the UK.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought that there was full cellphone roaming in Europe. I’m hoping so since I plan to get a SIM in Denmark next year and use it in Norway and the UK.

 

Take care with that as technically it is full roaming within the EU, which does not include all countries within Europe and specifically not Norway, Switzerland etc.

 

Norway is being added to most of the roaming plans though but do check with the provider you intend to use.

 

Also check carefully about data roaming as that is a bit different to phone call roaming and can have 'fair use' limits applied.

 

Also, and obviously I hope, calls back to the USA/Canada are not included unless they are a specific feature of the service you purchase.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take care with that as technically it is full roaming within the EU, which does not include all countries within Europe and specifically not Norway, Switzerland etc.

 

Norway is being added to most of the roaming plans though but do check with the provider you intend to use.

 

Also check carefully about data roaming as that is a bit different to phone call roaming and can have 'fair use' limits applied.

 

Also, and obviously I hope, calls back to the USA/Canada are not included unless they are a specific feature of the service you purchase.

 

 

 

Thanks for the information. I don’t call anyone so that isn’t an issue. I do want data. I have a document on roaming in the EU. I don’t think the “fair use” will be an issue for the amount I use. I will purchase a prepaid bundle in Denmark. Thanks for the reminder about Norway. I’ll need to watch for that.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We bought our SIMs Dec 2014, before current cell phone practices & roaming agreements in Europe. And to be fair, I haven't read of any recent trip reviews commenting on wifi signal issues in the same area, so maybe that has changed/improved as well.

 

We live in the boonies. We have terrible but expensive internet. I'm pretty much always cynical when it comes to what my options will be for connectivity - that way I might be pleasantly surprised ;-) But people who don't ever have to think about where their coverage is coming from might not think about how it is in other places (like my sister, who doesn't understand why we can't facetime the kids all the time or we run out of data, or why I don't stream any movies, or....Well, our online lives are different, I suppose - I might also be the only person I know who has "good cheap fast internet" on my retirement wish list....)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those with AT&T, which we use because it has pretty extensive support through most of Europe, we get a program that cost $10/day of use. I turn off my iPhone and use emails and other Apps via WiFi, but when I want to call and talk, I’ll call and it costs me $10 to use the phone for 24hrs, including texts. So I select which day(s) i’m going to use it, and then make numerous calls and texts. I then turn it off and don’t use it until I’m ready to make calls again.

 

I was told Verizon has that plan, and other carriers probably do also. I leave the plan on my system since it’s only activated when I make international calls.

 

Just another option.

 

Den

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those with AT&T, which we use because it has pretty extensive support through most of Europe, we get a program that cost $10/day of use. I turn off my iPhone and use emails and other Apps via WiFi, but when I want to call and talk, I’ll call and it costs me $10 to use the phone for 24hrs, including texts. So I select which day(s) i’m going to use it, and then make numerous calls and texts. I then turn it off and don’t use it until I’m ready to make calls again.

 

I was told Verizon has that plan, and other carriers probably do also. I leave the plan on my system since it’s only activated when I make international calls.

 

Just another option.

 

Den

 

 

 

The AT&T plan is good if you are on a short trip and don’t need to use your phone daily. The current trip we are on is five weeks in duration. When traveling for longer trips such as ours it becomes cost prohibitive. Even for the portion of our vacation on the river cruise I used my phone a lot for directions while we were in port.

For me, it just made sense to make the switch to T-Mobile.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you for your help. We were just wanting to be able to use the phone to send a text every now and then to the family to let them know we were there and safe. I will check with your carrier

 

If you really just want to send a few texts, it shouldn't be a problem. Check with your carrier, but most of them charge $.75 to send or receive a text, anywhere on the planet. Not a biggy, and no special plan needed. I've done this in various parts of the world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HootieTootie, any of the newer T-Mobile plans should automatically include international text messaging and data for no additional charge. Call customer service and find out. If you do have this, our experience is that it works great, and exactly as advertised.

 

The data is slowish (capped at 2G speed, or 3G speeds if you pay a tad extra), but even at the slower speed it worked pretty well for us in India last year. I upgraded to the higher speeds before our more recent trips and we've used it a ton all over Europe, Australia, and South America. I even had cellular data on Easter Island!

 

You can also tether a laptop to your phone and use the international data that way. Last November I had to take care of something on the work VPN. I couldn't get in through a wi-fi connection but I could get in while tethered to the phone.

 

Calls over a local cellular network while abroad are only 20 cents per minute. And I think incoming calls are actually free. But if you are connected to a decent wi-fi network, you can call over wi-fi (without an additional app, it's through T-Mobile) for free. On one of our Europe trips last year our car had mechanical issues getting to the airport and I had to make hours of calls back to the US while we were away. It cost maybe $5 extra for everything.

 

Peregrina651, you are not cheap, just smart. We had Verizon for years. Their international plans are horribly expensive and it is the one and only reason we left them after 25 years. Once we started to travel as much as we do, it just was not worth it to pay extra for international data or roaming.

 

Same exact experience here. It just wasn't worth sticking with Verizon anymore. Switched to T-Mobile specifically because of its international plan and never looked back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TMobile at home sux and Verizon has great coverage, so, I stick with it because I'm home a LOT more than I'm not ;-)

 

They all stink here so I always use WiFi calling when I'm home anyway. ;) And we travel internationally pretty much every month so it works for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They all stink here so I always use WiFi calling when I'm home anyway. ;) And we travel internationally pretty much every month so it works for us.

Boonies, satellite internet only option - so it's super expensive AND not very good. I don't use wifi for streaming or calling or anything like that.....When I travel for work, I tend to get local sims and just re-use. When my travel plans change (or we can finally move to the town where I'd like to retire ;-) I'll re-evaluate our options;p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...