Texting at sea question

[travelinmoma]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

[cruisinforabruising]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

 

Depending on what type of phone you have you can turn off cellular data separately from airplane mode so you can receive SMS messages but yes a back log of Texts will come in I believe. Along with that depending on your phone you can turn the frequency that your phone searches for emails to only search when you manually tell it to. Your phone will also search for voicemails and from what I have read in the past you will also get roaming charges for that.

 

When we left our youngest for a cruise with Grandma we (prior to ships with voom) we would just purchase a small internet package and set up a new cruise gmail account (so you don't have to worry about downloading tons of advertisements etc). We would then just activate the internet to download the emails from that account, turn the internet off, then turn it back on to send replies.

[Havingfun2010]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

 

Keep you phone with "data roaming" off, and "data" off. Your phone will receive a backlog of texts, but incoming texts are only $0.10. Outgoing is $0.50. Make sure you type in a very long sentence and make sure your son will answer you in one long sentence! Don't answer the phone if it rings.

[Clarea]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

Check the charges for texts at sea with Sprint carefully. You may find that they (like AT&T) do not charge for incoming texts, only for texts sent. If that is the case, you don't have to worry about the flood of incoming texts. I would also turn off cellular data as mentioned, just to be sure you don't get charged for data.

[Chakita22]

If you are going to have internet, we use an app called VOXER , its like a walkie talkie. You can text , send pictures and use voice. The voice only lets one of you talk at a time, but as soon as you are done listening you can respond and they wait. Its also great because if they aren't available to talk voice when you are, you can send a voice message and they listen when they can and then respond. It worked great for our whole family because we had a daughter in Canada and a daughter in Puerto Rico while we were on our cruise. So we were all in one group chat and could hear how the others were doing. Just a suggestion :D

[BirdTravels]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

Make sure Data roaming is turned OFF at all times (now and on the ship). Otherwise, once you turn airplane mode off, you will get flooded with emails running up hundreds of dollars in charges in a few seconds.

[CCC3]

We put our cell phones on airplane mode, and purchase an internet package for onboard. We communicated with people at home using Facebook Messenger, as it functions with just WiFi. And yes, be sure to get the airplane mode off before you sail away, and you hear that *ping* of the internet at sea. Yeah, happened to me...once! We take it off airplane mode only we have disembarked.

 

We’ve not noticed an outrageous bill. I honestly cannot remember if we turned off the roaming data.

 

 

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[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Unless things have greatly improved over the past couple of years, I would not count on reliable service in Alaska with Sprint. I have Sprint and my phone was pretty much useless when I was there unless I was in/near a store that had wifi. I know their map says they have coverage, but it is NOT good.

[Ocean Boy]

Check the charges for texts at sea with Sprint carefully. You may find that they (like AT&T) do not charge for incoming texts, only for texts sent.

I never knew that. Is that just for texts at sea or anywhere?

[Clarea]

I never knew that. Is that just for texts at sea or anywhere?

Looks like Sprint charges at sea are like Verizon, $0.50 for each text sent and $0.05 for each text received.

[papaflamingo]

Lot's of good advice. One thing you can do, IF you are going to buy the wifi package, is set up your phone for "wifi calling." It's easy to do. All you really have to do is turn it on in your phone and fill out an address for 911 purposes. I just use my home address as we are normally in wifi calling as our cell signal is weak. So, when you are logged onto a wifi, anywhere in the world, you can turn your phone to airplane mode, turn wifi back on, log on, and use your phone just as if you are sitting in your own home. You can make calls, send and receive texts, etc. If all you want is to send one text a day, then simply make sure your DATA ROAMING is turned off and don't answer any phone calls while at sea. You will text at whatever Sprints international rate is. You will not receive emails as Data roaming is off. No data will be received or sent. When I do this, I keep my phone in airplane mode for ease, then turn it off airplane mode a couple of times a day to let texts download. Then when around U.S. cell towers, you can hook up to a cell tower and use your standard plan.

[Ocean Boy]

Looks like Sprint charges at sea are like Verizon, $0.50 for each text sent and $0.05 for each text received.

But does At&t charge for incoming texts on land?

[Clarea]

But does At&t charge for incoming texts on land?

I suppose it depends on the plan, My current plan only charges for data. Texts and voice calls are unlimited. From the ads I see, it seems most cell companies have a similar deal now and just charge for data.

[travelinmoma]

Check the charges for texts at sea with Sprint carefully. You may find that they (like AT&T) do not charge for incoming texts, only for texts sent. If that is the case, you don't have to worry about the flood of incoming texts. I would also turn off cellular data as mentioned, just to be sure you don't get charged for data.

 

I checked and incoming are only .05 cents! Can I turn my cellular data back on when I'm in port? Will I need to in order to make regular phone calls?

***oops -just saw that you already posted that. :)

[travelinmoma]

Unless things have greatly improved over the past couple of years, I would not count on reliable service in Alaska with Sprint. I have Sprint and my phone was pretty much useless when I was there unless I was in/near a store that had wifi. I know their map says they have coverage, but it is NOT good.

 

Useless even for regular phone calls? I can live without wifi for a week, but I'd really like to hear my kid's voice. :)

[Clarea]

I checked and incoming are only .05 cents! Can I turn my cellular data back on when I'm in port? Will I need to in order to make regular phone calls?

***oops -just saw that you already posted that. :)

You don't need cellular data to make calls. Also, unless you have an international plan to cover ports, you may find cellular data is very expensive in the ports.

[MaryBCruisin]

I had the Wifi package and turned off "airplane mode" for a second. I don't remember why, but I got a call from guest services to keep my phone on airplane mode. I was amazed they knew that. I'm not real tech savvy when it comes to phones. I did not receive a huge bill for anything that came in. We just communicate through Facebook or Messenger if we need to.

[Clarea]

I had the Wifi package and turned off "airplane mode" for a second. I don't remember why, but I got a call from guest services to keep my phone on airplane mode. I was amazed they knew that. I'm not real tech savvy when it comes to phones. I did not receive a huge bill for anything that came in. We just communicate through Facebook or Messenger if we need to.

Wow, I'd really like to know how they knew a phone was not in airplane mode, and also how they knew what phone it was.:confused:

[SRF]

Wow, I'd really like to know how they knew a phone was not in airplane mode, and also how they knew what phone it was.:confused:

 

Because it connected to the Cellular at Sea system. And so it would work for incoming calls, it told the system the phone number of the phone connecting.

 

So, if it is the same phone number you have on your booking, they know who you are.

 

Simple.

[Clarea]

Because it connected to the Cellular at Sea system. And so it would work for incoming calls, it told the system the phone number of the phone connecting.

 

So, if it is the same phone number you have on your booking, they know who you are.

 

Simple.

Interesting, I thought the Cellular at Sea service was a simple passthrough to cell companies. I didn't realize the ship got any metadata from cell phone connections via Cellular at Sea.

[melwolf]

If you all have a iPhone, if you turn off your data and put it on WiFi, you can use iMessage with just the WiFi.

[Clarea]

If you all have a iPhone, if you turn off your data and put it on WiFi, you can use iMessage with just the WiFi.

Only on Quantum class ships and Harmony, and then only until they find a workaround.

[melwolf]

Only on Quantum class ships and Harmony, and then only until they find a workaround.

 

 

If you have the internet package on any ship you can use iMessage.

[Clarea]

If you have the internet package on any ship you can use iMessage.

Of course, I misunderstood your earlier post.

 

 

I thought you were referring to the firewall hole on Quantum class ships and Harmony that allows the use of iMessage WITHOUT purchasing the internet package.

[KBD1516]

We are leaving my son at home with either Grandma or a babysitter while we cruise to Alaska. He's a teen and has his own phone. If I'm understanding correctly, I can call him if I am in port in Alaska at no charge. However, I'd like to text him daily just to check in. I looked up the costs on Sprint.com, and it looks like texts are only .50 cents each. Here's my question, and sorry if it's stupid. I'm not very tech savvy. If I take my phone off of airplane mode while I'm at sea in order to text him, I will probably instantly get flooded with texts, notifications and emails. Will I be charged for those or only if I actually open them and read them?

 

 

 

 

This isn’t exactly what you asked but I have some information about Alaska and ATT.

 

We are doing a land tour in August for 19 days in Alaska and Canada. I called att to ask the best way to manage my phone and data charges. They have a plan to expand my current plan (6g) to unlimited data for $40 extra a month for my 3 devices. They said I could turn it on for August then turn it off when I returned. And then I could return to my regular data plan.

 

 

This will allow us unlimited text and data the whole trip, using cell service when WiFi is not available.

 

This seems to be the best and least expensive for us

 

Just FYI

 

 

 

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