Using a Cell Phone on board

[mamajo3304]

I am going on a cruise in 94 Days!!! Insert double digit dance here :-)

 

One of my friends has an AT&T cell phone contract. We were looking and she can add an International Call package to her service for 1 month. My question is if we can use her phone on the ship (while out at sea) and use the International package minutes or will it only allow the more expensive minute to minute charge? The difference is $1/min or the package at .38 cents/min. Obviously we would rather pay the package but I didn't know how their satelite was set up on board.

 

I have a Boost Mobile (prepay) I have the availabilty to choose an international text package, but I am assuming that would only work on land since it is prepay. Is that correct?

 

Any help or suggestions would be welcome.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[wranglerguy]

Put the phones away your not going to miss anything.

 

 

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OIIIO

[mamajo3304]

That would be fine, but there are personal reasons why each one of us needs to be in contact with home while we are gone.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

It is cheaper to use the phone in the cabin at $1.99 a minute.

 

It will cost at least $2.49 a minute using the cell tower on the ship

 

Bill

 

 

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[sallyb]

We need to have a phone this time too. Trying to understand the complicated billing on Verizon is crazy!

[mamajo3304]

Bummer... so the package your cell phone company offers if only good on land? Do they bill the in room phone to your sign and sail, I assume?

 

Thank you for your helpful reply!

 

It is cheaper to use the phone in the cabin at $1.99 a minute.

 

It will cost at least $2.49 a minute using the cell tower on the ship

 

Bill

 

 

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[wranglerguy]

You can add the international package but carnival will still charge you for using there cell service. Called cellular at sea. Like I said before put the phones away. If you have people that are sick or kids then just use the phone in the cabin. It is $1.99 a minute now. You will have plenty of time to text Johnny and Mary when you get back. You will be amazed on how free you feel without the phone weighing you down. That is what I Love about cruise. A break from computers and cell phones. Just relaxing and enjoying the time on vacation. If you want the. Cell phones to keep in touch on board get walkie talkies. I have heard of people coming home to huge cell phone bills cuz they use it. If you have a smart phone then you will be racking it up. This is just my opinion remember public forum. Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

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OIIIO

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Even with your package and international roaming you have to use the ships cell tower to connect and that is not included.

 

If you have a smart phone it can get very expensive with the data being downloaded.

 

My son turned his phone on for 5 minutes during a cruise and he got a $200-$300 bill.

 

Bill

 

 

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[wranglerguy]

Bummer... so the package your cell phone company offers if only good on land? Do they bill the in room phone to your sign and sail, I assume?

 

Thank you for your helpful reply!

 

Yes

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OIIIO

[mamajo3304]

Yes, I don't understand the way these places do their billings either. sigh

 

We need to have a phone this time too. Trying to understand the complicated billing on Verizon is crazy!

[mamajo3304]

Oh my! Well mine is a prepay so I shouldn't have that problem because it was my understanding that you had to have a contract phone for your phone to be usable on board. I will make sure to pass along that info to my friend though about turning on her phone at sea.

 

Even with your package and international roaming you have to use the ships cell tower to connect and that is not included.

 

If you have a smart phone it can get very expensive with the data being downloaded.

 

My son turned his phone on for 5 minutes during a cruise and he got a $200-$300 bill.

 

Bill

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jmorgania]

According to AT&T website the roaming rate per minute while on a cruise ship is $2.49/minute. It doesn't list the text messaging charge. On Verizon last time I cruised is was $0.50 to send and $0.25 to receive.

 

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=54282&cv=820&_requestid=1016599#fbid=xjwp-gacZkp

 

Carnival's website does confirm outgoing calls from your room phone are $1.99 minute. However incoming calls to your room from outside the ship are $9.50 minute.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Core/FAQ.aspx?faq=cell+phone

 

My advice, if you want to talk from the ship use the room phone to call out or investigate, by talking to AT&T, the cost for text messaging. I have never called from the ship but do turn my phone on once or twice per day to check for messages from home. I leave it on just long enough to download any text messages then back off it goes. As for any smart phone they will try to send/receive data the second they are turned on. Before the ship pulls out of the home port I ensure ALL data is turned off on my phone. Usually done in the phone settings. Other options I have seen people use is to research the ports you will visit. Using your cell phone while roaming from the ports may be cheaper still than using them on the ship or using the ship phone.

 

While I do agree with others that one of my favorite things about cruising is leaving all the cares of the real world behind, reality sometimes dictates the need to have contact with the less fortunate land lovers back home. I guess the key to remember is that your international roaming rates are different for each location you visit, and a cruise ship is considered a location, one that usually cost more than land locations also. Talk to your phone provider and make sure you know all the details and cost for your phone, as well as how to turn off all data, before you sail. Enjoy your cruise!

[RWolver672]

I would have your friend contact AT&T to see which islands that you are stopping at are included in the international plan. Some islands aren't. I know that some islands don't have Verizon's towers so they aren't covered under the International plan. Then if she needs to call home, have her wait until she gets to the islands that are covered under the plan. That way she won't be paying for using the ship's towers.

[serene56]

Oh my! Well mine is a prepay so I shouldn't have that problem because it was my understanding that you had to have a contract phone for your phone to be usable on board.

 

more then likely when you sail your phone will be out of service until you get back.

 

We discovered that a few cruises ago with Sprint. Had a prepaid that was only good in the states,.

[dwightnwynonia]

We have had both att and sprint and have had trouble with getting the same text up to 15 or 20 Times while on the ship so we don't even turn them on while onboard but the work well on land many shops on land offer free wifi that makes it great for emails and sending pictures

[mamajo3304]

Hi Dwight! :)

 

We are going to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel and they state that they have free wifi- I just didn't know if mine was prepay if I would be able to use it or not.

I will make sure to say something to my friend about the text messages. I think she would almost be better off not to turn the thing on.

 

 

We have had both att and sprint and have had trouble with getting the same text up to 15 or 20 Times while on the ship so we don't even turn them on while onboard but the work well on land many shops on land offer free wifi that makes it great for emails and sending pictures

[mamajo3304]

Thanks for the great links- I will pass them along!

 

According to AT&T website the roaming rate per minute while on a cruise ship is $2.49/minute. It doesn't list the text messaging charge. On Verizon last time I cruised is was $0.50 to send and $0.25 to receive.

 

http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=54282&cv=820&_requestid=1016599#fbid=xjwp-gacZkp

 

Carnival's website does confirm outgoing calls from your room phone are $1.99 minute. However incoming calls to your room from outside the ship are $9.50 minute.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Core/FAQ.aspx?faq=cell+phone

 

My advice, if you want to talk from the ship use the room phone to call out or investigate, by talking to AT&T, the cost for text messaging. I have never called from the ship but do turn my phone on once or twice per day to check for messages from home. I leave it on just long enough to download any text messages then back off it goes. As for any smart phone they will try to send/receive data the second they are turned on. Before the ship pulls out of the home port I ensure ALL data is turned off on my phone. Usually done in the phone settings. Other options I have seen people use is to research the ports you will visit. Using your cell phone while roaming from the ports may be cheaper still than using them on the ship or using the ship phone.

 

While I do agree with others that one of my favorite things about cruising is leaving all the cares of the real world behind, reality sometimes dictates the need to have contact with the less fortunate land lovers back home. I guess the key to remember is that your international roaming rates are different for each location you visit, and a cruise ship is considered a location, one that usually cost more than land locations also. Talk to your phone provider and make sure you know all the details and cost for your phone, as well as how to turn off all data, before you sail. Enjoy your cruise!

[dwightnwynonia]

Hi Dwight! :)

 

We are going to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel and they state that they have free wifi- I just didn't know if mine was prepay if I would be able to use it or not.

I will make sure to say something to my friend about the text messages. I think she would almost be better off not to turn the thing on.

 

Glad to see you online and hope you have a great up coming cruise

[waldocruiser1]

We need to have a phone this time too. Trying to understand the complicated billing on Verizon is crazy!

 

Call Verizon (or your carrier) when you have time to talk, and explain what you are doing, and let them advise you of the options.

 

With Verizon, you can get the international roaming and it works great when in port, (I have never used when at sea)

 

I also use the data on my phone, to connect my computer to the internet, and when on the ship, (2 cruises now) I have used the global data and it is great, I have used it on the ship, at sea on the last cruise in Dec 2012 and it was great, cost $29.99 for the month, prorated, for 2 gig of data.

 

The global roaming for verizon is free (no monthly fee)

 

Call verizon during the day when you have a half hour to talk and listen to the choices.

[kg4pit]

DH and I usually turn our data plans off. We usually call home while we are in port, just to check on things. We plan to buy a small Internet package too.

[izzydog]

AT&T claims (on their web site) that the go phones (pre paid) have an international plan and that texting is free (if I am reading it right). I checked for their coverage area and it includes all of our ports plus the ship.

 

I thought this would be good for texting each other on the ship and in ports so we can stay in contact. By having a new go phone, no one has the number so you won't be bothered by "land lovers" back at home!

 

Any one tried this? It sounds too good to be true, so it probably is. I will be doing some research, this is just my first step.