Cell Phone Connectivity On Noordam

[GMoney]

I am sailing on Noordam on 12/16 to the Southern Caribbean.

 

I think I read on the HAL boards recently that HAL signed an agreement to provide cell phone service at sea. From other cruises, I know that access also depends on your carrier and cell phone type.

 

Can anyone tell me if Noordam has cell phone connectivity?

 

PS - I know some people feel strongly about cell phone usage on cruise ships. I will only be using mine in emergencies for work, and I only plan on using it in my cabin. Just looking for some facts, not a referendum on cell phone manners. :)

[PrincessYoga]

I used my mobile phone on the Noordam while doing the Med Enchanment. My phone worked when we were relatively close to port. I have a call plan that allows to make calls out the country. It allowed me to keep in contact with my husband who was not travelling with me. There was no way I was paying $8.00 a minute when I have workable mobile. My phone also came in really handy for ringing taxis, making travel arrangements etc. My mother also loaned out my phone to American travellers who needed access to a phone for reaching family in an emergeny, calling airlines etc.

[jtl513]

My phone worked when we were relatively close to port.

 

But you were using land-based cell service in that case.

 

I think the OP was asking if the Noordam has the cell phone repeaters installed on ships yet, and it's my understanding that that won't happen for many months. :)

[PrincessYoga]

No bother.. I am not very technically minded.. All I know is that I was able to use the phone :)

[GMoney]

Thanks very much to everyone for their comments; I appreicate it!

[PrincessYoga]

My pleasure. Hopefully you are able to keep in contact when aboard.

[Lightsluvr]

Vollendam is the only ship equipped with the onboard system "Cellular at Sea."

 

Ships are being added every month...maybe you'll be in luck.

 

GSM capable phone is required...

 

LL

[Grumpy1]

Vollendam is the only ship equipped with the onboard system "Cellular at Sea."

 

Ships are being added every month...maybe you'll be in luck.

 

GSM capable phone is required...

 

LL

It went into service on Westerdam last week. The install crew left the ship in St. Maarten. They probably are going from one ship to the next to set it up, but I have no idea of their schedule.

[sail7seas]

Hope someone can help with this question.

 

I have cingular service. When we were on Maasdam this summer, anchored off Bar Harbor, I was able to get cell service and made a few calls. My plan allows for calls anywhere in U.S./Canada for no roaming/extra charges.

 

If they install the 'cells at sea' satellite hook up on Maasdam and next summer, I again use my cingular when docked off Bar Harbor, would my call automatically be routed through the 'at sea' satellite connection or would it grab from a land cell tower as it did this summer?

 

I don't understand the intracies of these things and would hate to be charged for using satellite time when I was able to call for free on 'land connection' from the same place last summer.

 

Thanks if anyone really knows the answer.

How does it 'select' which connection to make?

[bepsf]

Hope someone can help with this question.

 

I have cingular service. When we were on Maasdam this summer, anchored off Bar Harbor, I was able to get cell service and made a few calls. My plan allows for calls anywhere in U.S./Canada for no roaming/extra charges.

 

If they install the 'cells at sea' satellite hook up on Maasdam and next summer, I again use my cingular when docked off Bar Harbor, would my call automatically be routed through the 'at sea' satellite connection or would it grab from a land cell tower as it did this summer?

 

I don't understand the intracies of these things and would hate to be charged for using satellite time when I was able to call for free on 'land connection' from the same place last summer.

 

Thanks if anyone really knows the answer.

How does it 'select' which connection to make?

 

Essentially, our cell phone system is designed so that our phones will use whatever closest repeater is available.

 

If they do it the same way I hear Princess does theirs, then all cell calls made aboard ship - even when in port (possibly even on the pier itself if the phone is closer to the onboard repeater than the land-based cell tower) will go via the satellite uplink and we'll be charged additional for the call.

:mad:

[GMoney]

Essentially, our cell phone system is designed so that our phones will use whatever closest repeater is available.

 

If they do it the same way I hear Princess does theirs, then all cell calls made aboard ship - even when in port (possibly even on the pier itself if the phone is closer to the onboard repeater than the land-based cell tower) will go via the satellite uplink and we'll be charged additional for the call.

:mad:

 

IME on RCI it's just the opposite. When in or near port, the signal is picked up on land, not the ship, and you pay the rate for whatever country you are in or near. Only when there is no land signal does the ship's signal kick in, and then you pay the $2.49 Cingular ship rate.

[bepsf]

IME on RCI it's just the opposite. When in or near port, the signal is picked up on land, not the ship, and you pay the rate for whatever country you are in or near. Only when there is no land signal does the ship's signal kick in, and then you pay the $2.49 Cingular ship rate.

 

In all honesty Patrick, I hope that HAL and their cell provider run their system like this so that folks will not be charged the higher satellite rates within sight of land.

[jtl513]

... even when in port (possibly even on the pier itself if the phone is closer to the onboard repeater than the land-based cell tower) will go via the satellite uplink and we'll be charged additional for the call.

 

And wouldn't THAT tick off all the locals in the vicinity of the ship!! :D:D Come to think of it, how could they be billed by HAL anyway?

[Grumpy1]

IME on RCI it's just the opposite. When in or near port, the signal is picked up on land, not the ship, and you pay the rate for whatever country you are in or near. Only when there is no land signal does the ship's signal kick in, and then you pay the $2.49 Cingular ship rate.

You are correct. The system must, to comply with tariffs and regulations, shut down when it detects licensed providers in the area. If it doesn't, they are stealing revenue from the local sites.

[Grumpy1]

And wouldn't THAT tick off all the locals in the vicinity of the ship!! :D:D Come to think of it, how could they be billed by HAL anyway?

there will be NO billing by HAL. All billing goes through your cellphone provider and they pay a percentage back to the company that is providing the equipment who then pays a percentage to HAL.

[bepsf]

there will be NO billing by HAL. All billing goes through your cellphone provider and they pay a percentage back to the company that is providing the equipment who then pays a percentage to HAL.

 

Correct--

The additional charge doesn't show up on your shipboard account - it shows up on your cellphone account as a roaming charge.

[sail7seas]

How would we as users know at the time we place the call that the land based provider is supplying the connection and not HAL? Or would we get an 'unpleasant surprise' when our cell bill arrived?

 

I understand the helpful info Grumpy posted (thank you) but would I, as a user, know that the ship failed to shut down in the 'neightborhood' of a land provider and I'm racking up roaming minutes when I think my call is free?

 

It's one thing if I choose to make a 'toll call' but I like to know I am making that choice and not getting a surprise in the mail when my bill arrives.

 

[BruceMuzz]

Grumpy got it right.

SeaMobile, who is currently installing American type cell towers on HAL and other ships, has signed contracts with shore-based telephone service providers. The SeaMobile equipment on the ships has a "sniffer" antenna that detects shore-based signals. As soon as the shore signal is detected, the ship-based tower is de-activated. As soon as the shore signal disappears, the ship-based tower goes back on. If you happen to be making a call during the changeover, the call is dropped. You will need to redial the call.

 

It's very easy to know if you are on the International Maritime Roaming signal. Just look at the screen of your telephone. It will tell you which service is available for you to connect.

[localady]

Just an FYI-

Cruisers might get a surprise on their cell phone bill anyway if they use the on-land cell reception also. We needed to call from Bermuda, and since I had my cell, I called, knowing I had incurred a charge for a 20 minute phone call to California. The bill from my carrier for international roaming in Bermuda was $33.00 for that call. Calling internationally on your cell can be costly.

Grumpy and Bruce- Thanks for the clarification!!

[sail7seas]

The calls I referred to were made while the ship was anchored at Bar Harbor, Maine. That is a domestic call. Not international.

 

 

If your service provides for call anywhere in U.S. or Canada, then there is no roaming/no additional charge.

 

Thanks Bruce Muzz and Grumpy.

 

 

[bepsf]

It's very easy to know if you are on the International Maritime Roaming signal. Just look at the screen of your telephone. It will tell you which service is available for you to connect.

 

I'm not sure I understand - won't we just see bars like we always do?

What are we to look for?

[Grumpy1]

I'm not sure I understand - won't we just see bars like we always do?

What are we to look for?

Usually, your phone will have the name of your service provider on the screen. If you are not connected to your own service provider, it should show the name of the service that you are connected to. A passenger on Westerdam last week said that instead of T-Mobile his phone showed a different name (I forget what it was) that he had been told was the identifier for the new system.

 

My phone, however, always showed Cingular, which is my provider. you can set your phone to "no roaming" so it will never automatically switch to a foreign system.

[Grumpy1]

The calls I referred to were made while the ship was anchored at Bar Harbor, Maine. That is a domestic call. Not international.

 

 

If your service provides for call anywhere in U.S. or Canada, then there is no roaming/no additional charge.

 

Thanks Bruce Muzz and Grumpy.

 

 

You may think it is a domestic call, but if it goes through the ship repeater it is considered an international call, no matter where the ship is located. Cingular has a list of all countries and the roaming charges for making calls from that country or within that country on their website. All of the cruise ships are listed in the countries list and are priced at $2.49 per minute.

 

I made a test call while docked in BVI. It hasn't showed up on my call list yet, so I don't know if it went through the ship system or if I happened to be able to get into a tower in the nearby USVI, which would be a free call. After leaving St. Maarten I turned it on and saw that it said Cingular with a full signal strength. Not possible except through the repeater. I guess I'll have to figure out why it showed Cingular instead of the name assigned to the ship system.

[sail7seas]

Grumpy..... If the ship has to shut down their system when it 'sniffs out' a local provider, then the service is coming from land, isn't it? Isn't that what Bruce explained? If service is coming from (in the specific question I asked), Bar Harbor, then it is a domestic call from Maine.

 

[Grumpy1]

Grumpy..... If the ship has to shut down their system when it 'sniffs out' a local provider, then the service is coming from land, isn't it? Isn't that what Bruce explained? If service is coming from (in the specific question I asked), Bar Harbor, then it is a domestic call from Maine.

 

You are correct, Sail. The big question, though, is whether the ship repeater will always behave as designed. If it doesn't shut off, there could be calls routed through it, and billed, whether you were on the ship or nearby on the dock. Supposedly, that will never happen. That remains to be seen. The technology is pretty good, but I'd bet it isn't perfect.