lilipad2 Posted June 7, 2010 #1 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi All! I thought I read on HAL's website that passengers could use their cell phones while on board. Is this true? We'll be sailing on the Rotterdam at the end of July. I have T-Mobile and my Mom has ATT or Sprint or something (lol). Would we be able to communicate onboard via cell phone? I assume our carriers are charged or is it a different deal. Sorry, I am clueless on this one apparently. :P Thanks in advance!! L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PitCritter Posted June 7, 2010 #2 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Your cell phones will work fine. The problem will arise when you get your next bill! Check with your cell phone company about rates at sea. You might want to invest in some walkie-talkies instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catl331 Posted June 7, 2010 #3 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Oh, sure you can use them while on the ship. It is encouraged!! $2.95 a min plus what your carrier will charge. There are no cell phone towers at sea for your companies! HAL is supposed to turn off its cell phone "tower" while in port. There may be dead zones also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schoolinmy3 Posted June 7, 2010 #4 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi All! I thought I read on HAL's website that passengers could use their cell phones while on board. Is this true? We'll be sailing on the Rotterdam at the end of July. I have T-Mobile and my Mom has ATT or Sprint or something (lol). Would we be able to communicate onboard via cell phone? I assume our carriers are charged or is it a different deal. Sorry, I am clueless on this one apparently. :P Thanks in advance!! L I wouldn't take a chance using your cell phone while at sea. In port you will be able to use your phone, but it would be very expensive to use off the ship's satellite while at sea. We were on a cruise with our kids and we left post it notes for each other on our stateroom doors. They were on the main deck and we were on the upper promenade deck. Also, you can call room to room for free with the phones in the room. diane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TahoeTraveler Posted June 7, 2010 #5 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Please, unless you have lots of money to blow, don't even turn your cell phone on when you're on the ship. I had mine on the first night of our last cruise on the Zuiderdam, and my daughter tried to call me from home. She tried 3 times to call me, but was never connected. Apparently that didn't matter, as we had an extra $20something of charges on our cell phone bill when we got home. I explained to ATT that I had never even received any calls...they said the charge came from HAL and there was nothing they could do about it. Do yourself a favor...use the house phones to call cabins if you're out and about, use walkee talkees, or other forms of communication (I like the Post it notes idea!). But don't even turn those cell phones on while at sea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSLibrarian Posted June 7, 2010 #6 Share Posted June 7, 2010 While we don't use our smartphone (Verizon) for calls when abroad or on ships - except in emergencies, we add the global email option just before we leave home. The plan allows unlimited email - prorated at $64.99/mo - so comes to less than $35 for two weeks. This works both on the ship & in most countries. We cancel the plan as soon as we return home. Our smartphone syncs up with with our personal and work emails (& our calendars) just fine. We can also receive text messages if we choose to (this is how our grown kids prefer to "call" us anyway) at only $0.05 each. So very little cost there, as well. Since we'd mostly use the ship's internet for emails anyway we don't even purchase that anymore. The phone also has wifi so we can use it to access full internet - if we want to - in ports. Can sometimes find free access points in port cities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bplazo Posted June 7, 2010 #7 Share Posted June 7, 2010 My sister had a $1,000 phone bill when she got back from her cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvtwotrvl Posted June 8, 2010 #8 Share Posted June 8, 2010 My sister had a $1,000 phone bill when she got back from her cruise. WOW!!! That was an expensive cruise!!!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted June 8, 2010 #9 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Interesting, I have never had service while on a cruise ship (except when very close to the US). I use my phone only as a time piece and an alarm clock. I have Alltel as a service provider. Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilipad2 Posted June 9, 2010 Author #10 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Looks like I'll be stealing my son's walkie talkies and bringing post its. This was really good info. I appreciate your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westlab Posted June 10, 2010 #11 Share Posted June 10, 2010 If I put iphone in airplane mode, will it not allow phone/txt/email/bluetooth, so I can still read a book on phone or play a game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted June 10, 2010 #12 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Looks like I'll be stealing my son's walkie talkies ... Cheap (kids' toy) ones may not work well due to all of the steel around you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyk47 Posted June 10, 2010 #13 Share Posted June 10, 2010 If I put iphone in airplane mode, will it not allow phone/txt/email/bluetooth, so I can still read a book on phone or play a game? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot57 Posted June 10, 2010 #14 Share Posted June 10, 2010 They will work but can be expensive, depending on your carrier. I sometimes see teens walking around the ship with the phone seemingly glued to their ear or constantly texting. I often wonder what kind of bill awaits Mom and Dad once they get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iriemon Posted June 10, 2010 #15 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Has anyone had any luck using Skype on the cruise ships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted June 10, 2010 #16 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Has anyone had any luck using Skype on the cruise ships?It's usually blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iriemon Posted June 10, 2010 #17 Share Posted June 10, 2010 It's usually blocked. Should have known, all the "freebees" are gone and more disappearing every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayruz Posted June 13, 2010 #18 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Please, unless you have lots of money to blow, don't even turn your cell phone on when you're on the ship. I had mine on the first night of our last cruise on the Zuiderdam, and my daughter tried to call me from home. She tried 3 times to call me, but was never connected. Apparently that didn't matter, as we had an extra $20something of charges on our cell phone bill when we got home. I explained to ATT that I had never even received any calls...they said the charge came from HAL and there was nothing they could do about it. Do yourself a favor...use the house phones to call cabins if you're out and about, use walkee talkees, or other forms of communication (I like the Post it notes idea!). But don't even turn those cell phones on while at sea! how can HAL bill your cell phone number for incoming calls? Please explain :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxout Posted June 13, 2010 #19 Share Posted June 13, 2010 how can HAL bill your cell phone number for incoming calls? Please explain :) If the call is routed to your phone through the seatel satellite connection on board then you will be billed by your provider as seatel will bill them. Your phone like all others has a unique digital ID which is how any system finds you and routes your calls. In port the system is disabled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayruz Posted June 13, 2010 #20 Share Posted June 13, 2010 If the call is routed to your phone through the seatel satellite connection on board then you will be billed by your provider as seatel will bill them. Your phone like all others has a unique digital ID which is how any system finds you and routes your calls. In port the system is disabled. Clear :) : I use http://www.vodafone.com.mt/maritime-roaming-bus I will check if I can use it in the pacific area, thank you http://www.cellularatsea.com/guest_services.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted June 13, 2010 #21 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Unless I am in American port, I just don't use them. I am a bit nervous about Alaska because it is an extened nework with Verizon. I have been to Hawaii twice in the last five years and called Illinois from Lahina and incurred no extra charges. At Sea, I would be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayruz Posted June 13, 2010 #22 Share Posted June 13, 2010 At Sea, I would be careful. I have used mine only in mediterranean area, have had no problems, except for the cost... but I had to hear how my cat was doing, back at home :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfels Posted June 13, 2010 #23 Share Posted June 13, 2010 DSLibrarian has the right idea. I did the same thing with my Verizon Blackberry and was able to stay in touch via text and e-mail for very little money. There's nobody I want to talk to at $2.49 per minute while I'm at sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love the beach Posted June 13, 2010 #24 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Unless I am in American port, I just don't use them. I am a bit nervous about Alaska because it is an extened nework with Verizon. I have been to Hawaii twice in the last five years and called Illinois from Lahina and incurred no extra charges. At Sea, I would be careful. I used my phone (Verizon) a lot in Alaska and did not incur any extra charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fayruz Posted June 13, 2010 #25 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I think I am going to buy a sim card as soon as I get in Honolulu, does anybody know if they work on european phones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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