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So I set this all up and everything looks good - now if I call the US from let's say, Costa Rica. I just dial the number with the area code? No need to dial country codes or anything?

That's how it was in St Maarten and St. Kitts, so I assume that will be the case in Costa Rica. Worst case, you may just need to dial a "1" before the area code.

Thanks for the notes/corrections. I did mention to turn on Bluetooth, which a few have mentioned is not necessary. They are correct, however, if you use any type of BT earbuds, etc. this must be activated. I had intended to edit my original post, but see that the edit option expires after a short time. Oh well.

I also saw a few notes that it wasn't working right away. I did find that it took a few minutes (usually) for the WiFi calling to "kick in". Before that, the phone would give a message that you can't make calls in Airplane Mode. This always (for me) corrected itself within a minute or 2.

Having just returned from a cruise on the Reflection, I wanted to post a message/tutorial about WiFi calling utilizing Verizon Wireless on my iPhone (though I suspect it will work the same with the others). I was able to set mine up relatively easily and it worked extremely well, other than a 1 second delay on my end).

First, a few caveats...

1) Make sure you have an unlimited, or large internet package.

2) CRITICAL: do not allow your cell phone to connect to the ships cell antenna, or you'll be in for a huge surprise when you get your bill. I'll explain how shortly.

Here is what I recommend doing, in this order:

1) Go into Settings>Phone>Wi-Fi calling and set to On. I also selected Prefer Wi-FI While Roaming. You'll need to set up an emergency address for 911 services, so put whatever you want in there. I just used my home address. According to the disclaimer, you're supposed to change this whenever you go somewhere, but you only have to set it once. I set mine up before I left the states, but not my wife's phone and she was not able to get this working until we called Verizon to do something on their end (I don't know what). Set it up well before your cruise and you'll be able to work out any issues.

2) Connect to the ship's WiFi (after setting up an account)

3) Swipe up and put your phone in Airplane Mode. This is critical and is what prevents the phone from connecting to the ship's cell antenna.

4) Swipe up again and select WiFi. You couldn't do this a few years ago, but now you can be in airplane mode with WiFi and Bluetooth active. You may need to connect to the ship's WiFi again.

5) It will take a few minutes, but at the top of the phone you should see the Airplane Mode Icon + VZW Wi-FI + the WiFi signal meter.

That's it. I made calls throughout the Caribbean with no problems whatsoever, other than the slight delay. I was able to receive calls, as well as both iMessages and normal texts. Voicemail was tricky, but I was able to just call my number, put in my PIN, and retrieve messages that way.

I hope someone finds this helpful. If there's a step I missed, just reply to this thread and I'll edit the post.

*** OP Update ***

Ultimately, we decided to just put our bags out and disembark at our assigned 7:40 time. And...

We were let off the ship at 7:25, were in an Uber by 7:40, and at the ticket counter by 8:15. They had seats available, but not together, so we're just staying with the original flight.

I suspect our luck had as much to do with the travel plans of other passengers (not many in the disembarkation lounge that early) as it does with customs paperwork.

Either way, I appreciate all the comments and we're going to enjoy our Cuban coffees. Stress free!

After nice and relaxing vacation - why would you stress yourself with so much rush???

Stress? Not sure why you think we'll be stressed. We either make it or we don't. And if we don't, we sit around the airport instead of sitting on the ship waiting to get off.

We're due into Miami at 7am tomorrow morning. If we self-disembark, is there any chance of making it to the airport ticket counter by about 8:30 or so? There's an earlier flight we'd love to catch.

Worst case, we miss it and just stay on our original flight. I'm just curious, as we haven't sailed to/from Miami before.

Thanks for the replies. Fortunately, everything checked out okay and xrays were negative, so she's just going to be sore for a week or two. Really makes you appreciate all of the safety equipment (airbags, etc.) in cars these days.

I appreciate that. Unfortunately, they're closed until morning.

She's being checked out now. I think we're going to base our decision on her being sent home vs. being kept for observation. Of course, she just has to say that she wants us to come up there.....

Also, is airfare booked outside of Celebrity also covered under the protection plan?

Wow, this is all a little surreal. We're set to fly tomorrow morning tomorrow (Friday) for a cruise leaving on Saturday. We just got a call from our 22 year old daughter (not going on the cruise) who was involved in a pretty major car accident involving a drunk driver. She lives about 8 hours from us. An ambulance at the scene did not take her to the ER, but she can't hear out of one ear, so a friend took her. She is now waiting on a CT.

My question is, well, a lot.

First, I'm strongly leaning towards not going on this cruise. Is this something that is covered by the CruiseCare Protection? I've tried to read through it, but it's a bit hard to focus right now. Second, I do have until the departure time on Saturday afternoon to cancel, correct? I'm referring to the CruiseCare Protection plan, not the terms of the actual cruise.

Thanks, and sorry if this is a bit scattered.

A single folded towel that looks like it was just taken from the fresh towel rack and placed on the edge of the lounger, with no personal belongings around, is an available lounger in my opinion. And I'm more than happy to discuss it with anyone that wants to say it's theirs. I will thank them for going to the trouble of providing me with a fresh towel, however.

Given the, umm, geriatric demographic of most Celebrity cruises I've been on, I think I'll just skip these...

We were on the Silhouette last year for the DST change and, since Saturday was a sea day, with disembarking the next day, they did the DST adjustment mid-day on Saturday. I guess to ensure everyone was on the new time before going to bed, so they wouldn't be late disembarking. Kind of strange, but it makes sense.

We've ordered more than one entree with no problem. Tuscan sized the portions down a little, but not much.

I saw a bottle at one of the bars on Reflection last week, not sure which one. It actually may have been at the bar in the Ocean View Cafe.

Awesome, thanks! I'll definitely be sniffing out that bar!

Yep, definitely agree on the horse back riding. I refuse to do that, regardless of any published weight restrictions, because I just feel bad for the horse that has to carry me!

Being very tall, a 250 weight restriction is borderline for me. On a cruise a few years ago, we did two excursions with weight restrictions. One was a helicopter tour where, understandably, I had to pay a surcharge. Cool, no issue. The other was ziplining. I made a phone call to the company and was told that the restriction was due to sizing of the safety harness and as long as it would fit, all good. The issue isn't necessarily weight, but proportion. 6'5" at 260 is less of an issue as 5'5" and 250.

So, I'd try to call the actual tour provider, if possible, to discuss and confirm.

I've seen this on the alcohol list (listed as Jack Daniels Honey) for a few years, but it was nowhere to be found on the Silhouette last year. We're on the Reflection next month and I'm curious if any bars on the ship carry it. One of my favorite vices.

Wow, that was really my first post?!?! I've been lurking on here for some time and would have thought I would have piped up about something by now....

We did an Alaskan Cruise in June of 2015 on the Ruby Princess, then a Caribbean Cruise last March on the Silhouette. Both were the first and only on each cruise line.

That being said, we enjoyed Celebrity a bit more, but mainly because it's more of an adult cruise, as there isn't much for kids to do, and thus quieter. That being said, we talked to some other people in port that were on a different Celebrity ship and they were full of 20-something spring breakers. The Princess cruise was full of kids.

We liked the decor of Celebrity a bit more (felt more modern), and we felt that they were less "in-your-face" when it came to selling extras, especially pictures. As far as shows, those aren't our thing, so I can't speak on those.

Food-wise, we ate in the MDR just about every night on Princess, but only once on Celebrity due to traveling with picky friends. I did find the MDR experience a bit nicer on Princess, but I think our travel agent hooked us up pretty well with a nice table by the window. We couldn't really judge Celebrity by one night, but we both came away with positive opinion.

We are doing another Celebrity cruise next month, so I guess that shows our preference now!