lz7rdgjh

It sounds like we are on this cruise at the same time. We are doing the 3-day extension in New Orleans starting 7/18 then embarking on 7/22 at Baton Rouge. Then all the way to Red Wing and disembarking 8/5 bussing to St Paul. Does this sound like your cruise?

Viking offers free Wi-Fi, and AT&T allows Wi-Fi calling. On our previous Viking cruise, we had airplane mode on for the duration of the trip including excursions and at sea. We were able to talk, text, and use data the entire time on our phones and PC when we were on the ship with not a single charge although responses were delayed sometimes. We were in a travel group, and we could communicate with each other via cell phone, and we could make and receive calls to the US for no charge. Audio quality was normal. All this was when we were in range of the ship's Wi-Fi. I believe airplane mode turns off roaming, data usage, and maybe some other stuff, but that is the key to managing international fees without an international calling plan. John

I believe attaching to the ship's cellular service and attaching to the wi-fi service is two different things. I don't remember having the ability to attach to the 'cellular service' on our recent West Indies cruise. We attached only to the wi-fi service, and all was well. I'm not sure the ship even has a cellular service. They actually do have a satellite service that can be accessed from your cabin phone - but not your cell phone - for about $2/minute.

AT&T also offers the $10/day international deal. But we used the airplane mode method on the Viking West Indies cruise and the Viking Sea Wi-Fi was totally adequate for average needs. With this method, you can call anywhere as if you are in the US including other travelers on the ship. We tried it and there was no charge. But consider that if you call the local restaurant that you can see from the ship in a non-US port, it could be an international call. Not real sure about this. We did not try that.