Cellular signal in Alaska?

[westcoastcruiser]

Just returned from Alaska last week. Had excellent coverage in Alaska. Used airplane mode in Canada with roaming turned off.

[mbisson]

A couple months ago we cruised RT SEATTLE. My el cheapo dumb tracfone did OK. We're now in Juneau for a land vaca (wifes HS Reunion) and the tracfone smart phones we have are really nice paperweights for our vacation. Strange as it sounds, not all their phones use the same carriers towers

 

I suggest if someone is interested in tracfone here that you go to the tracfone website and check the phones they say will work in the zip codes you're interested in (Juneau is 99801). Sure enough-our current phones are not listed. Now I wish I had just bought a cheap burner phone with enuf minutes to get us thru a week (and then chucked the phone)

Edited July 13, 2015 by mbisson

[Coral]

A couple months ago we cruised RT SEATTLE. My el cheapo dumb tracfone did OK. We're now in Juneau for a land vaca (wifes HS Reunion) and the tracfone smart phones we have are really nice paperweights for our vacation. Strange as it sounds, not all their phones use the same carriers towers

 

I suggest if someone is interested in tracfone here that you go to the tracfone website and check the phones they say will work in the zip codes you're interested in (Juneau is 99801). Sure enough-our current phones are not listed. Now I wish I had just bought a cheap burner phone with enuf minutes to get us thru a week (and then chucked the phone)

 

I am surprised. At one point, tracfone had exceptional coverage in AK. I guess times change (this was many years ago, they were often mentioned here when other cell carriers were charging extra for roaming here).

[forwardho]

Has anyone used a phone that uses Verizon but is a smarttalk phone? I am wondering if it will work in the ports of Alaska?

[Illyria]

A couple months ago we cruised RT SEATTLE. My el cheapo dumb tracfone did OK. We're now in Juneau for a land vaca (wifes HS Reunion) and the tracfone smart phones we have are really nice paperweights for our vacation. Strange as it sounds, not all their phones use the same carriers towers

 

I suggest if someone is interested in tracfone here that you go to the tracfone website and check the phones they say will work in the zip codes you're interested in (Juneau is 99801). Sure enough-our current phones are not listed. Now I wish I had just bought a cheap burner phone with enuf minutes to get us thru a week (and then chucked the phone)

That's very odd - isn't TracFone's schtick that they use ALL major providers' towers?

[mbisson]

That's very odd - isn't TracFone's schtick that they use ALL major providers' towers?

 

But not all carriers on every phone I guess ;)

[bearbait]

You should be able to find some free wifi signals in just about every port to upload your selfies and posts to Facebook. I live in Alaska and there aren't too many places where I can't find a wifi signal.

[dcdisney]

Do be careful when you are even near Canada at all. I was in Washington State on the coast and picked up a roaming signal from Canada (Rogers I think was the company name). I turned off my phone ASAP and only got charged about a dollar but it was only connected for maybe 3 seconds.

[Sharonlee912]

Do be careful when you are even near Canada at all. I was in Washington State on the coast and picked up a roaming signal from Canada (Rogers I think was the company name). I turned off my phone ASAP and only got charged about a dollar but it was only connected for maybe 3 seconds.

I have AT&T and have learned a lot from this thread. (thank you!) We cannot wait to see Alaska!

[Coral]

I have AT&T and have learned a lot from this thread. (thank you!) We cannot wait to see Alaska!

 

When in Whittier, and struggling to get data service with Verizon, AT&T people had great service.

[alaska_planner]

update-

 

we were on T-Mobile on our alaska trip this summer...our voice service was perfect, but had no data service at all.

[laughing husky]

Just got off the Coral.....had service in both Hubbard, and Glacier Bay with AT&T....sent pictures of the glaciers to my husband who was back in Anchorage working...Canada blocks our U.S. Phones....the U.S. Blocks theirs...