International cell phone rental - final cost

[YoPhilly]

Recently cruised on the Star Princess to Eastern Med./Egypt and wanted to be reachable for my children and elderly parents, so I rented a Vodafone international cell phone through Verizon.

 

I want to pass along my final costs for those of you who are considering a rental.

 

I rented the phone for a total of 17 days and used the phone only on port days. I used the phone very judiciously, making just 28 calls for a total of 71 minutes. When I consider the number/length of my calls, it was expensive; the final bill totaled just over $250, including rental charges.

 

All things considered, though, I was glad to have the phone with me. Email is fine for routine communication, but it sure was nice to hear the sound of my family's voices from time to time.

[ally&tommysmom]

thank you for the info! I was actually going to ask if anyone had rented an international phone. You mentioned that you only used it on port days. Did they give you a rate for if you ended up using it on the ship? Also, did you inquire about rates in other areas?

 

I have two small kids at home. They will be with the grandparents, which gives me great comfort, but I will miss them terribly and will have to hear their little voices at least once per day. The problem is, the first 2 days of our cruise we are at sea. So I'll either have to pay $4.99/min (if I can get cell reception) or if I can't get cell reception, i'll have to use the room phone at 9.00/min! I'm going to get internet connection, too, but I really need to hear their voices at least once a day.

I know that MCD (i think??) is supposed to be putting towers on all the princess ships. Does anyone know when that will be? I hope I at least have the option of using my cell if need be. Even if it's just to say "i love you, good night".

 

Is Verizon your domestic cell phone company? What made you choose them for your international cell rental service? Just curious. I called Tmobile and my husband's phone will work out of the country, but it costs $4.99 on the boat, $1.49 in St. Maarten, and $2.99 in the Bahamas. (all per minute) St. Thomas is considered domestic so it will just be part of our Bucket minutes when we call from St. Thomas.

 

Thank you for the info! I appreciate it!

[jdulaney]

There is a sim card that works in 100+ countries. You just need a tri-band or quad (4) band GSM phone that's unlocked to go with it.:p

 

Mobile phones are available on rent and pre-paid SIM cards are available for specific countries also, where you get a local number of that country and you do not pay for your incoming calls, unlike roaming. You can save up-to 80% of your call charges and you do not get any bill at the end of the month.

 

But with this international sim card you get free incoming calls while you're in 85 countries and from most of them its just 68 US cents to call the states or Canada.

These phones are good when your at or near a port but for service at sea you'll want a satellite phone.

With the best all your incoming calls are free and calling the anywhere on earth is just $1.99 US.

This company has been helping me out for many years and they have both. http://www.planetomni.com

 

They are very friendly and been in business since Feb. 1994.

FHIW.

 

I'm off to the Med again this summer but this new sim card they have is the one for me this time, I don't have to be on the tel. at sea between every port.

 

John

[bubbie617]

I just arranged to rent a global phone through Verizon wireless. They have a special at the moment. If your trip is less than 21 days, they will send you a global phone at no charge. You must return it within 30 days or pay a $199 restocking fee. Calls to and from France and Spain are $1.29 per minute. Seemed like a good deal to me.

[judycruiser]

Have you considered buying a phone?

 

We bought a MOBAL phone. You buy the phone for $99. Thee is no service charge. Charges are charged directly to a credit card. Rates are reasonable. You don't have to worry aboiut this each time you go out of the country.

 

We have used it all over Europe on several different trips.

 

See MOBAL.COM for different rates and all details.

 

Judy

[Polydonald]

I occasionally travel internationally for business and have bought a Mobal world phone.

 

http://www.mobal.com

 

I can't recommend it enough. I bought the $49 international version.

 

The big advantage is that you will always have the same number and you set it up once and just have to remember to take it with you when you go. It comes with a universal charger, so you can plug it in whether the power is 220 or 110.

 

The only thing I've had to do is update my credit card before I travel.

 

The expense varies on where you are. This year in England, I paid a flat $1.25 per minute billed directly to my credit card. When I was in Israel, it was $1.95 per minute to call the US. You learn to talk fast. There were absolutely no hidden fees. Customer service was good.

 

Mobal also offers a deal where if you get friends and family to sign up, you get 10% off the cost of calls.

 

Downside: it's not the most stylish phone. Few ringer styles and I don't like the open face design.

 

If you leave North America for travel, having one of these phones seems to make sense.

[Hockeymom0431]

I just arranged to rent a global phone through Verizon wireless. They have a special at the moment. If your trip is less than 21 days, they will send you a global phone at no charge. You must return it within 30 days or pay a $199 restocking fee. Calls to and from France and Spain are $1.29 per minute. Seemed like a good deal to me.

Bubbie617 - how did the verizon phone work out? I just came back from the verizon store and they gave me a website and a phone number to call regarding the program you just did. Can't get anyone to answer the phone at Verizon (even tho they don't close for another 20 minutes. AAARGH! And the website looks too good to be true.) So, interested in how it worked out for you. Also, did you know you can forward your existing phone so that you are using your regular phone number while traveling? Thanks