eSIM on a Cruise

[irishclover59]

Hi - has anyone ever used an eSIM on their mobile phone while traveling in Eastern or Western Caribbean?  If so, did it work ok?  I'm not looking for constant wifi or the ability to stream but just to get walking directions in port.  Thank you.

[billco]

10 minutes ago, irishclover59 said:

Hi - has anyone ever used an eSIM on their mobile phone while traveling in Eastern or Western Caribbean?  If so, did it work ok?  I'm not looking for constant wifi or the ability to stream but just to get walking directions in port.  Thank you.

You need to check with your carrier.

[irishclover59]

25 minutes ago, billco said:

You need to check with your carrier.

Thanks but I'm not interested in paying their cost and I'm not with TMobile that offers international data in one of their packages. 

[sunviking90]

I haven’t used one in the Caribbean, but have in Europe and in the US. As long as you purchase one that has coverage there (you can usually select areas) they should work. We also use it while docked and tether off of my phone rather than use the ships slow wifi.

[Senga]

There is a dedicated thread on the Canadian Cruisers forum which you'll find very helpful.

[Sarnia 432]

We use gigsky, although we have not been to the Caribbean it has good packages for most areas

https://www.gigsky.com/

 

[Steelers0854]

They work great, before switching to T-Mobile last year when they gave free Data (5GB) with no extra cost I used Google Fi.  It was cheap and I could toggle it on and off at will so I only paid when we traveled.  I have heard GigSky is good and actually have it setup to use if I need it, but you will be just fine as long as you choose a carrier and plan that works in the country you are going.  

 

Side note, we had ATT and I have been very happy with the switch to T-Mobile.  I was worried it was going to be a hassle with 3 phones, 2 watches and 2 tablets but it was easy and they paid me almost $1000 in VISA gift cards to switch, which cost me nothing.  I have traveled overseas twice with the service and it’s seamless.  I saved money from ATT and have way better service and options.  I would highly recommend it especially if you frequently travel overseas.

[brisalta]

It should not matter whether you have an eSIM or physical SIM.

What matters is the service provider that you subscribe to.

 

 

[anngi]

On 3/31/2023 at 4:45 PM, Sarnia 432 said:

We use gigsky, although we have not been to the Caribbean it has good packages for most areas

https://www.gigsky.com/

 

Have you used gigsky at sea?

[Mara4166]

1 hour ago, anngi said:

Have you used gigsky at sea?

mobile phones sims and esims rely on having a signal from a tower.  There will be no towers at sea, only when at ports (or possibly very close to land where there are towers).

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, Mara4166 said:

mobile phones sims and esims rely on having a signal from a tower.  There will be no towers at sea, only when at ports (or possibly very close to land where there are towers).

What about 'Cellular at Sea' and the like where the ship acts as the tower and connects the mobile through satellite?

[Mara4166]

2 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

What about 'Cellular at Sea' and the like where the ship acts as the tower and connects the mobile through satellite?

I have to admit I am not familiar with that service.  It looks like Princess does provide access so that might work if you have the correct provider.  It does not look like gigsky works with it based on what I looked up quickly.

[anngi]

Gigsky shows many Princess cruise ships that are supposed to work with it. 

Gigsky does have a 100mb free trial no cc needed so I might try that on the first day at sea and see if it works. 

I haven't looked into Cellular at Sea.

 

Edited July 27 by anngi

[d9704011]

12 minutes ago, anngi said:

Gigsky shows many Princess cruise ships that are supposed to work with it. 

Gigsky does have a 100mb free trial no cc needed so I might try that on the first day at sea and see if it works. 

I haven't looked into Cellular at Sea.

 

Be careful.... it's not so much the Gigsky (or other SIMs/eSIMs), it is the satellite connection time that is going to hit your wallet/purse.

[skynight]

Cellular at sea is very expensive.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Obviously this is a very old thread and the OP is probably long gone...but for others sake Cellular at Sea (as @skynight states above) is very expensive and it does nothing for you based on the question the OP was asking.  They were interested in data "while walking around in port".

[A1A Cruiser]

Gigsky offers Cruise + Land packages that connect via Cellular at Sea service on most cruise ships (they publish a list of compatible ships on their website and app) while at least 12 miles from land, and then land based towers when docked.  But you must select one of those  particular packages (selecting the region in which you will be cruising) to get that service.  Their 100MB free introductory offer is limited to certain land services only, but is good for testing compatibility and functionality.  You get data only with these plans (no local phone number) but they'll get you connected to the internet, and you can then use any one of a number of different apps for calling and/or texting.  The introductory plan can be used to test those while at home as well so that you're familiar with everything when you start cruising.  I disable my primary sim when using Gigsky to avoid the possibility of incurring unanticipated costs.  And if you use all of your selected plan's allotted data you can always purchase another plan.  Their esims are permanent and valid for every plan you might purchase - no need to swap or puchase new sims to add new plans or to switch between purchased plans.  Just use the Gigsky app to change the "active" plan to whichever you wish to use.  These plans can be quite convenient as you can use them on sea days, and then just continue to use them when in ports.  Just be sure to select the correct plan when purchasing!  And my understanding is that, if you don't activate and start using a purchased plan within 30 days, their network will automatically activate it, so be sure not to purchase a plan more than 30 days before you'll need to use it.  The plans are limited in duration, of course.

[anngi]

2 hours ago, A1A Cruiser said:

Gigsky offers Cruise + Land packages that connect via Cellular at Sea service on most cruise ships (they publish a list of compatible ships on their website and app) while at least 12 miles from land, and then land based towers when docked.  But you must select one of those  particular packages (selecting the region in which you will be cruising) to get that service.  Their 100MB free introductory offer is limited to certain land services only, but is good for testing compatibility and functionality.  You get data only with these plans (no local phone number) but they'll get you connected to the internet, and you can then use any one of a number of different apps for calling and/or texting.  The introductory plan can be used to test those while at home as well so that you're familiar with everything when you start cruising.  I disable my primary sim when using Gigsky to avoid the possibility of incurring unanticipated costs.  And if you use all of your selected plan's allotted data you can always purchase another plan.  Their esims are permanent and valid for every plan you might purchase - no need to swap or puchase new sims to add new plans or to switch between purchased plans.  Just use the Gigsky app to change the "active" plan to whichever you wish to use.  These plans can be quite convenient as you can use them on sea days, and then just continue to use them when in ports.  Just be sure to select the correct plan when purchasing!  And my understanding is that, if you don't activate and start using a purchased plan within 30 days, their network will automatically activate it, so be sure not to purchase a plan more than 30 days before you'll need to use it.  The plans are limited in duration, of course.

Thank you for the thorough review.  How do you disable your primary sim? 

[A1A Cruiser]

I am only familiar with my (Android) phone, which requires only going to settings, then connections, then to sim manager where I toggle on/off esims as desired.

[antsp]

On 7/27/2024 at 11:24 AM, Mara4166 said:

mobile phones sims and esims rely on having a signal from a tower.  There will be no towers at sea, only when at ports (or possibly very close to land where there are towers).

There is a tower on the ship

[d9704011]

3 hours ago, antsp said:

There is a tower on the ship

I suppose you can call the satellite antenna a tower but that's not the common terminology/understanding.

[antsp]

30 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

I suppose you can call the satellite antenna a tower but that's not the common terminology/understanding.

All ships have true cell access at sea, it's provided by cellular at sea

[d9704011]

3 minutes ago, antsp said:

All ships have true cell access at sea, it's provided by cellular at sea

OK... it's done by a satellite connection from the ship to a land-based cellular network.  Calling the ship's satellite antenna a 'tower' may give the impression that it looks like or functions like a regular celular network tower.

Edited August 31 by d9704011

[Kordy]

On 8/28/2024 at 11:17 PM, A1A Cruiser said:

Gigsky offers Cruise + Land packages that connect via Cellular at Sea service on most cruise ships (they publish a list of compatible ships on their website and app) while at least 12 miles from land, and then land based towers when docked.  But you must select one of those  particular packages (selecting the region in which you will be cruising) to get that service.  Their 100MB free introductory offer is limited to certain land services only, but is good for testing compatibility and functionality.  You get data only with these plans (no local phone number) but they'll get you connected to the internet, and you can then use any one of a number of different apps for calling and/or texting.  The introductory plan can be used to test those while at home as well so that you're familiar with everything when you start cruising.  I disable my primary sim when using Gigsky to avoid the possibility of incurring unanticipated costs.  And if you use all of your selected plan's allotted data you can always purchase another plan.  Their esims are permanent and valid for every plan you might purchase - no need to swap or puchase new sims to add new plans or to switch between purchased plans.  Just use the Gigsky app to change the "active" plan to whichever you wish to use.  These plans can be quite convenient as you can use them on sea days, and then just continue to use them when in ports.  Just be sure to select the correct plan when purchasing!  And my understanding is that, if you don't activate and start using a purchased plan within 30 days, their network will automatically activate it, so be sure not to purchase a plan more than 30 days before you'll need to use it.  The plans are limited in duration, of course.

 

Hi @A1A Cruiser quick question - have you used the GigSky cruise package? If so, was it reliable enough to get WhatsApp messages and basic websites, while in your cabin? I'm thinking of using it at as an alternative to expensive WIFI, while on Sea Days, but need to confirm it really works well and if it's reliable/fast enough?