Cell Phone At Sea

[go noles]

I've never needed cell service on previous cruises (one of my favorite things about cruising by the way). However, I need to be in contact next while on Summit. Does the Summit offer cell service for an additional fee and if so, how do you sign up for it. Thanks in advance for your help.

[BaumD]

Cost will be $2.49/minute. will be charged by your cell phone carrier, not the ship. Nothing to sign up for, just use the phone.

Edited April 24, 2014 by BaumD

[CruisersTimesThree]

It's best if you call your cellphone provider and ask them what they charge for roaming phone calls. They may not be all the same as the above quoted $2.49 per minute.

You use your phone as normal...your call routes through either the ship or if on land the closest service towers available. Your call is considered "roaming" as you are out of your home network.

[KangarooCruiser]

If your carrier is At&t you can select packages whilst the ship is in international waters, vary from $30 - 50 mins call only, $60 - 50 mins call with 100 texts, $120 - as above with a data package. Just check the web page.

 

Tony

[Lsimon]

No special arrangements need to be made, but with some carriers you must have international roaming enabled for your phone. There is no additional charge for this setting as this is just a setting the cell phone company makes or that you can change on their web site.

 

The rates for phone calls are determined by your cell phone company. Rate for ATT is $2.49 per minute. I think Verizon is the same. You can find out the rates by calling your cell phone company or looking at their web site. Celebrity will not be able to tell you this information before or during your trip as they do not control the rates nor do they do the billing.

 

Note that the quality and availability of service varies a lot by location of the ship and its movement and can depend on your cell phone company and type of phone. Some ATT phones can not get service on Silhouette and Reflection might have the same problem (click here for an old thread about this or here for a more recent thread).

 

You may also find that rates are lower, and service more reliable, if you use your phone in port rather than on the ship at sea. Check with your phone company, or on their web site, for costs and to make sure your phone will work in the countries you are visiting.

 

Packages: Most of the phone companies offer packages of minutes for international and/or ship calls. These offer moderate discounts if you use all or most of the minutes included in the packages. But if you don't use all the minutes, or are not sure if you will, then you are generally better off paying for minutes as you go. Data services for email and internet browsing are a different matter and if you need to use these services at sea or on foreign soil then ask about this separately.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Lsimon

[Spender Nui]

I have Verizon and never knew this. How is the quality/reception of the service?

[mahdnc]

We had to use our Verizon wireless cell aboard Eclipse this past January to deal with a frozen/broken water pipe back home! At the time we were at sea between St. Thomas and Ft Lauderdale. Reception was great.

[jkgourmet]

Always have a backup for cellular phone service on a cruuse uf you really MUST be reached for an emergency. Those phones in your cabins can be used for incoming calls, you know, That's important because in some areas at sea, you will not get any cellular service with any standard carrier,

[waterbug123]

Cost will be $2.49/minute. will be charged by your cell phone carrier

 

If your carrier is At&t you can select packages whilst the ship is in international waters $120 - as above with a data package. Just check the web page.

 

 

Be careful with data. I believe the data package has a max amount of data you can use. If you go over, it could be hugely expensive. Likewise if you don't get a package and your smart phone is constantly checking for email, app updates etc. you could come home to a $1000 bill if you don't turn off data roaming/cellular data.

[Lsimon]

Be careful with data. I believe the data package has a max amount of data you can use. If you go over, it could be hugely expensive. Likewise if you don't get a package and your smart phone is constantly checking for email, app updates etc. you could come home to a $1000 bill if you don't turn off data roaming/cellular data.

 

The AT&T international data plans all have reasonable overage rates. While they are much more expensive than domestic rates they are much more reasonable than they used to be. At one time if you ran over your international data plan then you defaulted to the "no-Plan" international data rate which is super expensive but that is no longer the case.

 

At the same time it makes sense to be sure data roaming is turned off when you are not actively using your data plan. It also helps to find the usage meters on your phone and monitor the amount of data usage while you're out of the country.

 

Also keep in mind that the regular international data roaming packages do not include use on the ship at sea but do include use when the ship is in port and you're getting the local land based cellular signal.

 

For details look at the rates for international roaming on your cell company's web site. AT&T's is here: http://www.att.com/att/global/affordable-world-packages/?data

 

We've use the international roaming data packages on our past 2 or 3 cruises so that we could get data service for email and web browsing at port and also on pre/post cruise stays at foreign cruise ports. I add the packages before our cruise and discontinue them after although I understand you need to keep these on for a full one month period in order to have the full data allowance.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Lsimon

[waterbug123]

The AT&T international data plans all have reasonable overage rates. While they are much more expensive than domestic rates they are much more reasonable than they used to be.

 

Also keep in mind that the regular international data roaming packages do not include use on the ship at sea

 

And therein lies the potentially expensive problem! :eek:

[matondo]

Last few times I cruised I called Verizon and they asked what ship I was going to be on. They sent me the rates and I am fairly positive it varied by the cruise line maybe even the ship.

[Lsimon]

Last few times I cruised I called Verizon and they asked what ship I was going to be on. They sent me the rates and I am fairly positive it varied by the cruise line maybe even the ship.

 

This may be true but it still is not determined by Celebrity and they will not know the rates on the ship. The cell phone service is run by third party companies who contract with Celebrity. They run the service and then contract roaming rates with the various cell phone companies. So your rate will be a product of the negotiated roaming rate between the company running the service on the cruise ship you are sailing and your cell phone provider.

 

So for example AT&T rates are $2.49/min on Celebrity. But other cell phone companies might be different on Celebrity and AT&T cruise ship rates for other cruise lines might be different. The only way to get an accurate answer is to look up the rate for the ship you'll be sailing on your cell phone company's web site or call them.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Lsimon

[SPacificbound]

AT & T has "Cellular At Sea" and you do have to speak to AT & T to arrange it.

 

It is expensive, but not as expensive as cell use was prior to this program.

[bisabella]

I will be on the Reflection for a Mediterranean cruise in July. I was pleasantly surprised when I called my carrier, T-Mobile, to inquire about international services. They told me that with my plan, Simple Choice, there were no international roaming charges while on land, $.20 per minute for calls and free texting and internet. Of course, they warned me that didn't apply to calls on the ship and those rates would be $5.99 per minute! So I will just wait until the ship is in port to use my phone, since this cruise will be in port practically every day. I have had problems with service with T-Mobile in the past but now I am very happy with them!

[cls711]

Always have a backup for cellular phone service on a cruuse uf you really MUST be reached for an emergency. Those phones in your cabins can be used for incoming calls, you know, That's important because in some areas at sea, you will not get any cellular service with any standard carrier,

 

The service while at sea is not provided by your carrier, it is provided by the ship's own cellular "tower". Even in the middle of the ocean on a transatlantic I had full phone service. You are billed thru your carrier. On Verizon it is .99 a min to talk. .05 to receive a text and .50 to send a text.

 

The ship is required to "turn off" their cellular "tower" when they are pulling into port, at which time you will be roaming on the local cellular system of that port/city/country and the charges can and will be different from city to city and an international roaming plan may be required. You should receive a free text from the local carrier when you arrive in a port explaining the charges and how to use their service.

[Luv2Crus40]

I was told by Verizon that in US ports ie San Juan, USVI that as long as I'm more than 200 feet from ship, my call has no extra roaming or int'l charges. Worked for me several times. I just make my calls off ship. Hope this helps someone else.

[Lsimon]

I was told by Verizon that in US ports ie San Juan, USVI that as long as I'm more than 200 feet from ship, my call has no extra roaming or int'l charges. Worked for me several times. I just make my calls off ship. Hope this helps someone else.

 

The reason you have no roaming or international charges is that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, being part of the USA, are included in the USA home territory for some USA based carriers. I know this is the case for AT&T but can't personally say if all carriers include these USA territories or not.

 

The ships turn off their cellular system when they are within range of land based Cellular services so there is no need to even get off the ship let alone go 200 feet away. You'll see this on your phone when the carrier name shown on your phone changes from the one you see when out at sea to your home carrier.

 

For data usage you'll find that, at least with AT&T, your data service will be on even if you have data roaming turned off since you will not be roaming.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Lsimon