Cell phone coverage

[ocav]

The US Networks seem to really screw you over when abroad. On my 7 day Liberty cruise through Europe I was able to call, text, and use the Internet free of charge within my existing package, even with the ship cell, come home and my bill for Unlimited data and texts + 500 mins is still £15 (just over $20), and it will be the same on a cruise leaving the U.S. also!

[Nan1052]

Okay, so back to the topic.

 

I have Verizon and they have a "cruise" package with call and text.

No need to do the international plan if on a cruise because we get the cruise plan.

 

However, 21 y/o son is in Europe for study Abroad this semester. We have added the international call and text to our plan for these next 6 months.

 

All my previous experience has been ... I can text and call in ports but not so easy on sea days.

 

Read your plan. All carriers have some sort of cruise and international plan. It is just what works for you.

 

We have Verizon also.

 

Cruise Ship Rates

You can call and text on over 120 cruise ships, plus use your Global Data Plan to surf the web while you're onboard.

 

View cruise ship coverage

Global Data Feature

$25/100MB

Data Allowance 100MB

Rate After Allowance $25/100MB

Cruise Ship Rates

Voice Roaming $2.49/min

Text Messaging $0.50/message sent

$0.05/message received

Pay As You Go Data $0.02/KB or $20.48/MB

[travelbuddies]

AT&T does offer cruise packages. We purchased one last year and I just called and got a plan today for our cruise leaving Saturday. The offer 3 levels. I chose $60 for 50 minutes and 100 texts. They do have a less expensive plan and also another plan with data for $120.

 

I need your advise about this. My friend purchased an AT&T package and spent an hour on the phone with a rep that gave her step by step instructions for settings so that she would not receive a big bill upon return. Her DH never turned his phone on but charged it up the night before so it was good to go when they arrived in Ft Lauderdale. They received a bill for $500 and another $60 bill for charging up DH's phone. AT&T told her she received itexts and would not remove charges and thanked her for using AT&T. Besides turning off wifi and turning on airplane mode are there other settings which need to be turned off? I do not want to use phone, text, or data but would like to use my camera and downloaded music without being charged extra from AT&T. Do you know if that is possible. Unfortunately I cannot trust AT&T to tell me the truth so I can avoid additional charges.

[ocav]

I need your advise about this. My friend purchased an AT&T package and spent an hour on the phone with a rep that gave her step by step instructions for settings so that she would not receive a big bill upon return. Her DH never turned his phone on but charged it up the night before so it was good to go when they arrived in Ft Lauderdale. They received a bill for $500 and another $60 bill for charging up DH's phone. AT&T told her she received itexts and would not remove charges and thanked her for using AT&T. Besides turning off wifi and turning on airplane mode are there other settings which need to be turned off? I do not want to use phone, text, or data but would like to use my camera and downloaded music without being charged extra from AT&T. Do you know if that is possible. Unfortunately I cannot trust AT&T to tell me the truth so I can avoid additional charges.

 

 

If Airplane mode is on then nothing can get to the phone, the only thing you can turn on is Wifi, this won't cost you and has nothing to do with your carrier.

 

If your friends husband left his phone on charge and didn't switch it to airplane then it is his fault for the charges. Most smart phones will download emails etc in the background and that's where it's caused the charges.

 

Simple rules for phones onboard

Want to use it for making calls/texts - turn Data Roaming off in Settings

Want to use it but NOT make calls/texts and avoid charges - switch to airplane mode

[debbs0723]

I have Tmobile and was told it would be $5.99 per min to make calls on RCL. .50 for outgoing text and free for incoming. Something else I thought was interesting but I'm not sure if the customer service rep had the right information. My daughter and I both have Samsung S4s. Apparantly the way that droids send messages is that if I sent a group message to 10 different people, I might be charged .50 for each single message. This was the first I heard of this but I figure I'll go in assuming that is the case and be surprised if it is not.

 

Question also. So you are charged the minute you get on the ship for data even before you leave the port? I assumed it would be my normal charges until we left.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

Edited November 6, 2014 by debbs0723

[impatientlywaiting]

I have Tmobile and was told it would be $5.99 per min to make calls on RCL. .50 for outgoing text and free for incoming. Something else I thought was interesting but I'm not sure if the customer service rep had the right information. My daughter and I both have Samsung S4s. Apparantly the way that droids send messages is that if I sent a group message to 10 different people, I might be charged .50 for each single message. This was the first I heard of this but I figure I'll go in assuming that is the case and be surprised if it is not.

 

Question also. So you are charged the minute you get on the ship for data even before you leave the port? I assumed it would be my normal charges until we left.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

 

I've been with T-Mobile for 24+ years (original parent company Deutsch Telekom). On our trans-Atlantic in April, we turned our phones (Samsung Galaxy S2) to airplane mode (to use the camera) until we were close to land and could get a signal (we got a good signal out of Ft. Lauderdale for about 3 hours). Once we took our phones off airplane mode, it didn't matter what cell phone company we were hooked up with in Europe. Texting, emailing, Facebooking, Instagram, etc., was free for international data and 20 cents per minute for phone calls. We made 5 phone calls in Copenhagen and my bill was $1.

 

We talked quite a few people into switching to T-Mobile when they got back from the cruise (at least they said they were going to switch!!!) as they were quite surprised that we didn't have to purchase an international plan!!!

[ocav]

I have Tmobile and was told it would be $5.99 per min to make calls on RCL. .50 for outgoing text and free for incoming. Something else I thought was interesting but I'm not sure if the customer service rep had the right information. My daughter and I both have Samsung S4s. Apparantly the way that droids send messages is that if I sent a group message to 10 different people, I might be charged .50 for each single message. This was the first I heard of this but I figure I'll go in assuming that is the case and be surprised if it is not.

 

Question also. So you are charged the minute you get on the ship for data even before you leave the port? I assumed it would be my normal charges until we left.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

 

 

Group texts are charged per recipient as on shore, this has been the case since phones could send group texts.

 

Regards when and where, it all depends on what network you are picking up. Generally you will receive the land based network whenever in port, however if your phone says "Cellular@Sea" or something similar, or a group of numbers, then you are being charged cruise ship rates.

 

Technically the system for Cellular@Sea shouldn't switch on until you are 12 miles from shore, but I've heard this isn't always the case

[Bosjoe]

I have Tmobile and was told it would be $5.99 per min to make calls on RCL. .50 for outgoing text and free for incoming. Something else I thought was interesting but I'm not sure if the customer service rep had the right information. My daughter and I both have Samsung S4s. Apparantly the way that droids send messages is that if I sent a group message to 10 different people, I might be charged .50 for each single message. This was the first I heard of this but I figure I'll go in assuming that is the case and be surprised if it is not.

 

Question also. So you are charged the minute you get on the ship for data even before you leave the port? I assumed it would be my normal charges until we left.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

 

If you are ship cell tower you wil get charged, ship towers are shutoff while in port. I have tmobile and have dealt with this the past year. You can login to your tmobile account and change your settings for data roaming in where it will only allow you to use data from their international partners. Cruise ships cells are not a partner.

[travelbuddies]

Thanks ocav, got it!

[Viv0828]

We had thought about switching from Verizon to T-Mobile but monthly charges would have been $20 higher and a new phone would have been $400 higher. That means we would have spent $900 more each over a 2 year period.

Though we travel a lot we do not spend nearly that much on phone charges, so we decided to just stay with Verizon and buy international voice and data add ons as we need them.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[debbs0723]

If you are ship cell tower you wil get charged, ship towers are shutoff while in port. I have tmobile and have dealt with this the past year. You can login to your tmobile account and change your settings for data roaming in where it will only allow you to use data from their international partners. Cruise ships cells are not a partner.

Okay. Thanks for this info. I always like to take a bunch of pictures of all of us and text them before we leave. 😁

[Clarea]

Okay. Thanks for this info. I always like to take a bunch of pictures of all of us and text them before we leave. 😁

Remember that texting a photo requires cellular data, so that can be expensive.

[ocav]

Remember that texting a photo requires cellular data, so that can be expensive.

 

 

That's not true, picture messages can be sent via MMS using general network coverage

[Clarea]

That's not true, picture messages can be sent via MMS using general network coverage

Maybe with your phone, but with my iPhone, it must have cellular data turned on to send MMS messages.

[Viv0828]

If you are out of the country and have an iPhone, you can send free texts to another person with an iPhone if you have wifi. Cellular data can be off.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited November 7, 2014 by Viv0828

[annwingtoo]

I have international calling from Sprint. It works on both land and ship. My husband used his phone without international calling. He was charged over $35. I'm putting him on the international calling plan