Making Phone calls from ship

[CruisinFinsUp]

Hi,

We'll be on Regal in a couple weeks (yay!) and a relative is having a milestone birthday while we are away. We want to call this person on their birthday.

 

It will be a sea day.

 

Our Canadian cell companies do not connect to the company that provides service at sea so our cell phones are NOT an option.

 

How hard is it to make a phone call from the ship on a sea day?

How exactly do we do this?

I realize it will be expensive. Any info on how much? Do we put it on our onboard account?

Do we need to make special arrangements in advance?

 

I looked thru the Cruise answer book but it only talked about folks contacting the ship, not the other way around.

 

Any advice and info would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[CruisingJs]

You can call from your stateroom but as I recall it is somewhere between $6 and $8 per minute.

[dmwnc1959]

Just happened to see this on the Gifts and Services page:

 

 

In-cabin Calling to Shore

You're just a phone call away with this gift. A great present for loved ones to use to provide vacation updates or just to hear your voice.

 

Item #6034 - $49.50 for 10 minutes

 

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-gifts-celebrations/gifts-and-services/

 

 

:D

[yoyosma]

Hi,

We'll be on Regal in a couple weeks (yay!) and a relative is having a milestone birthday while we are away. We want to call this person on their birthday.

 

It will be a sea day.

 

Our Canadian cell companies do not connect to the company that provides service at sea so our cell phones are NOT an option.

 

How hard is it to make a phone call from the ship on a sea day?

How exactly do we do this?

I realize it will be expensive. Any info on how much? Do we put it on our onboard account?

Do we need to make special arrangements in advance?

 

I looked thru the Cruise answer book but it only talked about folks contacting the ship, not the other way around.

 

Any advice and info would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

You might be able to audio skype them via the internet on board. I also have an app called talkatone which requires a google phone number, not sure if they are available in Canada. And finally, you can use Facetime audio on iphones via the internet as well.

 

Otherwise I will be of no help as I have never called from on board ship without using my cell phone. I am pretty sure the satellite phone calls are very expensive.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thanks Dave for the pricing. Glad we bought lots of OBC at 1.10 exchange!!

 

Yoyosma - thanks for the great ideas but we are calling an elderly relative that only has a phone. We just want to make an old fashioned phone call! :rolleyes:

 

CruisinJS thanks that would be great if we can just call from the cabin!

[Loonbeam]

Do note, as with any other communications service on board, quality and availability may be affected by satellite location and weather conditions.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Do note, as with any other communications service on board, quality and availability may be affected by satellite location and weather conditions.

 

Yes absolutely - We've already discussed just having to try again later if need be. Thanks!!

[Posaune]

I use Magic Jack on my laptop to make calls. It just costs me the internet time and since we are Platinum it is essentially free. We have used this on eight cruises to keep our business going and to check on elderly relatives.

[satxdiver]

If you use the internet to communicate, your speed is determined by the ship's position and weather conditions between the ship and the satellite, ship's movement due to heavy seas can be a problem and best of all is how many of you fellow pax are trying to access the internet as well as what they are trying to do. Good times are late at night and during dinner when most pax are sleeping or eating.