Question for Those Who Call Home From the Ports

[Yvonne]

My sister-in-law wanted me to ask this. She'd like to call home a couple times during our week-long Mariner cruise, to check on their 6-year-old daughter, and she's wondering if there is a particular phone card she should buy. Can you put a call to home on your credit card if you use a pay phone while you're in one of the ports? Our ports will be Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Ocho Rios. Can you use your cell phone while in the ports? Thanks!!

[jebl]

My cell phone only worked in US ports, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico. I was able to use my credit card in St. Maarten so would imagine you could do the same in the ports you mentioned.

[FunCruiser56]

It has been our experience that phone cards are iffy. Under no circumstances use your CC for phone use. You will probably end up with a huge charge...

At every island you visit, except private island, you can find a internet cafe. Ask the purser or at the shore excursion desk for where one is, they are usually close the the pier area. It will run you about .95 a min. You can also use a fast internet for about $3-5 for 20-30 min.

 

Funcruiser

[Yvonne]

At every island you visit, except private island, you can find a internet cafe. Ask the purser or at the shore excursion desk for where one is, they are usually close the the pier area. It will run you about .95 a min. You can also use a fast internet for about $3-5 for 20-30 min.

 

Funcruiser

 

Thank you, but she is not looking to use the internet. The people who will be caring for her daughter do not have internet service. She wants to TALK to her daughter by phone a couple times.

[PSCruiser]

Many ports - I remember Curacao in particular, have calling centers at the port area. In the Curacao center, you paid $5 or $10 to get a passcode, then entered a booth to make calls, which were at $.70 per minute. Worked great for us, clear connection, nobody has your CC number.

Whether or not a cell phone will work in a given country is complicated, however they will never (I think) be less expensive than the calling centers. You need to check your provider's website and determine the frequencies used in a country. Then you need to check your phone manufacturer's website and determine the frequencies for your phone. It was our experience that in ports where we had a match the phone showed a signal, but never got a call out because of complications with country codes etc.

[luv2cruz_74]

All of the ports have phone centers, you would just have to look for them. You can usually pay cash for a 10 minute phone card - I can't remember for how much though. I think it was $5 - $10? In Ocho Rios, just before we got on the ship there was this phone "hut". A Jamaican lady let me pay to use her cell phone. We gave her $5 for about 10 minutes. Worked for us!!

[superjerryw]

The pay phones are set up in most of the ports so that prepaid phone cards purchased in the U.S. will not work. In Grand Cyaman there are two calling stations a short walk from the tender pier that charge about $1 per minute. In Cozumel there is a calling station in the shopping area adjacent to the pier that is about $1 per minute. Never use a credit card to call home from a pay phone in the islands. There have been many horror stories on these boards where people have made a 3 minute call and then found that their credit card had been charged $65. The easiest thing to do is to ask the members of the crew as they will always know where the closest and cheapest calling station is in any port.

[goodml]

Thank you, but she is not looking to use the internet. The people who will be caring for her daughter do not have internet service. She wants to TALK to her daughter by phone a couple times.

 

I think what they were referring to is that most of the internet cafes also sell phone cards or have phone booths that you call from and then pay them for the call. We just did this in Nassau last Sunday. We walked down the street from the pier and saw several internet cafes. The one we went into had phone service as well. They told us which booth to go into, we went in and called home, talked to the kids and then when we were done we went back to the desk and were charged .50 per minute which we paid in cash. It was great.

[Libracruzer]

Hi:

 

I was on the Jewel 8 day last week, and called every day in port to talk to my senior Mom. Phone rates are very cheap - find a place that has phone service - they are tied into a computer - you dial direct on their phone, and they give your the charges - My calls ranged between $2-4 dollars. I was also able to buy a phone card to use in some phones pay phones. I have been doing this for years, and it is really quite easy. Have a great cruise. Karen

[JBoshears]

Don't waste your money buying a prepaid phone card. I took one last month, and it did not work in any port.

 

As others have said, use the phone services they offer. It will be your best bet, and they are widely advertised close to port.