Cell phone ?

[gladgirl]

Help - I am tech challenged! :)

 

We have iPhones with AT&T and I've been told by AT&T that we will be able to call/text home from the US ports as part of our regular plan.

 

Does this actually work out in reality? We'll be needing to touch base with our little boy while we are gone.

 

I guess I'm wondering if we really just need to plan on paying for the cellular/Internet service on the ship?

 

Thanks!

[Keith1010]

Yes, we have iPhones with ATT and we could use them from each of the ports of call and they worked perfectly.

 

Keith

[Freehike]

Yes, we have iPhones with ATT and we could use them from each of the ports of call and they worked perfectly.

 

Keith

 

Agreed. I have AT&T cell phone and iPad and both worked flawlessly in port.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[richfrommo]

How about service with U S Cellular anybody have any experience with them in the ports ?

[Amishcountry]

My ipad uses ATT but my cellphone is still on Verizon. How is Verizon reception in Alaskan ports? Thanks!

[Shmoo here]

My ipad uses ATT but my cellphone is still on Verizon. How is Verizon reception in Alaskan ports? Thanks!

 

We have Verizon and I've called home from Ketchikan, Juneau, and Anchorage with no problem.

[gladgirl]

Thanks!

[Amishcountry]

Great! Glad to hear it! thanks

[Coral]

My ipad uses ATT but my cellphone is still on Verizon. How is Verizon reception in Alaskan ports? Thanks!

 

The only problem I encountered in Alaska was with my data plan in Whittier, AK. I could make calls but using the internet wasn't great in Whittier. AT&T seemed to work better in Whittier.

 

Everywhere else I was at, it worked great.

[CruisingLover]

Anyone out there a Sprint user? Has their service been good in Alaska?

[KAYEF]

Just be SURE you are away from the ship so you aren't using their service; it's VERY expensive.

Some say the ships turn off their service when in port............:confused:

I have called from "everywhere" when in AK...........no problems. But, I don't try when I'm north of Skagway, for instance. IN towns/cities there's no problen.:)

[WisconsinFan]

US Cellular customer here. No problems in port for us, we used them to stay in contact with each other in port as we had an extended family of 10. Others had Verizon, they were fine too.

[Coral]

Anyone out there a Sprint user? Has their service been good in Alaska?

 

I used Sprint years ago with out any problem. Sorry, not recent experience but I doubt it would have gotten worse.

[snowmc]

Your Iphones will work just fine when in port. Be sure to put them on "airplane" mode while onboard, or you will connect through the ship's cell tower and get a hefty surcharge on your next bill. Also, be sure to not use them in Canada...there will be a roaming charge. We have experienced the "connecting through the ship" while in port, but Verizon removed those charges once we explained where we were. Apparently, this is a fairly common occurrence.

[gladgirl]

Great info! Thank you!

[Lookingforfacts]

Most, maybe all, Sprint coverage in Alaska is roaming on another carriers network. That shouldn't be an issue with people who have Sprint Service s since most (all?) plans offer free roaming. It does mean people who have service through Boost, Virgin Mobile etc are likely to have limited or no coverage.

[ammo2250]

if my phone ( a drioid razor ) has moblie hotspot can i use it on the ship without getting charged by the ships internet? that is for my laptop to get a few things done for work on board while my husband sleeps .

 

thanks

[Kirasha]

if my phone ( a drioid razor ) has moblie hotspot can i use it on the ship without getting charged by the ships internet?

 

There's no getting around the ship's internet when you're at sea. When docked, the ship will turn off their cell phone tower and any cellular coverage available in town takes precedence.

[Lookingforfacts]

if my phone ( a drioid razor ) has moblie hotspot can i use it on the ship without getting charged by the ships internet? that is for my laptop to get a few things done for work on board while my husband sleeps .

 

thanks

 

When you're docked, actually when you're within a few miles of port, the ships cell service is off. You'll be getting cell service, including data, from land. US ports your regular plan should apply. Go to your carriers coverage map. I don't think you'll have 4G, maybe not even 3G data. Without good data you won't be able to create a decent hot spot.

 

While you're at sea you'll be using the ships cell coverage. You'll be paying $$$ the equivalent of international roaming rates, maybe higher, without any plan discounts. You'll be paying something like 2.50 $3.00 /minute and an equivalently high charge for data. You don't want to use your phone to create a hot spot using the ships cell service. People have run up bills of hundreds of dollars by forgetting to turn off the automatic email sync option.