Massive Mobile Phone Bill Whilst @ Sea

[Charles4515]

I left my phone on 24 7 but with data off while on the freedom of the seas and no extra charges other then a few text messages I sent and received. I did also daily receive a free text msg from rccl or what ever island we where at and it explained the text, phone and data charges. While on the ship it was called cellular at sea. Plus there are lots of threads and post about it here. So even if u did not read anything here or rccls site the text messages should of clued u in it was going to be expensive if u left on.

 

Sent from my BlackBerry using Tapatalk please excuse typographical errors

 

Exactly. Everytime you roam you will get a text message with how much data will cost! The messages though are from your carrier. In my case they were AT&T free messages. Never came from RCI.

[Hstergo]

I don't mean to be mean but it is your responsibility to find out what something costs and then decide to use the service or not. No one forced you into using your phone while you were at sea.

[Ccruzal]

I don't feel sorry for anyone that can't turn off their freaking phone while they are on vacation. I'm 35 and I have every techno gadget known to man, and I love tech, but the minute I step on a cruise ship my phone gets turned off and put in the safe.

 

 

Everyone who uses a cell on vacation isn't just doing it because they can't let go of technology. :) My husband and I are sailing at the end of March and I'll definitely have my cell with me all the time. My daughter is staying home with her grandparents, so I'm sure I will be calling everyday to make check how she's doing.

[Sweet on the sea]

Most people would check with their carrier before they leave. I checked with mine before I left. I turned off my data for the cruise. I was told a call from my phone would cost me $15 dollars a minute and if I answered a call it would also cost me. I could text for .75cents though. We live and learn don't we!:o

[DeltaOne]

Please correct me if I am in error, but I thought the mast on the ship was to connect to satellites owned by Cellular at Sea. I thought the cruise ships had to pay CAS for the privelege of using their satellites the same as the cruise ships have to pay for bandwidth for wifi.

 

I suspect Cellular At Sea pays the cruise line a percentage of the profits earned from phone calls and data transfer.

 

Probably the same deal for the spa, casino, theater, art auction and other areas of the ship. Many of these areas are run by sub-contractors. The cruise line is going to choose the operator that promises them the most amount of money.

 

The cruise lines have been bringing some of these operations in-house but many are still managed by sub-contractors. When the cruise line brings one of the operations in-house they assume the costs but get to keep 100% of the profits.

[lucymorgan]

I suspect Cellular At Sea pays the cruise line a percentage of the profits earned from phone calls and data transfer.

 

Probably the same deal for the spa, casino, theater, art auction and other areas of the ship. Many of these areas are run by sub-contractors. The cruise line is going to choose the operator that promises them the most amount of money.

 

The cruise lines have been bringing some of these operations in-house but many are still managed by sub-contractors. When the cruise line brings one of the operations in-house they assume the costs but get to keep 100% of the profits.

 

The sooner there is some competition in this market the better! We need some innovation, good customer service and value for money.

[1cat4jan]

I have a "dumb" phone and even I know I would get dinged with a huge bill if I didn't understand the phone plan - so to prevent problems, I turned the phone off and stored it.

 

So what did you guys do when there were no cell phones? There were still people with aging parents and business problems.

 

I'm guessing you provided the ship's emergency number and you forgot about it - knowing, if there was a real emergency, they would call the ship.

 

Really - no one needs to hear from you daily to know you are all right. You have provided an emergency contact number when you filled out your paper work. If anything happened to you, the cruiseline would call your emergency person.

 

People stay in touch because they like to stay in touch - not because it's a necessity. Whatever works for you is OK with me. Just don't say you have to be in constant touch or the world will fall apart.

[BeachChik]

I have a "dumb" phone and even I know I would get dinged with a huge bill if I didn't understand the phone plan - so to prevent problems, I turned the phone off and stored it.

 

So what did you guys do when there were no cell phones? There were still people with aging parents and business problems.

 

I'm guessing you provided the ship's emergency number and you forgot about it - knowing, if there was a real emergency, they would call the ship.

 

Really - no one needs to hear from you daily to know you are all right. You have provided an emergency contact number when you filled out your paper work. If anything happened to you, the cruiseline would call your emergency person.

 

People stay in touch because they like to stay in touch - not because it's a necessity. Whatever works for you is OK with me. Just don't say you have to be in constant touch or the world will fall apart.

 

One of the things I like about cruising is that cell phones remain off the entire time. It's nice to not have it always going off. However I don't get why people are so bothered by the fact that some like to keep in contact with people. Who cares if they want to contact their family every day. They pay for it and it has no impact on anyone else.

[temple1]

I saw this topic yesterday and this morning I noticed I'd posted to this topic but had absolutely no memory. Checked the original post date - July 2012. :rolleyes: Another risen from the dead topic. Maybe we should start calling these zombies?

 

 

I see that many mobile phone companies now notify you every time you use 5mb of date whilst aboard. They also text you a running total of your bill and allow you to cap your bill at a certain amount.

 

I still believe Royal Caribbean have a duty to ensure all guests are not getting ripped off whilst at sea....?

 

Do they also have an obligation to cut you off when you are in the casino and losing big bucks? Sould they cut you off after 10 bingo cards? Is it their responsibility to tell you not to buy the watch, diamond ring and earrings?

 

Just wondering what their responsibilities are when it comes to your bills?

[brillohead]

Everyone who uses a cell on vacation isn't just doing it because they can't let go of technology. My husband and I are sailing at the end of March and I'll definitely have my cell with me all the time. My daughter is staying home with her grandparents, so I'm sure I will be calling everyday to make check how she's doing.

 

If you don't trust her grandparents to take care of her, why are you entrusting her care to them?

 

If you DO trust the grandparents, why are you calling them DAILY to check on her?

 

What's the point of taking a child-free vacation if you're not going to let go of being a parent the entire time... just take the kid with you, if that's the case. :rolleyes:

 

I saw this topic yesterday and this morning I noticed I'd posted to this topic but had absolutely no memory. Checked the original post date - July 2012. :rolleyes: Another risen from the dead topic. Maybe we should start calling these zombies?

 

 

 

 

[tulsacubfan]

Yeah, we get it, you prefer no electronics. I prefer no speedos on my cruise. Guess what we both get told?

 

??? This makes no sense (in general or in response to my post).

 

I prefer no electronics FOR ME. You can do whatever you want. I really don't care if you rack up a $100 or $1000 phone bill...as long as you pay it and don't call the phone company and expect them to write it off because you "didn't know" it cost more to call from the ship.

[tulsacubfan]

I agree!! There are a lot of people who only now have been able to get away and cruise because of the advances of technology! Some of us have to check in each day, be able to take calls and texts, be in close contact with aged parents. Maybe some people can throw their cell in the safe and forget about the world but there are lots of us that would not be able to cruise without these electronic links to home or business.

 

The OP did not end up with a $700 phone bill by checking in each day.....and I think that is the point many are trying to make (or at least me). There is a huge difference between checking in daily with elderly parents or the caregiver their in your place (been there, did that so I understand) and downloading 100's of mb of data in a week....

[Christine Frances]

This is taken from the link below which is very informative. You need Adobe to read it and unfortunately I am not teckie enough to figure out how to post the link properly. Maybe someone could open it and repost the link correctly. Thanks

 

 

"Wireless Maritime Services and your home carrier are not

affiliates of Royal Caribbean International, and are solely

responsible for the services, charges and customer service

support provided to you."

 

www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/RCI_Connected.pdf

[Hstergo]

Everyone who uses a cell on vacation isn't just doing it because they can't let go of technology. :) My husband and I are sailing at the end of March and I'll definitely have my cell with me all the time. My daughter is staying home with her grandparents, so I'm sure I will be calling everyday to make check how she's doing.

 

Yes that is a very important reason to have your phone on I agree with you but a few things you have to keep in mind first one is don't gripe about the charges it is what it is, and secondly the OP had over 800 dollars in charges, that person did much more then just use it in case of a family emergency.