$75 data roam charges alasa cruise 2011. Thanks sprint!!

[BALLERONBUDGET]

just got my bill . extra $75 in roam data charges while in alaska/vancouver. keep in mind only 1 phone call made, rest was roam service for internet thru cell phone. i kno iknow i shouldnt have used it but u can only watch re-runs of same tv shows/espn/british news while aboard disney wonder..!! needed to get my sport scores nba finals and local news. the shows in ur room repeat each day with nothing new infact same espn sport 1hr specials that i watched 6months ago in bahamas aboard wonder!!!!!!!! and i think most americans on board dont really watch soccer from international british league..... most of time during ports had little or no sprint cell service even though 1 bar was showing on phone.... thanks sprint cell for outlandish roam charges!!!:mad::mad:

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

Yup crazy when I was in jamaica I was charged 35$ a min to call home thankfully the phone was do staticky I could only stand a minute

[Mythicalbee]

Does anyone know if putting iPhone on airplane mode keeps you from being charged? We're used to having it instead of a watch, but if there is so much as a $1 for using it we'll turn it OFF!!!

 

Thanks!

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

Yes airplane mode stops the phone from sending or receiving a signal. We do the same thing the iPhone will become just a regular iPod in airplane mode.

[PopFla]

Precisely why one of the first things I do when boarding is turn the phone off and put it in the safe, where it stays until we're back in port at the end of the cruise. It's enough of an "electronic leash" ashore and at work; I definitely don't need or want it when I'm on vacation!

[JenzyKY]

Does anyone know if putting iPhone on airplane mode keeps you from being charged? We're used to having it instead of a watch, but if there is so much as a $1 for using it we'll turn it OFF!!!

 

Thanks!

 

Airplane mode does work. To be extra safe go to the settings then general then network and turn off data roaming. Then if you take your phone off of airplane mode nothing with data will work. AT&T is free to receive text messages so I would turn mine off airplane mode sometimes to receive them.

[outtoseacruise]

just got my bill . extra $75 in roam data charges while in alaska/vancouver. keep in mind only 1 phone call made, rest was roam service for internet thru cell phone. i kno iknow i shouldnt have used it but u can only watch re-runs of same tv shows/espn/british news while aboard disney wonder..!! needed to get my sport scores nba finals and local news. the shows in ur room repeat each day with nothing new infact same espn sport 1hr specials that i watched 6months ago in bahamas aboard wonder!!!!!!!! and i think most americans on board dont really watch soccer from international british league..... most of time during ports had little or no sprint cell service even though 1 bar was showing on phone.... thanks sprint cell for outlandish roam charges!!!:mad::mad:

Why is it Sprint's problem? If you used it you should pay for it. Why complain you are an adult and must have known or should have known what the charges would be?

[Bugasbaby]

Umm yea it happed to us too with Verizon...I did not know I was roaming but just got my bill with $45 additional oh well you live and learn!

[jenn6743]

just got my bill . extra $75 in roam data charges while in alaska/vancouver. keep in mind only 1 phone call made, rest was roam service for internet thru cell phone. i kno iknow i shouldnt have used it but u can only watch re-runs of same tv shows/espn/british news while aboard disney wonder..!! needed to get my sport scores nba finals and local news. the shows in ur room repeat each day with nothing new infact same espn sport 1hr specials that i watched 6months ago in bahamas aboard wonder!!!!!!!! and i think most americans on board dont really watch soccer from international british league..... most of time during ports had little or no sprint cell service even though 1 bar was showing on phone.... thanks sprint cell for outlandish roam charges!!!:mad::mad:

 

 

Roaming charges are bill to your carrier from what ever carrier you use outside of the county....Your carry has nothing to do with it unless you have an international package on your plan...

[spcopps]

Just an FYI this is exactly why we dropped sprint and went with Verizon. We had been with sprint for 9 years and all of a sudden (at the beinning of 2011) they changed their "unlimited" roaming. It now has a cap on it even if you have the "unlimited" roaming on your contract...no more unlimited with sprint. From our home we are always in "roaming" mode so you can imagine the charges we got until they finally admited to the change.

[cyclenut]

Airplane mode does work. To be extra safe go to the settings then general then network and turn off data roaming. Then if you take your phone off of airplane mode nothing with data will work. AT&T is free to receive text messages so I would turn mine off airplane mode sometimes to receive them.

 

That is excellent advice and exactly what I set my data plan phones to. Airplane mode is also good to conserve battery in areas where you may not be receiving service. With the number of things a smartphone can do these days, it is often very helpful to use it, even when you can't use it for phone calls, web browsing or messaging.

 

It makes a decent (not great) point and shoot camera, basic video capture, clock, calendar, game device, music player, flashlight, or whatever else you may have turned it into. :D

 

Note that airplane mode also turns off the GPS capability. I sometimes take snapshots with the camera on the phone that also records the GPS location. You can then map those back to google earth (there are others) to show youi exactly where you were when you took that picture.

[bdog01]

I just finished chatting with a Sprint representative about Cruise ship and international roaming. Here is a website that has the rates.

 

http://internationalroaming.sprint.com/IntlCoverage/WelcomeRoaming.do

 

Select "Cruise Ship Roaming" from the Country list.

 

It lists all of the ships and what services are available. Here is a summary of the rates:

 

International Roaming in Cruise Ship Roaming

Pricing Information

Voice Pricing: $2.99/minute

Data Pricing: GPRS Data: $0.020/KB

Text Pricing: Send: $0.50/recipient; Received: $0.15/msg

[Mythicalbee]

Airplane mode does work. To be extra safe go to the settings then general then network and turn off data roaming. Then if you take your phone off of airplane mode nothing with data will work. AT&T is free to receive text messages so I would turn mine off airplane mode sometimes to receive them.

 

Lovely tip - thanks!!!:D

[OceanLiner]

My plan does not have any roaming charges in my home area, so that is where the phone remains when I leave for a cruise.

 

The phone rests quietly on the chargers while I am away, and I rest quietly while charging on the beach.

[VinoJon]

Anyone have any idea whether the Sprint charge is less or equal if you're using Google Voice to send/receive text messages in Alaska?