Celebrity Reflection/Verizon question

[lpd16]

Will be on May 6 Mediterranean cruise. I don't care about having access to email while on the cruise (I'm on vacation and don't want to take time reading /sending emails) but do need ability to check in with a few family members back in US via call or text. Verizon has enabled my phone for int'l calling but they don't have Reflection info in their system(so provided me Solstice instead) for making calls and texting. Can anyone with Verizon Wireless who has already been on Reflection provide some info on this? Much appreciated...

 

lpd16

[AlaskaGolden]

Will be on May 6 Mediterranean cruise. I don't care about having access to email while on the cruise (I'm on vacation and don't want to take time reading /sending emails) but do need ability to check in with a few family members back in US via call or text. Verizon has enabled my phone for int'l calling but they don't have Reflection info in their system(so provided me Solstice instead) for making calls and texting. Can anyone with Verizon Wireless who has already been on Reflection provide some info on this? Much appreciated...

 

lpd16

 

We would like to hear more about this too. Although Verizon insists that our phones will work on the ship for voice ($2.49/minute), text (5¢ to receive / 50¢ to send) and data (part of their $25, 100 MB plan), I am still skeptical all of this will work. Even if we just have the voice calls working for emergencies that would be OK.

[Doctor24]

I just got off the Reflection last week and used my Verison Droid(Android) phone every day with no problem. Just a delay in conversations which is normal for satellite calling.

[Profguy]

I just got off the phone with Verizon and they said the Reflection is probably too new to be on their list yet. However, all new Celebrity ships are equipped to handle Verizon. The prior post confirms this fact.

 

I am glad, because now I can avoid buying walkie talkies and text if needed. I figure we will do about 5 texts per day to coordinate or changing meeting times. $3 per day at sea seems a reasonable budget.

[kyriecat]

My husband and I were on Silhouette for a Med cruise in October. We both have Droid phones through Verizon. We texted each other a few times to see where the other was. It's a hit and miss thing though. Sometimes the text would come through immediately and other times it took a while. I don't know if the problem was because of the ship satellite, Verizon, or being in the Med. I don't remember having delays on previous cruises, but they were all Caribbean on either HAL or RC.

 

The first time there was a delay, I didn't realize texting could be a problem since a couple previous texts had gone through fine. I had sent my husband a text asking him to meet me for lunch but he never showed up. When I found him later, I was irritated because I thought he had stood me up. He said that he never got my text and showed me his phone log. He thought I must have sent the text to another person but my outgoing log showed his number. My text came through as we were discussing it. The outgoing time stamp on my message was 1 hr 53 min prior to when it was received on hubby's phone. We had a few others with long delays between being sent and received - always while we were at sea.

[Karen@Steve]

Was on the Summit last June and texted daily with no problem. Make sure to ask (if you don't already know) how to turn off the roaming or you will be charged.

[Profguy]

Was on the Summit last June and texted daily with no problem. Make sure to ask (if you don't already know) how to turn off the roaming or you will be charged.

 

 

Can you explain why you would turn off roaming? I thought you only turned off data and wifi. Isn't roaming required to send and receive texts?