If you own an IPHONE and take it on a cruise.....Please read!

[HighlandCruzer]

You can actually only get $200 back if you bought in the last 14 days of the price being lowered. 14 days in the return policy. But if you bought before that, you get a $100 store credit. So you are not really saving any money cause you have to spend it in the Apple store. Doesn't bother me though. $100 credit is better than nothing. I love my iphone and would pay $600 all over again. And I am just gonna use that $100 credit on an itunes gift card. I just bought the new 80 gig ipod too, so I have lots of room for new songs.

 

I still haven't decided what to spend my $100 on. I'll probably do the same as you and buy iTunes cards and then buy a dozen or so ring tones when the feature becomes available here in a week or so.

[MattInFLL]

No need to panic - as might have been lost in the message thread, put your phone into "airplane/flight mode" and it will make no attempts to communicate, send data, etc., as required by the FAA. This applies to many of the modern data phones, not just the iphone.

 

I've been a long time AT&T/Cingular customer and used to travel over seas all the time. I have to tell you I constantly compared their overseas plans with Verizon, and AT&T's were better. And my friends who traveled with Verizon had far more trouble connecting than I did. I would use my phone as necessary when in a foreign company and then shut it off. If anyone called while it was shut off, it went right to voicemail, and I did not get charged international rates for their incoming calls. Not sure how that happened to the one poster here (although I am not doubting it could and did).

[FitzLA]

I still haven't decided what to spend my $100 on. I'll probably do the same as you and buy iTunes cards and then buy a dozen or so ring tones when the feature becomes available here in a week or so.

 

A good friend of mine is an exec. at itunes up in No Calif. Next week you will have your ringtones as well as wi-fi itunes available on the phone. later in the year you will have the starbucks feature available, and after that, you are getting, are you ready, ichat on your phone. So the bottom bar of the home page on the phone will be filled with those 4 "buttons". Then the phone will be complete until they come out with a new version next year, typical apple. Is yours full yet? Mine is already full so I can't add anything else. But I bought the new 80 gig ipod which I doubt I will be able to fill anytime soon. But I do love the phone. And AT&T gets great service in L.A., at least where I am.

[sammee]

No need to panic - as might have been lost in the message thread, put your phone into "airplane/flight mode" and it will make no attempts to communicate, send data, etc., as required by the FAA. This applies to many of the modern data phones, not just the iphone.

 

I've been a long time AT&T/Cingular customer and used to travel over seas all the time. I have to tell you I constantly compared their overseas plans with Verizon, and AT&T's were better. And my friends who traveled with Verizon had far more trouble connecting than I did. I would use my phone as necessary when in a foreign company and then shut it off. If anyone called while it was shut off, it went right to voicemail, and I did not get charged international rates for their incoming calls. Not sure how that happened to the one poster here (although I am not doubting it could and did).

 

Before we left for our cruise, I had called Tmobile about international. What they explained to me was, once your phone registered with another carrier on board, so did the voicemail. Your voicemail would stay local if you kept your phone off, but once you turn it on while onboard, if someone called, they would hit the international rate voicemail. That would continue unitl you were able to register on your normal network again. Not all companies are going to be that explicit when you call and ask. I was thankful they were. My phone number was brand new so I didn't have to worry about unwanted calls, and was able to tell the few that had it not to call, unless life or death situation occured.

 

These companies do need to give more detail about their data & phone plans. The average person does not know how many web pages it takes to cruise until they spike a KB increment. At $15-$25 per KB, that's gonna hurt.

[sammee]

No need to panic - as might have been lost in the message thread, put your phone into "airplane/flight mode" and it will make no attempts to communicate, send data, etc., as required by the FAA. This applies to many of the modern data phones, not just the iphone.

 

I've been a long time AT&T/Cingular customer and used to travel over seas all the time. I have to tell you I constantly compared their overseas plans with Verizon, and AT&T's were better. And my friends who traveled with Verizon had far more trouble connecting than I did. I would use my phone as necessary when in a foreign company and then shut it off. If anyone called while it was shut off, it went right to voicemail, and I did not get charged international rates for their incoming calls. Not sure how that happened to the one poster here (although I am not doubting it could and did).

 

Before we left for our cruise, I had called Tmobile about international. What they explained to me was, once your phone registered with another carrier on board, so did the voicemail. Your voicemail would stay local if you kept your phone off, but once you turn it on while onboard, if someone called, they would hit the international rate voicemail. That would continue unitl you were able to register on your normal network again. Not all companies are going to be that explicit when you call and ask. I was thankful they were. My phone number was brand new so I didn't have to worry about unwanted calls, and was able to tell the few that had it not to call, unless life or death situation occured.

 

These companies do need to give more detail about their data & phone plans. The average person does not know how many web pages it takes to cruise until they spike a KB increment. At $15-$25 per KB, that's gonna hurt.

[MattInFLL]

Maybe because I have come home to surprises too often after traveling overseas with phones (or using some calling cards or credit card pay phones)... I just always assume that anytime I use a phone overseas it's going to cost me. Now with all these data plans and data capabilities, it just gets more complicated. And now if your cruise ship has a cell tower, you have to be away from the ship in a port to be sure you pick up a cell tower in the port!

 

As I said, I have not had that voicemail problem during my trips. The charge was when I checked my voicemail. But everyone should check exactly what it takes to shut your phone off completely while out of the country if you don't want surprises.

 

I don't know if they still have it, but AT&T used to have a dedicated international mobile department, and they were usually more on the ball than the usual customer service people.

[Shanafan]

AT&T has an exclusive 5 year contract with Apple, so you won't be seeing the iPhone from other carriers any time soon. That being said, I currently have a post on a popular cellphone forum regarding the best plan of attack for taking your iPhone with on a cruise, the consensus seems to be to leave the phone in airplane mode or to totally remove the sim card to avoid any outrageous international data charges. As I'm leaving on AOS in a couple of weeks I really need to find out the best way to carry it with me.

 

Wanted to bump this up and find out if others have brought their iPhone on a cruise and if you avoided additional charges by putting it in airplane mode. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[bubbadog]

seems like having a laptop would be best in this scenerio, cant imagine e-mail costing that much, it is like the cell companies are always trying to rip their clients off!!!!, i hope he sues the heck out of them, they deserve it:));)

[Guest scfjjb]

Wanted to bump this up and find out if others have brought their iPhone on a cruise and if you avoided additional charges by putting it in airplane mode. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Me too!

[FL_Cruiser64]

Interesting stuff. I wonder if they disclose in detail enough for any layperson to understand that data transfer is constant even with the phone turned off.

 

Perhaps the battery out is the only way to stop it, but then again they could have a perm mounted small battery that kicks in when the main battery is out. I can agree with the folks who are upset that the charges are excessive especially when they did not specifically request any service while overseas, or in Mexico.

 

One individual noted that the free data transfer is indicated in the contract with no astrix about that is only in the USA...I would think his point should be taken by Apple/ATT and the terms and conditions changed at a minimum and that he should get his full refund.

 

Apple and ATT should definitely find a way for folks to easily disable those features when traveling overseas or risk loosing a potential market of folks who frequently travel overseas and only want a single cell phone.

 

I canned data from my phone, I use it to talk when I need to do so...and when I need data I ramp up the computer with my wireless Highspeed link which works wonderfully.

 

I am sure they do. It's just with a regular cell phone. People think with a $60/month they can do everything the phone can do for free. The biggest problem is that people just don't read manuals anymore. They use stuff right out of the box.

 

The problem is often: does the customer actually know his product and is just surprised about the charge at the end or did he not read all the manuals and instruction. I am not a believer of AT&T. As a matter of fact I ran from Cingular when AT&T took over. But if the manuals of his I-Phone describes the enable/disable default features and his plan states somewhere about additional charges then it is the users responsibility.

 

It is very much like the lady who sued McDonalds because the coffee was to hot.

[FL_Cruiser64]

I'm a bit irritated by the way some posters seem to imply that they were smart enough to ask the right questions and the rest of us just aren't. Well, you know what? Dealing with the cell phone company is one of the most difficult customer-service scenarios out there. Every person you talk to gives you a different answer and they often contradict each other. Even if you get someone's name and extension and have complete notes on what they told you AND even if the next customer service rep can verify those same facts of the conversation by reading the notes in your account, they STILL don't stand behind what they say. The best you'll get is a "Sorry that our representative misinformed you. We don't know why he/she did that." So, it's more a case of luck if you get the right answers to the right questions than it is a case of knowing what to ask.

 

I just emailed a question to my cell phone company. I'm tired of getting misinformation. At least this way I'll have it in writing even though they still will probably have some fine print that says they can disavow any responsibility for misinforming me. Here's what I asked them. I went out of my way to be overly retentive, overly clear in what I'm asking. I asked the same question repeatedly so there could be no question as to what I'm asking. Any bets on if I'll get the correct answer? Here's my question that I emailed:

 

Please answer this question from a technology-newbie. PLEASE ANSWER ME VIA EMAIL ONLY. I have to get this resolved before I leave home in the beginning of October:

 

I just bought a Blackberry 8830. I would like to take it with me to Europe and then also on a cruise. If I add the unlimited international data plan for $20/month more (on top of my existing plan that gives me unlimited data in the US), does that really mean that I will not have any additional charges for using the BB for email & web surfing when traveling internationally? Does the $20 really cover EVERYTHING as far as email & web surfing when I'm traveling internationally? I know that I would have to pay per minute for any voice calls rates ranging from $0.99 to $1.69 per minute but can I use my Blackberry to have unlimited access to email and web surfing when I'm traveling internationally without per minute charges or roaming charges or any other charges whose name I do not know?

 

What about on the cruise? We will be on the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic. Cruise lines often have their own high-priced cell services--sometimes, when pulling out of port, you can't tell if you are just using minutes or if you are hooked into the cruise line's high priced service. I learned this the hard way on my last cruise--1 call just used my minutes, the next call was like $4.99 a minute and my phone display did not indicate any change.

 

If I turn the blackberry power off when I get on the ship and do not turn it on again until I'm off the ship back in the US, will I incur any charges? I read a horror story in the paper about a guy who incurred almost $5000 in i-Phone charges on a 1 week cruise because he got charged everytime the phone downloaded, even when it was turned off, even when he was sleeping! I don't want to find myself in that situation. If I turn the BB power off while on the cruise, can I be positive that I will not have any charges for the time that I'm onboard the ship? PLEASE ADVISE! Thanks!

 

These are good questions for your cell phone company. Get it in writing. Disable all unnecessary functions. The 'unlimited plans' usually include only networks within the roaming network. Often it is based on landlines and cell phones are differently charged. Or there is an unknown service provider in another country which is not part of the international roaming.

 

People got way to dependent on cell phones. I personally depend on cell phones and e-mail on a regular basis (I have multiple business) but when I am on vacation, I am on vacation. Phones are only be used in emergencies and e-mail I retrieve with RC Online.

 

Unless you are involved in National Security or have any other high ranking government position people can live without cell phones for a few days. Barely 10 years ago we did it and we all just managed fine.

 

What costs money these days is the convenience. Convenience always comes at a price though.

[Guest scfjjb]

But if the manuals of his I-Phone describes the enable/disable default features and his plan states somewhere about additional charges then it is the users responsibility.

 

It is very much like the lady who sued McDonalds because the coffee was to hot.

 

There is no manual with an I-phone as per other posters.

 

Still would appreciate information from people who ACTUALLY HAVE an IPhone.

[FitzLA]

There is no manual with an I-phone as per other posters.

 

Still would appreciate information from people who ACTUALLY HAVE an IPhone.

 

What kind of information do you want? I have an iphone, and have taken it on vacations. If leaving the U.S. all you have to do is turn it on airplane mode, and it will not receive calls or emails. If you want calls but no emails, just turn the automatic email function off. There is a function where you can tell it NOT to automatically check for email, but to only check when you manually check. Pretty simple. I have had it since the week it came out, and never had a problem.

[Guest scfjjb]

I would imagine, though I don't know for sure, that you could avoid this problem by turning the phone on airplane mode, and turning it off completely. But I must say that I am now afraid to take mine on a cruise with me. Hmmmm.

 

Glad to see you figured it out! I like the convenience of all this new technology but am too ADD to try to figure out some stuff out. (Remember when your Mom said you were just lazy?)

 

I guess real answer for me is I need to take DH phone on cruise and use ship internet cafe since IPhone won't do what I want based on rate quotes for such a short period of time. I don't go overseas more than twice a year. I need the phone on, not off.

 

Thank you for the help!

[tcronier]

This was a great post! Also, for those that have Blackberry's - I have one. When you go on cruise, you have the option of shutting OFF your wireless connection.

 

Do it!!! Otherwise the same thing will happen - you will rack up a huge bill. When I got my blackberry, and we were going on a cruise, I called Cingular, to find out where I could make calls without racking up minutes. I also asked about receiving emails and such (because this is my business phone) and they said they have a plan that I could pay X amount of dollars and still be able to receive emails. I asked if I shut the wireless off, would I incrue any charges and they said no. So I had all emails forwarded to my yahoo account, shut off the wireless, and didn't have to worry about it.

 

Then, when I got back into Miami, turned it on, and got all my emails. So that is a heads up also.

 

Tree

[GMoney]

 

Unless you are involved in National Security or have any other high ranking government position people can live without cell phones for a few days. Barely 10 years ago we did it and we all just managed fine.

 

 

Living without a cell phone is one thing. Living without my iPhone is entirely another! :D

[FL_Cruiser64]

There is no manual with an I-phone as per other posters.

 

Still would appreciate information from people who ACTUALLY HAVE an IPhone.

:eek:

Serious? 500-600 dollars later and the darn thing has no manuals?

[GMoney]

:eek:

Serious? 500-600 dollars later and the darn thing has no manuals?

 

Nope, no manual. Doesn't need one.

 

The contract from ATT is a different story...

[sdear]

This was a great post! Also, for those that have Blackberry's - I have one. When you go on cruise, you have the option of shutting OFF your wireless connection.

 

Do it!!! Otherwise the same thing will happen - you will rack up a huge bill. When I got my blackberry, and we were going on a cruise, I called Cingular, to find out where I could make calls without racking up minutes. I also asked about receiving emails and such (because this is my business phone) and they said they have a plan that I could pay X amount of dollars and still be able to receive emails. I asked if I shut the wireless off, would I incrue any charges and they said no. So I had all emails forwarded to my yahoo account, shut off the wireless, and didn't have to worry about it.

 

Then, when I got back into Miami, turned it on, and got all my emails. So that is a heads up also.

 

Tree

 

I have a new BB..so all I have to do is shut off the wireless for the duration of the cruise? Can I still leave it on to receive emergency phone calls?

 

Thanks...this thread sure has been helpful.

 

Sue

[FitzLA]

I have a new BB..so all I have to do is shut off the wireless for the duration of the cruise? Can I still leave it on to receive emergency phone calls?

 

Thanks...this thread sure has been helpful.

 

Sue

 

That was the problem with the iphone. Even when you shut the phone off, it still checks for email, which is where the high bills came in. On the iphone, you actually have to either turn it on airplane mode, or turn off the email function. But if you do either of those, you can still use it as an ipod.

[FitzLA]

Glad to see you figured it out! I like the convenience of all this new technology but am too ADD to try to figure out some stuff out. (Remember when your Mom said you were just lazy?)

 

I guess real answer for me is I need to take DH phone on cruise and use ship internet cafe since IPhone won't do what I want based on rate quotes for such a short period of time. I don't go overseas more than twice a year. I need the phone on, not off.

 

Thank you for the help!

 

The iphone is not an international phone, so it won't work in certain countries anyway. Yes, it will work in most caribbean countries. But not in Europe.

[GMoney]

The iphone is not an international phone, so it won't work in certain countries anyway. Yes, it will work in most caribbean countries. But not in Europe.

 

Apple has been annoucing deals across Europe for carriers there to sell and support the iPhone. I thnk they start this fall.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/technology/19iphone.html?ref=world

 

I'm not sure what, it anything, this means for Americans using the iPhone in Europe, but it might be worth a call to ATT.

[sdear]

This thread sure has been informative, and may save alot of people alot of headache !

 

It did cross my mind that now that I have this Blackberry....that this thing is working all the time and when on a cruise this could be a problem.

 

I did find the settings to shut off all data...so that is what I will do when on a cruise to avoid roaming on data.

 

Thanks to all that posted here with such valuable information !

[Gracie115]

If everybody just left their phones at home they wouldn't have to worry about overseas charges....somehow we managed a decade ago when almost no one had a cell phone at sea.....

 

just a thought..........

[sdear]

that was then...this is now :p

 

Somehow we managed on much smaller ships too...but now we love the new ones :D

 

All kidding aside........i take mine for emergency only. I have an elderly mother.......kids...grandkid.........that I want to be able to reach or them reach me in an emergency.

 

 

Ahhhh today's technology :D