Cell Phone Newbie Question

[Saphire]

Is it best to leave your cellphone in "airplane" mode to avoid calls/texts with roaming charges? We would just use wi-fi for internet access if needed. Thanks!

[PatsyAnne]

On an iPhone that works. Put it in airplane mode and turn on wifi. And let it spend most of its time turned off in the safe while you play.

 

 

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[sapper1]

Is it best to leave your cellphone in "airplane" mode to avoid calls/texts with roaming charges? We would just use wi-fi for internet access if needed. Thanks!

 

If you turn off your data roaming you will not receive any emails or inadvertently connect to the internet with data. This can prove very expensive if you neglect to check that it is turned off. If you turn it off then when you switch from airplane mode to use your phone, you won't get a flood of emails coming in and costing you a lot of money.

[POA1]

Is it best to leave your cellphone in "airplane" mode to avoid calls/texts with roaming charges? We would just use wi-fi for internet access if needed. Thanks!

 

Who is your carrier, and what flavor phone do you have (Apple, Android, BlackBerry, or Windows?)

 

Airplane mode turns off the cellular modem. On some models WiFi is always off in Airplane mode. On others, WiFi can be on in Airplane mode.

 

If you are going to the Caribbean and you have T-Mobile, you make calls most places for $0.20/minute and texting and 2G data are free. 2G data is fine for mail, but slow for other stuff. They sell 3G international data passes to give you higher speeds.

 

Your cost per minute on the ship is going to be high, so be careful because you don't want to be paying $3/min for wrong numbers and junk calls.

[jrzebird]

Several years ago I could call on my cell phone for free from Puerto Rico and St.Thomas because they were considered the USA. Is that still true? I'll call my carrier (ATT) this week but thought I'd ask here as well, since I sometimes don't get correct answers from tech support (not necessarily ATT, any tech support). Actual experience is always better than what someone is reading from a book on the phone.

 

I have the iPhone 5s. I always just turn on the airplane mode and have never had a problem.

 

Maureen

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Several years ago I could call on my cell phone for free from Puerto Rico and St.Thomas because they were considered the USA. Is that still true? I'll call my carrier (ATT) this week but thought I'd ask here as well, since I sometimes don't get correct answers from tech support (not necessarily ATT, any tech support). Actual experience is always better than what someone is reading from a book on the phone.

 

I have the iPhone 5s. I always just turn on the airplane mode and have never had a problem.

 

Maureen

 

Maureen, yes ATT and Verizon depending your Nationwide Plan allow calls to/from San Juan and St Thomas.

 

Also note that in recent months things have changed with many Cell phone carriers. There was a time that using your Data with your smart phone while at sea could be extremely expensive but there have been recent changes if you sign up with your carrier for their International Plan and use their roaming they except the roaming from the cruise ships.

I experimented with it on my last cruise. I have Verizon. I used my phone for Internet quite a bit in all three of the Mexico Ports and used it frequently on the ship for two nights. To add the plan it was $25.00 for 100 MB this is for one billing cycle, it ended up I did not use very much so as i had it set up with the International Department they turned it off after I returned and only charged me $14.40 I used about 60 MB and that was posting pictures here on Cruise Critic and postings lots of pics to Facebook. I actually spent far more time on my phone internet than using HAL's that I purchased the $55 plan. My next cruise the end of March I plan to use strictly my phone Also plan to set my 5S phone up as a Hotspot for my iPad to connect to. I will let everyone know how this works but it is appearing it will save me money. But then I will also me on NCL and have always had much better reception for wifi on NCL ships.

[POA1]

AT&T considers Puerto Rico and the USVI part of your domestic plan. Check with Verizon, but I didn't have local coverage when I was in St. Thomas two years ago.

[travelingduo]

I have Verizon and was in the Caribbean two months ago. Puerto Rico is included; St Thomas is not. Be really careful with data charges. My iPhone used data for many of my apps even though I didn't use them. I was told by Verizon that many apps on "on" when your phone is on.

 

 

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[campisfortis]

"Jeremy, close an app". You may recall the T-Mobile campaign touting their new plan with international data at no surcharge. They call it their Simple Choice Plan $80 month (with two lines), 500MB per line. Check their webpage for details. I think you would be safe while ashore, but I do not know about the effects on-ship.

 

 

** Full disclosure - I do not work for T-Mobile, but I do work for a sister company. **

[absolutboy20]

If you are on AT&T it is best to make sure data roaming is off when you are see "Cellular at Sea" when you are on board. If you are going to the Caribbean, there are many ports on AT&T that are included. You can purchase international data roaming packages that include ship data roaming, but the last time I checked AT&T HAL was not not included.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have Verizon and was in the Caribbean two months ago. Puerto Rico is included; St Thomas is not. Be really careful with data charges. My iPhone used data for many of my apps even though I didn't use them. I was told by Verizon that many apps on "on" when your phone is on.

 

 

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I will agree that I made sure I had all my apps off but Tapatalk for Cruise Critic and Facebook but I did have everything else off including notifications which that does make a big difference.

[POA1]

"Jeremy, close an app". You may recall the T-Mobile campaign touting their new plan with international data at no surcharge. They call it their Simple Choice Plan $80 month (with two lines), 500MB per line. Check their webpage for details. I think you would be safe while ashore, but I do not know about the effects on-ship.

 

 

** Full disclosure - I do not work for T-Mobile, but I do work for a sister company. **

 

It doesn't apply on the ship. It also doesn't work in every port, most notably in the Caribbean, the Bahamas.

[kjw869]

AT&T considers Puerto Rico and the USVI part of your domestic plan. Check with Verizon, but I didn't have local coverage when I was in St. Thomas two years ago.

 

It still isn't. Friends who were with us last month who have Verizon couldn't use their phone in St. Thomas without incurring an additional charge. With AT&T, St. Thomas is included in their domestic plan.

[rgtkkb]

It doesn't apply on the ship. It also doesn't work in every port, most notably in the Caribbean, the Bahamas.

 

 

T-Mobile plan is not supposed to work in the Bahamas but as advertised includes many Caribbean islands. Has anyone tried it in Grand Turk or St. Marteen? They are on the T-Mobile list, and I am hoping it works there.

Edited February 18, 2014 by rgtkkb
mistakes

[POA1]

T-Mobile plan is not supposed to work in the Bahamas but as advertised includes many Caribbean islands. Has anyone tried it in Grand Turk or St. Marteen? They are on the T-Mobile list, and I am hoping it works there.

 

Yes, it does. Go to their site and look up international roaming. For each country, it lists the rates, partner carrier, frequencies, and data network speeds. As long as your phone supports the frequency for the partner carrier, you should. get voice, text, and 2G data. In both those ports, voice is 20 cents a minute and text/data is free.

 

If you want 3G data, you have to buy an international data pass add on. For our 10 day cruise, 200 MB, 7 day passes were $25. We scheduled them to start early in the morning we arrive in Grand Turk. The will then run 7 days or 200 MB which in our case covers all our ports. They also sell 1 day / 100 MB passes for $10 or month long / 500 MB passes for $50. Just make sure you read up before you call customer service. The passes are new and some of the customer service people don't know the plans work. If you want to pre-schedule you international data pass, you must call customer service. If you order online, the data pass kicks in immediately.

 

Hope this helps.:thumbup:

 

I don't know if these passes support data tethering. I just figured it will be a good supplement to the painfully slow ship satellite Internet. (Don't get me wrong. It's great that I can access the 'net at sea. It's just expensive and pokey.)

Edited February 18, 2014 by POA1