Cellular signal in Alaska?

[rslinky]

Just returned. Have trac phone. Worked in Anchorage, Denali, Haines, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. Did not try in Glacier Bay. Did not work in Vancouver.

[Belle]

I to have a Trac Phone and it has

worked in the ports the four times

we've sailed to Alaska. It is the

USA. Of course doesn't work in Canada.

 

Only use on ship when docked in port

or on land. Do not use at sea.

Trac Phone won't come on but your

other phones might..then charges.

[SJCruisers]

Thank you for the very useful information...

Does anyone have experiences, good or bad, with ATT on the round trip Seattle - Alaska Cruise?

[Floridanamaw]

I have AT&T and don't remember having any trouble using my phone in Alaska. I kept it in airplane mode except when we were in port in Alaska. I always had a signal and was able to post or send messages.

[jlbliss2]

AT&T is the main carrier in Alaska. Had no problem using it on the R/T cruise and was able to use for about 15 after sailing from each port. Also was able to use phone on the ship for calling for about an hour before reaching Victoria, funny, but you have to be on the starboard side. Kept it on airplane mode during cruise. Most stores and restaurants in all ports offer free wi-fi, so we just emailed or facebook messaged alot.

[Digisailor]

This is five years old information, but I do remember one odd thing - when we were on our bus "transfer" from Seattle to Vancouver, I got a text message from AT&T somewhere near the Canadian border warning me that I was about to enter Canada and I might want to turn the phone off or face charges for roaming. We did turn the phone off.

 

We got OK to excellent service on the phones at all the ports. I believe Juneau was the best.

 

If you are staying a while in Canada it might be worth checking into a plan that includes free or reduced calling in Canada.

 

Some ships supply cel service, but it is usually pretty pricey (I guess they are saying "spendy" nowadays).

[Retiring Atlast]

Does anyone know if using Viber makes any difference in terms of cellular signal? I am told that it is free to make calls and messages to others who have the Viber app.

[Illyria]

Does anyone know if using Viber makes any difference in terms of cellular signal? I am told that it is free to make calls and messages to others who have the Viber app.

Viber app uses data...so you either need to have wi-fi or a strong enough cellular signal (at least 3G) from your cellular provider.

[niklynn1]

How do you make certain you are not using the ship's cellular service. Do they turn it off and on when you are in ports?

[TinCan782]

Depending on your phone and service it may display "Cellular at Sea" or something along those lines. Ships are required to turn off their cell service when near or in port to prevent local residents from inadvertently accessing the ship cell service instead of their own local service.

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[Mercruiser]

How do you make certain you are not using the ship's cellular service. Do they turn it off and on when you are in ports?

 

It depends on the phone and carrier. As an example, with an iPhone on Verizon, go to Settings > Cellular > Roaming. Turn this setting Off. This will restrict the phone to only using Verizon. It will not use shipboard, Canadian, or any other carrier's cellular service. The iPhone will show "Verizon" in the upper left part of the display. If you are not in range of a Verizon tower, it will show No Service.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[niklynn1]

It depends on the phone and carrier. As an example, with an iPhone on Verizon, go to Settings > Cellular > Roaming. Turn this setting Off. This will restrict the phone to only using Verizon. It will not use shipboard, Canadian, or any other carrier's cellular service. The iPhone will show "Verizon" in the upper left part of the display. If you are not in range of a Verizon tower, it will show No Service.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

 

Thank you! I do have Verizon iPhone, so this was very helpful!

[Mercruiser]

Thank you! I do have Verizon iPhone, so this was very helpful!

 

Glad to help. I travel extensively around the world for work with my Verizon iPhone. I've had to get familiar with roaming settings.

[Jane2357]

I am so behind the times with technology. I have Verizon and a smartphone so when I go to Settings -- Cellular -- Roaming It comes up with 3 options -- Voice Roaming, Data Roaming and the International CDMA.

 

So if I am traveling from Vancouver to Alaska I should turn off the Voice Roaming and Data Roaming - knowing that the International CDMA thing doesn't apply to me.

 

Then while in port I can turn the Voice and Data Roaming back on? Is that correct? If I just want to use my phone on the ship as a camera does keeping the airplane mode on protect me from the roaming? So confused.

[Mercruiser]

I am so behind the times with technology. I have Verizon and a smartphone so when I go to Settings -- Cellular -- Roaming It comes up with 3 options -- Voice Roaming, Data Roaming and the International CDMA.

 

So if I am traveling from Vancouver to Alaska I should turn off the Voice Roaming and Data Roaming - knowing that the International CDMA thing doesn't apply to me.

 

Then while in port I can turn the Voice and Data Roaming back on? Is that correct? If I just want to use my phone on the ship as a camera does keeping the airplane mode on protect me from the roaming? So confused.

 

Turn Off Voice Roaming and the other two are automatically turned off as well. Do NOT turn on roaming at any time. You don't need to as long as you just want to use Verizon.

 

Turning on Roaming gives your phone permission to use an alternate cell carrier, at extra cost, if it cannot connect to Verizon. Turning Off roaming restricts your phone to only using Verizon service.

 

The only reason you would turn on roaming is to make an emergency call when not in Verizon's coverage area.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[DaleJr]

So indeed there was good Verizon signal in port and on land in Juneau, ok in Skagway, and great in Ketchikan.

[Carraway]

Has anyone used Viber while in Vancouver?

[CruisingSince2012]

What about an iPhone from T-Mobile? Will that work in Alaska without roaming?

[TinCan782]

What about an iPhone from T-Mobile? Will that work in Alaska without roaming?

 

Have you checked with T-Mobile? By the way, if your plan includes unlimited domestic roaming you'll be fine in Alaska. That was my experience...no extra charges.

[alaska_planner]

Have you checked with T-Mobile? By the way, if your plan includes unlimited domestic roaming you'll be fine in Alaska. That was my experience...no extra charges.

 

so your phone reception with t-mobile was ok?

 

we come from overseas....we always get an unlimited SIM from a company here that i know sits on the t-mobile network.

 

i was wondering whether we should look for another option for this trip.

or is the t-mobile service in alaska ok.

[TinCan782]

My phone is Sprint. We were roaming all the time in AK but not a problem with my plan. Didn't make any calls but did use data roaming to upload photos here and there

 

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

[alaska_planner]

i just checked the coverage map at the T-Mobile website...

they don't have a network in alaska it seems.

They use a 'partner's' network...my guess it's either AT&T or Verizon's network...

meaning the coverage is probably good (as it's not actually a t-mobile network :) )

[Desert Rosie]

What about an iPhone from T-Mobile? Will that work in Alaska without roaming?

 

We got back from our Cruise June 6, 2015. We have T-mobile, in Vancouver we had unlimited text and data, phone calls were .20 per minute. In Alaska ports, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan we roamed with AT&T and GTE. We were limited on data to 2 gigabytes, unlimited talk and text. We had no problem using our phones. Not sure about service @ Glacier Bay, we had our phones off. One thing to note in Canadian waters we had a cell service from Vancouver to Campbell River both ways. We did a 7 day on HAL.

[shannabanana13]

Just back from Seattle closed loop. We have Sprint and had no service the entire time we were gone.

 

We just got back from a 7-day roundtrip from Seattle with those same ports (minus Glacier Bay). Our friends had cell service and they were on Verizon. My husband and I go through Virgin Mobile, which is on the Sprint network and we had zero service in any port.

 

I second the high cost of Canadian roaming, although just through hearsay.

 

You will LOVE Alaska! It was my first time, and I can't wait to go back! :)

[shannabanana13]

Has anyone used Viber while in Vancouver?

 

I haven't used Viber in Vancouver (or anywhere in Canada), but I used it last year when we went on a British Isles cruise. It works great anywhere you have a wi-fi connection- so either in port, or if you purchase internet on the ship. The only problem I had was the time difference between Europe and the U.S. but that probably won't be an issue for you (meaning long delays between responses).

 

Hope that helps!