Oceania Email & Cell Phone ?

[A Knitter]

And don't forget texting. A text message is only 50 cents received or 50 cents sent. Much cheaper than a voice call or e-mail. Check with AT&T or another cell phone provider for more info.

 

 

I believe it was .20 received and .50 to send. If purchasing a text plan, you receive 200 messages for $5.00, but....$.50 to send. Anyone who sends a photo, you will be charged roaming. Also, I have learned that when an email is received, you are charged but no additional charges to open it. So, if you didn't want to read the email, you might as well, it was already deducted. :cool:

[Fontana]

Interesting article from The New York Times discussing different technologies available to use whilst travelling os, for *low* cost cell phone usage.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/technology/personaltech/07basics.html?em

Also posted in the HAL thread.

[Delta Queen]

Hi:

 

I'm a bit confused about using the internet while on Regatta. We have a web based email provider - I can either download using Outlook etc or go on line with my browser & read my emails while online. Would going on line once or twice on the ship's computer to read emails on line be a more economical way for people to reach me if they had to ? That way I wouldn't have to give out my Oceania email addy to anyone & I would only read emails that were important.:confused:

 

Also how expensive is it to receive a shipboard phone call? I do not have international capability on my cell phone so won't be taking it with me.

 

Thanks

[shorton]

And don't forget texting. With my iphone, it's 50 cents to receive and 50 cents to send. Check with your carrier. Much cheaper than calling.

[hondorner]

At 95 cents per minute (unless you buy a package that is slightly less), just logging on and downloading your email to read later, then logging off will likely cost you several dollars at the internet speeds available. If you wished to respond to any of the messages, you could compose them offline, then log in again to send them. That would be the most economical way to use the internet -- staying on line to read and possibly respond to the emails would up the costs considerably.

 

If you're like most people, you receive a ton of emails you don't care about.

 

One solution would be to select a trusted person at home (I would use my son or daughter) to open and review all your email, then create a digest of the important messages in one email that they send to your Oceania At Sea email address. It will cost you $2 to receive this email, and an additional $2 if you see the need to respond. This is cumbersome, but the most economical solution.

 

As for the phone, remember that there is a cell antenna aboard the ship that will permit most cellphone users to make and receive calls through the ship's system. It works with Sprint and Verizon, and I think it works with AT&T and others. I know that it does NOT work with Nextel, which uses the Iden protocol that almost no one supports.

 

They turn the system off when they approach a port, but while at sea, I have used it to check my voice mail at minimal cost, much less than using the ship's phones. I understand it's also very inexpensive to text using this system, but I wouldn't know, because I once tried to send a text message and it took me 20 minutes to type in, "Hello, world"... Take your phone, turn it on while at sea, and if you get a signal, you're good to go. On Oceania, I have also successfully used it to connect my laptop using a Sprint mobile broadband AirCard, at rates similar to text messages -- that didn't work on Regent Navigator. Of course, the AirCard has a cost associated with it that is probably only worthwhile if you are frequently out in the hinterlands without internet, as we are in our RV.

[Delta Queen]

At 95 cents per minute (unless you buy a package that is slightly less), just logging on and downloading your email to read later, then logging off will likely cost you several dollars at the internet speeds available.. quote]

 

I guess I didn't explain properly - a failing of mine I'm told :D I hope this is a better explanation.

 

We have our house listed for sale & if it doesn't sell before the cruise I want to be able to check emails periodically for an email from our agent. I would go on line & log into my web mail site & check for an email from her & ignore the rest.

 

As to my cell phone - we don't have access to all your carriers. I use Rogers & my phone does not have international access (nor voice mail, nor texting). I could get a new SIM card for International access but I'm not really bothered about using it. I'm not a cell phone junkie:) though I would love to have an IPhone.:)

 

Deltaqueen

[hondorner]

The one time I received an email through the ship's system, it was from our agent because we were selling our cabin in the North Carolina mountains. They were coming up to closing, and needed a specific authorization from us regarding distribution of funds. I had given my agent the Oceania at Sea email address, and I checked it -- for free -- each day on one of the computers in the library. It cost me $2 to receive that important email, and $2 to respond with the authorization.

 

At that time, we were caring for Betsy's very elderly Mother (she was 102 at that time, and passed away at 103). We had a 24/7 caregiver while we were away, who had instructions to call either of two people who knew our Oceania At Sea address if there were any emergencies. We didn't really care about any other email, but my daughter filtered it all for us in the even that something unforeseen came up.

 

If your Rogers cell phone works in the USA, it should work on board the ship. You won't need international access. The antenna on the ship works according to the protocol, not the carrier. Here is one quote I found on a quick Google search about cell phone use on cruise ships: "Type of cell phone needed – The WMS network is accessible by cruise guests with either GSM or CDMA technology in their cell phones. WMS provides roaming services to many wireless telecommunication carriers worldwide, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Rogers Wireless."

 

I don't think Oceania uses WMS -- I think it's SeaMobile -- but I would think they work similarly.

[Delta Queen]

 

If your Rogers cell phone works in the USA, it should work on board the ship. You won't need international access. The antenna on the ship works according to the protocol, not the carrier. Here is one quote I found on a quick Google search about cell phone use on cruise ships: "Type of cell phone needed – The WMS network is accessible by cruise guests with either GSM or CDMA technology in their cell phones. WMS provides roaming services to many wireless telecommunication carriers worldwide, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Rogers Wireless."

 

I don't think Oceania uses WMS -- I think it's SeaMobile -- but I would think they work similarly.

 

Thanks for this info, Don. You are a great source of info.

 

June

[A Knitter]

And don't forget texting. With my iphone, it's 50 cents to receive and 50 cents to send. Check with your carrier. Much cheaper than calling.

 

I found this feature to pay off when I had difficulties with my IPhone in a few ports. Make sure the receivers also have the feature otherwise it is a cost to them. What I learned quickly with the ships wi-fi package for my phone was to log on, receive my mail and read off line. I always kept my phone data roaming off, fetch off and airplane mode on. Airplane mode was the last to turn off and the first to turn on. Hope this helps.:)

[mrsfish]

Thanks in advance for keeping this board informed on the experience you have with your i phone next month. We are leaving on Nautica in April for 35 day cruise and want to know the best and cheapest way to keep in touch with our daughter. She will be having a baby while we are at sea and we want to keep in touch!

Nancy (aka Mrs Fish)

[A Knitter]

Thanks in advance for keeping this board informed on the experience you have with your i phone next month. We are leaving on Nautica in April for 35 day cruise and want to know the best and cheapest way to keep in touch with our daughter. She will be having a baby while we are at sea and we want to keep in touch!

Nancy (aka Mrs Fish)

 

 

I Phone

I found that the IPhone with the data package didn’t always work when it should have. Once in Port, it would work in the morning, no service minutes later and maybe a signal before we left Port. I would always keep it on airplane mode and turn that feature off last after turning on the data roaming and 3G. When finished, I put it on airplane mode first and then turned off data roaming and 3G. Sometimes it worked better without the 3G. Sometimes, you had to reset the phone and then it worked. It was very frustrating. If you call At&t using the 916 prefix, the call is free. I purchased 200MG and used 46. For all of the roaming I did trying to connect, I was shocked I used so little. Before you leave, I strongly suggest going over with AT&T each Port you will visit and take the agent’s full name. I received several messages from AT&T that I had no coverage in several Ports when told I was covered. I received text messages in error when I confirmed with them I was covered. You just have to keep good records or a log. All and all they try to accommodate and work with you knowing you are out of the country. Often times, I would reset my settings, but be careful not to turn off your JavaScript for your browser. Learn from my mistakes as I couldn’t access my bank accounts because of this setting.

[merryecho]

When texting from overseas, do you need to enter a country code to send it? I have found that you need to enter different prefix numbers to call home, depending on which country you are calling from, I usually just keep trying different combinations (011, 110, 1 ) until one works, and never know if I have the prefix wrong, or there is just no service.

[caribbeansun]

Adding a text plan to Rogers isn't too expensive and you can purchase specifically out of country 30 day voice/text/data plans to avoid roaming charges.

 

They also have a voice to text service for $6 - basically transcribes the voice mail and sends you a text of the transcript thereby eliminating voice roaming charges if you're so inclined to add these for a month while you are traveling.

 

 

 

 

I guess I didn't explain properly - a failing of mine I'm told :D I hope this is a better explanation.

 

We have our house listed for sale & if it doesn't sell before the cruise I want to be able to check emails periodically for an email from our agent. I would go on line & log into my web mail site & check for an email from her & ignore the rest.

 

As to my cell phone - we don't have access to all your carriers. I use Rogers & my phone does not have international access (nor voice mail, nor texting). I could get a new SIM card for International access but I'm not really bothered about using it. I'm not a cell phone junkie:) though I would love to have an IPhone.:)

 

Deltaqueen

[A Knitter]

When texting from overseas, do you need to enter a country code to send it? I have found that you need to enter different prefix numbers to call home, depending on which country you are calling from, I usually just keep trying different combinations (011, 110, 1 ) until one works, and never know if I have the prefix wrong, or there is just no service.

 

Mine went through fine without the prefix.