cell phone use on cruise ship?...

[worldtraveler859]

We're booked on the Athens-to-Istanbul Windstar cruise this summer. We're thinking of taking a world phone/GSM cell phone with us for the first time and are wondering whether it will work on board the ship. Has anyone tried Mobal or Roam simple for world phones? Or walkie talkies? The goal is to be able to communicate with my partner and save some steps as well as to make local reservations/call taxi's etc., not so much to make calls back to the States. Any information/suggestions most welcome.

 

Thanks much.

[screen-gem]

The last time I was on a Windstar, I found there was cellphone service, thanks to a 'microcell' base station installed on board. It is only activated when at sea. It uses a satellite uplink to connect to the global phone network. When in port, the base station is disabled so as not to interfere with the domestic cellular providers. Cellphone service is then provided by whatever terrestrial base stations are nearby (if any). Depending on the location of your cabin (and which port you're docked at), you may or may not get adequate signal from the shoreside base stations when you're on board.

 

I never use the ship-provided cellular service, and can't comment on the SIMs from Mobal or Roam. It is bloody horrendously incredibly expensive. And it costs a lot! The radio signal doesn't provide coverage all over the ship - generally you need to be up on deck, not down in the cabins.

 

When I travel, I do take a global eKit SIM with me, installed in my unlocked GSM phone (an iPhone 3G). I'm then able to call back home if needed, as well as make local reservations, call taxis, etc. We keep in touch with friends/family mostly with SMS text messaging instead of expensive cellular minutes.

 

You mentioned the desire to communicate with your partner. Presumably, you mean when the two of you are wandering around ashore? You certainly could do this with two GSM phones both equipped with global SIMs, but the roaming charges will add up depending on what country you're in. A pair of FRS walkie-talkies would be the best solution for cheap point-to-point communication.

 

We did Athens-to-Istanbul on Windstar in 2007 and LOVED it.

[harris.margaret9]

I think when you are on a vacation then you need to be away from cell phones, as these are a great disturbance for the peace of life.