Is it possible to text or check on texts from the ship without the wifi package

[kearney]

Early on... I vaguely recall that with an iPhone there was a way to text without having the wifi package...but can't recall if this was real or perhaps an early artifact since stopped. I don't usually get the package... the free day of internet is usually sufficient... however.. I may need to check text messages a tad more often than usual.. 

 

Thanks in advance

[firefly333]

Maybe your package with your iPhone it's free in the ports.

 

The phone in airplane made doesnt do texts only royal Caribbean sites free. Like the app or the mock booking page are free. Not regular texting.  .. though sometimes I do get a alert that sneaks thru. 

[Iamthesea]

My daughter was on the Enchantment last week.  She did not have a WiFi package, and had her phone on Airplane mode.  She and I sent iMessage text the entire week, even when she was out at sea.   She could send me photos, but when I tried to send her photos, they were not going through.  She also text with other members of the family that had iPhones.

Edited July 13 by Iamthesea

[irishgal432]

If you log out of the app and relog in then you get 10 minutes or so of free wifi

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, irishgal432 said:

If you log out of the app and relog in then you get 10 minutes or so of free wifi

Usually, it's the clicking on the Play/App store link within the app which provides the free minutes and that may not work after a few uses.

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Usually, it's the clicking on the Play/App store link within the app which provides the free minutes and that may not work after a few uses.

You get 15 minutes but only works 2 times per MAC address.

[Chiliburn]

58 minutes ago, kearney said:

Early on... I vaguely recall that with an iPhone there was a way to text without having the wifi package...but can't recall if this was real or perhaps an early artifact since stopped. I don't usually get the package... the free day of internet is usually sufficient... however.. I may need to check text messages a tad more often than usual.. 

 

Thanks in advance

It used to work years ago with iMessage but they put a end to it.

 

 I was on Celebrity Edge a few months ago and I believe they have the same system. 
Im not big on technology and I find the free app doesn’t work properly with airplane mode on .So I leave it off and I received and sent a few iMessages with my full service turned on . I just don’t answer calls.

 I had cellular at sea turned on my phone. I didn’t make or receive any calls but I strangely got a global roaming bill for 20 cents on my monthly bill.

I didn’t dispute it and the next month I got a email I was incorrectly charged about $70 for global roaming and got a credit on the following bill.

 

Maybe someone here might be able to explain my situation but it worked for me .

 

 

[Biker19]

4 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Maybe someone here might be able to explain my situation but it worked for me .

 

It is much safer to keep the phone in plane mode instead of risking a sizable bill - not necessarily from the ship cell connection. 
 

Texting via iPhone and iMessage usually works inbound on all ships but outbound (off the ship) usually depends on how the system is configured for that particular ship - it usually doesn’t work on all of them. 

[smokeybandit]

I've gotten inbound Facebook Messenger messages before w/o internet. But I can't send anything.

[kearney]

This is bringing back memories...I now recall trying to send messages via iMessage and some worked and some didn't.... think I will use my free day of wifi on a sea day... and verify cell plan coverage in the ports I am visiting

[steveru621]

40 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

It used to work years ago with iMessage but they put a end to it.

 

 I was on Celebrity Edge a few months ago and I believe they have the same system. 
Im not big on technology and I find the free app doesn’t work properly with airplane mode on .So I leave it off and I received and sent a few iMessages with my full service turned on . I just don’t answer calls.

 I had cellular at sea turned on my phone. I didn’t make or receive any calls but I strangely got a global roaming bill for 20 cents on my monthly bill.

I didn’t dispute it and the next month I got a email I was incorrectly charged about $70 for global roaming and got a credit on the following bill.

 

Maybe someone here might be able to explain my situation but it worked for me .

 

 

 

You have to pay your carrier for Celluar at Sea.