Prepaid phone card, 800 numbers on board?

[tempoct]

Hi,

I'll be sailing in Veendam to AK this month :D. This would be my first cruise. I'm not really sure what is the most economical way to make phone call onboard. Can I use the prepaid card? How HAL charge the phone?

 

Only thing I know so far that the cell phone call from ship tower would be extremely overpriced ($2/min?).

 

Any recommendation would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

tempoct

[ray77]

Generally (while at sea) your GSM cellphone is your best bet.

 

At least half the time (on many typical Alaska cruises), you'll be in range of a land based cell site. For the best chance, go to an upper deck, and seek out a position on the most populated land side of the ship.

 

Sometimes, even if the ship's cell site has the strongest signal, you can still go to the "network selection" menu, and find a land based site to access.

 

You should also be aware that a $1.99 per minute charge for the on-board cell service is not unreasonable. A satellite call could cost five times that amount.

 

While on land, you could use pay-phones and a land based calling card. To do this, you'll often need to be away from the terminal or dock area.

[wrp96]

Not sure of the exact fee on HAL, but the cost to use the ships phones is generally somewhere between $7 to $10 per minute and you cannot use a calling card to make the call. If you need to make a call, wait until you are in port and make the phone call off the ship.

 

If it is just a case of needing to stay in contact with someone at all times, the best recommendation I have is to use the internet to email them back and forth as that usually has the lowest per minute rate.