worried about elderly dad while away

[Scorpiorose]

:confused: I'm so worried, my mother scheduled my fathers back surgery while we'll be on AOS in 5 days!!! I want to check his status while we are out to sea. What would be best.....his surgery is on April 4th, we dock in St. Martins. Is there internet service at the port? Could I check when we dock. I've heard it's better and cheaper in port? If there isn't service in port at St. Martin then I could check it following his surgery which would be best on the 5th, we'll be in St. Thomas. Is there internet service at the pier in St. Thomas?

 

.....or should I just check it on the ship, which I've heard is bad!!!

 

.....or I have an international calling card, do you think I could use that while in port?

 

So worried about not being there....its to fix a disc but he is elderly....:confused: !

[marshabear]

I sympathize with you as I have an elderly father to worry about while away....

 

I do remember being able to use our cell phone in St Thomas...we have Alltel service if this helps...we were considered "roaming" and it was free for us...

 

not sure though about internet service as we have never tried that...

 

 

good luck , have a great cruise (we sail in October on AOS) and best of luck to your dad and his surgery!! :)

 

Marsha

[pmfan]

Yes there will be internet cafes at the ports. Just go to the ports board and ask. Someone there can help you I'm sure.

[smoothy]

Best bet IMHO is using a calling card from shore, just make sure if you aren't calling a cell that you let whomever know you will be calling at an approximate time so they will be near the phone. For email, it isn't too bad on the ship if you are not verbose when composing.

[cb at sea]

I know it's hard, but you have to have faith that he'll be ok--more than ok, he's doing what's needed to live a life of quality! You can e-mail from the ship, or buy a calling card at the port and use a pay phone to call home. He wouldn't want you to fret the entire trip--remember that!

If you do the e-mail thing, have them e-mail YOU to let you know how everything turns out! That way, you'll only have to read the e-mail! If his surgery is on the 4th, tell them to e-mail you by 8pm that night, and you'll go online at 8:15!--they can contact the ship if there is an emergency, but there won't be--he'll be fine!

[sea-cruise]

Best wishes and good luck to your Dad. I hope you are able to enjoy your cruise without too much worry.

[bubbie617]

Have you taken cruise insurance? That would give you the option to cancel the cruise. You could reschedule one for a better time.

[Scorpiorose]

Thanks guys.....dont think I can cancel, no insurance and its 4 days away.

 

Thanks Cb - I think I will tell them to email me the next morning that night.

 

My tmobil phone has free long distance from anywhere, I wonder if it includes the caribbean. I will call and check.

 

Yes, he is in pain right now so this is what needs to be done for a better quality of life.

 

Is it cheaper from port, and better?

[RodPat]

You can use your cel phone while on the ship. They have cel at sea service. Verizon and Att and maybe some other cel phone carriers use the tower on the ship. We have Att and they charge $2.49 a min. which under the circumstances is a bargain if you want to keep in touch. This will only work when you are out at sea but it is a blessing if you have to keep in touch.

 

Pat

[yogimax]

I am certainly among the most frugal...

 

But there are times when you shouldn't be worried about saving a few dollars. This is one of them.

[Scorpiorose]

thanks pat, I'll call tmobil and ask if they have similar. Geezzz so much to do, it's overwhelming.

[critterchick]

Ask your waiter or cabin steward where to go - they will know the cheapest places on shore. I'm sure there is an Internet cafe somewhere convenient to the port with inexpensive rates. They may also be able to tell you how to use an internation calling card, and whether it's best to buy one once you get there.

 

I would be that you don't have free long distance outside of the US, which of course St. Maarten is not.

 

Best wishes for you and your dad. Mine had "routine" surgery the week before we left for a 2 week vacation, and of course there were complications. I was able to call from each US port (San Juan and St. Thomas) and bit the bullet in the other places. Calling from the ship would have been $2.49/minute for AT&T, and thankfully I was able to avoid that.

[ehfl]

If it were me, I would have them leave me a message after the surgery. Then, I would just use my cell phone on the ship to check my messages, and follow up if necessary.

[Scorpiorose]

just called tmobil, it's free to add international roaming but would be $4.99 a minute. Yikes. However, I have free in and out of long distance and PR is included.

 

Are you saying that St. Thomas is as well? I'll have to ask them that.

 

I'm afraid of the complications.

[Alexis]

Call you cell phone service and they will put you on International roaming service over the phone.

That way no matter where you are on the cruise, on the ship or in a port, it will automatically roam and your charge will be one price. Mine was $2.49 per minute no matter where I was all over the Caribbean for 13 days. If I was in US territory it was my minutes used and free.

I have Verizon.

Best wishes for your Dad to have a speedy recovery.

[Scorpiorose]

I just did that, thanks so much you guys!!!

 

Good news, St. Thomas and PR are included in my free long distance so I can call the day after his surgery and see how he is doing. That is such a relief!!!

 

FYI - tmobils roaming long distance is $4.99 a min. But I can call anywhere in the US and PR and St. Thomas for the same as from home. I just have to pay attention to my min used during peek times (peek time would be week day time use from where ever your are calling from)! I feel so much better.

 

Can check on my poor dogs too who will be with 3 different ppl!:o

[Belfast Castle]

i sympathise with you - it is unfortunate that the surgery will take place while you are away. However, all the ports will have internet cafes - most quite reasonable also - I would not recommend using the service on board - it is very slow and also very expensive.

 

Enjoy your holiday and est of luck to your dad.

[JSR]

I was in a similar situation before they had cell towers on the ships. You will be stressed and the amount of money you save using an internet cafe on shore not to mention the time is not worth it. Use the internet cafe on the ship. When my mom had surgery I checked the computer twice a day. That way if I was needed I could be reached. I also gave my family the information to call the ship if need be. Make it as easy on yourself and your family as you can. Have a good trip.

[emdia43]

Use the Internet on the ship. It's about 50c a minute. I check my emails, send a couple and am out of there in less than 10 minutes. If you're not a very slow typist you can get all the info you need in couple of minutes. If there are complications pick up the phone and go from there.

[Merion_Mom]

Use the Internet on the ship. It's about 50c a minute. I check my emails, send a couple and am out of there in less than 10 minutes. If you're not a very slow typist you can get all the info you need in couple of minutes. If there are complications pick up the phone and go from there.

 

Just for accuracy's sake: 55¢ per minute.

[Aprille]

Just for accuracy's sake: 55¢ per minute.

Yes, it is now 55 cents per minute a la carte. There are also packages available. The best "deal" is $55 for 148 minutes (or about 37 cents a minute). There are a couple of packages in between. I always get the big package as I have elderly parents I keep in contact with daily while I cruise.

 

And, yes, the connection is slow as molassas (which is one reason I get the largest package) but it's doable. Usually. :p

[Leafpeeper]

I suggest you ask a family member to call your cell and leave a voice message about your Dad's condition twice a day at a specific time (like noon and 8pm). Call your voicemail to check messages 30 minutes later if you don't want to waste all your minutes.

 

You can call free in St. Thomas on some services but Verizon only allows free calling from San Juan. As others have said, it is not very expensive if you keep track of the minutes you talk. All you want to know is if Dad is alright. You don't have to chitchat for an hour. You should be able to get all the info you need in a few minutes. I am guessing the message will be something like this: "Dad's doing fine. Call you tonight." or "Dad's ok. Call you tomorrow."

 

I think the cell phone minutes are less expensive than the internet.

[airtita]

Thanks guys.....dont think I can cancel, no insurance and its 4 days away.

 

Thanks Cb - I think I will tell them to email me the next morning that night.

 

My tmobil phone has free long distance from anywhere, I wonder if it includes the caribbean. I will call and check.

 

Yes, he is in pain right now so this is what needs to be done for a better quality of life.

 

Is it cheaper from port, and better?

 

If you have free long distance, I believe all your cell phone calls in San Juan and St. Thomas is included as they are part of the US (territories) - call you cell phone provider to be sure. We are on Sprint and never had any problems making or receiving phone calls from those ports!

Good luck to your Dad - know it's hard. Also, in the front of your docs, there is an emergency # your family can call to reach you on the ship. I believe it's about $8 a minute prepaid with a credit card but it may give you a little bit of piece of mind knowing that you can be reached.

Enjoy your cruise and think positive thoughts!