Calling home...

[jadexx]

Im sorry if this is a stupid question.. but can you use a cell phone on ship? Will you get any reception? If so is it more expensive to do this or call from the room phone?

I have never been on a cruise before and this was my only fear was not being able to call home and check up on loved ones.. 9 days is a long time to be out of touch with everyone.

Any suggestions on the best way to keep in touch?

Thanks

[Princess Chatterer]

A few Princess ships have their own cell phone "tower." I made a call at $2.50 a minute using my SprintPCS phone on the Golden Princess from way out in the middle of the ocean way far off the coast of southern Chile. All cell phone antenna bars were lit.

 

If you can see land from the ship there's a fair chance your cell phone can find a cell tower, even strangely in some of the remotest parts of the world. You need to have International roaming from your cell phone company or an "opened" cell phone.

 

I have a junker T-mobile phone that I had "opened" at a local cell phone repair store for $25. Then I added an International sim chip which allows me to make calls back to the U.S. for around sixty cents a minute. I bought the sim chip from Telestial. http://www.telestial.com/

 

Then again you can always send and receive email from the Internet room on your Princess ship or from your laptop in the Atrium on most Princess ships. Prices may vary.

[Toto2Kansas]

You can call home from your stateroom phone, but it is quite expensive. Princess does have a package which you can purchase before you leave, or you can just pay on your sail and sign card when you make the call from the ship, not sure if it is the same price without the package as I have never called home from the ship before. The package is $49.50 for 10 minutes from the ship.

Check this link:Princess Communications Services

[mrcamp]

Most of princess ships do not have their own tower yet (most other cruise lines all do). Grand Princess is the only princess ship I am aware of that has one. However, if you have a phone with the correct frequency, and have roaming enabled, you should be able to call from the ports.

 

Now, I heard princess did recently (last month) sign an agreement to equip all their ships with a tower. So, depending on when your sailing is, you may be able to call from sea.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Princess's deal with MCP (Maritime Communications Partners) was announced Jan. 02. We were on the Golden Princess when the system got turned on (one night, during the night after LA, my cell phone message indicator started sounding, and we were in an inside cabin). I'm not sure when you're cruising, but if it's anything further out than a month or so, I'm guessing you'll have coverage. Your phone will say MCP, and the price is $2.49 a minute.

[soos1]

i was thinking about asking a similar question, and i plan on calling my cell phone company today...but, wouldn't the price per minute depend on your company? ATT website tells me my international calls are 99 cents a minute....

we are going with 2 teen girls so are debating between getting an international plan added or, doing unlimited texting (even though you still have to pay 25 cents per text if its international.)

we will be on the Golden, so I was glad to hear their tower has already been installed...

 

Sue

[JandD Mom]

I will be on the Grand next month and I know Verizon will work on the Grand. All I have to do is call Verizon before I go and have them activate international roaming (my phone will work with this, but not all phones on their network do). On the Grand, I believe the roaming fee is $2.49 per minute (cheaper than the cost of calling from the cabin). However, in Jamaica, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, the roaming fees will be slightly under $1.00.

[geoherb]

I have a cheap cell phone through Virgin. I called before our last cruise to see which islands it would work in. They told me only in St. Thomas and in Puerto Rico. There was not an option to have it open to more islands. But the good thing is there's not an extra charge to call from those two islands--just my regular rate.

 

When we were on a cruise a few years ago, I talked with a passenger who had been using his cell phone on the promenade deck as we were leaving one of the islands. His cell phone plan allowed him to call from a lot more islands. I don't know what kind of rates he paid.

[Philip217]

If you have an American cell phone and the ship has their own American cell tower, you will have to pay International MARINE Roaming charges to your provider. These charges vary widely from company to company. I have seen them as high as $9.00 per minute and as low as $1 per minute. These charges are not the same as the International Roaming Charges that are in effect when the ship is in port. You need to carefully look at the screen on your telephone to know which one you are paying. Remember that the ship is not charging you for these services. Your provider will send you the bill at the end of the month.

 

If you have a GSM mobile telephone from Asia or Europe, your telephone will work automatically nearly anywhere. My Chinese Mobile Telephone works everywhere, and roams for 6 cents a minute. It also connects to the American cell tower on my ship, for the same 6 cents per minute.

[soos1]

I just got off the phone with AT and T- getting information on cell phone use on the ship. what she said was that no matter what international plan I have with AT&T, if the ship has its own tower (and the Golden does) it means that while we are on the ship, we have no choice but to use their tower, and THEY usually charge $2.50 a minute. If we are on land, our regular cell phone plan applies, which for AT&T is $.99 a minute, without an international plan.

Yikes. Since we personally are just trying to be able to communicate with the teen that is coming with us, we have shut off international calling on her phone, and will add an international texting plan to both our phones while we are there.

The other thing she said was that people get shocked by their bill because if you check it online or from your phone it seems ok, the "International" charges are not added until several weeks later.

Sue

[jak378]

Wow, I guess very soon no place on Earth will be safe from the compulsive cell phone users. I can just envision a ship full of people with their ear to the phone, bumping into each other. I guess it is inevitable.

 

2 teen girls with cell phones on a ship, that could set a new record

[azlassie]

We were traveling on a ship up the left coast and my husband's brother was on a different ship with almost the same itenerary. We made plans to meet and have lunch in Victoria. Guess what? Our ships docked side by side, each unloaded a few thousand passengers and THEN we discovered we couldn't call each other on our cells! We boarded a double decker bus and went exploring. Voila! We were shopping and ran into our relatives by chance. Too late to eat together. And we live within two miles of each other at home, so just visited a moment, laughed about it and went back to our individual ships.

[JandD Mom]

Wow, I guess very soon no place on Earth will be safe from the compulsive cell phone users. I can just envision a ship full of people with their ear to the phone, bumping into each other. I guess it is inevitable.

 

2 teen girls with cell phones on a ship, that could set a new record

 

I don't think the OP asked for anyone's opinion on talking on a cel phone on the cruise. I believe s/he asked for factual information of whether its possible, which, by the way, just about everyone else here provided. Rather than try to hijack the thread, you have the option of posting a separate opinion poll.

[Pam in CA]

I just got off the phone with AT and T- getting information on cell phone use on the ship. what she said was that no matter what international plan I have with AT&T, if the ship has its own tower (and the Golden does) it means that while we are on the ship, we have no choice but to use their tower, and THEY usually charge $2.50 a minute. If we are on land, our regular cell phone plan applies, which for AT&T is $.99 a minute, without an international plan.

Yikes. Since we personally are just trying to be able to communicate with the teen that is coming with us, we have shut off international calling on her phone, and will add an international texting plan to both our phones while we are there.

The other thing she said was that people get shocked by their bill because if you check it online or from your phone it seems ok, the "International" charges are not added until several weeks later.

Actually, the bolded statement is not quite the correct impression. Princess is not in the cell phone/tower business and thus has contracted with MCP to set up and operate the tower(s) and cell services. Princess pays THEM a service fee which they pass on to you; they don't pocket $2.50/minute for each phone call.

 

I have an AT&T cell phone and added international roaming for $5.95/month; I've been able to use the phone to make calls and check email from Russia, China, Egypt, Israel, England, etc. to the U.S. with no problems (other than paying the international rate, which varies depending on which country you're in.) Since you're making an international call, the charges don't show up until the next billing cycle since your calls have been made through international networks.

[JandD Mom]

FYI, Verizon does not charge anything additional for international roaming. When I called to ask about it, the rep I spoke to said she was turning it on today, since there was no charge, and no change in my plan. We shall see...

[soos1]

FYI, Verizon does not charge anything additional for international roaming. When I called to ask about it, the rep I spoke to said she was turning it on today, since there was no charge, and no change in my plan. We shall see...

I would double check that information. AT& T told me there is no charge to turn on international calling capablility, but the international roaming rate is .99 a minute- NOT the same as the domestic rate. there technically is no extra charge if you don't actually use your phone...

I got this from the Verizon website:

 

Country: Mexico

Roaming Rate $0.99

Txt message0.50/Message Sent

$0.05/Message Received

Cruise Ship roaming rates apply only to calls made and received when traveling in international waters on the cruise lines and ships currently published on verizonwireless.com/international. Calls made and received when you are in port or cruising in an area served by a foreign roaming partner are billed at the applicable roaming rates for that country.

[Pam in CA]

I would double check that information. AT& T told me there is no charge to turn on international calling capablility, but the international roaming rate is .99 a minute- NOT the same as the domestic rate. there technically is no extra charge if you don't actually use your phone...

I got this from the Verizon website:

 

Country: Mexico

Roaming Rate $0.99

Txt message0.50/Message Sent

$0.05/Message Received

Cruise Ship roaming rates apply only to calls made and received when traveling in international waters on the cruise lines and ships currently published on verizonwireless.com/international. Calls made and received when you are in port or cruising in an area served by a foreign roaming partner are billed at the applicable roaming rates for that country.

Here is the page to the AT&T International packages so that you can check and compare rates: http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/affordable-world-packages.jsp

[JandD Mom]

Soos,

 

Actually you are right, my last post is misleading. Verizon has no charge for the international roaming CAPABILITY, but the charges per minute, if I use the phone, will range from $2.49 per minute on the Grand, to $.99 per minute in Mexico, to something in between for Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Text Msg. rates vary also.

 

Our kids will be with us, but we have extended family with "issues", and it will be comforting to know they can reach me, and leave me messages, if they need to. If no one ever calls, that's great too! I intend to leave the phone on, in my cabin, so anyone who needs me can leave a message and I can call them back when I am in the cabin.

 

Do you, or does anyone else know, if you can send Pix messages also?

[DKNE]

We were just on Serenade of the Seas last week, and we called home from Puerto Rico (2x) and Barbados (2x). In fact, in Barbados, the phone said......welcome to Barbados! HA!

 

I have a Roger's phone.......Canadian.....so I really do not know how much those calls are gonna cost us, but we had 2 little kids at home and wanted to touch base with them. I had clear crisp connections both times.

[JandD Mom]

I forgot to add..

 

The Verizon rep also told me it's best to update the roaming codes for every new place. For instance, when the ship is out to sea, update the codes. Then when we call at the first port, update again.

 

On Verizon, to update the roaming codes you dial *228 on your cel phone and follow the prompts. I am not sure what it is with other carriers.

 

Does anyone have any info on this process and if it's really necessary?

[daveco58]

A little bit of info/advice. Somewhere on your cell phone is a setting for "call" or "configuration" where you can choose what system to connect to.

Most people have this on "auto", and the phone automatically picks the strongest tower it can find. If you are on a ship with a tower, the ships (expensive) system will always be stronger than a land based tower.

So...if you are near land, manually select the setting, and lock on to a landbased cell to avoid the 2.50/min charge.

[JandD Mom]

A little bit of info/advice. Somewhere on your cell phone is a setting for "call" or "configuration" where you can choose what system to connect to.

Most people have this on "auto", and the phone automatically picks the strongest tower it can find. If you are on a ship with a tower, the ships (expensive) system will always be stronger than a land based tower.

So...if you are near land, manually select the setting, and lock on to a landbased cell to avoid the 2.50/min charge.

 

I was wondering about this. So if I am on the Grand and we are docked in Ft. Lauderdale, will my call be through the Grand's tower or the land tower?

 

I guess what I am asking is this: do the ships' towers turn off when you are in port?

[ECCruise]

I was wondering about this. So if I am on the Grand and we are docked in Ft. Lauderdale, will my call be through the Grand's tower or the land tower?

 

I guess what I am asking is this: do the ships' towers turn off when you are in port?

 

The ship's towers are turned off whenever you are in port. They generally turn them off a few miles offshore (when a land signal is available) and then on again after you sail.

[PescadoAmarillo]

The ship's towers are turned off whenever you are in port. They generally turn them off a few miles offshore (when a land signal is available) and then on again after you sail.

Correct, and if there is any confusion about which cell phone network you're on, you should be able to simply look at the main screen for your phone. It will say MCP if you're on the "ship's" network.

 

You can send PIX messages too, and if anyone knows how AT&T charges for text and other messages when you're on an international network, please post as I would like to know that too.

[mrcamp]

Yes, the ships tower is turned off when the get close to port. When you are close to the port your GSM phone may switch back and forth between land signal and the ship's signal until the ship is far away from port, or until the ships signal is turned off when getting to port. It depends on which one is stronger where you are located(The same thing will happen if you are roaming in a country with several network operators). That was my experience on the Adventure of the seas last August.

 

I would think just about all of princess' ships would have it installed by the end of the year. Going on the Crown 03/22, so not sure it will have it then.