Do I need to purchase an international phone plan…

[gailellen12]

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? I

probably will only be using my phone onboard to do things like researching the next port  Thanks in advance

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, gailellen12 said:

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? I

probably will only be using my phone onboard to do things like researching the next port  Thanks in advance

Where is your cruise going?

[MeHeartCruising]

Your 150 minutes of WiFi will work on the ship until your 150 minutes run out.  Then it won't.

 

I don't think an international Verizon phone plan will help you out while on the ship at sea.  Cellular service on ships is expensive and usually not included in these type of plans.  The Verizon plan would help you with phone and wifi coverage while on shore in port countries. It would also work while docked at the port with you sitting on the ship.

 

I would not buy a Verizon plan just for wifi coverage on a ship.  It doesn't help.

Edited July 25, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[genealogyfan]

9 minutes ago, gailellen12 said:

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? I

probably will only be using my phone onboard to do things like researching the next port  Thanks in advance

Your phone should be in airplane mode and use the wifi while on the ship. Check with Verizon but they have a plan where you pay $10 a day for international use, if you use the phone and on land, and take it out of airplane mode. You have to do an extra step before going to set that up. That way if there is an emergency you have that option.

[DCGuy64]

Still not sure where the OP is cruising. If it's Alaska, New England or Caribbean, it's possible she won't need any international service at all. (I'm assuming OP lives in the USA due to the location of Haverford, PA)

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, gailellen12 said:

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? I

probably will only be using my phone onboard to do things like researching the next port  Thanks in advance

If you are out at sea when you are using the data, its probably going to be cheaper to just upgrade to unlimited.  The Verizon cruise plan is $20 for every 50mb you use.  You will easily use that amount per day just browsing without video.   Check with Verizon for where you are covered internationally.  There is no charge for certain countries.

 

Also, if you can hold out on using data on the first day, you can then upgrade to unlimited on day two and get full credit for your free minutes and one less day of cost.  

[graphicguy]

45 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Still not sure where the OP is cruising. If it's Alaska, New England or Caribbean, it's possible she won't need any international service at all. (I'm assuming OP lives in the USA due to the location of Haverford, PA)

Welcome back……;)

 

Good points.  I think even Canadian ports are included in many Verizon plans.  I just dumped them because their customer service has really taken a nose dive.  So, I’m going by memory.

 

WiFi calling should be fine anywhere else as you’re not using cell towers in the “foreign” locales.

 

IIRC, Verizon offers a $100/mo plan for EU ports, but there are caps on data (maybe on voice, too).

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, genealogyfan said:

Your phone should be in airplane mode and use the wifi while on the ship. Check with Verizon but they have a plan where you pay $10 a day for international use, if you use the phone and on land, and take it out of airplane mode. You have to do an extra step before going to set that up. That way if there is an emergency you have that option.

Is the international pass not automatic when you are on land in a country that you need it?  I know AT&T will automatically charge you the $10 each day you are out of airplane mode in a country that is not included in your plan.  

[DCGuy64]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Welcome back……;)

 

Good points.  I think even Canadian ports are included in many Verizon plans.  I just dumped them because their customer service has really taken a nose dive.  So, I’m going by memory.

 

WiFi calling should be fine anywhere else as you’re not using cell towers in the “foreign” locales.

 

IIRC, Verizon offers a $100/mo plan for EU ports, but there are caps on data (maybe on voice, too).

Thanks, good to be back.

We have T-Mobile which gives us international text and data coverage for free, and calls are cheap, too. I used to have Verizon a long time ago, and I had to buy an int'l plan to use it abroad. Wifi is practically everywhere these days, so I think I'd probably do as you suggest and use the Wifi calling on a Verizon-linked phone.

[schmoopie17]

12 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

 

We have T-Mobile which gives us international text and data coverage for free, and calls are cheap, too. 

Beat me to it. 

 

We switched to T-Mobile last October, mainly to get the free international service for our November Mediterranean cruise. Worked great. As soon as we got near any of the ports, our phones would send us a message saying, "Welcome to _______. Enjoy your free calls/texts/data."

Edited July 25, 2023 by schmoopie17

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Thanks, good to be back.

We have T-Mobile which gives us international text and data coverage for free, and calls are cheap, too. I used to have Verizon a long time ago, and I had to buy an int'l plan to use it abroad. Wifi is practically everywhere these days, so I think I'd probably do as you suggest and use the Wifi calling on a Verizon-linked phone.

Just transferred to T-Mobile.  They bricked my phone in the process, their personnel aren’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen, but I got Apple to fix everything after being without cell service for a couple of days.  Feel like they all are just in it to get your monthly fee and if anything goes wrong, “too bad, so sad”.  It’s why I stick with Apple products.  They’re built incredibly well and they support them better than any other tech company I know.

 

Off on a tangent.  Given I’m headed to Europe (France, Spain, Italy) in October, I’ll assume you are saying if all I need is to text and data (say for directions), I’m good to go?  Not sure I want voice, but depending on the cost, may add it as I’m going to be gone for a month.

 

I guess I could contact them and find out, but there again, who knows when, or even if I get a reliable response from them.

[DCGuy64]

18 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Just transferred to T-Mobile.  They bricked my phone in the process, their personnel aren’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen, but I got Apple to fix everything after being without cell service for a couple of days.  Feel like they all are just in it to get your monthly fee and if anything goes wrong, “too bad, so sad”.  It’s why I stick with Apple products.  They’re built incredibly well and they support them better than any other tech company I know.

 

Off on a tangent.  Given I’m headed to Europe (France, Spain, Italy) in October, I’ll assume you are saying if all I need is to text and data (say for directions), I’m good to go?  Not sure I want voice, but depending on the cost, may add it as I’m going to be gone for a month.

 

I guess I could contact them and find out, but there again, who knows when, or even if I get a reliable response from them.

I would not encourage you (or anyone) to call T-Mobile. Hold times can be ridiculous, for one thing. Anyway, I didn't choose T-Mobile back in 2009 due to customer service, I chose T-Mobile due to competitive pricing, coverage and reliability. I got the 55+ plan for $50/month with unlimited talk, text and data (and the $50 includes all taxes and fees). We have very few dropout spots when we travel, and the signal strength is excellent. (I have an iPhone 13) As @schmoopie17 points out, we love getting that "Welcome to Spain" (Greece, Italy, Germany, etc.) message when we travel. Data and texts are free abroad, although the data speeds can sometimes be slow (I typically buy a cheap 1-week high speed pass to get better speeds if I won't be near Wifi), and I think calls are $.10/minute. iPhones even have e-SIM cards, so you'd always have the option of getting a local SIM in another country and using that, although it means getting a different phone number, I think. The free data works great for maps and stuff, that's mostly what I use it for, and to call hotels and restaurants.

[graphicguy]

8 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I would not encourage you (or anyone) to call T-Mobile. Hold times can be ridiculous, for one thing. Anyway, I didn't choose T-Mobile back in 2009 due to customer service, I chose T-Mobile due to competitive pricing, coverage and reliability. I got the 55+ plan for $50/month with unlimited talk, text and data (and the $50 includes all taxes and fees). We have very few dropout spots when we travel, and the signal strength is excellent. (I have an iPhone 13) As @schmoopie17 points out, we love getting that "Welcome to Spain" (Greece, Italy, Germany, etc.) message when we travel. Data and texts are free abroad, although the data speeds can sometimes be slow (I typically buy a cheap 1-week high speed pass to get better speeds if I won't be near Wifi), and I think calls are $.10/minute. iPhones even have e-SIM cards, so you'd always have the option of getting a local SIM in another country and using that, although it means getting a different phone number, I think. The free data works great for maps and stuff, that's mostly what I use it for, and to call hotels and restaurants.

Yeah.....I'm figuring any issues I may have I'm sort of on my own with any of the mobile companies.  I have an iPhone with an eSIM, so no physical SIM card.  Not sure how that works.  But, got a couple of months to figure it out for international calling.

[cruisinmeme]

We also have Verizon . When in Mexico you can do just like the USA. No charge. 10.00 for other places.  Just isn’t worth it in my book. I do t go on a cruise to call and text all day.  We do any research on a port before I even Leave for the cruise 

the 150 minutes was plenty for internet. 

[sailingships]

3 hours ago, gailellen12 said:

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? 

AT&T has unlimited calling texting and internet for $10 a day all day on land for the first 10 days then free for the rest of the month. One month for $100. It works also if the ship is in a port and youre on the ship. Easy to set up in every port. Works great in Europe etc Cheaper than at home for a month. Also put you home phone and desk top computer on suspension while you are gone. $7 a month for each. We do this every time we go to Europe and cruise. If you turn your phone on at 10am it will be one day at 10am the next day so that way you can get 2 days for the price of one. (only do this if you are going to be in ports 2 days in a row.)

[itsnotjustme]

You may also think about how long your cruise is, and if when in port you will go it on your own or sty in the relative security of a ship's excursion.  Your mapping app will typically not work without data.

 

My next cruise is 14 days, so I am going to turn on the international plan for 1 month for my wife and I.  If I recall it is $80/each for the month.  As other mentioned there is the $10/day of use plan also.  For a shorter cruise this can make sense.

[insidecabin]

11 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

You may also think about how long your cruise is, and if when in port you will go it on your own or sty in the relative security of a ship's excursion.  Your mapping app will typically not work without data.

 

My next cruise is 14 days, so I am going to turn on the international plan for 1 month for my wife and I.  If I recall it is $80/each for the month.  As other mentioned there is the $10/day of use plan also.  For a shorter cruise this can make sense.

Google maps works quite well without data/wifi if you offline/download the area's you are visiting.

Enough to know where you are and find places.

 

The key feature we miss with no connection is walking routes.

 

[BirdTravels]

13 hours ago, gailellen12 said:

Good morning. I have the free at sea which includes 150 min WI-FI  Do I also need an international plan from Verizon? I

probably will only be using my phone onboard to do things like researching the next port  Thanks in advance

For the purposes you described, you do not need anything other than the free wifi minutes. Remember never take your phone out of Airplane Mode until you get back to the United States.

 

You can have Verizon set you up for the $10/day TravelPass in case you decide to use your phone when in port. It does not include cell coverage on the ship. 

Edited July 26, 2023 by BirdTravels

[debenson0723]

With the Verizon international plan, it is $10 a day for the exact same unlimited coverage you have at home. On days you don't use it, there is no charge (so if I am on the ship with a sea day, I leave in airplane mode and use wi-fi). Another nice feature is every month that you don't use it, you 'bank' that month. I had not been out of the country, except for Mexico and Canada (which are free) for 9 months so I had 9 free days of international usage. I was recently in Dubai for 9 days and didn't pay a dime more than my usual bill. That was unexpected (and my phone was on 24/7). 

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

Is the international pass not automatic when you are on land in a country that you need it?  I know AT&T will automatically charge you the $10 each day you are out of airplane mode in a country that is not included in your plan.  

It is not automatic on most AT&T plans. You need to opt in/enroll to get the service. 

[ExArkie]

22 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Beat me to it. 

 

We switched to T-Mobile last October, mainly to get the free international service for our November Mediterranean cruise. Worked great. As soon as we got near any of the ports, our phones would send us a message saying, "Welcome to _______. Enjoy your free calls/texts/data."

I got T-mobile years ago when I was working for a Belgian company (posted in the US, but lots of trips over there). Internationally, it has always been pretty good service. Domestically, the service was severely lacking up until a couple of years ago. With the Sprint acquisition, it is now fairly comparable to the other big two.

 

Living on the northeast side of Detroit, I often drive toward downtown along Lake St Clair, with Canada on the other side of the lake. At some point close to the Detroit city limits, the phone switches to the Canadian network. I have received dozens of "Welcome to Canada" messages without ever leaving Michigan.

[DCGuy64]

I think it depends where you live, too. If you look at just about any carrier's coverage map, there are spots with little or no service. However, we live in the Washington, DC Metro area, so we have cell towers everywhere and almost no drop-out zones. 99% of the time we're here or somewhere in Europe on vacation. But if you live in a remote area somewhere, things might be different. YMMV, but for our money, T-Mobile offers an unbeatable product.

[ziggyuk]

I know everyone says keep your phone on airplane mode, and I get that,  but I have a slightly different approach that allows me to max out the phones data while onboard without wasting my limited WiFi minutes.

 

My contract allows me to set a monthly spend limit, I simply set that to zero which means I can't do anything with the phone that costs money. This way I don't need to put in airplane mode or turn off roaming, when we get out to sea I continue to use my data, then when the ship turns on their cell tower my phone connects but can't use any data as I have a spend limit of zero.

Using this method any time we are close enough to land to receive 3 or 4g and the ship turns off their  cell tower my phone just kicks back in.

I have to pay a small daily roaming fee for overseas usage, so when in port I just increase my monthly spend to allow this payment.

Edited July 26, 2023 by ziggyuk

[DCGuy64]

I don't put my phone in Airplane mode unless I'm on the ship and out of range of a terrestrial cell tower. We use cell service aka roaming whenever we're overseas. The reason to put the phone in Airplane mode onboard the ship is to avoid the very expensive Cellular at Sea network which is used on the ship. For that, I do put the phone in Airplane mode and use Wifi only.

[ziggyuk]

5 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I don't put my phone in Airplane mode unless I'm on the ship and out of range of a terrestrial cell tower. We use cell service aka roaming whenever we're overseas. The reason to put the phone in Airplane mode onboard the ship is to avoid the very expensive Cellular at Sea network which is used on the ship. For that, I do put the phone in Airplane mode and use Wifi only.

 

I already explained, with a spend limit set to zero there is no "very expensive Cellular at Sea" to pay for, my phone company can't charge me for out of contract usage when my spend limit is set to zero.
This allows me to continue using my phone on the ship right up until the moment they turn on the cell tower.

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by ziggyuk