Will me cell work on the ship?

[St.Love]

I heard that some ships your cell phone will work and some won't?:confused:

[Wennfred]

I heard that some ships your cell phone will work and some won't?:confused:

 

As of now, the Triumph is the only one with that capablity that you can use your own cell phone while out at sea. Zerizon is the only carrier thats NOT participating with this MTN system.

 

Fred

[St.Love]

Well darn! Do what does everyone use, phone cards?

[Wennfred]

Well darn! Do what does everyone use, phone cards?

 

Yes or go online.

[St.Love]

Oops sorry for my typo, lol.

 

 

Is the internet free?

[zaandam_2]

i go on a ship to get away from phones.

[Wennfred]

Oops sorry for my typo, lol.

 

 

Is the internet free?

 

No, its pretty pricy, its like 55.00 plus 3.95 set up fee for 100 minutes.

 

Fred

[zaandam_2]

Is the internet free?

 

ROFLAO!!! no offense, i couldn't resist. Its very expensive, like 75 cents a minute.

[KruznKel]

You can use it in St Thomas, and San Juan from my experience..not at sea unsure of this new cell phone service they are offering tho:)

[St.Love]

YIKES! I've never been on my so I think my ? are legit. I thought in an emergency it would be nice for my family to contact me or vice versa.

[GoinCruisin]

YIKES! I've never been on my so I think my ? are legit. I thought in an emergency it would be nice for my family to contact me or vice versa.

 

Why certainly!! It will cost $9/minute, but if it is an emergency, it's worth it!! There is a way to contact you, and you to contact them... it's expensive, but in an emergency, I don't think you want to rely on the internet :p LOL!! No worries, you won't be out of contact in case of an emergency.

 

I for one WISH cell service wasn't going to be rolled out to every ship. There goes the neighborhood :(

[danmz]

I know on cingular if you use your cell phone on board Truimph it costs 2.49 per minute

[NRWO]

Will me cell work on the ship?

 

Aye Lass.. But I wouldn't be so sure about yer lucky chanter..

[Wennfred]

I know on cingular if you use your cell phone on board Truimph it costs 2.49 per minute

 

Danmz, did you use the new system on the Triumph while out at sea? 2.49 is great compare to 9.00 using the ships phones. Did you have to do anything special to get it to work?

 

Fred

[serene56]

internet access on the ship if you dont want the 100 minutes will cost you 75 cents a minute plus a one time set up fee of under 4. bucks.

 

Not all cell phones work in ports either. and watch for roaming charges.

I paid extra for our nextel and they stopped working as soon as we left port and could never get a signal agian.

 

St Love-- nothing on the ship is free.. Most of it is included with your cruise ticket though

[GoinCruisin]

Serene, has the package price gone up? Last time I used it, it was 75/min but for 100 minutes it was $55... I wouldn't be surprised if it went up though, LOL!

[barbevrn]

I took my cell phone last year as much for the alarm as to have it.......Um, even the clock doesn't work at sea.........It just looks and looks and looks for a signal...........:p I use sprint and was able to call from San Juan and St Thomas without any problems and NO additional charge. Imagine my surprise when it rang while in port at Aruba.........there was a charge on that but it wasn't too bad at all.........like $1.00 a minute. A GREAT bargain as opposed to the ship phone of $9.00 min. I've actually used the internet package the last couple of cruises. It doesn't matter what time of day you go, you can always pop off an email and get one back. If you have a yahoo address or one of the other free email addresses it is really easy. I'm thinking I was able to get into my primary email address....it just takes a little more savy and a little more time.

 

You know an email or phone in port is more than enough. You are on vacation after all. Just how in touch do you want to be? I have some family members that can't get off the phone if/when they call. It's ok to be "a little out of touch" unless there is an emergency. There is always an ememergency number listed in your documents. I always make sure that a few people know that number and those that don't have it KNOW who to check with if they need it.

 

I highly doubt that any message option will work even in port........someone else may be able to tell you that.

 

Hope that helps..........

 

OT............had relatives in a couple weeks back.........two adults and two teenagers, DD, DSIL, DH, and I............did a quick poll......7 out of 8 had our cell phones with us.....thed 8th was on a charger........:eek: Next time you are in a group.......just do a poll. It is really an eye opener......

[Patinthehat]

Aye Lass.. But I wouldn't be so sure about yer lucky chanter..

 

LMAO... exactly what I was thinking.

 

Honest typo. No worries!

[barbevrn]

I for one WISH cell service wasn't going to be rolled out to every ship. There goes the neighborhood :(__________________

 

I agree........I think if it becomes wider used that they should be limited to your stateroom. But, don't see that happening.

[Stircrzy]

If you have a yahoo address or one of the other free email addresses it is really easy. I'm thinking I was able to get into my primary email address....it just takes a little more savy and a little more time.

 

You can check most any primary email address FREE (well...once you pay the ship for internet service) at:

 

Mail2Web.com

[danmz]

Danmz, did you use the new system on the Triumph while out at sea? 2.49 is great compare to 9.00 using the ships phones. Did you have to do anything special to get it to work?

 

Fred

 

No actually i went to the cingular site. Under international calling it has cruise ships that have service listed and there respective charges.

 

http://www.cingular.com/media/cingular_world

[KroozFoolz]

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/fleetwide_wireless.aspx

 

Wireless Customers Can Now Use Their Personal Cell Phones Aboard Carnival 'Fun Ships' 06/22/2006 MIAMI and ATLANTA, June 22, 2006 – Cruising is oft-cited as the idyllic vacation choice for complete relaxation and escape. The lifestyle of today’s consumer, however, often means that to truly relax and enjoy, people want an easy and convenient way to keep in touch with family, friends, or the office. What could be easier than using your own cell phone aboard ship the same as you can at home?

Through an exclusive agreement between Carnival Cruise Lines and Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), a joint venture of Cingular Wireless and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Carnival guests sailing aboard the “Fun Ships” can now enjoy a new communications option that allows them to stay in touch with people back home using their personal cell phones while in port or at sea.

“Consumers view cell phones as a necessity in today’s world. We’ve been exploring cellular phone service for some time and have developed a capability that provides unparalleled connectivity and convenience to allow guests to keep in touch with friends, family members and business associates back home,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.

“WMS is excited to offer Carnival guests the opportunity to stay connected while cruising worldwide,” said Leighton Carroll, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wireless Maritime Services. “Whether making a voice call, responding to email, sending a picture message, or accessing the Internet to check on local happenings back home, what a great convenience for Carnival guests to enjoy the same features of their wireless service at sea as they would roaming on land.”

Utilizing WMS’ state-of-the-art high-bandwidth technology, the new fleetwide service is compatible with any cellular phone and enables guests sailing on Carnival to make and receive calls anywhere in the world from any cruising region. The technology is currently available aboard the Carnival Triumph, with the balance of the line’s 21-vessel fleet scheduled to be completed by early next year.

The new fleetwide cellular phone service requires no additional software or special dialing procedures – guests simply make and receive calls as well as transmit text and multimedia messages as they would on land using their personal cell phone. International roaming fees apply to all shipboard cell phone calls.

Consumer benefits to having wireless service while at sea:

• Connectivity – keep in touch with family, friends and business associates through voice calls, email or text messages. Guests can also share travel highlights while at sea through photo messaging.

• Convenience – no need to rent a local phone while at port; guests can be reached by the wireless number their friends and colleagues know.

In addition to being able to use their phones on Carnival “Fun Ships,” Cingular customers can also enjoy competitive international roaming rates as well as a greater selection of quad-band devices than any other carrier.

For additional information on pricing, please visit www.cingular.com/cingularworld or www.cellularatsea.com.

About Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 21 "Fun Ships" operating voyages ranging from three to 16 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, New England, Canada, Bermuda, Europe and the Greek Isles.

The line currently has three new ships on order – the 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom, scheduled for delivery in February 2007, the 112,000-ton Carnival Splendor, slated to enter service in fall 2008, and an as-yet-unnamed 130,000-ton SuperLiner – to be the largest "Fun Ship" ever constructed – set to debut in fall 2009.

For additional information on Carnival’s “Fun Ship” vacations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

About Wireless Maritime Services

Wireless Maritime Services, LLC, (WMS) a joint venture of New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc. and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. is the largest maritime cellular service provider in the world. WMS currently provides service for 8 cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Lines. WMS has roaming agreements in place with over 300 carriers in over 180 countries internationally, and delivers both GSM and CDMA roaming capability to the cruise industry.

For more information on WMS and its services, please visit the www.cellularatsea.com website.

[Dorky]

We just got back from the Triumph and we have Cingular. When we were on the bus waiting for them to unload our luggage one of the other passengers was warning everyone that our cell phones would work but the cost would be $5 per minute. Once DH and I were in our room we read everything to see what it would say about service. There is nothing listed in Carnivals info about the cost of cell phone service. I never expected them to work so I had no idea... I called the pursers desk and asked if there was an additional charge for the cell phone service. I was told no. DH did use his phone once a day, in our cabin, to call home and check on everything. It was a great signal. The phone worked fine. What I thought was funny was that the last day we were at sea DH and I were having lunch in the Lido deck buffet. We were sitting by the window and one table away were several of the entertainment staff. Out on the deck by the rail was a woman talking away on her cell- a long conversation. One of the crew members made a comment - look at her trying to look so cool talking on her cell phone, wait till she gets the bill.

 

I was glad DH kept his calls short.

[happy cruzin]

Danmz, did you use the new system on the Triumph while out at sea? 2.49 is great compare to 9.00 using the ships phones. Did you have to do anything special to get it to work?

 

Fred

 

Fred -

 

We used the Cingular service last Feb. We did have to call Cingular and have them "activate" the international capability for our accounts and we signed up for the World Plan so that we got the lowest possible rate in each country. The World Plan can be put on and taken off of your account anytime you travel.

 

If you call the International department of Cingular we found them to be very helpful.

[afdds]

Just in case your not a cingular customer....

I need to keep in touch with the homefront while on our cruise for peace of mind. I won't be holding long conversations but quick " How's it going" all of a couple of minutes. One of the CC members posted this link awhile back. http://www.satellitephonestore.com/satellite-phone-rental.php I called the company yesterday and it sounded OK. Looks like with shipping, phone, prepaid minutes my bill for a week would be around $100.00. The only thing I didn't like is the fact that I can't make a call or receive a call from the cabin. He said with the steel floors, I needed to go up on a deck or an aft balcony. Don't have the balcony with this ship, but I can pick a deck. They ship the phone right to your house and you have a three business day grace period to get the phone back to them.

An onboard bill of 100.00 would get me about 11 minutes. The satallite phone would get me 30 minutes total.

Still shopping around..... If anyone else has an idea please post how you keep in touch.