Iphone 3g service

[CRUISERSWITHKIDS]

I was wondering if it is possible to bypass the ships wifi service by using the phones 3G service or would you still get your at sea charges on your phone? I think I probably know the answer but didn't know if anybody has done this.

[donscomp]

I was wondering if it is possible to bypass the ships wifi service by using the phones 3G service or would you still get your at sea charges on your phone? I think I probably know the answer but didn't know if anybody has done this.

 

Depends where you are sailing. At sea you are the the mercy of your providers cruise ship/international roaming charges. If close to shore USA then you can hit cell towers and connect. We did this around the Hawaiian Islands.

[-Lew-]

I used the Fring app on my iPhone to make calls while at sea on the Grand in February. Fring connects you through your Skype account and uses the ship's wifi.

 

Skype now has it's own app for the iphone...it's free. You'll also need to set up a Skype account online. Calls are free if you're calling someone with a Skype account. I believe calls to a regular or cell phone anywhere in the world are about 2½¢ per minute...plus the cost of wifi onboard.

 

You'll need to login to the ship's wifi first and then start Skype.

 

Lew

[JerseyGuys]

You also can get the unlimited International AT&T long distance service. Check with AT&T what areas the coverage encompasses and then decide. My plan normal plan worked fine in San Juan and St Thomas, but didn't cover the rest of the carribbean. Make sure you have your email off so that you don't get charged for those at the local international rate.

[DeltaOne]

I was wondering if it is possible to bypass the ships wifi service by using the phones 3G service or would you still get your at sea charges on your phone? I think I probably know the answer but didn't know if anybody has done this.

The cost for 3G or EDGE at sea (or roaming in port) would far outweigh the cost of WiFi.

 

To avoid a surprise on your AT&T bill either purchase an international travel plan or place your iPhone in "airplane mode" (it disables all the radios) and make sure "data roaming" is off.

 

You can also put the iPhone in airplane mode and then turn WiFi back on, to use either the ship's WiFi or a hotspot in port.

 

Also, for peace of mind, reset the usage meter on the iPhone and monitor it during your travel. If you see the KBs and MBs mounting up then something is wrong -- and it's going to cost you plenty. If they stay at zero, no worries.

[Pam in CA]

I used my iPhone 3G on my Sapphire cruise last week, and while on the ship, went through the ship's WiFi. It wasn't free as I was using minutes from my package (although as Elite, I got the package for free but if you're not Platinum or Elite, you'll be charged.) When in port, I used my phone to make calls home but then I have the International plan.

[CRUISERSWITHKIDS]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions. We're just doing Alaska so I figure the safest bet is to keep the phones turned OFF while on the ship (and in Vancouver) and Just check while we are in the US ports. That way no big surprises when the bill comes!

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions. We're just doing Alaska so I figure the safest bet is to keep the phones turned OFF while on the ship (and in Vancouver) and Just check while we are in the US ports. That way no big surprises when the bill comes!

Don't forget to switch to "airplane mode", not just OFF. And, turn off the Push.

[DeltaOne]

Don't forget to switch to "airplane mode", not just OFF. And, turn off the Push.

 

Off is off, airplane mode doesn't enter the picture at that point. Same with Push.

 

When we cruised I wanted to listen to my audiobook and music, so turning the phone off wasn't an option. Airplane mode and data roaming off worked nicely.

 

The poster may be safe in Alaska -- I'd call AT&T and ask (or check one of their online coverage maps).

[wiseguycruising]

You just turn the airplane mode on and turn the roaming off. That all. You can use the Iphone to listen to music while on board. By the way Alaska is consider to be USA. You use the phone anywhere in Alaska is the same as in the lower 48. There is AT&T service every there. You are right. During the time of passing by Canada, if you may want to leave the Iphone off (by switching to airplane mode, and roaming off), otherwise, you will be charged for international rate.

[cruznon]

Thank you all for this information...it's greatly appreciated.

[h3rjp]

I just wanted to add that my iPhone was fairly useless on the cruise. It would connect to the ships wifi without a problem, but it would not open the log in page. It just helpfully said something like safari cannot open this page as it is not connected to the internet. Annoyingly it worked fine on any other hot spot.

 

I'm pleased to hear my experience is not typical as I had decided it wasn't worth bringing the phone with me next time:

 

The ships own cell transmitter will not give you a 3G connection, but will allow text and calls. Whenever you are in range of land the ships system is turned off and you can pick up a local network with 3G if the signal is strong enough. However if you are roaming on 3G and using data, this can be very expensive.

[CRUISERSWITHKIDS]

You just turn the airplane mode on and turn the roaming off. That all. You can use the Iphone to listen to music while on board. By the way Alaska is consider to be USA. You use the phone anywhere in Alaska is the same as in the lower 48. There is AT&T service every there. You are right. During the time of passing by Canada, if you may want to leave the Iphone off (by switching to airplane mode, and roaming off), otherwise, you will be charged for international rate.

I'm worried more about the kids use on their iphones. I'm making sure that they will be left turned off and in my posetion while in Vancouver and then in the safe while on the ship. When we get into port they can have it back to keep in touch with friends.

I think Pam has it right. Off may be off, but when you turn it on just to listen to music, you may want to guarantee that its in airplane mode so that all the data doesn't come through before you get it to airplane mode.

You say to turn roaming off, but I'm having trouble locating where to do that on the phone. Doesn't roaming go off automatically if you have it in airplane mode?

[shellbeachjim]

You say to turn roaming off, but I'm having trouble locating where to do that on the phone. Doesn't roaming go off automatically if you have it in airplane mode?

To specifically turn data roaming off on an iPhone:

Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming - OFF

 

Here's the link to AT&T's website for hints on international roaming with an iPhone with explanations of its additional data plans you can purchase.

 

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/iphone-travel-tips.jsp

 

Here's the part which is a bit eye opening. Notice how the rates are in Kilobytes, but the files are in Megabytes:

 

International data roaming can get expensive quickly.

For example, opening an email with a 5 megapixel picture in it, or downloading a 3-minute video on YouTube, each takes about 2 MB of data. The cost would be almost $40, based on pay-per-use international data rates of $0.0195/KB.