If you're going on the Getaway with an iPhone...

[sc2011]

I was on the Getaway last week and I sent texts to other iphones free all week. I'm not sure how it happened, if it was a glitch or how it can happen but.... I have the NCL app on my phone. I did NOT pay the $7.95 to have the full use of it for texting/calling on the ship. I only used the app for the countdown leading up to the ship and then to check out my account charges while on the ship and see what's going on at certain times on the ship. In order to use the app on the ship you have to be on NCL wifi and it's free wifi for using the app. Anyway - all week long whether a sea day, or in port on the ship, I was able to text my family and work associates back home. It wasn't part of or used from the wifi I did purchase to go online to check emails for work. I would stay logged out of the minutes I purchased - on airplane mode, but with wifi on so the NCL app would always work. I checked my phone charges when I came home and as I suspected (because how the heck could you text from the middle of the ocean; and on airplane mode) there are NO texting charges. Has anyone else experienced this? I debated putting it on here in case it ruins it for others who may have had the same good fortune with this as me. Anyway, if you're going on the Getaway soon, you may want to try this. I'm telling you - it worked all week, every day. I communicated through texts only - no wifi charges/minutes used, no phone charges. Once it wasn't working so I turned wifi off, reset my phone and then turned wifi back on and it started working again. Any others experienced this? And how I figured it out was - I had logged out of my wifi minutes and about 5 minutes later a text came to my phone. Spent the rest of the cruise texting for free. Don't know if it had anything to do with my iphone but all texts sent/received were iphone to iphone. Hope someone else will experience the same thing.

[garycarla]

I was on the Getaway last week...

 

In order to use the app on the ship you have to be on NCL wifi and it's free wifi for using the app. ...

I was able to text my family and work associates back home. It wasn't part of or used from the wifi I did purchase to go online to check emails for work. I would stay logged out of the minutes I purchased - on airplane mode, but with wifi on so the NCL app would always work. I checked my phone charges when I came home and as I suspected (because how the heck could you text from the middle of the ocean; and on airplane mode) there are NO texting charges. ...

 

I communicated through texts only - no wifi charges/minutes used, no phone charges....

 

 

Supposedly, the app is set up to ONLY work between users on the ship. Being able to text people back home... does not sound right, unless they somehow left the connection wide open on the ship.

 

Did you perhaps have your data roaming turned on and your texts went via that? I would give your online phone bill a double check in a few days, and then report back here.

 

It could happen. Or, you are about to get a surprise.

[KeithJenner]

It certainly wouldn't be anything to do with the app, as you have to send the text through the NCL app, rather than the phone messaging app. There is no way you could use iconcierge to text back home, as far as I'm aware.

 

Some odd things do happen with the ships antennae. On the Spirit recently, we got facebook push updates from the Facebook app coming through, despite data roaming being off. It didn't happen on the Epic.

 

I'm not sure exactly what was going on for the OP, but I would strongly warn others from sending texts in the hope that they will have the same thing happen, unless they are prepared to pick up the bill. The issue could easily be with the OPs provider rather than NCL, and others may find a different result,

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sc2011]

Thank you for your responses. You sparked my memory. I got facebook, groupon, Instagram, and all kinds of other pushes all week. Data for sure was off and the phone was on airplane mode too. Something was definitely open allowing this to happen. And as far as the phone bill, it is definite there were no charges.

[NJGeorge]

After these posts there sure will be;)

[Epic_Bear]

That happened to me on the Breakaway. I could call, text and use the internet on my phone with no charges. The one and only ship it ever happened on for us!

[triptolemus]

OP is going to get a surprise on their wireless bill.

 

From VZW FAQ:

 

How long does it typically take for global charges to appear on my bill?

 

It could take up to 60 days for the charges to appear on your bill.

 

http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/faqs/InternationalServicesandRoaming/global_phone_roaming.html

 

 

I'm sure other carriers are similar.

 

No free lunches.

[vols_159]

I was on the Getaway last week and I sent texts to other iphones free all week. I'm not sure how it happened, if it was a glitch or how it can happen but.... I have the NCL app on my phone. I did NOT pay the $7.95 to have the full use of it for texting/calling on the ship. I only used the app for the countdown leading up to the ship and then to check out my account charges while on the ship and see what's going on at certain times on the ship. In order to use the app on the ship you have to be on NCL wifi and it's free wifi for using the app. Anyway - all week long whether a sea day, or in port on the ship, I was able to text my family and work associates back home. It wasn't part of or used from the wifi I did purchase to go online to check emails for work. I would stay logged out of the minutes I purchased - on airplane mode, but with wifi on so the NCL app would always work. I checked my phone charges when I came home and as I suspected (because how the heck could you text from the middle of the ocean; and on airplane mode) there are NO texting charges. Has anyone else experienced this? I debated putting it on here in case it ruins it for others who may have had the same good fortune with this as me. Anyway, if you're going on the Getaway soon, you may want to try this. I'm telling you - it worked all week, every day. I communicated through texts only - no wifi charges/minutes used, no phone charges. Once it wasn't working so I turned wifi off, reset my phone and then turned wifi back on and it started working again. Any others experienced this? And how I figured it out was - I had logged out of my wifi minutes and about 5 minutes later a text came to my phone. Spent the rest of the cruise texting for free. Don't know if it had anything to do with my iphone but all texts sent/received were iphone to iphone. Hope someone else will experience the same thing.

 

 

wouldnt your bill be a month behind??Idoubt it would show charges after 1 week

[ctrlbrk]

He says he was in airplane mode, that would mean no cell signal.

 

Sent from my LG Optimus G Pro

[Mrswood83]

I was on the Epic the first week of April and my phone did the same thing. I was not charged anything for it through my phone carrier. I think it was because I was somehow connected to the free wifi for the NCL app. I would get pushes and notifications but if I actually tried to go to the internet I wasn't able to use it. I think there is some kind of glitch in their free wifi and hope it doesn't change :) although I'm sure it will :(

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Godiva830]

If the messages are iPhone to iPhone then it's probably receiving/sending thro iMessage using wifi. If an iPhone is on airplane mode a message comes up saying you must turn off airplane mode to send/receive messages. OP may have thought airplane mode was on but the phone cannot receive/send messages while it's on. Either the OP wifi minutes were being used or a whopper bill is on its way. My iPhone always picked up cellular at sea service.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Godiva830

[mitsugirly]

 

Some odd things do happen with the ships antennae. On the Spirit recently, we got facebook push updates from the Facebook app coming through, despite data roaming being off. It didn't happen on the Epic.

 

 

Thank you for your responses. You sparked my memory. I got facebook, groupon, Instagram, and all kinds of other pushes all week. Data for sure was off and the phone was on airplane mode too. Something was definitely open allowing this to happen. And as far as the phone bill, it is definite there were no charges.

 

We just got off the Getaway a few weeks ago and we also received all of our push notifications for facebook and email. If you were looking at the phone when it happened, you could actually read the text wrote up above on our iphones. However, if you tried to directly go to your email or facebook, it wouldn't let you because you were in airplane mode.

 

I did purchase the app to use while on the ship with the rest of my family in another room. What you purchase can only be used while on the ship from phone to phone with others that are currently on the ship. It gives you your own private number with them (not you actual cell phone number) and you have to have that other persons assigned phone number in order to text or call them.

 

If you want to make a call or text back home, you have the option to do that, but it will tell you ahead of time and it will also tell you the pricing and ask you to accept it before it does it.

[Mustangdrew]

Anyone try FaceTime? It should have worked too.

 

 

Norwegian Getaway June 7, 2014

[JohnIreland]

There is some traffic that can make it's way through the NCL wireless without paying.

 

Nothing to do with the app , just the way the firewall/proxy is setup on the ship.

[triptolemus]

There is some traffic that can make it's way through the NCL wireless without paying.

 

Nothing to do with the app , just the way the firewall/proxy is setup on the ship.

 

Do you really think that would include SMS messages to cell phones back home?

[JohnIreland]

Do you really think that would include SMS messages to cell phones back home?

 

No , not sms traffic. That's coming in the bill :mad:

[mking8288]

Depending on your "home" carrier and billing cycle, you might NOT see the charges posted to your mobile #'s account until the following month, and if it was SMS only and not MMS (graphics/pix/data) then it's usually not a big deal, or free and inexpensive for incoming (carrier plan-based) to maybe or 25 to 50 cents per outgoing msg.

 

I have 2 Android devices while cruising on the BA, and, yes - both of them were getting SMS "headers" ONLY pushed to them - one was on airplane mode and my global travel Sim was roaming on AT&T as a partner network, and incurred no charges since I did not SEND any outgoing messages. Results and billing for yours will VARY depending on your plan/setup & coverage, etc. etc.

 

Facetime requires bandwidth and it's possible for it to work INTRA-ship on its closed loop WiFi network (we didn't enabled nor try to use it between the iPads and iPhones in our party) but it would most likely be blocked and/or dropped when attempting to calling land-based tower via satellite relays with high latency & narrow bands.

 

Congrats if anyone managed to take advantage of any and all backdoors or loopholes as between CAS and carrier's billing system, odds are 99.79% that it will be shut down soon enough as those airtime are expensive - and they will IDENTIFY who's been getting the free ride and act on it. If you plan and need to use it, pay for it - I know that we once ran under $10 USD's worth of charges 3 years ago when we needed to stay in touch with caregivers at home for medicals. Facebook, Hangouts, Twitter & Skype, etc. can WAIT or use land-based WiFi (paid or free) once docked as it's ALWAYS faster & cheap - and more reliable. Whether it's secured and safe to use, that's a different POST/discussions & let's not hijack it here.

[jakeT]

Airplane mode turns off you're Wi Fi. I was connected to Iconcierge on the Breakaway and did get some push. But not email push more like ESPN push.

[thraak]

Why not turn on wi-fi while remaining in airplane mode? That's what I did on my last sailing with my Iphone5.

[garycarla]

Why not turn on wi-fi while remaining in airplane mode? That's what I did on my last sailing with my Iphone5.

 

Any of those folks that say they turned on airplane mode and were using iconcierge must have then turned on their WIFI.

 

When you first turn on airplane mode, it turns off wifi and cellular radios. You can then turn on just WIFI. But, if you do not turn on wifi, you no longer can connect to the ships wifi network no matter what. Technically impossible since you do not have any radios turned on.

[TravelJoe]

Any of those folks that say they turned on airplane mode and were using iconcierge must have then turned on their WIFI.

 

When you first turn on airplane mode, it turns off wifi and cellular radios. You can then turn on just WIFI. But, if you do not turn on wifi, you no longer can connect to the ships wifi network no matter what. Technically impossible since you do not have any radios turned on.

 

Yep... from one techie to another, 100% spot-on. Once you go into airplane mode, all network connections are turned off. You then have to selectively turn them on.

 

I'm in agreement with some of the earlier posts.... if the OP didn't go into airplane mode and still didn't get any bills, wait 60+ days. Nothing is free with this stuff.

 

iConciege requires WiFi and uses the app for pushing info and communication between devices after registering. If it wasn't registered, the communication went through another route.

 

I always keep data roaming off and ensure my family does the same -- too expensive generally and no real need. We're not doctors and don't need to be in touch with the world 24x7.

 

I look forward to the days at sea without any connection to reality.

[garycarla]

Yep... from one techie to another,...I always keep data roaming off and ensure my family does the same -- too expensive generally and no real need. ....

 

I can not think of any reason that 95% of the people should ever have DATA ROAMING turned out.

 

You do not need it in the states at all.

 

Turn it off -

TODAY

RIGHT NOW

REALLY - RIGHT NOW.

 

You do need DATA ROAMING turned on unless you want data when somewhere beside the U.S.

 

(assumes you are a U.S. based customer of the major cell phone carriers)

 

Did I mention - TURN IT OFF TODAY? and not wait for the cruise.

[FL Cruise Guy]

You do need DATA ROAMING turned on unless you want data when somewhere beside the U.S.

 

This is not accurate. Many major carriers offer data roaming in the U.S. on other carriers. Some offer it between nationwide carriers using the same technology and some offer it in areas that are covered by smaller regional carriers.

 

For instance, we have Sprint and if I'm in an area with poor service we can roam (albeit at a slow speed) on Verizon and it's included in our unlimited nationwide data plan.