Do you text while cruising?

[Ms belp]

Just heard a commercial about texting while driving. It has me wondering, do you text while cruising? How many can't leave their phones at home anymore? Do they charge more for the text rather than the regular phone call to check in with the parents?

[mjroseville]

Depends on your provider. We have iPhones & AT&T. I looked into it and any form of communication will be $2.50/minute. Needless to say, we're keeping the phones entirely off (big tip, because you'll get hit with fees while it's on at all). Will just use our phones on shore to call home and talk to our children.

[CruiseNurseBabe82]

While we were on a week ago I did not, but DH did. Our provider Sprint, charges 0.50 for outgoing and 0.05 for incoming. I needed the week away from everyone, lol.

[jollycruise]

We took our DS on our last cruise and yes we did text back and forth. It was a great way to touch base when we were all doing seperate things while on board.

[flowerchild]

My husband needs to talk to my step daughter everyday so we use our phone. $2.49 a minute while on the ship and .50 for outgoing text, .05 for incoming. We try to use phone cards bought while in port to make our calls if the time zone permits...

 

You can call your cell phone provider and find out what the roaming rates are in each country you dock at, too, if you want to use your cell phone while in port (not European ports of call, I imagine, unless you have a GSM phone)

[chipmaster]

If you text on the ship you are accessing their local phone system and will get charged both for out of network and additional charges.

 

On a seperate note about texting:

 

Saw this funny sign:

[Elationismyship]

With Verizon .50 cents for sending a text, .05 to receive. Just off the Jewel 2 weeks ago, had to call my boss (who was in Italy) from my cell phone while at sea on the ship. 13 minute call was $33.00.

[russianmom]

Depends on your provider. We have iPhones & AT&T. I looked into it and any form of communication will be $2.50/minute. Needless to say, we're keeping the phones entirely off (big tip, because you'll get hit with fees while it's on at all). Will just use our phones on shore to call home and talk to our children.

 

 

My cousin and I did the Western Carib in March. We both have iphones and got the international plan- it's $5/month and they prorate for the week. This brings the cost of calls per minute down significantly(price/min depends on which island you are on).

They also told us to turn off the data roaming which would cut down on email internet etc charges. Neither of us was charged just for having the phone on. We texted each around the ship and it really wasn't that expensive.

[bplazo]

No, I do not text on the ship and very rarely at home. I just don't understand the obsession with the phone.

[azpilot]

Nope, no phone, no laptop, no computer! I enjoy the piece and quiet and leave everything home. I make sure no one can find me unless its an emergency..

[NJGeorge]

No, I do not text on the ship and very rarely at home. I just don't understand the obsession with the phone.

Me neither:confused: Call if you got something to say, that's what a phone is for, otherwise I'm on vacation...no phones, so refreshing:D

Signed,

Don't call me I'll call you

[CP50]

Last fall from the Meditteranean using AT&T, text were .50 sending and no charge for those received.

[maja651]

Last fall from the Meditteranean using AT&T, text were .50 sending and no charge for those received.

 

Were those charges from the ship while out at sea or from land?

 

Michelle

[Don Haynes]

I am so fed up with spam calls, I have thrown my cell phone and home phone away... Discontinued both services...

 

I even had my phone number listed as a no call number... A total waste of time... They call anyway...

 

Anyone who wants to contact me can either use email or snail mail... I prefer my grandchildren to use their computer video cameras, as I like to see who I am talking to. I will never talk to another computer answering device, EVER!

 

Plus I am annoyed by the spam in my mail box with both... Enough is enough...

[jame_g]

Once the ship pulls away from the dock, my cell phone is turned off and placed in the safe until the morning that we disembark. And my laptop stays at home, keeping the cat company. The neighbor feeds it. The cat, not my laptop.

[DeltaOne]

We have iPhones & AT&T. I looked into it and any form of communication will be $2.50/minute. Needless to say, we're keeping the phones entirely off (big tip, because you'll get hit with fees while it's on at all).

 

It's easy to avoid large, unexpected charges with an iPhone (or any smart phone) when traveling.

 

With the iPhone, simply turn Airplane Mode on and make sure Int'l Roaming is off (the default). Airplane Mode turns all five (EDGE, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi) radios off -- no data will be sent or received. You can then use the iPhone as if it were an iPod touch (music, audiobooks, games, etc).

 

And, with the iPhone in Airplane Mode, you can turn WiFi back on and take advantage of free or low-cost WiFi hotspots. You could use the Skype app, when in port, to make phone calls via Wifi. No unexpected charges, since you'll either be using free or low-cost WiFi.

[Sauer-kraut]

I am so fed up with spam calls, I have thrown my cell phone and home phone away... Discontinued both services...

 

I even had my phone number listed as a no call number... A total waste of time... They call anyway...

 

Anyone who wants to contact me can either use email or snail mail... I prefer my grandchildren to use their computer video cameras, as I like to see who I am talking to. I will never talk to another computer answering device, EVER!

.

 

How will you ever contact emergency services if your house is on fire or you need a police officer when someone is breaking into your house?

[cruizinwithkids]

I only got a cellphone two years ago, but I have loved texting people while on a cruise. I am 50 years old. I pay my own bills and I choose to stay in contact with a couple people while cruising.

[watchdiva]

No phone, internet or texting EVER when on vacation. The phone goes into the safe and stays there until we return home. In an emergency, we can always be reached through NCL ship telephone.

 

Even before we retired, DH and I notified both of our employers that we would NOT be reachable while we were cruising:D.

[MikeandAmy]

Yep we are one of those sad ones that text everyday, check our work emails... Plus we get texts from our house sitter letting us know the cats are still alive :rolleyes:

[iheartbda]

How will you ever contact emergency services if your house is on fire or you need a police officer when someone is breaking into your house?

Looks like he'll email them.:D

[Ask4Jay]

I am utterly amazed at all the principled people.

No cell phone, no computer. Threw it out (overboard?), put it in the safe, left it at home.

Just because I am at sea, I should stop all communications with family and friends?

We actually enjoy hearing from our kids and grandchildren, no matter where we are. Wish they'd 'bother' us more often. Carrier pigeons are useless for long distance, so we take advantage of the latest that technology has to offer.

To all Luddites out there, I don't want to start a flame war.

I just do not understand.

Happy cruising to all.

[CP50]

They were .50 at sea or on land.

[maja651]

They were .50 at sea or on land.

 

THANKS! I for one, am not one who can disconnect completely when on vacation. Have to check on on the family, dogs, etc.

[tammy531]

I have Verizon, and texts were 50 cents to send, 5 cents to receive, and calls were $2.49 a minute on the ship, and $1.99 off the ship (in Bermuda). Yes, I am a texter every day to multiple people and did A LITTLE on the ship, but most people I text were with me so there was not much need! (I did leave the internet at home......)