Looking for advice in international phone service.

[PoppyandNana]

We have tried a number of techniques on voice and data usage while in Europe. These include renting phones and phone company plans. None seem to work effectively and seamlessly.

 

For our recent 12 night British isles I purchased a international package plan ($25) from Verizon. This was to include 100mb of data.

 

This worked well as my iPad has cell capability. I was able to use local cell coverage for Internet access rather than the ship's plan.

 

When I got home there were $90 in access charges. Specifically, $10 a day in each country. This was on top of the $25 per month international access.

 

When I investigated with Verizon they recalculated the bill on a "pay as you go" basis. On the actual number of text messages, 90% were from local cell carriers, the total charge came to $6.10. So they dropped the $90 and reposted $6.10 as the monthly charge. What an imbroglio.

 

Question is what do some of you more tech savvy cruisers use for voice and data while abroad? We do very little if any texting. Some voice but not much. We don't call or text home. Every communique to family is email.

 

I thought a cell capable iPad would be the answer to high ship rates for Internet but I guess not.

[NoWhiners]

I think it all depends on your requirements but we got a Mobal phone for our international travel. See this thread for details:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2322097&highlight=mobal+phone

 

Note--if you find a free wifi signal, you can use the phone to check your email too if you buy the smartphone version. Works for us, may not be for everyone.

 

Good luck

ML

[travelpeon]

T-Mobile offers the best international data roaming in 130+ countries post-pay plan among the current carrier offerings. They have a data only plan which also has unlimited slow international data if you don't want to give up Verizon for voice.

 

The next cheapest but more complex option is to get a local sim, especially if you have a cellular iPad. The UK doesn't require a passport to purchase a sim card and you can purchase sims on eBay and Amazon to mail into the states, so you don't need to track down a store while on your cruise. PrePaid Data wiki is a great resource for local sims

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data

 

Another great option is Google's Project Fi which offers 130+ countries roaming for $10/1GB and no artificial data throttling cap but requires a Google Nexus phone to activate which prices it out of most people's ranges, unless they already have a US version of the phone and not on Sprint (due to how they activate the phone).

 

I've used plenty of roaming sims, voip, vpn, etc. If T-Mobile isn't a good fit for you, then look for local sims and watch YouTube on how to change apn. If you're good with tech and the investment of a Nexus device, Google Fi might be a better choice than T-Mobile if you don't use a lot of data or need faster speed overseas.

Edited August 26, 2016 by travelpeon

[bigbenboys]

I have Verizon with international capabilities. I dont make any changes to my plan. While in England I might call friends in London or order a taxi in London. I just dont call much with my phone. I go to Starbucks, friends homes or restaurants Wifi and try to Skype. Our last cruise on Celebrity and our next up coming cruise we have the unlimited internet package. We use it for Facebook, email and Skype for calling home.

[PoppyandNana]

T-Mobile offers the best international data roaming in 130+ countries post-pay plan among the current carrier offerings. They have a data only plan which also has unlimited slow international data if you don't want to give up Verizon for voice.

 

The next cheapest but more complex option is to get a local sim, especially if you have a cellular iPad. The UK doesn't require a passport to purchase a sim card and you can purchase sims on eBay and Amazon to mail into the states, so you don't need to track down a store while on your cruise. PrePaid Data wiki is a great resource for local sims

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data

 

Another great option is Google's Project Fi which offers 130+ countries roaming for $10/1GB and no artificial data throttling cap but requires a Google Nexus phone to activate which prices it out of most people's ranges, unless they already have a US version of the phone and not on Sprint (due to how they activate the phone).

 

I've used plenty of roaming sims, voip, vpn, etc. If T-Mobile isn't a good fit for you, then look for local sims and watch YouTube on how to change apn. If you're good with tech and the investment of a Nexus device, Google Fi might be a better choice than T-Mobile if you don't use a lot of data or need faster speed overseas.

 

Thanks. You obviously know your stuff. I'm familiar with SIM cards but never bought one to replace what's onboard. I'll look more into that for our January.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write such a detailed and comprehensive treatise on the subject.

[pl281]

We have Verizon as well. We did a trip to the British Isles and what we did was use the Verizon Travel Pass.

 

This allowed us to take our unlimited text / talk & 8GB of data with us.

The cost is $2/24 hour period - Canada & Mexico - $10 pretty much everywhere else

 

This is a per device cost so we only put it on one phone - the other phone we left in airplane mode with Wifi enabled and we were able to connect to hotspots / use the first phone as a hotspot

 

This didn't require any sim cards or anything else - and you only pay for the 24 hour period from your first "usage" of data / phone / text

 

So for example if you were to Arrive in London at 10am but your first data/voice text is at 12pm - you would have 24 hours from then - even if lets say you take a flight to france - it is still within that 24 hour period

 

Over the course of 14 days (pre cruise and cruise) I ended up with 7 days of usage - but then I didn't have to worry about data or calls

 

We did have unlimited internet with our cabin so that helped as well

[rockdoctor]

The best part of cruising is telling my company that I'll be out of pocket for a while and they'll have to deal with it. Having good people work for you is great. Airplane Mode goes on when I leave the US and I sometimes "forget" to turn it off when I land.

[pnsnkr]

If you are a Verizon subscriber, you may not have very many local options in Europe. Europe and pretty much rest of the world is on GSM but Verizon uses CDMA. You will also need a GSM-friendly phone if you are planning on purchasing local sims and package in Europe.

[theriac]

Verizon has another plan as well that is $40 for 100 minutes talk, 100 sent(unlimited received) text messages, and 100mb data. You can add this to any phone on your plan.

 

This is what I'm going with in a few months as on vacation I just want to be connected to call cabs and in the case of an emergency. The texts are great to get updates on my pup from my sister, and data will be used for maps and the occasional Instagram photo.

[ECCruise]

If you are a Verizon subscriber, you may not have very many local options in Europe. Europe and pretty much rest of the world is on GSM but Verizon uses CDMA. You will also need a GSM-friendly phone if you are planning on purchasing local sims and package in Europe.

 

I don't think so.

 

We have Verizon and have used it in 40+ countries on 6 continents (didn't work in Antarctica, I will admit). Never once had an issue. I think the last time we had a network access issue was like maybe 10 years ago, maybe longer.

 

Lately we have been using the Verizon Travel Pass referenced above. Use your own allowances for data/messages/talk but only if you need it. Don't make or answer a call and the $10 per day ($2 Canada/Mexico) will not be activated. You should receive a text in the first country where it is available. Reply with "yes" and it is automatic from that point on. Seamless and easy.

[pnsnkr]

I don't think so.

 

We have Verizon and have used it in 40+ countries on 6 continents (didn't work in Antarctica, I will admit). Never once had an issue. I think the last time we had a network access issue was like maybe 10 years ago, maybe longer.

 

Lately we have been using the Verizon Travel Pass referenced above. Use your own allowances for data/messages/talk but only if you need it. Don't make or answer a call and the $10 per day ($2 Canada/Mexico) will not be activated. You should receive a text in the first country where it is available. Reply with "yes" and it is automatic from that point on. Seamless and easy.

 

keyword is 'local' option. If you buy a plan from Verizon, you are good. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse.

[ECCruise]

keyword is 'local' option. If you buy a plan from Verizon, you are good. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse.

 

You don't have to buy a plan. Just use the phone as we did many times before the plans were introduced, but you will pay prevailing roaming rates, usually $1.79/minute talk and .50 text. Data is expensive without a plan, but it works fine in a pinch.

[luv2cruisemore]

We have an unlimited T-Mobile plan (as referenced above). We've used it all over the world. We're now in Venice about to embark on the Connie.

 

While in our hotel, we have free calls when using their wireless. Anywhere else, calls are only $.20 per minute. Internet is free as are unlimited text messages.

 

We routinely use Google Maps to find our way around and that's free!

[ghstudio]

International phones/service is a very complex subject. There are many plans offered and some work/some don't depending on where you are. Voice is far easier than data. The problem with data is that LTE (high speed internet) uses different bands in Europe/etc than in the US. If you want to use both voice/data from your phone, be very careful...don't assume that just because your carrier offers some package that it will work where you are going for data.

 

Here's what I do...and I don't care about cellular data on my phone...if I want data, I find an internet hotspot and use wifi.

 

Although I use Verizon as my prime carrier, I use Motorola X phones that work both on Verizon and GSM...I believe that Iphone 5 and later will also work, if not locked. I buy directly from Motorola so my phones are not locked. Great phones by the way.... When travelling in Europe, I use a GIFFGAFF sim purchased and activated in the UK. Calls within the EU (irrespective of BREXIT) are almost free..call from Hungary to the UK cost less than 10 cents. (should work equally well on any phone that handles GSM irrespective of whether you use ATT/T-mobile or Verizon/Sprint). (note: this is for voice...LTE data in Europe uses different bands than in the US.

 

For non EU travel, I rely on Skype, internet cafes and email. (Note: Skype doesn't work all that well from internet services offered on ships....just took a river cruise from Cologne to Budapest with internet on the ship and skype was unuseably awful). I forward our home phone and my home cellphone to a google voice account that takes messages which I can retrieve through the web...and it also translates the voice messages into text which it emails to me. The translation isn't always perfect, but close enough that I know who called about what.

 

I use the internet on the ship...check mail and update quicken pretty much twice a day. On celebrity, I've never exceeded my free minutes elite/elite plus. If I want to do more browsing, I wait for an internet cafe. If not on the ship, it's almost always easy to find free internet or at least internet for the price of a coffee.

 

BTW, I use quicken to check my credit cards/brokerage accounts...to detect any fraud or incorrect charges.

 

I don't think there is a single solution that works for everyone....the above works for me and it's very inexpensive.

Edited August 27, 2016 by ghstudio

[Tommy3putts]

I'm a fan of getting a local SIM card, especially for larger data needs. Of course you need an unlocked smartphone and must visit a local cellular store once you arrive. I have used giffgaf before in the UK. Cheap option that worked well. This may not work well if you're visiting multiple countries.

 

For our upcoming Oct TA cruise (Italy, France and Spain) I'm going to try a new service called "Knowroaming." It looks interesting and gets fairly good reviews. It is basically a global SIM card that works with your local SIM card. Your phone must be unlocked to use it.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Tommy3putts

[Hlitner]

In the past 2 years International Phone/data service has been made quite simple by T-Mobile. With our regular T-Mobile service we simply get coverage just about everywhere without having to "sign up" or pay for anything extra. In Europe, you get the same monthly data as your regular plan (this can vary from 2Gigs up to unlimited) and phone calls only cost 20 cents per minute. In theory, the European service is a bit slower (usually 3G) but a recent summer-long promotion gave us LTE throughout Europe. And we would add that the coverage in Europe is amazing (helped by the fact that T-Mobile is owned by a large German cell carrier.

 

We actually did not even bother using onboard WiFi (which sucked) but simply used our phone as a "hot spot" whenever within range (about 20 miles) of land. Using the phone as a hot spot gave us very fast internet coverage...at no extra cost.

 

Hank

[lodinayr]

We have tried a number of techniques on voice and data usage while in Europe. These include renting phones and phone company plans. None seem to work effectively and seamlessly.

 

 

 

For our recent 12 night British isles I purchased a international package plan ($25) from Verizon. This was to include 100mb of data.

 

 

 

This worked well as my iPad has cell capability. I was able to use local cell coverage for Internet access rather than the ship's plan.

 

 

 

When I got home there were $90 in access charges. Specifically, $10 a day in each country. This was on top of the $25 per month international access.

 

 

 

When I investigated with Verizon they recalculated the bill on a "pay as you go" basis. On the actual number of text messages, 90% were from local cell carriers, the total charge came to $6.10. So they dropped the $90 and reposted $6.10 as the monthly charge. What an imbroglio.

 

 

 

Question is what do some of you more tech savvy cruisers use for voice and data while abroad? We do very little if any texting. Some voice but not much. We don't call or text home. Every communique to family is email.

 

 

 

I thought a cell capable iPad would be the answer to high ship rates for Internet but I guess not.

 

 

One word for you. T-Mobile!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Charles4515]

If you are a Verizon subscriber, you may not have very many local options in Europe. Europe and pretty much rest of the world is on GSM but Verizon uses CDMA. You will also need a GSM-friendly phone if you are planning on purchasing local sims and package in Europe.

 

 

 

Your info is several years outdated. Verizon has switched to GSM. One would have to have a fairly old phone not to have GSM. Any phone with a SIM card has GSM.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited August 27, 2016 by Charles4515

[AntjeG]

Whereever I go I use ekit.com Works very well and in my opinion the price is not too bad.

[navybankerteacher]

We use a Mobal phone - one time purchase of $35 - then $.90 per minute actually used, no activation or other charges. We travel overseas fairly often, but rarely need more than a couple of one minute calls per trip.

[Capt_BJ]

recent EU trip

 

Verizon person

 

got a Ver' international plan for the trip (river cruise then QM2)

 

no complaints

 

but a suggestion

 

do NOT try to do this (sign up for vacation EU access) thru the web site

 

I struggled here for HOURS

 

then called and was done in minutes

 

....

 

at the end NO unexpected charges ..... we called, we wifi'd, we texted ..... we paid a flat rate and turned it off when we came back home

Edited August 27, 2016 by Capt_BJ

[zqvol]

We have tried a number of techniques on voice and data usage while in Europe. These include renting phones and phone company plans. None seem to work effectively and seamlessly.

 

For our recent 12 night British isles I purchased a international package plan ($25) from Verizon. This was to include 100mb of data.

 

This worked well as my iPad has cell capability. I was able to use local cell coverage for Internet access rather than the ship's plan.

 

When I got home there were $90 in access charges. Specifically, $10 a day in each country. This was on top of the $25 per month international access.

 

When I investigated with Verizon they recalculated the bill on a "pay as you go" basis. On the actual number of text messages, 90% were from local cell carriers, the total charge came to $6.10. So they dropped the $90 and reposted $6.10 as the monthly charge. What an imbroglio.

 

Question is what do some of you more tech savvy cruisers use for voice and data while abroad? We do very little if any texting. Some voice but not much. We don't call or text home. Every communique to family is email.

 

I thought a cell capable iPad would be the answer to high ship rates for Internet but I guess not.

 

 

It is rare that I have any phone calls. Anyone that I want to get a text from uses an iPhone to connect to my iPad, and those are through wi-fi. There are enough free wi-fi access points around that you don't need to pay for anything if you don't want to. If I really need to make a phone call it is going to be a true emergency and cost is not going to be an issue.