Verizon's "International Data Plan" is no more

There were some earlier posts about using Verizon's pro-rated "international data plan" for those who have a smart phone.

I called Verizon today to setup the plan for our Feb 12 - 19 Southern Caribbean cruise; however, the Verizon representative said the plan no longer exists as of January 17th, 2011.

So, smart phone users are now at the mercy of the RCL's data plan and the Int'l price for phone calls.

I just got off the phone with Verizon and here's their recommendation for Verizon smart phone users. Shut off all data flow leaving just the cell phone and text messaging by:

Go to Settings

Tap Wireless and Network settings to Uncheck (remove the green tic mark) for Wi-Fi. Note, don't do this until you're on the ship. This will shut off everything except for Cell Phone calls and Text Messages.

Another note, the ship's cell tower has a range of 1 to 2 miles but some countries will require the ship shut off their cell tower once in port, forcing calls through the country's cell system.

Phone calls will be ~ 2.49 / minute on RCL and text msgs will be .55 to send and .05 to receive.

I just got off the phone with Verizon and here's their recommendation for Verizon smart phone users. Shut off all data flow leaving just the cell phone and text messaging by:

 

 

Go to Settings

Tap Wireless and Network settings to Uncheck (remove the green tic mark) for Wi-Fi. Note, don't do this until you're on the ship. This will shut off everything except for Cell Phone calls and Text Messages.

 

 

Another note, the ship's cell tower has a range of 1 to 2 miles but some countries will require the ship shut off their cell tower once in port, forcing calls through the country's cell system.

 

 

Phone calls will be ~ 2.49 / minute on RCL and text msgs will be .55 to send and .05 to receive.

Actually, never have seen the ship's cell tower active at ANY port, anywhere in the world. We generally are able to access the local cell towers long before docking.

Actually, never have seen the ship's cell tower active at ANY port, anywhere in the world. We generally are able to access the local cell towers long before docking.

Right! The cell towers on the ship should trip off automatically when the ship is within range of land-based cell towers.

Or, you could view a cruise as one of the last opportunities in this world to "unplug". Turn off the cell phone and put it in your suitcase. Stand on your balcony and watch as they cast off the lines, and the ship eases away from the port.

It's one of the only times we have left that we can go "off grid". Sorry, I'm unavailable!

Can't really handle it? Fine (neither can I!). So, when you get the chance, pop into the internet cafe and check in. At less than $1 a minute, you'll spend less in ten minutes than you will in 90 seconds at the blackjack table in the casino.

Seriously.... close your eyes.... take a deep breath..... put down the cell phone and step away....

There were some earlier posts about using Verizon's pro-rated "international data plan" for those who have a smart phone.

 

I called Verizon today to setup the plan for our Feb 12 - 19 Southern Caribbean cruise; however, the Verizon representative said the plan no longer exists as of January 17th, 2011.

 

So, smart phone users are now at the mercy of the RCL's data plan and the Int'l price for phone calls.

They still give an option to pair a Gobal data plan with your domestic data plan. It shows $30 a month for 25MB for Caribbean or Europe and I bet they would pro-rate the $30. They did with the old international plan.

http://b2b.vzw.com/international/GlobalData/rates_coverage.html

Bill

Just keep in mind that 25 mb is not a lot of usage, you can use this data calculator as an estimate of your usage.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/splash_includes/datacalculator.html

Well, verizon's international data plan failed twice for us on 4 phones...(DH & I both have the Droid X. the kids both have BB's) Well, I take that back, DS's phone (I think b/c he has a card in his?) worked some of the time, but never on board (Explorer). NO service on board at all, until we got closer to lets say Barbados.....

We shut off our text messages but were more than happy to pay the associated & pro rated fee's for the global data...Nothing. No service at sea.

One of my pet peeves of verizon, or RCi....? I guess even with verizons plan we had to pay for RCi's service in order for our phones to work on board?? Arrgghhh...

GoodMorning:)

I just got off the phone with Verizon and here's their recommendation for Verizon smart phone users. Shut off all data flow leaving just the cell phone and text messaging by:

 

 

Go to Settings

Tap Wireless and Network settings to Uncheck (remove the green tic mark) for Wi-Fi. Note, don't do this until you're on the ship. This will shut off everything except for Cell Phone calls and Text Messages.

 

 

Another note, the ship's cell tower has a range of 1 to 2 miles but some countries will require the ship shut off their cell tower once in port, forcing calls through the country's cell system.

 

 

Phone calls will be ~ 2.49 / minute on RCL and text msgs will be .55 to send and .05 to receive.

That can't be right. Unchecking wi-fi only shuts off wi-fi. Wi-fi is what RCI offers for laptop internet connectivity on their ships. You want to shut down your mobile network data.

Looking through my android settings, it appears that you should go to:

Settings -> Wireless & network settings -> Mobile networks, then remove the check mark from "Data enabled".

I just tested it using my weatherbug app, and the app gave a network error, saying "Failed to load data."

Texting and Phone calls still work.

Well, verizon's international data plan failed twice for us on 4 phones...(DH & I both have the Droid X. the kids both have BB's) Well, I take that back, DS's phone (I think b/c he has a card in his?) worked some of the time, but never on board (Explorer). NO service on board at all, until we got closer to lets say Barbados.....

 

We shut off our text messages but were more than happy to pay the associated & pro rated fee's for the global data...Nothing. No service at sea.

 

One of my pet peeves of verizon, or RCi....? I guess even with verizons plan we had to pay for RCi's service in order for our phones to work on board?? Arrgghhh...

 

GoodMorning:)

We just got new Droid 2 phones. The Verizon rep indicated that the Droid 2 was a global phone while the other Droid phones were not. That may be the reason your Droid X phones didn't work.

Cruise ships are CDMA capable, which is why Verizon phones can work on them; however, if you are picking up towers from countries that are GSM only, your phone won't work unless it is a dual mode phone.

A friend on a personal plan called and was unable to add the Global Email option, but then I called regarding my business line and was able to add this option. I had them activate it for me starting 2/25/11 as I will be on the 2/27/11 Explorer cruise so I'll post back with my findings. I guess for now the best thing to do is to call Verizon and see whether or not you can add it for your particular line.

Greg

Ok, so I just spoke with someone at Verizon and he seemed to be very knowledgeable about this. As you probably already know, they have discontinued the $64.99 unlimited global data plan for "personal" customers, however most "business" customers are still able to add this plan. I am still able to add/remove this plan to my business phone line for the 2 weeks I will be on my cruise. In fact they have already placed the order for me and it will automatically be added for me on 2/25/11 as I set sail 2/27/11. I just need to call back to remove it and return to my normal $44.99 plan upon my return. If you are interested in using this plan and your phone is part of a business account then I would definitely call Verizon.

Greg

Ok, so I just spoke with someone at Verizon and he seemed to be very knowledgeable about this. As you probably already know, they have discontinued the $64.99 unlimited global data plan for "personal" customers, however most "business" customers are still able to add this plan. I am still able to add/remove this plan to my business phone line for the 2 weeks I will be on my cruise. In fact they have already placed the order for me and it will automatically be added for me on 2/25/11 as I set sail 2/27/11. I just need to call back to remove it and return to my normal $44.99 plan upon my return. If you are interested in using this plan and your phone is part of a business account then I would definitely call Verizon.

Greg

Will this unlimited global data plan allow you to use data on the ship (in addition to in port) without any additional charges (from Verizon or RCI)?

Will this unlimited global data plan allow you to use data on the ship (in addition to in port) without any additional charges (from Verizon or RCI)?

Yes, if your phone is CDMA only it will work on the ship and in certain ports. If your phone is a global phone with a SIM card then it will work most anywhere without any surprise charges. If you are still eligible to add it, when you call you can give them your ship and your ports and they will verify whether or not you will have service.

I'm going on the Explorer 2/27/11 so I'll try to remember to post back with my findings.

Greg

I have the droid incredible...... so if i uncheck the mobile network box i can:

NOT get any app or emails on or off the ship?

Make calls on the ship at ship rates and off at Verizon rates? (Coco cay, St Thomas and St Maarten)

Get txt messages on the ship at Verizon rates? (.55 and .05)

Boy I wish there was a simple way....hehe

Thx

Tony

I just returned from 12 nights on the Explorer and was able to use the cellular data coverage when the ship had their cellular service activated. I had to change to the Global Email plan for $64.99/mo. which replaced my PDA/Smartphone Unlimited plan which was $44.99/mo. The GlobalEmail plan replaced my existing data plan and I paid the prorated difference for the time that I had it activated.

The service was slow for surfing on my DroidX but worked very well for sending and receiving emails. I tried tethering the phone to my laptop using PdaNet which worked well enough for using instant messenging (AOL IM, Live Messenger, etc.) but was too slow to handle skype (audio or video).

Most personal Verizon accounts will not have GlobalEmail as an option anymore, but my understanding is that it still will be an available option for phones associated with business accounts.

Greg

I just got off the phone with Verizon and here's their recommendation for Verizon smart phone users. Shut off all data flow leaving just the cell phone and text messaging by:

 

 

Go to Settings

Tap Wireless and Network settings to Uncheck (remove the green tic mark) for Wi-Fi. Note, don't do this until you're on the ship. This will shut off everything except for Cell Phone calls and Text Messages.

 

 

Another note, the ship's cell tower has a range of 1 to 2 miles but some countries will require the ship shut off their cell tower once in port, forcing calls through the country's cell system.

 

 

Phone calls will be ~ 2.49 / minute on RCL and text msgs will be .55 to send and .05 to receive.

I just have a basic verizon plan with unlimited texting. Are the .55 and .05 text charges applicable without me having to switch to any type of global plan? I just want to be able to text my kids at home once or twice a day.

I just have a basic verizon plan with unlimited texting. Are the .55 and .05 text charges applicable without me having to switch to any type of global plan? I just want to be able to text my kids at home once or twice a day.

You don't need any special plan to txt, just make sure you don't inadvertently use any data while roaming.

Send txt = 0.50

Receive txt = 0.05

Send pic = 0.50

Receive pic = 0.25

Greg

You don't need any special plan to txt, just make sure you don't inadvertently use any data while roaming.

 

Send txt = 0.50

Receive txt = 0.05

Send pic = 0.50

Receive pic = 0.25

 

Greg

Thanks, Greg

well, last year I didn't have to worry about the Int'l plan as I took my X swimming on the first day in Puerto Rico :rolleyes:

I called Verizon to find out if they had changed their plans and found they do offer a 30 dollar per month International Data Plan. it gives you 50 MB so I won't be streaming Pandora or watching Netflix but at least I can upload some pics to Facebook and check emails. The big thing will be to shut down background synching - a lot of the apps will pull data every "n" minutes.

Side note, hell yes it's time to relax :D but I do allow myself 10 minutes in the morning (when DW is showering) and 10 minutes at night (when DW is getting ready for dinner) to play.

Only 758 hours to go...

I didn't read this whole thing word for word, so I'm not 100% if this was covered. I saw in another post (I can't find easily) where somebody said they paid $25 and got unlimited data, so I asked Verizon.

Here is the reply I got about that......

"When any of our customers travel globally, I recommend adding the data package you were speaking of. It is $25, but it is not unlimited. This gives you 100 MB of data to use. If you happen to go over, you are charged another $25 for another 100 MB. Your voice and text messages are billed on a per minute or message basis. It depends on what country or cruise ship you are visiting.

I definitely recommend checking out our global web site before any traveling. It is www.verizonwireless.com/global. You can plan your trip and get details about costs specific to your trip! "

here the cut/paste from Verizonwireless confirming what they were talking about.....

Global Data Options

Stay connected while you travel by pairing Global Data with a domestic data plan. Global Data plans give you a data allowance in 120 countries and start at just $25 a month.

Stay connected while you travel by pairing a Global Data package with a domestic data plan.

Check out the list below for more information about Global Data allowances, options and rates.

Calculate your data usage to figure out which package will best meet your needs through using our Data Calculator . You may select from one of our Global Data packages below:

1. $25 / 100 MB Global Data package
   
2. Pay As You Go global data package
   

I am one of those people who still has the unlimited data plan for $30/mo. My phone is also a business account. If I switch to the global plan while I am on my cruise, can I go back to my original plan or will they say sorry... you have to go with one of our currently offered data plans now.

Sue

I am one of those people who still has the unlimited data plan for $30/mo. My phone is also a business account. If I switch to the global plan while I am on my cruise, can I go back to my original plan or will they say sorry... you have to go with one of our currently offered data plans now.

Sue

The plan is monthly, you can activate it and de-activate it any time. I had the global data plan added to my phone for 6 days. Per my request, they (Verizon) turned it on on day 1 of the cruise and turned it off on day 6. I still paid the $30 for the full month but it was only activated for 6 days.

I am one of those people who still has the unlimited data plan for $30/mo. My phone is also a business account. If I switch to the global plan while I am on my cruise, can I go back to my original plan or will they say sorry... you have to go with one of our currently offered data plans now.

Sue

You'll be out back on the (grandfathered) unlimited data plan. I just did this in March and I'm also on a business plan.