How long will I have cell service once leaving port canaveral for free? (non roaming)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

I know most will say, turn your phone off! You are on vacation!

 

This is my problem, I really need to send an e-mail at 4:30-5ish... THEN I can turn everything off!

 

We leave at 4 from Port Canaveral; how long do you think I have? I plan on using my hot spot on my phone to get internet on my computer to send a super fast email (I will have it all prepared to go!). I cannot set a time to send it, it is this internal email system that does not have that option.

 

What do you think? I need to do it before it switches over to the roaming because I don't think the hot spot will work?

 

Thank you in advance :)

[Kamloops50]

I know most will say, turn your phone off! You are on vacation!

 

This is my problem, I really need to send an e-mail at 4:30-5ish... THEN I can turn everything off!

 

We leave at 4 from Port Canaveral; how long do you think I have? I plan on using my hot spot on my phone to get internet on my computer to send a super fast email (I will have it all prepared to go!). I cannot set a time to send it, it is this internal email system that does not have that option.

 

What do you think? I need to do it before it switches over to the roaming because I don't think the hot spot will work?

 

Thank you in advance :)

 

Basically as soon as the ship clears the pier they turn on the cell tower on the ship. You might get a shore based signal for awhile after the ship leaves the pier.

[BlueHerons]

Even if you get hit with roaming charges, won't they be under a minute? I'm not that tech savvy so I don't know.

[Keith1010]

The answer is that it depends. You might have it for a few minutes or even 30 minutes.

 

Keith

[mspink98]

The answer is that it depends. You might have it for a few minutes or even 30 minutes.

 

Keith

 

That's been exactly my experience. We've had it long gone before we clear the channel, and we've had it working as long as we can see the coast (which was a fluke, because that was a really long time.)

 

I' thinking the same way as BlueHerons, can you just send it and know you'll probably get a small data charge? Or is it a personal email you can access from the ship's computers?

[Kamloops50]

Even if you get hit with roaming charges, won't they be under a minute? I'm not that tech savvy so I don't know.

 

Remember charges from on board cell signal are international not US .

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Ok, I have another question then...

 

I am fine with spending 1 or 2 minutes of roaming, however will I be able to use the mobile hot spot?

 

I have an iPhone on ATT with the mobile hot spot. When I am at airports, in the car, etc. I use my hot spot from my phone to get internet on my laptop.

 

Can I do this while in roaming? If that makes sense?

 

I guess I could quickly use the ships internet as a last resort and have my email ready to go on a thumb drive?

 

To explain a little more, without too many details, I am officially "off" work at 5 on the day we leave. Technically I am still working up until 5. Therefore I was trying to send out my email as close to 5 as possible. However, I could send it at 4:30.

 

I am going to look into the ships internet now

[Kamloops50]

Ok, I have another question then...

 

I am fine with spending 1 or 2 minutes of roaming, however will I be able to use the mobile hot spot?

 

I have an iPhone on ATT with the mobile hot spot. When I am at airports, in the car, etc. I use my hot spot from my phone to get internet on my laptop.

 

Can I do this while in roaming? If that makes sense?

 

I guess I could quickly use the ships internet as a last resort and have my email ready to go on a thumb drive?

 

To explain a little more, without too many details, I am officially "off" work at 5 on the day we leave. Technically I am still working up until 5. Therefore I was trying to send out my email as close to 5 as possible. However, I could send it at 4:30.

 

I am going to look into the ships internet now

 

Remember that if you don't have international roaming from ATT , you might not be able to use your phone at all.

[Capt_BJ]

I guess I could quickly use the ships internet as a last resort and have my email ready to go on a thumb drive?

 

Most ship computers I've seen have the USB ports disabled since this is such a common path to introduce a virus to the machine ....

 

Cellular is low power and 'line of sight'. The signal will carry off shore but it depends an where the tower is located on land. Many times towers are on beachside condos (for height) and then the signal may be detected as far as 10 miles off shore. If I were a betting man, knowing the path your ship will take on leaving Canaveral I'd bet you a sugar coated donut that you will still have primary coverage at 5pm . . . The Coast Guard has received distress phone calls from farther out than that!

 

Stand on the highest deck you can and on the land side of the ship - have no 'steel' between you and the land . . .

[d4nigirl]

We definitely had service until Fishlips. We made sure we were visible to our parents back home watching the webcam (we watched ourselves sail away -lol). We were fine with no roaming charges.

This was August 2012.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for this question and to all who replied.

 

On our turn around day in FLL (B2B) we do check our phone to see if we have any messages ... and have wondered about this.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you everyone! This was very helpful!

[Johncn]

Hello,

 

I work in IT, and live right by the entrance to Port Canaveral. I have an ATT MiFi mobile hotspot for work, also, and ATT's signal is not strong here. It works, but it's not great. I think that due to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA and other restricted signal areas right by the port, they have the cell towers "focus" their signals a little more directionally than most places.

 

That said, I do sometimes get cell service on my boat until we are just past the end of the marker buoy line (about 2 miles) out from the Port entrance. I have a small boat , and have never tried to use my computer while fishing.

 

The thing you have going for you is that departing cruise ships rarely actually depart right at 4:00. They START to depart at around that time, and most ships average clearing the port between 4:30 and 5:00 PM, often taking turns as to "who goes first" if there are multiple departures certain days of the week.

 

I would say you have a 60/40 or 70/30 chance having the stars line up in your favor on this. Good luck.

 

Johncn

[richardb]

I know most will say, turn your phone off! You are on vacation!

 

This is my problem, I really need to send an e-mail at 4:30-5ish... THEN I can turn everything off!

 

We leave at 4 from Port Canaveral; how long do you think I have? I plan on using my hot spot on my phone to get internet on my computer to send a super fast email (I will have it all prepared to go!). I cannot set a time to send it, it is this internal email system that does not have that option.

 

What do you think? I need to do it before it switches over to the roaming because I don't think the hot spot will work?

 

Thank you in advance :)

 

We have been out on the gambling ship twice now, three miles off shore at Port Canaveral. I catch up on the news via my cell while the wife gambles. So my best guess is a good 30 minutes after clearing the dock. BTW, I have Verizon.

 

Your other choice is to buy minutes on the ship wireless and send you message later.

[Capt_BJ]

We have been out on the gambling ship twice now, three miles off shore at Port Canaveral. I catch up on the news via my cell while the wife gambles. So my best guess is a good 30 minutes after clearing the dock. BTW, I have Verizon.

 

 

The average speed for a cruise ship is 6 knots

 

the ship channel from the west basin to the end of the jetties is about 2.5 miles, and another 1/2 to where the ship will drop the pilot (nautical miles) ... so to drop the pilot, 3 nautical miles at 6 knots = 30 minutes. You are less than 1/2 mile off shore.

 

The ship will now turn southeast .... as you head south you enter an area with more and more condos on the beach. Those condos often host cell phone towers ... towers that are now HIGHER than what was near the port. After another 30 minutes of steaming you will still be less than 10 miles off shore.

 

I'm still comfortable with my bet ....

 

Today on cruises, I turn my cell phone off when we clear the jetties. When I last worked on ship, we did not have cellular at sea, I'd turn on my cell 20 miles out and often picked up a signal WELL beyond 10 miles and I could call home.

 

But ya gots to know how to tell if your phone is on YOUR carrier, or roaming (cell at sea)

[CruisingGatorGirl]

We have been out on the gambling ship twice now, three miles off shore at Port Canaveral. I catch up on the news via my cell while the wife gambles. So my best guess is a good 30 minutes after clearing the dock. BTW, I have Verizon.

 

 

The average speed for a cruise ship is 6 knots

 

the ship channel from the west basin to the end of the jetties is about 2.5 miles, and another 1/2 to where the ship will drop the pilot (nautical miles) ... so to drop the pilot, 3 nautical miles at 6 knots = 30 minutes. You are less than 1/2 mile off shore.

 

The ship will now turn southeast .... as you head south you enter an area with more and more condos on the beach. Those condos often host cell phone towers ... towers that are now HIGHER than what was near the port. After another 30 minutes of steaming you will still be less than 10 miles off shore.

 

I'm still comfortable with my bet ....

 

Today on cruises, I turn my cell phone off when we clear the jetties. When I last worked on ship, we did not have cellular at sea, I'd turn on my cell 20 miles out and often picked up a signal WELL beyond 10 miles and I could call home.

 

But ya gots to know how to tell if your phone is on YOUR carrier, or roaming (cell at sea)

 

I am a numbers person :) this was helpful! Thank you!