Will I need to turn off "internet" on my Smartphone?

[wrxrob]

I have an sprint evo android phone (similar to iPhone) that likes to pull automatic software updates to its various apps. My question is if there is a cell phone signal on the ship (and in port) should I consider turning off the "internet" connection on my phone, to avoid automatic ridiculous roaming data charges?

[LARGIN]

Yes, very important... Friend of mine got stuck with a $800 bill while cruising Europe... :eek::eek:

[Loonbeam]

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes - Unless your phone has an option to disable roaming data only, this is CRITICAL.

 

I have an sprint evo android phone (similar to iPhone) that likes to pull automatic software updates to its various apps. My question is if there is a cell phone signal on the ship (and in port) should I consider turning off the "internet" connection on my phone, to avoid automatic ridiculous roaming data charges?

[wrxrob]

thanks! glad I asked.:D I figured it could cause an unexpected problem

[awhcruiser]

I plan on putting my droid phone on airplane mode.

[Pam in CA]

thanks! glad I asked.:D I figured it could cause an unexpected problem

The "problem" is a financial one. Once you leave the US, your phone plan for both cell and data doesn't apply and you will be charged international rates and roaming, including "push" notifications.

[melodyina]

I feel a 'sweet' revenge. On a previous cruise I really didn't enjoy sitting on my balcony as the occupants in the next cabin would sit on their balcony and talk on their phone about work and proceed to (B_ _ _CH), ok speak loudly to whomever was running their business while they were away. Very annoying...

[navychop3]

Yes- Airplane Mode!

 

Turn off 3G, in fact maybe leave phone turned off unless and until needed. You can get charges from the ship, but you can also get charges from the nations you visit or pass close to. And sometimes those charges can take quite a while to appear.

 

The above is what I did with my iPhone. I brought a laptop and paid for some internet minutes (buy before boarding for better pricing) to check email and do minimal surfing. If you do this, be sure to log off the ship's network each and every time (0.0.0.0 or 1.1.1.1- don't remember), or the meter keeps running.

[Treven]

My cruise this September willl be my first one with my Blackberry. I'm tempted to remove the battery from the phone & simply toss the phone & battery in my laptop bag; then put the battery back in when I get off the shipp at the end.

[Solida123]

I have a blackberry. If I "Turn All Connections Off" and then select Wi-Fi to be on, will that eliminate the possibility of the roaming data charges?

[Vexorg]

As far as I'm aware, the USVI (or at least St. Thomas) and Puerto Rico do have regular (non-roaming) coverage on Sprint, but aside from those two you'll want to keep data turned off.

[Solida123]

Even with "data off" I'm a little nervous. I guess that "OFF" signal at the top of the phone screen should make me feel better (but it doesnt).

[Times Prince]

Yes- Airplane Mode!

 

Turn off 3G, in fact maybe leave phone turned off unless and until needed. You can get charges from the ship, but you can also get charges from the nations you visit or pass close to. And sometimes those charges can take quite a while to appear.

 

The above is what I did with my iPhone. I brought a laptop and paid for some internet minutes (buy before boarding for better pricing) to check email and do minimal surfing. If you do this, be sure to log off the ship's network each and every time (0.0.0.0 or 1.1.1.1- don't remember), or the meter keeps running.

It's 1.1.1.1 to log off.

 

We found out one does not have to leave the United States to get hit with significant roaming charges. We had that happen during an Alaska cruise where we turned the phone on when in Alaskan ports.

 

Best to just leave the thing in airplane mode - at least it becomes an alarm clock or mp3 player. It will not, however, update time to the local time zone, as that takes a signal from a cell tower (and roaming charge?).

[itsajoke]

We keep our phone off while cruising, not just the internet - A T & T told us that if people call us while we are out of the country, we'll be charged roaming fees if the phone is on. If it is off and goes to voice mail - no charges unless we retrieve the voice mail. That's what we were told and doing it that way hasn't resulted in any unusual phone bills.

[spunkie4]

As far as I'm aware, the USVI (or at least St. Thomas) and Puerto Rico do have regular (non-roaming) coverage on Sprint, but aside from those two you'll want to keep data turned off.

 

I have an Iphone. Have used it several times in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, both internet and calling, with no additional charge. We have ATT (formerly Cingular). All other times, I place on airplane mode and turn off the phone completely once on the ship.

[DeltaOne]

I have an Iphone. Have used it several times in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, both internet and calling, with no additional charge. We have ATT (formerly Cingular). All other times, I place on airplane mode and turn off the phone completely once on the ship.

 

Don't forget that you can put the iPhone in Airplane Mode and then turn WiFi back on. It's safe -- no unexpected charges. You simply connect to either free or low-cost WiFi hotspots.

 

Airplane Mode turns off the EDGE, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi radios. Many folks don't know that you can turn on Airplane Mode and then turn WiFi back on by itself.

[Musky Ike]

I have an Iphone. Have used it several times in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, both internet and calling, with no additional charge. We have ATT (formerly Cingular). All other times, I place on airplane mode and turn off the phone completely once on the ship.

 

Just checked St. John USVI on the Verizon site. $1.99/min. Same for most of the craibbeen.

 

On ship in international waters $2.49/ min. so unless it is a true emergency we will not be chatting while onboard and data roaming will be off.

 

If you must make calls check with your carrier before you go you may need to enable international calling.

[kelkel2]

even if it is turned off I have to worry about this?

[gooch47]

Forgive my ignorance, but what about my Kindle. It has 3G capability.

[Cupcrazy]

If you don't want to get charged either turn your phone off altogether or just turn off the data.

[kelkel2]

Forgive my ignorance, but what about my Kindle. It has 3G capability.

 

I was wondering the same thing....

 

Here's some questions I have:

1. I turn my iphone off and do not turn it back on until we are back on US land, do I need to still worry about data roaming? I know that seems stupid, but someone on our last cruise was CONVINCED an iphone could data pull while turned off, so I switched my settings just in case.

 

2. Also, my nook has wireless. Do I need to turn this off too? If I do, will I be able to use it properly?

[HJH]

Remember, the ships now have cell reception and I got charged just for turning my Iphone on to check the battery by AT&T. Unless you are going to use it strictly on wireless, especially while at sea, turn it off and leave it off.

[navychop3]

We keep our phone off while cruising, not just the internet - A T & T told us that if people call us while we are out of the country, we'll be charged roaming fees if the phone is on. If it is off and goes to voice mail - no charges unless we retrieve the voice mail. That's what we were told and doing it that way hasn't resulted in any unusual phone bills.

 

Good point, thanks for adding it.

 

 

Some people think their iPhone is "off" when the screen is dark. It is not. It will still communicate over 3G unless that feature is turned off. To turn off the iPhone, you must power it down completely. Press the "power" button at the top and hold it. You'll see the option to power down after a few seconds.

[DanJ]

Forgive my ignorance, but what about my Kindle. It has 3G capability.

 

There's a few Kindle threads kicking around on here, so you might get better info in them, but I beleive I read that the Kindle 3G doesn't work on the ships. Not sure about foreign countries, but I don't think you get billed for kindle access anyway (I don't have one, so I don't keep up to date on what they do).

[gooch47]

I was thinking more about turning it on in port to access the 3G there and then accidentally being charged some outlandish fee, either from the ship or from some provider.