cell phones

[Judith02]

Can "regular" American cell phones be used to call the United States from Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Matzalan, Puerto Vallerta, Ixtapa, etc.) or must an international telephone be used. Are there public phones along the docks in these cities? Thanks.

[sassycruiser]

I am also curious about this. Surely someone will answer!

[Cerinda]

I have routinely used my regular cell phone in Baja California Norte, so I can't imagine it WOULDN'T work farther south. All I do is: 1) call my provider in advance, and 2) prepare for horrendous bills. I've discovered MCI service and local phone cards are MUCH more cost-effective.

[bzy1]

Each cell phone provider can tell you if they have an International Plan that covers areas in Mexico. Not all carrier has a plan for Mexico, let alone each city in Mexico. The only way to find out is to call your cell phone company and ask. As well, some plans work ONLY within Puerto Vallarta, and not in Nuevo area do to the towers, so the same could be said, some carriers offer service in Mazatlan but not in Ixtapa.

[drpeperlvr]

I used my cell phone while in PV, Maz and Cabo. My Company pays the bills, so not sure if they were expensive or not. Felt helpless the first couple of days without the cell phone. :D

[fahywray]

Just got of Mercury yesterday from 10-day to Mexican Riviera. Called my cell company prior to leaving and added a plan to allow calls from Mexico at $.69/minute. Without plan would have been $1.29/minute. Plan is $4.99 for a month but I can cancel now that I am back. It was nice to have as we were able to call family for the holidays. Hope this helps.

[JFontaine]

Call your cell phone carrier in advance. I use Verizon - had no problem during a visit to Puerto Vallarta this month - except messages didn't register until I got home. I needed to upgrade my software - which I did by pressing a few buttons. Calls were $1.00 a minutes. Payphones are hard to come by.

[wisefamily4]

I have the Attw Worldconnect Mexico plan added to my cell phone for 1 month when I cruise. The monthly charge is about $5, however, it gives me a roaming rate of $0.69/minute in Mexico. Coverage is good in the cruise-ports using the 1900MHz towers.