WiFi or local SIM for an NZ cruise

Hello all,’

we’ve booked an Auckland to Sydney cruise later this year and will need to keep in touch with our DD back home. Usually I’d just organise a wifi package but this one has me wondering. We have a week in the North Island before the cruise and will probably pick up a local sim card if we don’t find regular wifi access. Given this is very much a coastal cruise with regular ports, is it likely we’ll be able to get decent reception with the same SIM onboard?

If anyone has experience of this, or recommendations I’d love to hear from you.

Many thanks [emoji4]

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Can't answer for Australia. I would check with your phone provider whether they support roaming in NZ . Also if you can a roaming package.

My provider supports phones in over 110 countries without changing the SIM.

Never had much phone reception on board, ( every now and then when close to larger towns cities) but if your in port most days it should be fine.

Also most ports you can find somewhere with free wi fi, library, Maccas, cafe, some ports, coffee shop etc.

When we did our 33 nights we had 500 mins free wifi, then either used my wifi dongle in Australian ports or found the free stuff in NZ. Follow the crew, they head straight to spots with free wifi.

I’ll Investigate the global roaming option too, but I was just curious if we’d be close enough to shore for NZ Sim coverage [emoji4]

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We've done one with a local SIM and one with just relying on free WiFi at ports.

There isn't much, if any, reception onboard once the ship leaves each port.

I will not be relying on free WiFi again. In some places it was great but in Napier and Akaroa it was appalling - limited to 30 minutes per day and so slow in Akaroa that I only managed to get one email loaded down in the 30 minutes.

If it's important to keep in touch with your DD while the ship is at sea then you will need a WiFi package, otherwise the NZ local SIM will be best for port days. It is much cheaper to buy a SIM in NZ than to use an Aussie phone provider's roaming package.

Thanks OzKiwi, we opted for the local Sim last time we were in NZ, it was certainly better value than the roaming then [emoji4]

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Roaming is changing though, with mine (Vodafone) I can roam in 60 countries for only $5 per 24 hours (only payable when and if you actually use it). I can use my plan just as if I was at home, so 40GB per month, unlimited calls/text etc. So it might be worth checking.

We have a week in the North Island before the cruise and will probably pick up a local sim card if we don’t find regular wifi access. Given this is very much a coastal cruise with regular ports, is it likely we’ll be able to get decent reception with the same SIM onboard?

As you will be in port most days, you will get coverage in most ports (depending on who you go with), and in the evening you might get coverage as well, depending on how close you are to the coast, at places you might.

Just a note: The night you go from Tauranga to Napier or vice versa, you wont get any coverage when you go around that pointy bit of NZ.

Also when you go to Fiordland, you wont get any coverage.

Hope this helps :)

You might pick up a few tips here...

https://www.backpackerguide.nz/get-internet-wifi-new-zealand/

I use the $5 a day on Vodafone when in port.

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Hi I cruised from Melb to NZ in Dec 2019. At my first port I found a 2degree (cheap local NZ carrier) shop and bought a $10 local sim. For this 30 day pre paid plan I got 250mbts of data plus 2hrs free data per day. What a bargain, plus included free text and talk to other 2degree sims. The 2 hrs was divided into two 1hr blocks for you to activate at you leisure. Usually lost connection about half hr to an hour out to sea, but while on ship at or near port, it was excellent.

On 5/19/2018 at 12:58 PM, GUT2407 said:

Also most ports you can find somewhere with free wi fi, library, Maccas, cafe, some ports, coffee shop etc.

 

When we did our 33 nights we had 500 mins free wifi, then either used my wifi dongle in Australian ports or found the free stuff in NZ. Follow the crew, they head straight to spots with free wifi.

Public phone booths have WiFi in NZ. I remember getting off the tender in Akaroa then seeing a crowd of people, including crew, standing around a phone booth near the jetty.