Cell phone use in Europe

[JoyMBee]

Hi everyone, I know this is a popular topic on here.  We will be in Europe for 12 days in Oct. I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that I won't buy any sim card or data.  We will use Whats App or Messenger to stay in touch with family at home, we will be together so won't be calling each other.  We are on a river cruise so will be partaking in their tours/excursions.  There is wifi on the ship and hotels.   Staying two nights before the cruise and one night after.  We will need transportation to the airport but I have heard from others that the hotel will call you a taxi.  I think it is $15 a day to add it to my current cell phone plan.  So am I missing anything?  Any reason I need a cell phone or data?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

You are spending $10,000 and you don’t want to spend $80: for 2 SIM cards 

my wife did a bus tour once , ( one only 🤣) a lady got lost in the  Vatican on a tour, it took a couple hours to track her down , screwed up the tour for the day 

if she had an EU SIM card they could located her right away 

it is cheaper than other insurance you are buying 

 

[JoyMBee]

35 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

You are spending $10,000 and you don’t want to spend $80: for 2 SIM cards 

my wife did a bus tour once , ( one only 🤣) a lady got lost in the  Vatican on a tour, it took a couple hours to track her down , screwed up the tour for the day 

if she had an EU SIM card they could located her right away 

it is cheaper than other insurance you are buying 

 

That is a good point, if we got lost on an excursion.  Not really worrying about the cost more the complication of buying and activating it. Not that great at technology.

[broberts]

2 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

That is a good point, if we got lost on an excursion.  Not really worrying about the cost more the complication of buying and activating it. Not that great at technology.

 

Then simply carry the phone powered off. In an emergency you can turn it on and pay the roaming charge. At that point cost will be the least of the worries.

[JoyMBee]

4 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Then simply carry the phone powered off. In an emergency you can turn it on and pay the roaming charge. At that point cost will be the least of the worries.

That's what I was thinking, I could activate and just pay the daily charge.  You are right in an emergency it wouldnt matter.

[Tango99]

5 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

Hi everyone, I know this is a popular topic on here.  We will be in Europe for 12 days in Oct. I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that I won't buy any sim card or data.  We will use Whats App or Messenger to stay in touch with family at home, we will be together so won't be calling each other.  We are on a river cruise so will be partaking in their tours/excursions.  There is wifi on the ship and hotels.   Staying two nights before the cruise and one night after.  We will need transportation to the airport but I have heard from others that the hotel will call you a taxi.  I think it is $15 a day to add it to my current cell phone plan.  So am I missing anything?  Any reason I need a cell phone or data?

 Check what services you already have on your phone. Sounds like you have data already if you are already using What’s App and Messenger on board and in hotels. But check anyway. When you board the airplane turn your phone to airplane mode to avoid inadvertent calls once you reach Europe. (Airplane mode prevents your cell service provider from tracking you using wherever you are on the planet. It’s also essential to use that while on board ship.  Only turn off Airplane mode when you really need to call home. It might cost you just 15-16$ a day but that includes your regular data (assuming you have it already). Keep in mind that daily Roam like home (or whatever the daily out of country rate plan is called)  starts and ends in the time zone you’re in. So you might need to leave your phone on for a while longer if you’re waiting for family to get gone from work. There’s a 6-7 hour time difference minimum depending on where your home is and it could be 9-10. Best to leave airplane mode on if you get stuck anywhere and then you can snag wifi close by (hotel, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, etc…ask for their password) and use to wifi call or email or messenger whoever you need to pick you up and the landmark and/or intersection where you are. Or just ask the hotel to call a cab. Enjoy your cruise. A.

[CDNPolar]

We used to roam like home in Europe at $15 per day per person - and both of us would have the phone on.  Silly to pay $30 per day.

 

Now we turn on do all our research on the ship's WiFi and go out and do our thing.

We turn the phone on if we need it.  If there is an emergency, we flip the switch on one phone and we have the phone fully functioning and we will pay for a day.

 

We now send an email to friends and family most likely to contact us, that may not know we are travelling, and let them know that they can contact us via WhatsApp, iMessage, and Email.  We also inform them that there may be hours of the day that we are not available because we are not on WiFi.

 

If you are all travelling together, then there is likely no need for phone connectivity.

 

I agree also with the comment about the cost of the cruise and paying for roaming, but in Canada we pay so much already for our phone services, I hate like heck to pay more.  We travel often with American friends and they travel all over the world and do not pay a penny more for their plan and they can roam and make calls in any country.  The only thing that they suffer is a slower internet connection when on data.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

24 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

We used to roam like home in Europe at $15 per day per person - and both of us would have the phone on.  Silly to pay $30 per day.

 

Now we turn on do all our research on the ship's WiFi and go out and do our thing.

We turn the phone on if we need it.  If there is an emergency, we flip the switch on one phone and we have the phone fully functioning and we will pay for a day.

 

We now send an email to friends and family most likely to contact us, that may not know we are travelling, and let them know that they can contact us via WhatsApp, iMessage, and Email.  We also inform them that there may be hours of the day that we are not available because we are not on WiFi.

 

If you are all travelling together, then there is likely no need for phone connectivity.

 

I agree also with the comment about the cost of the cruise and paying for roaming, but in Canada we pay so much already for our phone services, I hate like heck to pay more.  We travel often with American friends and they travel all over the world and do not pay a penny more for their plan and they can roam and make calls in any country.  The only thing that they suffer is a slower internet connection when on data.

Americans that have international roaming are getting a more expensive monthly package. 
2 drinks on a ship covers my EU SIM card 🍷😁

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Americans that have international roaming are getting a more expensive monthly package. 
2 drinks on a ship covers my EU SIM card 🍷😁

 

May be more expensive to them, but it is half what I pay Rogers for no roaming.

[Magicat]

Last year on while on a cruise through Norway and Iceland, we purchased a EU sim card in Copenhagen.  I believe it was a 30 day sim card with local calls throughout Europe and I believe it also included US and Canada with 8 gigs of data.  This cost was 30 Euros.  Pretty cheap in my mind.  We will be going to UK in 2 weeks and although my company pays for my phone, some merchants cannot call a foreign number.  Found this out with trying to arrange a ride share.

[Atlantic Girl]

I posted this on another thread about esims.  Just  got back from an Arctic Circle cruise with ports in Iceland and Greenland and used an European Airola esim for the cruise and a precruise Paris/Amsterdam stay. We had used an Airola  esim in Caribbean and US last winter , and tried making phone calls from every port, all worked well. So we did the same this time, called back to Canada using wifi calling, and again calls were no problem. For around $18CDN, for a 2 week period, the convenience was invaluable. We walked all day in Paris and Amsterdam and being able to keep maps on, plus being able to actually research areas  as we were walking through them, was why we will always buy an esim now. We do a lot of research for our travels, but being able to understand what we are seeing in real time is another level of enjoyment for us. We had 5G everywhere we were. 

[Atlantic Girl]

Last year when in Europe we used our Bell roaming/day package and it cost us over $120. We had to really need data to turn it on. This year $18 and data on all the time, except when at sea. I love that you load the esim before you leave and when you land and turn airplane mode off, it automatically connects. Also you still have your Canadian cell provider accessible. The whole process is super simple.

[BeachTunes]

12 minutes ago, Atlantic Girl said:

I posted this on another thread about esims.  Just  got back from an Arctic Circle cruise with ports in Iceland and Greenland and used an European Airola esim for the cruise and a precruise Paris/Amsterdam stay. We had used an Airola  esim in Caribbean and US last winter , and tried making phone calls from every port, all worked well. So we did the same this time, called back to Canada using wifi calling, and again calls were no problem. For around $18CDN, for a 2 week period, the convenience was invaluable. We walked all day in Paris and Amsterdam and being able to keep maps on, plus being able to actually research areas  as we were walking through them, was why we will always buy an esim now. We do a lot of research for our travels, but being able to understand what we are seeing in real time is another level of enjoyment for us. We had 5G everywhere we were. 

 

Thank you for sharing this! We will be spending 2 nights in Barcelona followed by a 7 night cruise next month. I'm thinking about purchasing an Airola plan for our pre-cruise Barcelona stay and port days. Seems too good to be true! 🙂 We racked up a hefty cellular bill last year using maps to "Roam in Rome".  LOL! I'm assuming, though, that the Airola app won't work while at sea? Thanks again! 

Edited September 17, 2023 by BeachTunes

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, BeachTunes said:

 

Thank you for sharing this! We will be spending 2 nights in Barcelona followed by a 7 night cruise next month. I'm thinking about purchasing an Airola plan for our pre-cruise Barcelona stay and port days. Seems too good to be true! 🙂 We racked up a hefty cellular bill last year using maps to "Roam in Rome".  LOL! I'm assuming, though, that the Airola app won't work while at sea? Thanks again! 

 

While on the ship you will move to the ship's WiFi.

[BeachTunes]

38 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

While on the ship you will move to the ship's WiFi.

 

Thank you! I have actually pre-purchased an onboard WiFi package from our cruise line for around $160 USD for evenings and sea days. I was thinking about using the eSIM for port days but if it will also connect to the ship's WiFi, even better! More savings! 

 

If I need both the eSIM and ship's WiFi to cover sailing time, no worries. Thanks for helping this "47 year-old who thought she knew about tech but doesn't" out! 

🙂

Edited September 17, 2023 by BeachTunes

[dawnvip]

For clarity, the OP will be on a river cruise, so their cell service/esim/etc will work the entire time they are on board. Many river cruises offer free wifi, so save the roaming charges for those instances that you really need it.

[JoyMBee]

21 minutes ago, dawnvip said:

For clarity, the OP will be on a river cruise, so their cell service/esim/etc will work the entire time they are on board. Many river cruises offer free wifi, so save the roaming charges for those instances that you really need it.

That's what i was thinking.  I would only need it when we were off the ship on tours etc.

[dawnvip]

Not sure where your river cruise is, but Wifi is readily available throughout western Europe.  Unless there is an emergency, or you are in a remote location, you will likely not need the roaming.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

Edited September 18, 2023 by dawnvip

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I would rather be on my own EU sim than to be on public wifi

but that is just me

[bookbabe]

We got Airalo for the cruise we are currently on and are quite happy with it. 

[WayTea]

There are several comments regarding eSims.  Note that you will need a newer phone that will accept eSims.

[JoyMBee]

44 minutes ago, WayTea said:

There are several comments regarding eSims.  Note that you will need a newer phone that will accept eSims.

Yes i have a newer phone and it will accept eSims.  Thank you!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

A lot of good info on this website 

https://www.traveltomtom.net

[strobellayjam]

On 9/17/2023 at 9:26 AM, Atlantic Girl said:

I posted this on another thread about esims.  Just  got back from an Arctic Circle cruise with ports in Iceland and Greenland and used an European Airola esim for the cruise and a precruise Paris/Amsterdam stay. We had used an Airola  esim in Caribbean and US last winter , and tried making phone calls from every port, all worked well. So we did the same this time, called back to Canada using wifi calling, and again calls were no problem. For around $18CDN, for a 2 week period, the convenience was invaluable. We walked all day in Paris and Amsterdam and being able to keep maps on, plus being able to actually research areas  as we were walking through them, was why we will always buy an esim now. We do a lot of research for our travels, but being able to understand what we are seeing in real time is another level of enjoyment for us. We had 5G everywhere we were. 

Where did you purchase the esim card?

[ByThePond]

9 hours ago, strobellayjam said:

Where did you purchase the esim card?

https://www.airalo.com