realtyman95

As mentioned already, WhatsApp works very well. Another choice that we used recently on Oasis is called MagicApp (by the MagicJack folks.)

This app allows unlimited phone calls back home without any additional MagicJack hardware. It is strictly app driven. For $9.99/year (there is also a free option - see below) you get a U.S. phone number, unlimited calls to the US and Canada, unlimited text messages to any US cell phone and more. The best part is that the people you want to communicate with do not need to have any special app installed or account setup.

Of course this service will only be as good as the Wi-Fi connection that is available. You can get more info at their site or by simply installing the app for iOS or Android.

The free option: You can also use the app completely free to make outgoing calls (no $9.99/year fee for an assigned number.) You just won't get your own specific phone number and your caller ID will be displayed as some random number. Each new call will display a different caller ID number, but family/friends back home can call you back on that number.

Just another option I thought I'd pass along.

Agreed!

All the information you can get is what you can read on the website right now.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/b5fcb56f#/b5fcb56f/1

After May 16th-once people start sailing and having experiences, I'm sure the board will have many threads!!

Thanks Debde. This link is perfect. Exactly the information I was looking for.

Would someone mind answering a couple of questions for me please? I'm booked on the Oasis, along with several family members, for the end of this month. We're all booked in suites - everything from Owners Suite to Sky Lofts. Are any of the new suite amenities available to us for this cruise? Also, what are some of the new amenities?

We booked the suites last January when the pricing was low. Since then prices have gone up. Should I keep an eye on pricing, now that we're only a couple of weeks away - or are prices pretty much locked in at this point?

Thanks for any help or advice.

I find this quite interesting. We're sailing soon on the Oasis and have several specialty dinner reservations already paid for - not to mention a 25 person reservation at Chops. I find it unacceptable to expect someone to pay an additional fee for dinners already reserved and paid for - especially times 25 people.

Why not notify us prior to the cruise that the prices have increased? Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?

Biker19 is correct that we're looking for a way to communicate with each other on-board, but also back home. Here is what I've found:

• iPhone
  5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, running iOS8 support this feature. You can find
  step by step instructions here
  on how to set it up on your iPhone. Be sure to turn on Airplane mode to avoid any roaming fees.
  
  

• Android
  phones are a touch different. Main difference is you can not send or receive WiFi calls while your phone is in Airplane mode. But if WiFi Calling is set up and activated, you "shouldn't" encounter any roaming issues. The phone will still automatically default to the WiFi network for all calls. However you'll continue to receive incoming text messages which will most likely carry a fee.
  
  

Here are some links that may be useful: Sprint's WiFi Calling FAQ / T-Mobile's WiFi Calling page / Royal Caribbean's WiFi options /

If anyone can figure out how to make WiFi calls on an Android device while in Airplane mode, please let me know. (I have the Samsung S6 Edge.)

Hope this helps.

I'm part of a group of 30+ people cruising on the Oasis in January 2016. Can anyone offer any information or guidance on the availability of cell service, if any, from the various carriers - Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile? Thanks.

Always look forward to the Cruise Compasses. Thanks so much for posting these. Huge help.

I wonder how much will change by the time we cruise Jan 23rd, 2016?