Phone calls on board

[Parrothead234]

I'm hoping someone has some kind of solution.  I need to have phone access while on the ship.  My mother has dementia.  She gets confused and scared, so she calls me, sometimes several times a day.  I called RCL and asked them if there was anything I could do to receive phone calls on board.  They said contact my cell phone provider.  I called my cell phone provider, and they said there's nothing they can do.  I've never had a need to be so connected, but I'm sure someone out there has.  I was thinking maybe getting the internet package and using something like WhatsApp, but that changes your phone number, correct?  That wouldn't help because she wouldn't know how to call me.  Any suggestions on how I can be available for my mother if she needs to call me?   I understand the regular phone rates on board are ridiculously expensive.  Appreciate the help.

[blackshirt]

Who is your carrier and why could they not help? If your carrier allows roaming, you would be roaming on Cellular at Sea.  Does your carrier support WiFi calling? If so, you can call and text over the ship’s internet with your normal number and no roaming charges. 

[fred30]

Pleas list your carrier and type of phone and you will get all kinds of good help.

[SRF]

Best (cheapest) way is wifi calling, if your carrier and phone support it.  I know that T-Mobile, ATT, and Verizon support it, and most, if not all, smart phones do.  For another carrier or non-smart phone, you should call your carrier.

 

If it is supported, you turn on, and set up wifi calling while you are connected to your cell service (BEFORE the cruise).  Once set up, you can use it anywhere you have  wifi connection.

 

Once set up, you would by an Internet package for your cruise.  And then once you board, put your phone into Airplane mode, and then turn wifi ON.  Connect to the ship's wifi, and you can make and receive calls, just like being on cell.

 

MAKE SURE YOU TURN AIRPLANE MODE ON.

 

If your phone and/or carrier do not support this, there is cellular calling on the ship, but it can be VERY expensive.

[WeighAnchor]

I was able to use my cell with no trouble last week on Liberty of the Seas. I received calls and made them just fine. All you have to do is have WiFi calling enabled on your phone and enabled by your provider; then purchase the Surf Internet package (that was all I had  Streaming is not required). 

Edited December 18, 2019 by WeighAnchor

[WeighAnchor]

9 minutes ago, SRF said:

If your phone and/or carrier do not support this, there is cellular calling on the ship, but it can be VERY expensive.

AT&T has two 30 day cellular packages for those with post pay accounts. It costs $50 and gives you 50 minutes of calling and unlimited texting; or for $100, it is unlimited calling, texting and a small data allowance. The only problem is you have to be an AT&T customer and if you have AT&T they offer the WiFi calling so there is really no point in ordering the package except for coverage in the areas where Internet might be spotty. 
https://www.att.com/offers/international-plans/cruise-packages.html

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Parrothead234 said:

Any suggestions on how I can be available for my mother if she needs to call me? 

WiFi calling - set it up and try at home.

Edited December 18, 2019 by Biker19

[Capt_BJ]

I believe for an iPhone you need a 6 or later ..... 5 and before don't include WiFi calling .... it isn't on my 5 . . . yea, I know, it's old . . .

[Joseph2017China]

2 hours ago, Parrothead234 said:

I'm hoping someone has some kind of solution.  I need to have phone access while on the ship.  My mother has dementia.  She gets confused and scared, so she calls me, sometimes several times a day.  I called RCL and asked them if there was anything I could do to receive phone calls on board.  They said contact my cell phone provider.  I called my cell phone provider, and they said there's nothing they can do.  I've never had a need to be so connected, but I'm sure someone out there has.  I was thinking maybe getting the internet package and using something like WhatsApp, but that changes your phone number, correct?  That wouldn't help because she wouldn't know how to call me.  Any suggestions on how I can be available for my mother if she needs to call me?   I understand the regular phone rates on board are ridiculously expensive.  Appreciate the help.

1. What is your phone company?

2. What type of phone you have, including model number

 

Answer those two questions and than others can help you much easier.

 

[NavyCruiser]

Use ship's Wifi, make calls thru Viber or Tango app...

[njkruzer]

For our upcoming trip to Australia I called Verizon and confirmed it will work.

[NavyCruiser]

""MAKE SURE YOU TURN AIRPLANE MODE ON.""

 

Does airplane mode work on a cruise ship...?  😁

 

Since I can't find cruise ship mode on my latest & greatest 6G phone..... 🤣

[Merion_Mom]

1 minute ago, njkruzer said:

For our upcoming trip to Australia I called Verizon and confirmed it will work.

 

I use wifi calling on Verizon on every cruise.  You would never know that I was not nearby, the quality is so high.

[Parrothead234]

Wow - thanks so much!  I have T-mobile, an Android.  So this sounds doable!  Really appreciate all your help.  

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, NavyCruiser said:

Use ship's Wifi, make calls thru Viber or Tango app...

The OP needs incoming calls from land line.

[hallux]

38 minutes ago, Parrothead234 said:

Wow - thanks so much!  I have T-mobile, an Android.  So this sounds doable!  Really appreciate all your help.  

Make sure you set up your WiFi calling before leaving home, turn on airplane mode once on the ship, then enable WiFi again.  What this does is ensure you don't get connected to the Cellular-At-Sea "tower" on the ship (it's CRAZY expensive and you may not know your phone hit that tower and triggered a charge until it hits your bill).

 

You will need an unlimited WiFi plan for at least one device to allow you to keep your phone connected all the time in order to receive a call when your mom tries to call you.

 

Here's T-Mobile's support page on setting up WiFi calling - https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680

[Merion_Mom]

59 minutes ago, Parrothead234 said:

Wow - thanks so much!  I have T-mobile, an Android.  So this sounds doable!  Really appreciate all your help.  

 

16 minutes ago, hallux said:

Make sure you set up your WiFi calling before leaving home, turn on airplane mode once on the ship, then enable WiFi again.  What this does is ensure you don't get connected to the Cellular-At-Sea "tower" on the ship (it's CRAZY expensive and you may not know your phone hit that tower and triggered a charge until it hits your bill).

 

You will need an unlimited WiFi plan for at least one device to allow you to keep your phone connected all the time in order to receive a call when your mom tries to call you.

 

Here's T-Mobile's support page on setting up WiFi calling - https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-1680

 

Follow Hallux's advice, but try a call at home, just to be sure.  😊

[cb at sea]

Certainly whoever is helping your mother while you're away can help defray the calls....I have family members with dementia.....they MUST have someone looking after them when you can't....   

 

And yes...it's totally doable on the ship without breaking the bank!

 

[parrotfeathers]

8 hours ago, WeighAnchor said:

AT&T has two 30 day cellular packages for those with post pay accounts. It costs $50 and gives you 50 minutes of calling and unlimited texting; or for $100, it is unlimited calling, texting and a small data allowance. The only problem is you have to be an AT&T customer and if you have AT&T they offer the WiFi calling so there is really no point in ordering the package except for coverage in the areas where Internet might be spotty. 
https://www.att.com/offers/international-plans/cruise-packages.html

 

I used this on my Navigator cruise.  Called home every day.  Worked great.  I read somewhere AT&T owned the "cellular at sea."   My iphone 5 did not have wifi calling.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

We have used WiFi calling on several RCCL cruises on Oasis class ships.  We have even done FaceTime when our new granddaughter was born early while we were in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.  The only issue with WiFi calling is sometimes the ships WiFi will kick you off and you won't know it.  So you need to check at times to make sure you are still connected.  I also found that voicemail messages left weren't going through until after we got back to the US and I rebooted my phone.  If somebody calls and you don't answer tell them to text you.     

 

Obviously, WiFI doesn't work on shore so we also get ATT international plan on one of our phones when we travel.  We just traveled Europe for three weeks and had it on both of our IPhones.  It didn't cost us both more than $100 for the month.  That included lots of data, text, and some telephone calls.  

[John&LaLa]

TMobile should work fine off the ship as well with most of their plans

[SRF]

14 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

Use ship's Wifi, make calls thru Viber or Tango app...

 

Mother with dementia may not be able to deal with calling using an app.

 

Wifi calling allows her to call the normal number she calls, and the call goes through.

[SRF]

6 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

TMobile should work fine off the ship as well with most of their plans

 

Yes, for most all cruise destinations.  And even a lot of none cruise destinations.

 

I recently used T-mobile access in Mauritania and Burkina Faso. 😄