Verizon Cell Phone usage on Veendam & in Bermuda

[CatG04]

Hi all.... we're sailing on Sunday!!! Yippee!!! I did a search, but haven't found the answers to my questions that are more recent than 2008.

 

Since we're leaving our son with my parents, I'd like to be able to keep in touch with them -- not every day, but sporadically. I have Verizon service, I've checked with them and I will be able to use my phone on the ship and in Bermuda. They tell me the charges per minute in Bermuda will be $1.99 for calls, $0.50 for sending texts and $0.05 for receiving texts.

My husband is worried that we'll be charged roaming charges while the phone is on and not in use. I don't think that's the case, but wanted to check with the pros at Cruisecritic!

 

One last question -- if I use my cell onboard the Veendam, will I be charged something in addition to the $2.49 per min that Verizon will charge me?

 

Thanks Cruisecritics! You guys have provided us with a bunch of info that I definitely wouldn't have known!

 

Thanks!

CatG :)

[purelygeneric]

I'm sailing on Sunday as well and called Verizon yesterday. You should only be charged for actions you take (or calls/texts you receive). I would have them add an international calling plan (just for the week) - that will give you unlimited data. So if your phone has the Web (or you have a Droid) you can find a way to communicate that's cheaper.

 

Have a great cruise! I'm psyched!

[IRL_Joanie]

I am a long time Verizen user (1999) and can try to help you here with correct answers for Verizen cell users.

 

You will be charged for phone usage at least once in any 24 hour period on board the ship (at an exorbitant Ship Board SATELLITE rate) when your cell phone pings the satellite to verify the time etc. Every cell phone does this UNLESS you turn your cell phone off completely!!

 

The Ship Satellite takes control approximately 5 minutes after leaving any port, both US and non US ports to include original embarkation and disembarkation ports.

 

Make sure that you do not turn your cell phones on until you are at least 1 block away from the ship, this ensures that you are far enough away from the ship's satellite that you will not be paying their higher prices.

 

Below is from the HAL Site:

 

COMMUNICATION AT SEA

 

Telephone: Direct ship-to-shore telephones are provided in each guest stateroom. You may easily place a call to friends, relatives or business associates during your cruise, reception permitting. Similarly, friends and family in the U.S. and Canada may contact Holland America Line ships by direct dialing the following number: 1-866-HAL-SHIP (1-866-425-7447)

 

Callers should know the ship name, party name and the stateroom number before dialing. Callers at home may also contact each ship directly by dialing the International Access # (011 from the U.S.), Ocean Code # and Ship #.

 

Ocean Codes: 870

 

Ship Numbers:

 

ms Amsterdam 324-437-011

ms Eurodam 764-857-176

ms Maasdam 764-611-948

ms Noordam 324-602-821

ms Oosterdam 324-541-710

ms Prinsendam 324-412-610

ms Rotterdam 764-663-213

ms Ryndam 764-092-063

ms Statendam 764-343-692

ms Veendam 764-567-077

ms Volendam 324-596-816

ms Westerdam 324-412-810

ms Zaandam 324-644-212

ms Zuiderdam 324-530-410

 

For example: Someone calling from the U.S. to the ms Amsterdam would dial 011-870-324-437-011. Please Note: All phone calls, whether inbound or outbound, are charged a satellite tariff. Outbound calling rates are posted near your stateroom telephone and will be billed to your onboard account. These charges are applied to ALL calls including calls to 800, 877 and 888 numbers. Please do not use a credit card or phone card; your onboard account will be billed in addition to the cost of the phone card or credit card.

 

Collect calls are not possible from the ship.

 

 

Mobile Phones:

 

You can now take advantage of your wireless communication devices while at sea. With our onboard service you can make and receive calls using your own mobile phone and telephone number. The service allows you to stay in touch with family and friends at home or locate fellow guests onboard. Depending on your home provider, you can also send and receive text messages. In addition, data services including internet browsing are available to users of PDAs, such as your Blackberry®.

 

Charges will appear as roaming charges on your regular monthly bill from your telecommunications carrier. Rates are similar to international roaming rates and are set by each home carrier. Check rates with your home carrier prior to traveling. The use of the service requires compatible wireless/mobile phones or devices with a home carrier that has a roaming agreement with our service provider. Some prepaid phone plans are supported currently. Service is not guaranteed by Holland America Line. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. For additional information, please visit: http://www.cellularatsea.com.

 

Makes it almost sound like the charges are not that bad... BELIEVE ME, They are HIGH!!! I've heard of people receiving cell phone bills upwards of $1100.00 and more.

 

Best idea is to turn your cell phone completely off 5 minutes before sail away and not to turn it on again at least one block away from ship at each port of call. Do not forget to turn it off again before reboarding.

 

You can still charge your cell phone even if it is turned off.

 

Joanie

[onthegogirl]

Great information Joanie. Was thinking of getting a "temp" international phone for my upcoming cruise but have decided to communicate via e-mail instead.

 

Thanks,

 

Carole

[CatG04]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all of that information! Definitely makes things more clear and now I feel like I have the whole story (I felt like I might be missing a few important details!). I will be sure to turn the phone off before we leave the port in NY and before getting back on the ship in Bermuda. And I'll probably purchase an internet-access plan on the Veendam as well. And if nothing else, I feel better knowing we can contact our family once we get on land in Bermuda.

 

Thanks again for the help!

Cathy :)

[CatG04]

Hi Purelygeneric,

 

I have the LG EnV Touch, and I don't have a data plan on my phone. But the information Joanie provided above cleared up enough questions that now I'll feel OK about using the phone for necessary calls and texts once we reach Bermuda. And now I know that I should definitely keep the phone turned off while onboard the Veendam.

 

We're psyched too, can't wait! Enjoy your cruise! Will you be on the Veendam? Maybe we'll run into you onboard!

 

Cathy

[purelygeneric]

I didn't realize that I could be charged for simply having my phone powered on. Are you 100% sure that is true? What if I am connecting to the Verizon network and not the ship's?

[Jemima]

Doesn't airplane mode prevent any charges? Mine was in airplane mode on our last cruise except when we were off the ship. I don't think we had any charges.

[IRL_Joanie]

I didn't realize that I could be charged for simply having my phone powered on. Are you 100% sure that is true? What if I am connecting to the Verizon network and not the ship's?

I just got off the phone with Verizen today and they stated Ship Satellite trumps Verizen.

 

Gentleman said TURN it off when in doubt to be safe. And he also stated that it would be costing me $$$ if it was not in the completely turned off mode.

 

I do not know about Airplane modes and did not ask him because I never get that feature on my cell phone plans.

 

Best thing to do is call 611 on your Cell phone and ask.

 

Just to add, hubby has T-Mobile for his cell phone and has it synched to his lap top and his PDA.... He would turn his phone completely off BUT, the PDA kept turning it back on!!! It did that because of the events he had for various ports etc., that he had set up on his lap top, PDA and cell phone. He had one heck of a bill in March. LOLOL Mine was Nada out of the ordinary:)

 

Joanie

[barreloflafs]

...when available on your phone hardware allows you to use your phone applications which do not require connection to the cell (wi-fi access, use of the camera, music player, games, etc...). While in airplane mode you cannot send or receive calls or text messages.

 

We will be in airplane mode while cruising on the Veendam next week...oh yeah...:D

 

barrel

[Jemima]

Both smart phones and ereaders need to be in airplane mode.

[J & G]

Have not read the entire thread, so this may be redundant, but here goes anyway.....

 

Verizon has a global plan that is VERY inexpensive. It allows you to use the ship's signal to send and receive e-mails and use many of your smartphone services while onboard. You can also text cheaply while in port if your phone can pick up a signal. Digicell was the one we saw sometimes, but the signal was not ever very strong. Once the ship pulls away from the dock, you are on the ship's service. The signal through the ship was always quite good.

 

E-mails, internet, and texting are very cheap with this plan. Voice is still pricey. Once you return from your trip, you can call Verizon and have the global plan removed. We used this for the southern Caribbean and it was SUPER!

 

We both have smartphones and we loved getting up in the morning and reading the news and our e-mails over breakfast while sitting on our balcony. Maybe that is sick to some people, bit we loved it.

[serendipity1499]

I didn't realize that I could be charged for simply having my phone powered on. Are you 100% sure that is true? What if I am connecting to the Verizon network and not the ship's?

 

As Joanie mentioned the ship's satellite trumps the Verizon Network..HAL, must turn off their satellite service, 12 miles from ports.... Therefore, there is no need to wait until you are a block away from the ship...When you are within 12 miles of Port the land based towers take over...International roaming rates apply and are set and billed by your home carrier..We've used our cell phone while on board in Ft. Lauderdale, many times prior to departure & have never received satellite charges..If you are using the ship's satellite, roaming costs can be very expensive & can cost $5.00 a minute..However, Understand that Verizon & A.T. T. International Roaming Rates are approx $2.50 per minute, but not sure..Call them & ask..

 

This article was published in 05, when the satellite service was new....

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-insider5nov05

Quote Because the service uses satellite technology, passengers can use their cell phones practically anywhere in the world — but only when at sea. After the ship comes within 12 miles of port, land-based roaming systems take over, said Nancy Brumfield, spokeswoman for SeaMobile, one of the companies that provides the service. (Cingular is the other and both use the same satellite provider.) Unquote

Now if someone needs to reach you aboard ship, their rate will be $16.00 per minute & billing begins at the time specified.All inbound or outbound calls are charged the satellite tariff ...Callers calling you must have a credit card ready with the ships name , the party's name & stateroom number..If they get a busy they must hang up immediately or they will be charged the satellite tariff.. Carolyn Spencer Brown once paid $200 for a nine minute call from her cabin phone in the Baltic sea..See the same article....

HAL also has a phone card, which I believe it's approx. $25.00 or $30.00 which you can purchase from the front office.....You can use this card from your cabin phone & the per minute charge is much less than the normal charge..Check at the front office when you board..You might find it a good alternative to keep in touch..

Unless you have Airplane mode, be sure to shut off your cell phone once the ship is out to sea..We keep Ur's in the safe until we port..

There is another excellent article on cell phone use & Internet service on most cruise lines..

http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/onboard/connected.cfm#axzz0t3Oet2LP

Enjoy your cruise..Cheers...:) Betty

[serendipity1499]

Re the above post.."Now if someone needs to reach you aboard ship, their rate will be $16.00 per minute & billing begins at the time specified.All inbound or outbound calls are charged the satellite tariff ...Callers calling you must have a credit card ready with the ships name , the party's name & stateroom number..If they get a busy they must hang up immediately or they will be charged the satellite tariff.."

Forgot to mention that I pulled this info up on HAL's WEB site for those at home in case they have to reach us, when I checked in on=line..

 

Now, my next project is to call our cell phone company. to find out if we can get service in Bermuda..My Company (Virgin Mobile) uses Sprint's domestic lines & don't know what they use internationally..According to their WEB site it's .15 cents a minute, but I don't have a monthly plan...LOL

 

cheers....Betty

 

Betty

[Halgirl1278]

wow~

Thanks so much for the info!!!!!

[irobro]

While in Bermuda and away from the ship - $1.99/min phone cost.

 

Text messages are 50 cents each for messages sent while in Bermuda, away from the ship, back to the States and 5 cents per message received. This is the charge regardless of your Verizon plan.

[serendipity1499]

I am a long time Verizen user (1999) and can try to help you here with correct answers for Verizen cell users.

 

You will be charged for phone usage at least once in any 24 hour period on board the ship (at an exorbitant Ship Board SATELLITE rate) when your cell phone pings the satellite to verify the time etc. Every cell phone does this UNLESS you turn your cell phone off completely!!

 

The Ship Satellite takes control approximately 5 minutes after leaving any port, both US and non US ports to include original embarkation and disembarkation ports.

Make sure that you do not turn your cell phones on until you are at least 1 block away from the ship, this ensures that you are far enough away from the ship's satellite that you will not be paying their higher prices.

<SNIP>

 

Joanie

 

Joanie, Et Al...Just one correction to my post & yours...I enlarged the portion of your post which I'm commenting on..

I also previously stated that the ships satellite tower is turned on approx 7 miles out to sea & now have come to believe that it is not 7 miles but 3 miles out to sea....However, do know that the ship tower does not take control 5 minutes after leaving port either..

 

I posted this on another thread on Aug 28 & it also apply's here..The other thread got me thinking about a call I made several weeks ago...I've always been able to make calls on board any ship while the ship is in port, so it's not necessary to be a block away from the ship to pick up a land tower..

 

However, It's also my understanding that a ship's tower does not take control until it is three miles out to sea & must be turned off when it is within the three mile limit on entering a port..

 

This is where I wish that Bruce Muzz or Phillip 217 would confirm when the ship's tower takes control..

 

 

According to this article the ships tower only activates when it's out of the closest land based cell towers range..:

 

http://www.suite101.com/content/fact...-ships-a136461

 

I've had a Virgin Mobile plan for years, which costs 25 cents a minute for the first 10 minutes & 5 cents per min. thereafter..It gets topped off every 90 days & is only used in my car for emergencies...The plan is no longer available to new customers. We took this phone on our Bermuda cruise on Aug. 15.. My Virgin Mobil phone uses Sprint's lines domestically...We did not use the phone in Bermuda but I made sure to turn it off & kept it in the safe..

 

We left the pier in NYC on Aug 15, at 4:45 & just as we were sailing by the Statue of Liberty at 5:14, I called our Friends to remind them of the thrill we all had in 1995 when we sailed our boats past the Statue of Liberty, into NYC Harbor..Also wanted to thank them for the lovely flowers/balloons they sent for my Birthday..Just double checked our account activity & that call only cost me $1.00 for four minutes..

Cheers...:)Betty

 

 

[IRL_Joanie]

Joanie, Et Al...Just one correction to my post & yours...I enlarged the portion of your post which I'm commenting on..

 

I also previously stated that the ships satellite tower is turned on approx 7 miles out to sea & now have come to believe that it is not 7 miles but 3 miles out to sea....However, do know that the ship tower does not take control 5 minutes after leaving port either..

 

I posted this on another thread on Aug 28 & it also apply's here..The other thread got me thinking about a call I made several weeks ago...I've always been able to make calls on board any ship while the ship is in port, so it's not necessary to be a block away from the ship to pick up a land tower..

 

However, It's also my understanding that a ship's tower does not take control until it is three miles out to sea & must be turned off when it is within the three mile limit on entering a port..

 

This is where I wish that Bruce Muzz or Phillip 217 would confirm when the ship's tower takes control..

 

 

According to this article the ships tower only activates when it's out of the closest land based cell towers range..:

 

http://www.suite101.com/content/fact...-ships-a136461

 

I've had a Virgin Mobile plan for years, which costs 25 cents a minute for the first 10 minutes & 5 cents per min. thereafter..It gets topped off every 90 days & is only used in my car for emergencies...The plan is no longer available to new customers. We took this phone on our Bermuda cruise on Aug. 15.. My Virgin Mobil phone uses Sprint's lines domestically...We did not use the phone in Bermuda but I made sure to turn it off & kept it in the safe..

 

We left the pier in NYC on Aug 15, at 4:45 & just as we were sailing by the Statue of Liberty at 5:14, I called our Friends to remind them of the thrill we all had in 1995 when we sailed our boats past the Statue of Liberty, into NYC Harbor..Also wanted to thank them for the lovely flowers/balloons they sent for my Birthday..Just double checked our account activity & that call only cost me $1.00 for four minutes..

 

Cheers...:)Betty

 

Thanks for the update Betty.

 

This part was told to me by Verizon themselves, just as a precaution I believe: "Make sure that you do not turn your cell phones on until you are at least 1 block away from the ship, this ensures that you are far enough away from the ship's satellite that you will not be paying their higher prices."

No matter for me. I am on vacation and only take the cell with me in case of emergency. But, I keep it turned off until we get back to a US port. Just being safe:D

 

Joanie

[sarge98]

An interesting thing about cell phones, they will work fine while in any US territory, Virgin Islands, Purto Rico etc, same as in the USA. I have a friend who lives about 20-30 miles outside of Detroit, on a large residentual island. If he uses his cell phone on the island the signal is picked up by the nearest tower, accross the Detroit River, in Canada. So his call goes to Canada and back to the USA, extra roaming charges . Never think about that Ha.

[kcteach12]

I wish that I had had this information when I took my cruise to Alaska in July. I checked twice with Verizon to make sure my plan would cover any charges while on the cruise. Each time I was told I was covered. When I received my statement there was $40 added for calls. I called Verizon. The first thing I was asked was what cruise line I was with. When I said HA they told me I was charged for all calls made while on the ship. I cruised with Princess 2 years ago, but was not charged. If I had known I would have never made calls from the ship.