How would family reach us while on ship for emergencies?

[bhpeters]

I'd like to leave our contact information for my family who are watching our children back home while we sail. Does Royal have a contact phone number or "emergency" email contact they could use so a message could get to us fast? Of course I will be checking my email, but just in case it's really critical...

 

We're on Freedom of the Seas.

 

Thanks

[CouponMom]

Id' like to know this also, we won't have any service while there, and my parents are staying with our children. Just in case they need to reach us..................

[Mysticks1]

I'd like to leave our contact information for my family who are watching our children back home while we sail. Does Royal have a contact phone number or "emergency" email contact they could use so a message could get to us fast? Of course I will be checking my email, but just in case it's really critical...

 

We're on Freedom of the Seas.

 

Thanks

 

There is an emergency contact number - should be listed in your documents or it can be found in the FAQ section of the website. It is $9-10 per minute and has to be charged to the caller's credit card.

[mo&fran]

I had occasion to use that service and it was extremely difficult to make a call. It would stop halfway through entering the cc number and say invalid expiration date. it took many tries before I was successful in completing the call. when i tried to get a person, it hung up on me. the alternate process I would have followed was to just to call RCI and request a call home message be sent to the stateroom.

[AkSusan]

This is what's on RC's website

 

Q: Can I contact people back home from the ship?

 

A: Your friends and family can contact the ship by calling (888) 724-SHIP. Or from outside the U.S. they can call (732) 335-3285.

 

The cost is $7.95 USD a minute and can be charged to their American Express®, MasterCard®, Visa®, Discover® or Diners Club®. From outside the U.S. additional long distance charges will also apply.

 

You can make ship-to-shore calls from your stateroom, 24 hours a day. The cost is $7.95 USD per minute and will be automatically charged to your SeaPassSM account.

 

You can also use our onboard Internet Cafés, stateroom Internet connection

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000_y21V1SYB4EF--s-lQi1Z2l:15lbbplc5?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Onboard+Extras&faqId=267&faqSubjectId=337&faqType=faq

 

Susan :)

[marci22]

I wonder how many people have experience trying to contact the ship from land. Friends of ours were on a cruise (Princess or RC I forget) and their son was injured in a bike accident and needed stitches. The grandparents were unable to get in contact with the ship for many hours.

 

I would definitely keep in touch on a regular basis via email so that if calls are missed, at least you know that every 12 hours or so someone is checking.

[Adamo]

Most if not all of the RCCL ships (Freedom included) have cellular roaming available on board. Make sure that you have international roaming enabled on your service, and I believe the rate is around 2.50$/minute. Cheaper than the ship's phone, but still only for emergencies :) Check with your provider for details!

[cb at sea]

It's really rare that someone needs IMMEDIATE access to the cruiser....a child needing stitches....not a "real" emergency. Yes, you want to know about it, but it's certainly nothing you need to know the instant that it happens.

 

Do leave your doctor info for your kids with whoever is caring for them, and your insurance card....and permission for the caregiver to make medical decisions....unless the child needs one of your body parts right away, the caregiver will take care of problems and notify you!

 

The emergency contact number does work...make sure you leave the ship's name and your cabin number, along with the 888-724-7447 number!

[marci22]

It's really rare that someone needs IMMEDIATE access to the cruiser....a child needing stitches....not a "real" emergency. Yes, you want to know about it, but it's certainly nothing you need to know the instant that it happens.

 

hey cb, what's happening gf...

 

It was a problem in this case because the parents assumed the grandparents would be able to approve medical care for their grandson. Because they couldn't be contacted right away, the hospital refused to treat the child for several hours until it was determined that the parents could not be reached.

 

Always leave a notarized letter with your child's caregivers.

[sunluva]

I don't know if this would help. But I have my family text me. I turn my phone on twice a day at a certain time to check text messages. For my plan, incoming texts are free and outgoing are .50 each. I don't have any kind of fancy international plan either. I also check my email once a day (I bring my laptop and buy the internet package).

[newbiecruiser09]

When we left our kids in 09 we made sure to leave a notarized letter giving my folks permission to act on our behalf (can't remember the exact words) if the kids needed medical attn or any other legal type action. We also used cell phones to check texts (I think ours was 5 cents in and 50 cents out) once a day. Our daughter actually got sick (just a stomach bug) one day while we were gone and I was actually glad my folks did NOT contact us--I would have just spent the day worrying when my DD was in perfectly capable hands. We also left all the ship's info and the emergency number too in case it was needed (thankfully it was not!)

[bhpeters]

Yes, I've got signed forms giving both sets of grandparents permission to treat. And conveniently enough my father is a doctor in our town, but still, I'm thinking its for the absolute WORST case scenarios; the unthinkable. Thanks for the information, I updated my file with those numbers and instructions.

[cruisenfever]

Yes, I've got signed forms giving both sets of grandparents permission to treat. And conveniently enough my father is a doctor in our town, but still, I'm thinking its for the absolute WORST case scenarios; the unthinkable. Thanks for the information, I updated my file with those numbers and instructions.

Make sure that they are notarized and not just signed and if your children are in school, make sure that the school's nurse/office has a copy.

[trixietx]

In January, 2009 we were boarding Radiance in Valpariso, Chile, to cruise around Cape Horn. I left my family the contact number, yes there is a contact number. It is on your cruise documents. After we boarded our name was called to guest services, our phone in our cabin, was also ringing, but we couldn't get anyone to answer.

We went to guest services twice, the third time I was told I needed to call my son or daughter. I knew it was not good news, my Mom had passed away.

I always email my children the contact number, our ship and room number.

[cruiselvr04]

When our kids were minors I did the noterized thing too.

 

Now I send an e-mail to our daughter that includes how to reach us and a copy of our travel insurance. I leave flight information and I also tell her where the car will be parked at the airport and the number for the kennel for the dog. I try to cover all the bases "just in case".

[ehfl]

As others have mentioned, there is an emergency number for the ship that requires a credit card. Obviously, in a real emergency, this cost would not be an issue.

 

It's likely that you may be away from your cabin, or ashore if someone actually tried to contact you.

 

Best bet is to let everyone know not to call you except for emergencies, and to send you a text message in an emergency.

 

Text messages are cheap, and they will eventually get through even if the phone is off for periods of time. The ship has cellular service with text messaging.

 

If you get an emergency text message, then you can always call back for more details.

 

If you have a smart phone, make sure you turn off data connections so you don't get hit with a big bill. You will still be able to send/receive calls and text messages, but will avoid charges for downloading Facebook updates, weather reports, etc.