What to do with cell phone when onboard?

[atdahop]

Do you just put your phone on airplane mode in order to not incur charges for texts? I would prefer not to turn it off but am unsure how to leave it on without incurring extra charges when onboard. I would appreciate any advice?

Thanks

[lilypod7]

My advice would be to turn it off and leave it off.

[dplusd]

We put them on airplane mode, turn them off, and put them in the safe. That's my favorite part of cruising that I am not ready to give up! On occasions, we will log in on the ships computers to check emails, but only rarely!

[jsiegel]

Is it a smartphone (with good camera) or just a dumb phone? In the past I'd turn off my dumb cell phone and leave it in the safe. My last cruise I had a new smartphone. Before the cruise I downloaded the deck plan. I then put the phone in airplane mode. That turned off data/phone/text and wifi. I still carried my phone with me. I used the deck plan to navigate (so much better than the fold-out sheet they give you) Each night I took pictures of the Patter and then during the day I could look up events on my phone instead of carrying around the paper copy of the program.

 

Jackie

[Whimsy]

I put my smart phone in the safe. I keep up with our daughter by email. Sometimes we plan a phone call while in port and she calls my husbands non smart phone. I don't want to have to worry about unexpected charges on my phone.

 

 

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[Bubba54]

I put mine on airplane mode, I then only use it for music when I walk and I always have a camera with me.

[eskiemom]

Don't you miss the days when your cell phone didn't work at sea? It used to be within an hour of sailing away the phone had no bars, was out of range and you didn't know and eventually didn't care when it would work again.

 

That was the best!

[gotta cruise again]

Read this from CC news; it's also in the News section on the Princess website.

 

Now, it seems, you can use your smart phone to keep in contact with others while onboard as well as a map and Patter info. Appears (a quick read on my part) no cost either.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6004

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

It's fine to read the Patter but I don't want to take the chance of misplacing it during the day & carrying a Patter is much easier anyway.

[atdahop]

Is it a smartphone (with good camera) or just a dumb phone? In the past I'd turn off my dumb cell phone and leave it in the safe. My last cruise I had a new smartphone. Before the cruise I downloaded the deck plan. I then put the phone in airplane mode. That turned off data/phone/text and wifi. I still carried my phone with me. I used the deck plan to navigate (so much better than the fold-out sheet they give you) Each night I took pictures of the Patter and then during the day I could look up events on my phone instead of carrying around the paper copy of the program.

 

Jackie

 

 

Jackie,

I love that hint. It is a smartphone and I will do the same thing. Great advice.

Carole

[joeyancho]

One of the great pleasures of cruising is that the damn phone doesn't work at sea. I hate that thing.

[RMM34667]

I used to just turn if off and put it in the safe. Then on one trip I took it out in Nassau and turned it on to exchange some txt, make some calls knowing it was roaming but fell asleep. Woke up two hours after sailing and that cost me $60.

 

Last year on the Royal (early November) I turned off data update or connecting to roaming networks. Not sure what I did but my niece works for Verizon and she walked me through turning off something. It was cool to use the intranet on the ship.

 

But still stinging from an $1100 bill from a land trip to St. Thomas in December. (My sister was dying and I wanted to keep my family informed). Found out later it was the voice minutes that killed me. I should have texted or emailed.

 

Sailing soon on the CB and don't think it has that intranet. I am thinking I will turn it off. Without the intranet I don't see the benefit of keeping it on.

[Jim Avery]

Just take it for the camera unless in port.

[OCruisers]

We want to "make the real world go away" while cruising so keep ours locked up in our safe. :D

[sunsetme]

we always turn it off completely and put it in the safe. sometimes I take it out at the ports if there is wifi always keep it on airplane mode

[scott4020]

I love the unplugging part of cruising so my phone goes into airplane mode but on ship my cell phone is a camera, watch, notebook, and alarm clock.

[wrongwaywatson]

As a sales rep for a company, and the owner of my own online fitness company, I am tied to my cellphone/email 24/7 One of the perks of a cruise, for me, is turning the phone OFF and not unplugging for one week! Bliss!

[billco]

Short answer - Put your phone in airplane mode and you should be ok. Be careful when you return. When you turn it back on, it may download a lot of backed up data. I went over my limit without knowing it.

 

Long answer - I just got an iPhone 6 Plus. I have a cruise coming up in two weeks. With the larger screen and new features, it may replace my iPad or iPad Mini as my go to device. I use the camera, wifi, kindle app, shipmate app, iBooks, games, so on. To keep it operating as a phone, I put it in airplane and then turn wifi back on if I need it. Since the new Princess app won't be available, I'll see if Ripple Cruise Communicator will work to keep in touch with my wife. Also use it in the gym to track my workout and the New Apple Health app to keep track of steps and stairs. I'll probably load a few movies on it, too.

Edited October 10, 2014 by billco

[PescadoAmarillo]

Short answer - Put your phone in airplane mode and you should be ok. Be careful when you return. When you turn it back on, it may download a lot of backed up data. I went over my limit without knowing it.

 

Long answer - I just got an iPhone 6 Plus. I have a cruise coming up in two weeks. With the larger screen and new features, it may replace my iPad or iPad Mini as my go to device. I use the camera, wifi, kindle app, shipmate app, iBooks, games, so on. To keep it operating as a phone, I put it in airplane and then turn wifi back on if I need it. Since the new Princess app won't be available, I'll see if Ripple Cruise Communicator will work to keep in touch with my wife. Also use it in the gym to track my workout and the New Apple Health app to keep track of steps and stairs. I'll probably load a few movies on it, too.

This. Put it in Airplane Mode, which should turn off Data Roaming (mine is always off) and WiFi. You can turn WiFi back on as you want to access the ship's Internet. But, honestly, in Airplane Mode, you can use your phone 24/7 on the ship to use any pre-downloaded content (games, Kindle, music, video, maps) and use the camera and not incur any extra charges.

[Lancer1568]

Do you just put your phone on airplane mode in order to not incur charges for texts? I would prefer not to turn it off but am unsure how to leave it on without incurring extra charges when onboard. I would appreciate any advice?

Thanks

Keep the phone on use it for camera clock kindle reading etc and put in airplane mode or do as I do and turn cellular data roaming off. Phone will ring but you don't have to answer!! You may get a couple of texts but they not too expensive. The people that text me know if I am on a cruise so only text if important. This way you don't get any data charges which can be expensive

[M4dC0w]

Everyine missed the most obvious answer, throw it overboard

[Viv0828]

I turn off data roaming except when I need it and put the phone in airplane mode. I use it as my reader with the kindle app and we use it to geocache. Since almost everyone in our family has an iPhone I can text with them for free when I have free or cheap wifi ashore. Then I also check and answer emails.

 

 

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Edited October 10, 2014 by Viv0828

[Steviewonder1]

Turn DATA roaming OFF. That said also put it in Airplane mode for most countries outside of the us unless in the Carribean and Canada if you bought International roaming. If not in Airplane mode, your phone will seek all other carriers and then register with their Visiting Location Romer (VLR), which will then pull down all your texts and email notifications you thought you turned off. The basic answer for any and all Cell Phones is to turn them off, put them into the safe and have a nice vacation. Use your table or iPad for email using WiFi minuets on the ship. Me I delegate all home issues to those back home and am not worried about what happens while on the cruise. I am not Value Added to any issue 2000 miles away. Handle it or put it in a freezer until I get back. I never had issues before Cell Phones and do not have now.....

[CruiserGuyWPB]

mine is turned off.... if the people i hire cant take care of things without me, then i hired the wrong person....... i cruise to get away from it all........ if you dont trust people to take care of your business, then you are not a good owner

[PunkiC]

We just turn off Data Roaming and keep our phones with us to use as a camera, texting device, recorder, clock, converter, mirror, calendar, alarm clock, flashlight, etc. Sometimes we even get on line with our phones, using our free ship time.

 

I love the idea of downloading the ships map, although by this time we pretty much know all the Princess ship layouts by heart. We will do that, however, on the Queen Elizabeth next month. I also like the idea of photographing the Pitter Patter. I hate carrying that around.

 

It will be wonderful when the new feature allowing us to text for free on all ship is in place. We both rely heavily on our phones for almost everything and love, love, love technology.