Cell Phone Signal at Sea

[nikkiw60]

We are on the 5 day Bliss Pacific Coastal at the end of September and thinking of getting the Internet package as I enjoy doing a Live From thread. (Have done some on MSC pages). Before I purchase this will we be so far out at sea that we will lose phone signal?

The data package I have from the U.K. is 12 gig and is valid for the USA?

Thanks!

 

 

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[thinfool]

Before I purchase this will we be so far out at sea that we will lose phone signal?

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Short answer is Yes...

 

Details...you will have full cell access available thru the 'tower' on the ship...this is pricey (very). Your cellular data plan is irrelevant...it will be good for land based communication, but not so on the ship.

 

Suggest: put your phone in airplane mode, then go back an turn on wifi so that you can use the ship wifi service that you are paying for. (phone should be in airplane mode while at sea, always)

[nikkiw60]

Short answer is Yes...

 

 

 

Details...you will have full cell access available thru the 'tower' on the ship...this is pricey (very). Your cellular data plan is irrelevant...it will be good for land based communication, but not so on the ship.

 

 

 

Suggest: put your phone in airplane mode, then go back an turn on wifi so that you can use the ship wifi service that you are paying for. (phone should be in airplane mode while at sea, always)

 

 

 

Thank you.

Why does it need to be in airplane mode? I haven’t done that before? We have just turned off data roaming?

 

 

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[shof515]

Thank you.

Why does it need to be in airplane mode? I haven’t done that before? We have just turned off data roaming?

 

 

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airplane modes turns off the phone cellular signal. your phone can still connect to the ships towers if it is turned on

 

not sure what you mean by data roaming. on my device i can turn off of mobile data. all this does is just turns off the internet access, the phone will still receive and make calls with this turn off.

[nikkiw60]

airplane modes turns off the phone cellular signal. your phone can still connect to the ships towers if it is turned on

 

 

 

not sure what you mean by data roaming. on my device i can turn off of mobile data. all this does is just turns off the internet access, the phone will still receive and make calls with this turn off.

 

 

 

I think it’s the same thing.

I will keep phone turned on as only people who would call would be family in U.K. and it’s not been an issue before having it turned on. Thanks for your information.

 

 

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[roger001]

All we do is turn off "data roaming" when we're cruising. We then leave the voice on so we can use Verizon's texting plan while at sea. And the last two cruises even had some wifi with one of the promo packages NCL has been offering. As someone mentioned, using a wifi plan might be your best bet.

[JAMESCC]

We had the 2 device internet package when we said Anthem last September and man it was wonderful. I know people hate on people like me but I like being connected and getting news. It was super fast on Anthem too. Streamed with no buffering at all, none and I was stunned. I will never go without an internet package again.

 

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[Writerfl]

Suggest: put your phone in airplane mode, then go back an turn on wifi so that you can use the ship wifi service that you are paying for. (phone should be in airplane mode while at sea, always)

 

If you do this no-one will be able to reach you via cell phone in case of an emergency. If that's okay, then do it. If it's not okay, leave the cell phone on (calls will cost $2.50 US per minute) but definitely make sure that "data roaming" is turned OFF. You can incur huge charges without even realizing it if your phone is getting facebook notifications and the like in the background.

[nikkiw60]

If you do this no-one will be able to reach you via cell phone in case of an emergency. If that's okay, then do it. If it's not okay, leave the cell phone on (calls will cost $2.50 US per minute) but definitely make sure that "data roaming" is turned OFF. You can incur huge charges without even realizing it if your phone is getting facebook notifications and the like in the background.

 

 

 

Agree with this.

 

 

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[Baseball fan]

If you turn off data roaming, your phone works. You can still get calls and make calls. As mentioned above, at s cost of about $2.50 per minute. Airplane mode is the best unless you need your phone.

 

 

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[Starlight Durban Cruising]

We are on the 5 day Bliss Pacific Coastal at the end of September and thinking of getting the Internet package as I enjoy doing a Live From thread. (Have done some on MSC pages). Before I purchase this will we be so far out at sea that we will lose phone signal?

Just looking at your itinerary, ports are Vancouver/Victoria/San Francisco/Los Angeles, correct? For the issue of "land tower cell signal": for Los Angeles you will have land signal within a few miles of the port as you come in. A weak signal at first but you will gain signal strength as you come in. Sometimes one has to be on deck for picking up a land tower from about 3 miles out. For San Francisco I suspect that you will have land signal from the time that you come in under the bridge until when you exit under the bridge, and then for a mile or two out. For Vancouver/Victoria I am not sure. For most of the coastal cruising you will not be close enough to the coast to pick up a land tower signal, so would likely need to use the ships tower. Hope that helps.

[nikkiw60]

Just looking at your itinerary, ports are Vancouver/Victoria/San Francisco/Los Angeles, correct? For the issue of "land tower cell signal": for Los Angeles you will have land signal within a few miles of the port as you come in. A weak signal at first but you will gain signal strength as you come in. Sometimes one has to be on deck for picking up a land tower from about 3 miles out. For San Francisco I suspect that you will have land signal from the time that you come in under the bridge until when you exit under the bridge, and then for a mile or two out. For Vancouver/Victoria I am not sure. For most of the coastal cruising you will not be close enough to the coast to pick up a land tower signal, so would likely need to use the ships tower. Hope that helps.

 

 

 

Thank you this is the information!

 

 

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[Fincherson]

So with data roaming turned OFF you can still Send and receive texts through your Verizon plan?

[nikkiw60]

So with data roaming turned OFF you can still Send and receive texts through your Verizon plan?

 

 

 

So long as you have a network signal.

 

 

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[Cyclops32]

The best plan is to turn on airplane mode and leave wifi on. Then set it for wifi calling. That way your phone connects to your carrier via wifi instead of cellular. Your phone then works as it normally does. You can use internet, txt and even make and receive calls from the ship without the roaming charges. My last cruise I was going to close on some property right after I got home and I talked to my realtor a few times during the cruise while at sea. It didn't cost me anything but the regular internet package to do this.

 

Cellular companies don't advertise the calling via wifi but they should all have it. Just google your phone model and carrier name and it will tell you how to turn it on.

 

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[roger001]

So with data roaming turned OFF you can still Send and receive texts through your Verizon plan?

 

Verizon is part of the "cellular at sea" program. With data off, but with voice while roaming on, you can send texts for .50c each and receive texts for .05c each. However, if you get phone calls, don't answer them or check voice mail unless you want to pay a bunch for that. This plan is while out at sea and using the ship's cell tower. It is not part of your basic domestic carrier plan.

[mking8288]

... turn on airplane mode and leave wifi on. Then set it for wifi calling ... It didn't cost me anything but the regular internet package to do this.

 

Cellular companies don't advertise the calling via wifi but they should all have it ...

Just want to highlight that onboard cruise ships - there are no "free" WiFi inTERnet access - devices will connect to ship's tower for inTRAnet access with limited functions. WiFi calling is NOT one of the free features ... it's sometimes confusing to the non-tech users.

 

OP is from UK and I am doubtful that their roaming data plan include satellite usage on a cruise ship for free (or, without extra add-on charges and not blocked ... as satellite is relatively expensive). If and when they are within ranges of land-based cellular towers and are covered by a participating partner's carrier, then, their high-speed cellular data onshore should be covered ... still, read the fine prints and check the device's statusbar or messaging for any alerts & warnings about usage/fees, especially at sea in open waters.

 

WiFi and/or VoIP calling depend on the carrier and specific handsets or smartphones/iPhones meeting the minimum hardware requirements - sometimes, they are free but could be counted against their "free" roaming allowance, if any.

 

Another case-in-point, T-Mo has free data roaming in other countries, but it is throttled down, slow to 3G speed (if not at 2.5G or Edge) - that's adequate for basic emails & sluggish web browsing (as those are graphics heavy these days) - and, most definitely, no access or free allowance with ship's satellite data.

 

Bottomline, check with one's own home carrier about coverage, exclusion and what's billable as extra fees - NCL's cellular partner will happily bill your plan for the services.

 

NCL's latest paid (non-free) WiFi inTERnet access is better, but nothing close compared to RCL's superior & faster Voom satellite speed for data. Actual reports should begin to come in next month once the Bliss begin sailings, to get a better idea of how robust the newest ship's WiFi are, along with hardware & technologies deployed.

[Cyclops32]

When I comment about the internet package I was talking about NCL's internet package. I had the unlimited Internet when I was on the cruise so I did not have to worry about anything. As far as my carrier is concerned they do not care where I am at as long as I am using WiFi to access the Cellular network. I can be anywhere in the world and there is no roam charges....With that said, my phone will still act as if I am in the USA because all the calls are tunneled right into the carriers network. It just takes the cell tower out of the picture

 

As far as supporting Calls via WiFi....It has been out for years so unless you have a 4 or 5 year old phone, odds are you will be able to do it. In reality, The phone needs nothing special to do this other then support WiFi and have the code to point it to the carriers network. Like I said in my post the carriers don't advertise this feature and you may need to do a few clicks in your setting to enable it so the best thing to do is just google "enable Wifi calling on <carrier> with <phone model>" just fill in the two pieces of info. This also is great anywhere you have great internet, but have poor or costly cell service