question about cell phones! pls help

[Princess32]

im going on my first cruise on june 6th! im confused however about cell phone issues. i would like to be able to keep in touch with my boyfriend throughout the week, but am not sure the best way in doing so. will someone pls explain cell phone usage charges and all that? I have verizon btw if that helps. also we will be cruising to nassua, st thomas, and st martin

 

thank u so much!

[6rugrats]

You should call Verizon and have them explain this to you, not rely on a chat board.

[nmayer79]

You should call Verizon and have them explain this to you, not rely on a chat board.

Hmmmmmm, while i agree i think there was a better way to say it IMO.(no offence) Fact is there are some other threads covering this and plenty of speculation, best bet is to contact verizon and ask specifically what the charges are for calls, texts, voicemail, etc. I'm a newbie as well and am going to call verizon myself before we leave.

Just my 2 cents.

[AmoMondo]

Hi princess32

 

I agree check wth your provider regarding what the charges will be. However you also need to think about where you are going to be cruising (countries) and also how much time at sea. I'm from the UK and am able to use my phone pretty much anywhere but sometimes when we have sea days, you can't get a signal, other times I've picked up networks at sea. Sometimes it works out cheaper to wait until you are in port to call.

[fcs659]

im going on my first cruise on june 6th! im confused however about cell phone issues. i would like to be able to keep in touch with my boyfriend throughout the week, but am not sure the best way in doing so. will someone pls explain cell phone usage charges and all that? I have verizon btw if that helps. also we will be cruising to nassua, st thomas, and st martin

 

thank u so much!

 

Do call your carrier and have them clearly explain the plan you have regarding international calling... do you need to add a service plan, what will the costs be per minute in each of the locations you are visiting, is texting included - and at what cost per text, etc? If you still plan on keeping in touch be VERY careful of your minute usage. I have to keep in touch with my office when away, and three calls totalling 36 minutes of calling from different Western Caribbean ports set me back about $54.00.

[SheriAZ]

Just so you know, I called T mobile before I cruised. They told me I had coverage in mexico. I may have had coverage, but never once got a signal in mexico or on the boat. If you feel like you need to talk to your boyfriend, you might consider internet. I did see a lot of prople using laptops.

[JohnMI]

Also, just to note it, some Verizon areas in the USA are still CDMA -- which means that, regardless of what you'd be willing to pay, they WOULD NOT WORK in places like the Bahamas that are GSM-only.

 

So, as has been said, you'll want to contact Verizon to find out about int'l usage -- and you'll want to verify that you have a GSM phone, not a CDMA phone.

 

Note that even a CDMA phone will work on the SHIP -- but then you'll be paying the crazy ship-tower fees (which, I believe, run around $6/minute).

 

- John...

[leah26cat]

Some cruise lines will also charge per minute used from their tower. The carnival states that it is approximately 7-8 dollars per minute on top of your server fees. Or did I read that wrong?:o

[kgm0612]

I have Verizon and when I cruised last March to the Southern Caribbean, they charged $2.49 per minute, when I made my calls from the port and not from the ship.

 

Karen

[rudi_mentle]

Also, just to note it, some Verizon areas in the USA are still CDMA -- which means that, regardless of what you'd be willing to pay, they WOULD NOT WORK in places like the Bahamas that are GSM-only.

 

So, as has been said, you'll want to contact Verizon to find out about int'l usage -- and you'll want to verify that you have a GSM phone, not a CDMA phone.

 

Note that even a CDMA phone will work on the SHIP -- but then you'll be paying the crazy ship-tower fees (which, I believe, run around $6/minute).

 

- John...

 

Correction - all of Verizon network in US is CDMA. Also, not true about Bahamas only having GSM coverage. BTC (Bahamas Telecom) has CDMA voice and data coverage there, so on a Vz CDMA device you'll be able to roam there, although Vz's std Int'l roaming rates of $1.99/min apply - http://b2b.vzw.com/international/Roaming/Caribbean/Bahamas.html.

You are correct however about ship rates applying while at sea. Both CDMA and GSM devices will work while at sea on most ships now. Provider for most (Carnival included) is Cellular @ Sea. They charge $2.49/min for voice, $0.50/ea text you send, $0.05ea text you receive. This is charged by Cellular @ Sea as roaming on your carrier's bill, in OP's case Vz.

 

OP - again, you'll want to do your own due diligence on this and if you can't find your answer online give Vz a call.

 

PS. Sprint (like Vz - another CDMA carrier) I know has coverage in St. Thomas along with Centennial (much smaller CDMA carrier), so you'll be OK to roam on CDMA in St. Thomas too. In St. Maarten only Centennial has coverage and it's minimal, so coverage there may be more spotty. Std Int'l roaming rates of $1.99 would apply in both ports for a Vz subscriber.

[JohnMI]

Correction - all of Verizon network in US is CDMA. Also, not true about Bahamas only having GSM coverage. BTC (Bahamas Telecom) has CDMA voice and data coverage there, so on a Vz CDMA device you'll be able to roam there,

 

Interesting. You are correct according to everything I can find -- yet my AllTel (CDMA) phone could not find any signal in Nassau earlier this month. Not sure why. In any case, I had made some assumptions based on that -- but see that I was incorrect (as I can find many references confirming that NTC does CDMA there). Weird.

 

- John...

[jrzebird]

I have ATT with International roaming. If I called from a US port (St. Thomas and San Juan) when I was in the Caribbean, there was no charge. Other than that, it was $2.49 a minute. I did not call anyone at that rate. I did use my laptop, and paid a hefty price for Internet usage (I paid for the largest plan). I don't know if you can Skype or not, nor the cost. Best bet, as others said, call your carrier and get the actual answers.