Phone Calls to US from Bermuda

[cruisingirls]

We are cruising to Bermuda in 20 days. I know that the per minute charge is $7.95 from the cruise ship. I remember reading somewhere that it is cheaper to buy a calling card when you arrive in Bermuda and makes calls off ship. Does anyone know the prices of these cards? Also, international calling cards purchased in the US will not work aboard the ship? Thanks.

[cberge]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cruisingirls:

We are cruising to Bermuda in 20 days. I know that the per minute charge is $7.95 from the cruise ship. I remember reading somewhere that it is cheaper to buy a calling card when you arrive in Bermuda and makes calls off ship. Does anyone know the prices of these cards? Also, international calling cards purchased in the US will not work aboard the ship? Thanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Do NOT call from the ship period.They use a system that I don't believe allows for calling cards and that is one of the reasons it is so expensive.When you get to Bermuda just buy a calling card...they come in different denominations,and you can ask which one is best for your needs.They are available in Hamilton in various places..you can ask as sonn as you get off the ship right there on Front Street.I would give directions to some places,but easier for you just to ask.

 

Karen

Ü

[cruisingirls]

Thanks for the info Karen!

[macdays1]

I find that the TeleBermuda card works well. I buy a $20 card and that lasts me the whole time we're in port.

 

NCL Majesty 4/00 (Bermuda)

NCL Majesty 5/03 (Bermuda)

NCL Majesty 8/03 (Bermuda)

[mirock99]

Last year, my first time in Bermuda, we had brought MCI phone cards with us. They did not work. As soon as we got off the ship, there was a man selling phone cards for $10 each. We bought two (one for each of us), didn't use them much and left them for our cabin stewart as an addition to her tip. This way she could call her family when in port.

 

Had too much fun the first time, so we're going back again!!! Nordic Empress - 10/02/04.

[xena]

First time cruiser----

Do you just use a pay phone with the calling call?

HELP

[macdays1]

Yes, there are pay phones right where the ship docks. You can just use your calling card right there, or any other pay phone. I believe the TeleBermuda cards are the easiest to use, but you'll findout all that when you get there. Good luck and happy cruising.

 

NCL Majesty 4/00 (Bermuda)

NCL Majesty 5/03 (Bermuda)

NCL Majesty 8/03 (Bermuda)

NCL Majesty 7/04 (Bermuda)

[xena]

Thank you for the info. First time leaving the youngest(19) home alone and wanted a way to call every so often.

Karen

[morgan1312]

Just returned from Bermuda. Found out that Verizon and Nextel cell phones weren't working on the island but someone with a T-Mobile was getting service through AT&T. If that helps, I didn't call home so don't know about the cards.

[smeyer418]

on the Island.....mine did. I'll tell you how much it cost when I get the bill. Its showed as roaming which should be $.60 a minute but I won't know until the bill comes in,,,

[kidz_rn]

Before sailing, I ordered a free AT&T USA Direct calling card, which came with a Bermuda-exclusive toll-free number to call to get a dial tone directly to the USA trunk line system. Well, it didn't work from the pay phones in the Hamilton or St. George cruise ship terminal pier. I got the first Bermuda dial tone, but dialing the toll-free number got me nothing but a contrant busy signal. So much for THAT idea. I was told later that no USA toll-free numbers work in Bermuda. This was really a pain for a woman who needed to call her credit card comapny to lift the hold they placed on her card, because after years of USA-only use, they were suspicious of the charges that suddenly started showing up in Bermuda. She was truly irate. Lesson: If you don't normally charge internationally, call your credit card co. before you leave to let them know you'll be out of the country.

 

Anyway, like everyone else, we wound up buying the TeleBermuda calling card fro the conveniently placed vending machine (next to the pay phones) at $10 for 20 min (50 cents a minute) and this worked out okay.

 

One more thing: The cruise terminals are NOT air-conditioned and a 15 minute phone call left me dripping in a pool of sweat and feeling like a used dish rag. Can anyone tell me why the Bermuda Gov or cruise lines don't pay to have these sheds air-cooled??? It's not like we don't spend enough tourist dollars there, right?

[smeyer418]

on the Island.....mine did. I'll tell you how much it cost when I get the bill. Its showed as roaming which should be $.60 a minute but I won't know until the bill comes in,,,

 

I have in hand the bill and I was billed for the charges in Bermuda at $.69 per minute.....plus tax of course. One hell of a lot cheaper than the ship's phone and much easier...

[basketballmom]

And your service carrier was Cingular? That will be good to know while we are in Bermuda in case we want to check in.

[smeyer418]

Not Cingular- I use verizon wireless...

[basketballmom]

It must have been another poster on the NCL board who told me the same thing about Cingular. He was just waiting for his bill to come in to verify the .69 charge. So people, Verizon & Cingular work in Bermuda!

[spalady]

I had better and more service with my Verizon in Bermuda than I do at home!!!!!

[CruisFran]

We used our Cingular Wireless cell, immediate access when you turn it on.

[macdays1]

I used my Cingular cell phone and never got charged for anything. That was in July, and I plan to use it again in two weeks when we go back.

[CruisFran]

No roaming charges, etc.? From July, would imagine charges would have made it to your bill by now!...but sometimes they are slow to show.

 

We were there a couple of weeks after Fabian last year, so we used the cell to communicate with friends that were also on the island (they had no other working phone service). I almost chocked when I saw the bill! Our home base is in MA, there's was in WI...yikes!!

[Host Kewlguy]

When we visited Bermuda in April our cell phones did not work on shore so we had to buy a calling card in Bermuda. We returned last week and were surprised to find that our cell phones were working. We use Verizon. We were charged the roaming charges. I'm afraid to find out how much I was charged per minute.

[Jerrudy]

kewlguy,

 

Please post after you receive your bill, I'm curious as to exactly what the roaming charge is, as I will be using my verizon phone in Bermuda in May.

[Host Kewlguy]

I sure will. I'm afraid to look at the bill.

[smeyer418]

its .69 per minute....

[Tomct]

Was looking for costs of phone cards, and found it on this thread. As for cell phone costs, I'm glad my immediate family will all be with us on our family group cruise in June, so won't have to call home at all.

[WallieMo]

that T Mobile would work well in Bermuda? I would think Catherine Zeta Jones would demand it! :)