What's App vs Voom Surf

[pattycake08]

I've used the What's App between the US and Europe when my kids were overseas. It was free for texting and phone calls. I'm going on a cruise in September 2021 to the Caribbean on Vision of the Seas stopping at 6 ports. Does What's App only work in those ports once I get off the ship for free or does it work for free on the ship while in port or on sea days traveling to the other ports?  Trying to figure out why I would need Voom Surf (not Stream) if I have What's App, if Voom Surf would only be used for checking my home email?

[Biker19]

20 minutes ago, pattycake08 said:

Trying to figure out why I would need Voom Surf (not Stream) if I have What's App, if Voom Surf would only be used for checking my home email?

Both on the ship and on land you need some internet data connection to have that app work. On the ship, Surf is enough. At the ports, you'll need to find some wifi somewhere.

[brillohead]

Just to clarify, when you're at port but still on the ship, your Voom will still work.  But once you get off the ship, you won't be connected to the internet anymore and WhatsApp won't work.

It sounds like you're not super tech-savvy, so I'd make sure you understand how to prevent cellular / roaming charges on your phone when you're at sea and in port.  There are several threads on the subject here at Cruise Critic that explain it. 

Basically, you want to turn on Airplane mode (which turns off your cellular connection from your phone) and then turn on Wi-Fi and connect to Voom on the ship. Anytime you restart (turn off/on) your phone, make sure those settings didn't change.
 

[SRF]

Who is your carrier?  It makes a HUGE difference.

 

I am on T-mobile, so some 240 countries I have unlimited texting and data (slow) and 25 cent per minute calling.

 

With ATT you can buy a month of international service.

 

Also, when hitting port, as the crew where the free wifi is.  They all hit it if they get off the ship to contact home.

[pattycake08]

Hi  thanks, you are correct I am not Tech Savvy at all. My carrier is Verizon, I believe they have something that's called a Travel Pass for $10.00 /day, & I'm not sure exactly what that allows you to do and how that is different from using the free What's App.  was hoping someone on ae and guide e on the pros & cons of each. 

[Kathscof]

48 minutes ago, pattycake08 said:

Hi  thanks, you are correct I am not Tech Savvy at all. My carrier is Verizon, I believe they have something that's called a Travel Pass for $10.00 /day, & I'm not sure exactly what that allows you to do and how that is different from using the free What's App.  was hoping someone on ae and guide e on the pros & cons of each. 

You will still need connection for WhatsApp, no matter what.....so you will need either wifi, or access through Verizon....

 

You will need to weigh your options, if you want to stick with wifi on the ship and in port, or if you want to be in constant contact and have service on land through an international plan of some sort....

 

and "different from using the free WhatsApp", in the US, you are either paying for your verizon data to use, or utilizing wifi (at your house that you pay for) or utilizing free wifi hotspots around your town.....so, technically not free.  You ARE, however, not being charged for international calling if you utilize wifi versus phone calling services....

Edited July 25, 2021 by Kathscof
forgot things

[brillohead]

WhatsApp doesn't actually provide any type of connection -- it's just an app on your phone or computer that you use to make calls or send messages.  You need to be connected to the internet in order for the app to work. 

Think of WhatsApp like an envelope that you put a letter in... you still need a mailman and the postal service to pick up the envelope and deliver it to the recipient.  Without a mailman and postal service system, the letter will just sit in your mailbox and not go anywhere.  WhatsApp is the same way -- unless your phone is connected to the internet, your text message or phone call is just going to sit there in your phone and not go anywhere. 

So you need SOME sort of way for the app to connect to the internet -- that's either going to be via the ship's wifi (Voom), or wifi provided by a store/restaurant/resort you go to in port, or from a data connection through your cell provider (Verizon).  

In my case, I don't need connectivity when I'm in port, so it makes more sense for me to use Voom on the ship.  You need to evaluate when and where you need connectivity, and make the choice that works best for you.  Definitely make sure you understand the difference between phone/text coverage and data (internet) coverage and how much each will cost through Verizon when making your decision.  (WhatsApp needs a data connection.)

[3kidsncats]

WhatsApp is just an application that you need WiFi access in order to use.  Voom WiFi, local free WiFi in port, or your phone carrier data plan are required for WhatsApp to work.  I personally don’t use the local free WiFi due to security concerns.  So if you want to be able to text people via WhatsApp, you will need to purchase either Voom WiFi for shipboard use, or use your phone data plan in port.  

[smplybcause]

4 hours ago, pattycake08 said:

Hi  thanks, you are correct I am not Tech Savvy at all. My carrier is Verizon, I believe they have something that's called a Travel Pass for $10.00 /day, & I'm not sure exactly what that allows you to do and how that is different from using the free What's App.  was hoping someone on ae and guide e on the pros & cons of each. 

 

I have Verizon. You'd have to pay the $10/day to have service to use whatsapp. In most countries the $10 includes calls and texts according to your plan (so if it's unlimited at home it's unlimited abroad). It only gives you 0.5GB a day though. If you are just texting on the app that's more than enough. 

 

Please make sure that it's active on your plan, I know a few years ago it wasn't on every plan. Not sure about now, I've been on a plan that includes it for years. 

 

Also it's a bit of a misnomer. It's 24 hours not a day. So say you turned it on at 12pm on Monday it's still just one day until 11:59am on Tuesday even if you're in another country. So if you time it right you can talk each day but only pay $10 for every 2.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

 

I have Verizon. You'd have to pay the $10/day to have service to use whatsapp. In most countries the $10 includes calls and texts according to your plan (so if it's unlimited at home it's unlimited abroad). It only gives you 0.5GB a day though. If you are just texting on the app that's more than enough. 

 

Please make sure that it's active on your plan, I know a few years ago it wasn't on every plan. Not sure about now, I've been on a plan that includes it for years. 

 

Also it's a bit of a misnomer. It's 24 hours not a day. So say you turned it on at 12pm on Monday it's still just one day until 11:59am on Tuesday even if you're in another country. So if you time it right you can talk each day but only pay $10 for every 2.

I've always done Voom, so I'm not familiar with that plan -- how does it work on the ship? Is it still just the $10/day using the ship's cellular signal?

[smplybcause]

17 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I've always done Voom, so I'm not familiar with that plan -- how does it work on the ship? Is it still just the $10/day using the ship's cellular signal?

 

Oh sorry, I don't think it counts on the ship. Forgot to make that clear. As far as I know it's land only. 

 

Mexico is included in my plan so I use my phone there and free internet on excursions if they have it. Don't care enough to have it on board. As far as I know I don't think Verizon has a ship plan. 

[brillohead]

27 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Oh sorry, I don't think it counts on the ship. Forgot to make that clear. As far as I know it's land only. 

 

Mexico is included in my plan so I use my phone there and free internet on excursions if they have it. Don't care enough to have it on board. As far as I know I don't think Verizon has a ship plan. 

So you put your phone in Airplane Mode on the ship (or turn it off entirely) so it doesn't connect to the ship's cell signal, right?

[smplybcause]

14 minutes ago, brillohead said:

So you put your phone in Airplane Mode on the ship (or turn it off entirely) so it doesn't connect to the ship's cell signal, right?

 

Correct. It only goes off airplane mode in Mexico because I have a Canada/Mexico plan with them. So once we dock (a bit before but I'm rarely up that early) in Mexico I turn it off airplane mode because I have coverage. And usually sound on silent because oy the noise! 

 

I was playing a fun (sarcasm) game in Alaska trying to make sure I never was on the ship tower. Mostly was like an hour before arrival or after departure was fine if I saw land otherwise I was too scared to keep it on (family plan). Actually downloaded an app that is easier to find what tower you're using to make sure it didn't say "ss minnow".

[SRF]

9 hours ago, 3kidsncats said:

I personally don’t use the local free WiFi due to security concerns.  

 

It depends on what you are doing.

 

Whatsapp is end to end encrypted, so no real worries there.

 

But if you are planning on ordering things online, it can be a serious issue. 

[Iamcruzin]

14 hours ago, pattycake08 said:

Hi  thanks, you are correct I am not Tech Savvy at all. My carrier is Verizon, I believe they have something that's called a Travel Pass for $10.00 /day, & I'm not sure exactly what that allows you to do and how that is different from using the free What's App.  was hoping someone on ae and guide e on the pros & cons of each. 

The only thing free about What's App is the download of the app and the app itself.  You will need to pay for some kind of data service whether it's on the ship or through Verizon.  I found the cheapest solution  was to buy voom from Royal Caribbean for one device. My wife and I shared the service. I never needed to use my phone while in port so I didn't use my verizon plan.  You are only in port a few hours. Do you really think you will spend the day talking to someone at home?  I have always found a place in port even in the Caribbean that had free wifi for patrons of the restaurant or coffee shop. It may mean that you would have to buy a drink which would be a lot cheaper than data service.  Look into the Verizon international data plan for traveling if you think you will need to use extended data service off of the ship. If you buy that you won't need to use What's App you can call or text direct.   However if you call on the ship directly through Verizon you will pay the ships connection rate if you don't buy Voom which will be a lot more than a voom package.

[Iamcruzin]

You can go to YouTube and search how to put you model phone into airplane mode or how to turn off data which is a more secure way of turning off data. Also before you leave home you need to turn on wifi calling on your phone. YouTube can also tell you how to do that. If you turn on wifi calling after you have left the country you will be charged the long distance out of area rates to call home.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[Iamcruzin]

9 hours ago, brillohead said:

I've always done Voom, so I'm not familiar with that plan -- how does it work on the ship? Is it still just the $10/day using the ship's cellular signal?

No you still need to use the ships cellular signal to call. Since we spend more time on the ship than in port we buy the ship's wifi surf stream plan.  The Cell phone carrier plan would only be used in an emergency on land.  I do buy the international travel plan through Verizon.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[lovesthebeach2]

19 hours ago, SRF said:

Who is your carrier?  It makes a HUGE difference.

 

I am on T-mobile, so some 240 countries I have unlimited texting and data (slow) and 25 cent per minute calling.

 

With ATT you can buy a month of international service.

 

Also, when hitting port, as the crew where the free wifi is.  They all hit it if they get off the ship to contact home.

We also have TMobile and have used the text and data in many countries in Europe and have gotten 4G most of the time which is fine for texting, and I’ve also been able to get FB and email. 👍

[Iamcruzin]

This is the travel plan for Verizon.  Sign in to your Verizon account and search Travel pass for frequently asked questions

 

 

What is TravelPass, where can I use it and how much does it cost?

 

TravelPass lets you use your domestic talk, text and data* in more than 185 countries outside the US for a set daily fee. You can call within the country you're visiting and you can call back to the US. The fee is:

• $5/day in Mexico and Canada
  • Keep in mind that calling, texting and data use in Mexico and Canada are included at no extra cost in these domestic plans: Start Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, Do More Unlimited, Get More Unlimited, Go Unlimited,** Beyond Unlimited,** Above Unlimited,** The new Verizon Plan shared data XL and XXL sizes.** Above Unlimited also gives you 5 TravelPasses per month.
• $10/day in other countries where TravelPass can be used.

TravelPass isn't available in non-covered countries or on cruise ships.

*High speed data applies for the first 0.5 GB/day with 2G reduced speeds thereafter. If more than 50% of your talk, text or data usage in a 60-day period is in Canada or Mexico, use of those services in those countries may be removed or limited.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[3kidsncats]

6 hours ago, SRF said:

 

It depends on what you are doing.

 

Whatsapp is end to end encrypted, so no real worries there.

 

But if you are planning on ordering things online, it can be a serious issue. 

Yes, I just don’t use WhatsApp very often — only to chat with my friend in Poland a few times a year.  Generally speaking, I don’t use free public wifi, and we have data blockers for whenever we use a USB charging port instead of our wall charging blocks.  Some basic security precautions that can save one a huge headache

[SRF]

I use Whatsapp, Skype, Kik, Google Hangouts and Chat.   They are all pretty secure.  And not much they can get.  I don't send anything that would be useful.

 

I tend to not use charging ports, other than my own.

 

But every time I have had a data breach on my end, mainly credit card info stolen, it has been in the US (not outside the US), and from using some wifi.  So now, I run a VPN for wifi use and have had no issues since then.