Mobile Phones

[serendipity1499]

The last time I forgot to turn off my cell phone in Alaska when leaving port, a $43 charge appeared on my AT&T bill. I discovered my error the next morning. I neither made nor received any calls/texts. Just the phone updating the GPS caused the charges.

 

I've heard that before.. A couple of years ago, there were several posters complaining about high bills, when they did or didn't use their cell phones.. We never use our cell phone when on a cruise, but turn it off & lock it in the safe.. Only time we use it is when we are driving in the U.S. Mainland & once was able to use it in Alaska, when we stayed in a Hotel..

 

Save yourself some money. Turn the phone off, lock it in your safe. Use it when you are in port, if necessary.

 

Excellent advice, Completely agree with this!

 

Questions for those who understand WI-FI.. Have a friend who uses an I-Pad to connect with her family members in Boston.. Since she doesn't use her cell or home phone, there is no Long distance charge..Believe she uses Wi-Fi.. She says it costs her nothing..

 

In order to use this do you have to connect & purchase "X" number of minutes on HAL's Internet?

 

Bought my DH an I-Pad mini for Christmas so he can play games but wonder about using it to call our kids &/or our Pet sitter when on a long cruise.. Could we use it in place of our cell?

Edited January 26, 2015 by serendipity1499

[xlxo]

Yes it works... wifi speed may become a factor. Ship wifi has a reputation for being slow. Email work perfectly.

 

Sent from the Blackberry Passport w/ Snap

[Randyk47]

Save yourself some money. Turn the phone off, lock it in your safe. Use it when you are in port, if necessary.

 

Absolutely the best advice. I will say that in 2012 I carried my cell phone on land in ports but my mother was still with us at the time and her health wasn't good. I set up an International plan with AT&T for our time in the Med and cancelled it when I got home. Mom passed in late 2012 so it wasn't a necessity to carry our phones on our cruise last year so they pretty much stayed in the cabin safe.

[Mary Ellen]

We had unlimited wifi on our Oceania cruise. The speed seemed pretty decent. Out in the middle of the Atlantic we were able to use FaceTime on our iPad to video chat with a friend. There was a slight lag (probably due to satellite) but it worked well. I understand that the iPad/Mac FaceTime uses less bandwidth than Skype. We've never tried Skype, but due to the large amount of bandwidth that uses, I've heard that a number of cruise lines block it.

[serendipity1499]

Yes it works... wifi speed may become a factor. Ship wifi has a reputation for being slow. Email work perfectly.

 

Sent from the Blackberry Passport w/ Snap

 

Thanks for you answer..

 

I used e-mail on our last long cruise on the Prinsendam & agree it worked well.. Was able to e-mail our kids & the Pet sitter every so often, just to let them know we were alive & well..

 

If use the I-pad, assume I should purchase wifi from the ship the same way I purchased the minutes on our cruise for the internet?

[fireman845]

Airplane mode turns off all wireless functions.

• turns off voice
  
• turns off data
  
• turns off wifi
  
• turns off location services
  
• great way to extend battery life!
  

Not True... While you are in Airplane Mode you can turn on your Wifi anywhere anytime and not "roam"...

[fireman845]

Save yourself some money. Turn the phone off, lock it in your safe. Use it when you are in port, if necessary.

Absolutely!!!