How to keep in touch with our daughter while on a ship?

My husband and I are planning a grown up cruise next summer, and we will be leaving our 3 year old daughter with her grandparents. What options will we have to keep in contact with her? I've never worried about keeping in touch back home before!

My husband and I are planning a grown up cruise next summer, and we will be leaving our 3 year old daughter with her grandparents. What options will we have to keep in contact with her? I've never worried about keeping in touch back home before!

You can use the cabin phone to call home from the ship, they have reduced the per minute charge. Short calls under 5 minutes for about $10. ($1.99 per minute)

Use your cell phone, check with your carrier to see about international calling. Remember that in US Territories like Puerto Rica and the US Virgin Isles you should have service without doing anything.

Use an Internet cafe or wifi hot spot in port to connect back home.

Where are you cruising to? You could find wifi hotspots and Skype or FaceTime. Carnival also has it's social media package and you can post on Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Bermuda

The social package is only $5 per day. If she has facebook then this would be the absolute cheapest.

Calling from the cabin phone is probably the easiest. Not necessarily the cheapest but a short call is nice now and then just to hear her voice and know how she's really doing [emoji4]

Calling from the cabin phone is probably the easiest. Not necessarily the cheapest but a short call is nice now and then just to hear her voice and know how she's really doing [emoji4]

I made a call from the cabin and few cruises ago when someone very close to me was hospitalized. Although there was nothing I could do it was just so uplifting to hear her voice. I just made sure I kept my watch in sight so the time did not get away from me and kept the call to 5 minutes.

You can make voice calls using Facebook Messanger (sometimes video calls!) using the social media plan. If you are doing the overnight stay in Bermuda you might also want to consider getting a SIM card for your phone that will allow you to use it while in Bermuda for really cheap; Check out telestial dot com. They have one that works in Bermuda for $19 and comes with $10 credit for calls or data. This would also work while you are docked in Bermuda yet on the ship.

Hope this helps

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

Purchase the ships wifi package

then make your smartphone capable of wifi calling

I made a call from the cabin and few cruises ago when someone very close to me was hospitalized. Although there was nothing I could do it was just so uplifting to hear her voice. I just made sure I kept my watch in sight so the time did not get away from me and kept the call to 5 minutes.

Do you remember how much this cost you? I have always wondered.

The social package is only $5 per day. If she has facebook then this would be the absolute cheapest.

She might be a tad bit young for facebook at 3 years old!

Many options, but why not call your phone carrier? They have plans that you can use. Sometimes on the ship, they do not work, but they will work in Bermuda. ATT offers international packages beginning at $40.00 plus you can make wifi calls if you are in a wifi free location. You can also make regular phone calls at reduced rates, if you can't find a wifi location.

Do you remember how much this cost you? I have always wondered.

Carnival publishes their rates in a few places on their site so they can be easily found. Here's one of them: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/calling-home

It looks like the price is currently $1.99/minute

There is an app on Carnival where you can contact people back home. Sorry, but I don't know what it's called. Maybe someone can tell you.

Do you remember how much this cost you? I have always wondered.

I am pretty sure it was right around $10. $1.99 per minute as a previous poster said.

The social package is only $5 per day. If she has facebook then this would be the absolute cheapest.

She'll only be 3 so no facebook lol

You seem to be only going to 1 port thus I'm guessing it is a short cruise 3/4 days or so......thus my question is....is it really that big of a deal. Just call the day you depart and when you return. Grandma/Grandpa (I assume raised either your or significant other) so they can probably handle a 3 y/o for a couple days.

Call your wireless provider or check their web page. Verizonwireless has fairly reasonable pricing for International and Cruise Ship plans. You could have all the talk, text, data that you currently have for $10/day in Bermuda but calling on the ship will cost you $1.79/minute.

Just remember to cancel any International Plan as soon as you get home. You can also setup a date range for it to take effect and when to terminate.

Check with your provider to see what is available.

As others have said: The cost of in cabin calls is now under $2/minute compared to $15/minute it was ten years ago. So that may be your best option.

Take care,

Mike

The social package is only $5 per day. If she has facebook then this would be the absolute cheapest.

Does FB work on the $5 a day package? Would it also let me make calls thru Viber? Not sure what plan to purchase.

You can send her a Telegram! No, make it a Cookie Gram!

I'll be leaving my 3 year-old with his grandparents for a 4 day cruise in January. I've debated buying an international sim but haven't made a decision yet. If I don't, then I'll just call and check on him just before we leave cell phone service and as soon as we get back. I trust my parents and my in-laws to make the right decisions about him and I'll leave a notarized medical consent form with them, but I'm not going to worry too much. At least I say that now. We'll see how I feel about it when I'm actually on the boat....

I'll be leaving my 3 year-old with his grandparents for a 4 day cruise in January. I've debated buying an international sim but haven't made a decision yet. If I don't, then I'll just call and check on him just before we leave cell phone service and as soon as we get back. I trust my parents and my in-laws to make the right decisions about him and I'll leave a notarized medical consent form with them, but I'm not going to worry too much. At least I say that now. We'll see how I feel about it when I'm actually on the boat....

And leave the Carnival number in case of emergency if they need to contact you.

Just a point to ponder....How did kid's ever survive 20 years ago, when their parents did not call them everyday?

Don't get me wrong, I think cell phones are great, but recently I here more often the panic in people if they somehow get disconnected. Honestly, people survived generations without cell phones, and instant communications.

So although I carry a cell phone wherever I go, and that includes Internationally, it is because I can. Now on a ship, I leave it off. My adult kids know how to reach us, and so do other family members.

(My kids survived and so will yours!). But in the case you won't survive, check out your carrier, and purchase an international plan.

Just a point to ponder....How did kid's ever survive 20 years ago, when their parents did not call them everyday?

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I think cell phones are great, but recently I here more often the panic in people if they somehow get disconnected. Honestly, people survived generations without cell phones, and instant communications.

 

 

 

So although I carry a cell phone wherever I go, and that includes Internationally, it is because I can. Now on a ship, I leave it off. My adult kids know how to reach us, and so do other family members.

 

 

 

(My kids survived and so will yours!). But in the case you won't survive, check out your carrier, and purchase an international plan.

Some of you are way too hung up on this idea of "unplugging", and judging people who aren't.

It's okay to stay in touch with your loved ones. It doesn't mean you're doing vacation wrong.

P.S. The human race survived a long time without modern medicine and technology. That's a dumb reason to eschew them.

Some of you are way too hung up on this idea of "unplugging", and judging people who aren't.

 

I'm not judging but based on your responses, I am guessing you are most likely under 25 and grew up with a cell phone attached to you. Those that are older, and raised several kids already, know that the cell phone is only a means to stay attached with a cord. My statement that the kids will survive without daily contact means simply that the phone is nothing more than a leash that prevents kids from experiencing the world on their own. Have you ever seen a teenager go into a full blown panic attack because their phone broke? I have. Being away from a parent is good for a child. I'm sure their grandparents will do a fine job taking care of them!

 

It's okay to stay in touch with your loved ones. It doesn't mean you're doing vacation wrong.

 

Been going on vacations for plenty more years than you have. That's why it's easy to be unplugged. It worked many years ago without and continues to work today. (They know how to reach me, for emergencies)

 

P.S. The human race survived a long time without modern medicine and technology. That's a dumb reason to eschew them.

Medicine is a necessity of life. Cell phones, texting, and the internet are not.

Remember, I did not say stay disconnected. You can always leave a number for the grandparents to call you.

Just a point to ponder....How did kid's ever survive 20 years ago, when their parents did not call them everyday?

 

Don't get me wrong, I think cell phones are great, but recently I here more often the panic in people if they somehow get disconnected. Honestly, people survived generations without cell phones, and instant communications.

 

So although I carry a cell phone wherever I go, and that includes Internationally, it is because I can. Now on a ship, I leave it off. My adult kids know how to reach us, and so do other family members.

 

(My kids survived and so will yours!). But in the case you won't survive, check out your carrier, and purchase an international plan.

Umm, I still called my kids every night before they went to bed even when travelling 20 years ago.

Check with your cell provider. We use T-mobile, texting and data are free in 140 different countries and calls are only 20 cents a minute (but not on the ship). Also if you have an internet package (Premium one is the best) and the phone supports it you can text and call while at sea using wifi (no extra cost).