Verizon WiFi Calling on Independence

[mysparky]

Hi All -

In June, I sailed in Enchantment and was able to use WiFi calling to make daily phone calls home. I was very pleased with the clarity of all of my calls and didn't run into any problems with delays or dropped signals.

 

This December, we will be sailing on Independence and I'll have the same need to call home. Does anyone have experience with WiFi calling on Independence? I know that all RCCL ships have been upgraded to VOOM, but I also know that this doesn't equate to necessarily great service because the internet may be on the older service.

 

 

Thanks!

[Clarea]

Hi All -

In June, I sailed in Enchantment and was able to use WiFi calling to make daily phone calls home. I was very pleased with the clarity of all of my calls and didn't run into any problems with delays or dropped signals.

 

This December, we will be sailing on Independence and I'll have the same need to call home. Does anyone have experience with WiFi calling on Independence? I know that all RCCL ships have been upgraded to VOOM, but I also know that this doesn't equate to necessarily great service because the internet may be on the older service.

 

 

Thanks!

Indy and Enchantment have the same level of internet service.

[travelplus]

Were you charged the $1.99 Ship at Sea Roaming per minute charge? So Royal does not block the WiFI Calling protocol. I have Tmobile and we have WiFi Calling. On the Briliance Of The Seas would I be able to purchase the WiFI Package and then just activate WiFi Calling?

 

My thinking is to get the package for three devices two phones and a laptop for our 2 week cruise. If the WiFi Calling bypasses the $1.99 per minute roaming then it works out to be a good deal. The only thing I am afraid of is that the quality of the internet would not allow for good voice communication unless the VOOM has fixed this.

 

Thanks.

[Clarea]

Were you charged the $1.99 Ship at Sea Roaming per minute charge? So Royal does not block the WiFI Calling protocol. I have Tmobile and we have WiFi Calling. On the Briliance Of The Seas would I be able to purchase the WiFI Package and then just activate WiFi Calling?

 

My thinking is to get the package for three devices two phones and a laptop for our 2 week cruise. If the WiFi Calling bypasses the $1.99 per minute roaming then it works out to be a good deal. The only thing I am afraid of is that the quality of the internet would not allow for good voice communication unless the VOOM has fixed this.

 

Thanks.

So far RC has not blocked the WiFi calling protocol, at least for AT&T. We've used it on Brilliance, Rhapsody, Oasis, and Majesty.

[Biker19]

. The only thing I am afraid of is that the quality of the internet would not allow for good voice communication unless the VOOM has fixed this.

 

 

 

You can never be assured of call quality with a satellite connection but it should work fine most of the time.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

So far RC has not blocked the WiFi calling protocol, at least for AT&T. We've used it on Brilliance, Rhapsody, Oasis, and Majesty.

 

I have used Verizon Wifi calling from the ship for a couple of years now, on many different ships. You must have the ship's internet - there is no "roaming" involved. You are not using cell phone service - it's purely over the internet.

[wolfegizmo]

We have used sprint wi-fi calling for the last few years on different rccl ships. It worked perfectly in Australia and New Zealand as well as the Caribbean!

 

 

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[CP3o]

This wifi calling is when you have Voom, right? Do diamond members get one 24 hr period of Voom on 5 night cruise? Thanks.

 

 

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[Clarea]

This wifi calling is when you have Voom, right? Do diamond members get one 24 hr period of Voom on 5 night cruise? Thanks.

Yes, you must have an internet cinnection (VOOM) to use WiFi calling. The Diamond internet perk is either one free continuous 24-hour period or $20 off a package.

[topnole]

SO with I-phone you just put in airplane mode, turn offdata (just in case), and then enable wifi calling? Is it just that simple?

 

If unanswered does it still go to voicemail when using wifi calling?

Edited September 16, 2017 by topnole

[Clarea]

SO with I-phone you just put in airplane mode, turn offdata (just in case), and then enable wifi calling? Is it just that simple?

 

Does it still go to voicemail when using wifi calling?

 

You must initialize the phone for WiFi calling while still connected to your cellular network. You should do this at home. After that you can turn WiFI calling on and off whether you are connected to your cell network or not, but the first time you must be connected. Theoretically, they phone should work the same on WiFi calling as is does on your cell network.

[Biker19]

If unanswered does it still go to voicemail when using wifi calling?

Yes.

[SRF]

Be advised, T-mobile does charge the 20 cents per minute for wifi calling outside the US. But even if it is a country that does not have an agreement with T-mobile, the charge is still only 20 cents per minute.

 

BTW, VOOM does not allow hot spotting. :)

 

You can use the one device package on more than one device, it is just one at a time. On Grandeur, we found that if one of you was on the connection, and the other logged in, they did not get an error, they grabbed the connection from the first person.

[Biker19]

BTW, VOOM does not allow hot spotting. :)

:confused: as far as I know you can't hotspot a WiFi connection on any phone, nothing to do with VOOM. You can use a WiFi router or a Win 10 laptop to share the connection.

[The sea calls my name]

Hi All -

In June, I sailed in Enchantment and was able to use WiFi calling to make daily phone calls home. I was very pleased with the clarity of all of my calls and didn't run into any problems with delays or dropped signals.

 

This December, we will be sailing on Independence and I'll have the same need to call home. Does anyone have experience with WiFi calling on Independence? I know that all RCCL ships have been upgraded to VOOM, but I also know that this doesn't equate to necessarily great service because the internet may be on the older service.

 

 

Thanks!

 

I am anything but Tech savvy. I have Verizon also and have wondered if there are charges to my account if I make calls using WiFi on cruises. Can you please answer this for me? Also there must be a special setting that my phone must be on. Can you tell me what that is also. I again, have to process how technically challenged I truly am. Thanks

[Biker19]

I have Verizon also and have wondered if there are charges to my account if I make calls using WiFi on cruises.

Availability of WiFi calling is a combination of account and phone - both must support it - not all do. No extra charges to use WiFi calling.

[Clarea]

I am anything but Tech savvy. I have Verizon also and have wondered if there are charges to my account if I make calls using WiFi on cruises. Can you please answer this for me? Also there must be a special setting that my phone must be on. Can you tell me what that is also. I again, have to process how technically challenged I truly am. Thanks

If you use WiFi calling on the ship, you will have charges to your ship onboard account for the WiFi, but you should not have charges to your cell account, unless you make calls that would normally be extra cost (like calling Europe) when you are in your home cell network.

[hellsop]

Be advised, T-mobile does charge the 20 cents per minute for wifi calling outside the US. But even if it is a country that does not have an agreement with T-mobile, the charge is still only 20 cents per minute.

 

$0.30 per minute. But that only applies to wifi calls placed to international numbers. If you're a US T-mob customer, using wifi calling from inside Argentina to a US number, it's included in your calling plan (which for T-mob, usually means "free and unlimited" -- but if you've got a Pay As You Go plan or one with limited minutes, it's as if you were home). If you call a excursion broker in Buenos Aires from the ship's wifi, it's $0.30 a minute.

 

And it's still WAY cheaper than the normal T-mob shipboard rates of $5.99 a minute.

[SRF]

:confused: as far as I know you can't hotspot a WiFi connection on any phone, nothing to do with VOOM. You can use a WiFi router or a Win 10 laptop to share the connection.

 

Hmm, never realized that. I have shared a wifi connections with a laptop before, but had not tried it with wifi.

 

Thanks.

[SRF]

$0.30 per minute. But that only applies to wifi calls placed to international numbers. If you're a US T-mob customer, using wifi calling from inside Argentina to a US number, it's included in your calling plan (which for T-mob, usually means "free and unlimited" -- but if you've got a Pay As You Go plan or one with limited minutes, it's as if you were home). If you call a excursion broker in Buenos Aires from the ship's wifi, it's $0.30 a minute.

 

And it's still WAY cheaper than the normal T-mob shipboard rates of $5.99 a minute.

 

That is not my experience.

 

I was in Vietnam, which is not part of the T-mobile program.

 

I made wifi calls to the US on the hotel wifi, and T-mobile billed me 20 cents per minute for the calls.

 

I don't know if I have ever made a wifi call from a country where T-mobile has their roaming plan.

[Clarea]

Hmm, never realized that. I have shared a wifi connections with a laptop before, but had not tried it with wifi.

 

Thanks.

Not sure about Android, but iPhones have to be getting internet via cellular in order to be used as a WiFi hotspot.

[Biker19]

Not sure about Android, but iPhones have to be getting internet via cellular in order to be used as a WiFi hotspot.

 

 

 

Pretty sure that is true for Android through at least Nougat.

 

 

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[gsosings]

I've been using Magicjack at home for years (this is not a plug - just a note on my experiences)

 

My home service with them has overall been very good. But there's an unexpected bonus that I found out about on my last cruise:

 

They have a phone app (I use Samsung Note 5) that enabled me to make ALL calls to people back home at any time for absolutely ZERO cost!:D

 

Might help some who need all access all the time, or even sometimes..

[Clarea]

I've been using Magicjack at home for years (this is not a plug - just a note on my experiences)

 

My home service with them has overall been very good. But there's an unexpected bonus that I found out about on my last cruise:

 

They have a phone app (I use Samsung Note 5) that enabled me to make ALL calls to people back home at any time for absolutely ZERO cost!:D

 

Might help some who need all access all the time, or even sometimes..

Most current smartphones allow this with the included WiFi calling, no app needed.