New baby

[kcteach12]

I just found out that my new grand baby will be arriving by C-section while I am on my cruise. I have cell phone service with Verizon. Will I be able to send and receive texts? What about Face Time? It will be a sea day.

[njkruzer]

Phone calls and texts yes but I don't know anything about facetime. Just check in with verizon before you leave. Also turn off data or your roaming costs will be high.

[Clarea]

I just found out that my new grand baby will be arriving by C-section while I am on my cruise. I have cell phone service with Verizon. Will I be able to send and receive texts? What about Face Time? It will be a sea day.

You will be able to send and receive texts. Confirm the costs with Verizon, but I believe it's $0.50 to send texts and $0.05 to receive texts. Note that these are SMS (text only) messages, no photos or videos attached. To send/receive MMS (photo/video) messages, you need a data plan, and now you are talking much more money.

 

No Facetime via cellular data.

[Miss Vickie]

You will be able to send and receive texts. Confirm the costs with Verizon, but I believe it's $0.50 to send texts and $0.05 to receive texts. Note that these are SMS (text only) messages, no photos or videos attached. To send/receive MMS (photo/video) messages, you need a data plan, and now you are talking much more money.

 

No Facetime via cellular data.

 

Verizon, does support FaceTime the cellular network. I use it at home. However, I don't know if it will work on board. And if it does, be prepared for a steep bill.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Miss Vickie

[Spurschick]

Look into the internet packages on board and then see if you are able to Skype instead.:confused: I have not tried, but maybe that may be a more viable route. If you have an I pad or laptop you could take.

 

(Just a suggestion and I'm sure someone will correct me if they don't think it's viable)

 

Congrats on the new baby:mad:

Edited July 9, 2014 by Spurschick

[Clarea]

Verizon, does support FaceTime the cellular network. I use it at home. However, I don't know if it will work on board. And if it does, be prepared for a steep bill.

That's interesting, and must be a difference between the iPhones made for AT&T and Verizon.

[Illyria]

Look into the internet packages on board and then see if you are able to Skype instead.:confused: I have not tried, but maybe that may be a more viable route. If you have an I pad or laptop you could take.

 

(Just a suggestion and I'm sure someone will correct me if they don't think it's

It's viable in theory, of course. But considering how slow on-board internet gets, half the time people can barely get their email to load. Especially on a sea day, when more people will be online consuming all available bandwidth - it'll be like trying to videoconference over dial-up.

[cruiseguy1016]

Look into the internet packages on board and then see if you are able to Skype instead.:confused: I have not tried, but maybe that may be a more viable route. If you have an I pad or laptop you could take.

 

(Just a suggestion and I'm sure someone will correct me if they don't think it's viable)

 

Congrats on the new baby:mad:

 

I have not tried it myself but I have read many reports that Skype does not work using the ship's internet service.

[Miss Vickie]

That's interesting, and must be a difference between the iPhones made for AT&T and Verizon.

 

I don't believe the difference is in the device, it's the difference between the 2 carriers. Verizon does support it, AT&T was requiring a particular plan at one point, and would support it if you bought a family plan of some sort. I don't know AT&T's current status.

 

I, too, have heard, although I haven't tried, that Skype doesn't work well on board due to internet speeds.

 

To the OP: Congrats on the new grandbaby!

[truffles2]

If you both have apple devices, you can connect without a carrier...just using wifi--but it has to be both apple devices.

[Clarea]

If you both have apple devices, you can connect without a carrier...just using wifi--but it has to be both apple devices.

WiFi on the ship is not very fast. We've not had any luck with Facetime using the ship's WiFi.

[truffles2]

WiFi on the ship is not very fast. We've not had any luck with Facetime using the ship's WiFi.

 

I'm very aware of that (lol) and have not tried it myself....only know that it is possible. iPad stays at home, netbook travels...easier to download and read off line, etc.

[Viv0828]

You can use face time if both parties have reasonably fast wifi. Perhaps you can do this at a cyber cafe at a port stop?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[kcteach12]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm going to check with Verizon and see what I can do. I really want pictures as soon as the baby is born.

[Clarea]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm going to check with Verizon and see what I can do. I really want pictures as soon as the baby is born.

You can have them put the pictures on a Facebook page and use the ship's WiFi to access Facebook.

[Spurschick]

Like I say, hadn't tried. I know some of the ships were supposedly updating to new fast speeds :rolleyes:

 

I did read on one thread, but I can't remember where, that someone used a device and just got a wifi package. They logged in for a few minutes to open emails etc, then logged off the wifi whilst they read the emails and replied and then logged back onto wifi to send the reply.

 

They stated it only worked on their own device (as obviously if using RC computer it logs you out) and they could therefore keep email open offline, in order to read and compose the response.

[Clarea]

Like I say, hadn't tried. I know some of the ships were supposedly updating to new fast speeds :rolleyes:

 

I did read on one thread, but I can't remember where, that someone used a device and just got a wifi package. They logged in for a few minutes to open emails etc, then logged off the wifi whilst they read the emails and replied and then logged back onto wifi to send the reply.

 

They stated it only worked on their own device (as obviously if using RC computer it logs you out) and they could therefore keep email open offline, in order to read and compose the response.

There are email programs on PCs work as you describe. Microsoft Outlook is one. The concept works very well as long as you don't have someone who likes to send you 5MB video files. In that case, if you want to avoid long download times, you have to learn how to configure the program to only download emails that are less than a certain size.

[Oppalopa]

Congratulations on the beautiful Grand baby

[Spurschick]

Look into the internet packages on board and then see if you are able to Skype instead.:confused: I have not tried, but maybe that may be a more viable route. If you have an I pad or laptop you could take.

 

(Just a suggestion and I'm sure someone will correct me if they don't think it's viable)

 

Congrats on the new baby:mad:

 

Sorry accidentally clicked on the wrong icon! Was trying to click on the Smiley face above !!!!!!!!!!!

Edited July 9, 2014 by Spurschick