Question about staying connected on board using Verizon

[mroden2699]

Hey guys! Cruise newbie here, just curious what's the best, cheapest option for me to stay connected while on board my upcoming cruise. I have a 4 day cruise (Liberty) leaving Galveston on October 27th. I was looking for more details on one of the plans.. Ideally, I'd like to keep in touch with most social media outlets as well as browse various message boards/football apps I keep up with. I was curious if the premium plan ($25/day) would be my only option for this. Also, I'm assuming these plans don't cover texts/phone calls. So I'd get charged international roaming charges for every call/text I'd make/receive? Is there any way I can browse the internet/call/text without getting hit by international roaming charges?

 

Excuse my ignorance, this is my first time cruising in about 15 years. Last time we went, I was a child and didn't have to worry about none of this. Thanks!

[VacaAddict23B]

I found this link through Verizon very helpful. Click on the link for "Verizon Wireless Trip Planner" and follow the directions.

 

http://www.verizonwireless.com/news/article/2014/09/planning-a-fall-or-winter-cruise-heres-how-to-stay-connected.html

[mroden2699]

^ Thanks! I simulated that link using my iPhone, entering the ship, etc.. And it said Destination Network Speeds would be a very slow 2G? I was reading the FAQ's, and they said they have a Wireless Maritime Services network.. Doesn't this network have WiFi so I don't have to rely on a slow 2G connection? Thanks

[crewsweeper]

Aren't these charges from Verizon in addition to the cruise ship wifi/data plan charges? If so, yes it'll be 2 G and probably one of the slowest 2G services you've ever experienced.

[rockdoctor]

For me the best part of cruising is the thrill of telling people, you aren't going to be able to contact me. I going on a cruises. And they say, oh, yeah, fine.

[Saint Greg]

iMessage will work on the ship's wifi. I get the premium but I heard it works on the lower plans as well. I think you have to be on value or higher to get all of your message board websites.

 

Oh and the plans are cheaper if you buy them for the entire cruise. I want to say I paid $70 total for premium on a 5-day.

Edited October 10, 2016 by Saint Greg

[originalgeek]

^ Thanks! I simulated that link using my iPhone, entering the ship, etc.. And it said Destination Network Speeds would be a very slow 2G? I was reading the FAQ's, and they said they have a Wireless Maritime Services network.. Doesn't this network have WiFi so I don't have to rely on a slow 2G connection? Thanks

 

I THINK you are talking about two different things there. "Destination Network" speeds sounds like cell service OFF the ship while in various ports. My T-Mobile account gives me unlimited data wherever I can get a connection in Mexico and the Caribbean and I consistently got 2g~3g speeds for free while in port. I don't know if Verizon makes you pay extra for that but I didn't have to. I could have paid extra in some ports to get a higher speed but I never needed it.

 

Wifi ONBOARD the ship is controlled by Carnival. You can buy one of the packages and it's like connecting to any wifi hotspot anywhere else - like Panera or McDonalds. You just have to pay for access (like at a hotel). You must pay Carnival to access it but I have no idea if your Verizon plan also charges on top of that for data usage. It should be faster than 2g but maybe not by a lot unless you get the Premium wifi package. (and then it's iffy).

 

The premium package will let you browse the internet whereas the social package is very limited. Basically Facebook and What'sApp chat and a few other places. You can not browse the internet with it (which would very likely rule out your football scores).

 

Now, since you are sharing bandwidth with others on the ship and the ship is getting it all from satellite, it's going to be slower than you are used to on land A lot slower, most likely. But the premium package should let you use the apps and websites you need even if they load slowly.

 

On top of all that, you can also connect to Cellular at Sea for voice calls but that's crazy expensive and not near fast enough or anything data-wise.

 

A lot of the ports have restaurants and bars with cheap/free wifi and you could get a better connection there for short periods of time. I don't think Verizon supports wifi calling yet does it? I know it didn't used to but maybe they've gotten with the program since I last checked.

[coevan]

Hey guys! Cruise newbie here, just curious what's the best, cheapest option for me to stay connected while on board my upcoming cruise. I have a 4 day cruise (Liberty) leaving Galveston on October 27th. I was looking for more details on one of the plans.. Ideally, I'd like to keep in touch with most social media outlets as well as browse various message boards/football apps I keep up with. I was curious if the premium plan ($25/day) would be my only option for this. Also, I'm assuming these plans don't cover texts/phone calls. So I'd get charged international roaming charges for every call/text I'd make/receive? Is there any way I can browse the internet/call/text without getting hit by international roaming charges?

 

Excuse my ignorance, this is my first time cruising in about 15 years. Last time we went, I was a child and didn't have to worry about none of this. Thanks!

 

 

bad news on the sports, I am an avid Fanduel fan and I bet football on the internet. CCL blocks all gambling sites. When I asked guest services why they cared, she said it was a CCL policy. I could not pay Fanduel anywhere, even on shore. I did get into my gambling site at an internet cafe, but Fanduel is U.S only.

[mroden2699]

I THINK you are talking about two different things there. "Destination Network" speeds sounds like cell service OFF the ship while in various ports. My T-Mobile account gives me unlimited data wherever I can get a connection in Mexico and the Caribbean and I consistently got 2g~3g speeds for free while in port. I don't know if Verizon makes you pay extra for that but I didn't have to. I could have paid extra in some ports to get a higher speed but I never needed it.

 

Wifi ONBOARD the ship is controlled by Carnival. You can buy one of the packages and it's like connecting to any wifi hotspot anywhere else - like Panera or McDonalds. You just have to pay for access (like at a hotel). You must pay Carnival to access it but I have no idea if your Verizon plan also charges on top of that for data usage. It should be faster than 2g but maybe not by a lot unless you get the Premium wifi package. (and then it's iffy).

 

The premium package will let you browse the internet whereas the social package is very limited. Basically Facebook and What'sApp chat and a few other places. You can not browse the internet with it (which would very likely rule out your football scores).

 

Now, since you are sharing bandwidth with others on the ship and the ship is getting it all from satellite, it's going to be slower than you are used to on land A lot slower, most likely. But the premium package should let you use the apps and websites you need even if they load slowly.

 

On top of all that, you can also connect to Cellular at Sea for voice calls but that's crazy expensive and not near fast enough or anything data-wise.

 

A lot of the ports have restaurants and bars with cheap/free wifi and you could get a better connection there for short periods of time. I don't think Verizon supports wifi calling yet does it? I know it didn't used to but maybe they've gotten with the program since I last checked.

 

Thanks for the info! It would probably be in my best interest to purchase the Wi Fi package. Could I do this for multiples devices? (Just the wife and I).. And I'm not sure if Verizon accepts Wi Fi calling. But if they don't, would it be in my best interest to keep my phone on airplane mode unless I need to receive/send texts or calls?

[Schoifmom]

Thanks for the info! It would probably be in my best interest to purchase the Wi Fi package. Could I do this for multiples devices? (Just the wife and I).. And I'm not sure if Verizon accepts Wi Fi calling. But if they don't, would it be in my best interest to keep my phone on airplane mode unless I need to receive/send texts or calls?

 

YES! Keep your phones in airplane mode or you will return to a crazy huge bill in addition to the Cellular at Sea charges.

 

You can use multiple devices, but only one at a time or you can purchase wifi for both devices. One at a time is simple, when you log into the second one, it automatically logs you out of the first.

[drerickson77]

bad news on the sports, I am an avid Fanduel fan and I bet football on the internet. CCL blocks all gambling sites. When I asked guest services why they cared, she said it was a CCL policy. I could not pay Fanduel anywhere, even on shore. I did get into my gambling site at an internet cafe, but Fanduel is U.S only.

 

The Guest Services people never know the "why". Only that it's policy.

 

I wonder why that is.

[mroden2699]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll definitely keep my phone on airplane mode, and tell important people I need to text/call to download WhatApp. So would it be safe to say, that with the premium Wi Fi package I would have access to all of my apps? I mainly use ESPN/NFL Fantasy Football.. My wife is big into Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

[Schoifmom]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll definitely keep my phone on airplane mode, and tell important people I need to text/call to download WhatApp. So would it be safe to say, that with the premium Wi Fi package I would have access to all of my apps? I mainly use ESPN/NFL Fantasy Football.. My wife is big into Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

 

No snapchat. That app is specifically mentioned by Carnival as not being supported. You will not be able to stream, either. I have heard varying reports regarding fantasy football sites, although they may be related to those "gambling" sites, which are also blocked.

 

From the website: All plans exclude video streaming (such as Netflix or Hulu) and Snapchat. Cellular-network-dependent WiFi Calling and Facetime services are also not supported at this time.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

I can't really help you because my phone gets locked in the safe while cruising. I did turn my phone on last cruise to text my mom after someone jumped overboard. I didn't want her to panic. I sent and received a text and had an 10 minutes phone call while docked in Nassau. That cost me about 2 bucks. I will use the ship phone for emergency notification calls for now own and leave mine off. I did purchase internet that day on my phone, but it was worse than dial up speeds. Never again.

[mroden2699]

No snapchat. That app is specifically mentioned by Carnival as not being supported. You will not be able to stream, either. I have heard varying reports regarding fantasy football sites, although they may be related to those "gambling" sites, which are also blocked.

 

From the website: All plans exclude video streaming (such as Netflix or Hulu) and Snapchat. Cellular-network-dependent WiFi Calling and Facetime services are also not supported at this time.

 

Wi Fi calling? Does this even include texting/calling through WhatsApp?

[Schoifmom]

Wi Fi calling? Does this even include texting/calling through WhatsApp?

 

I don't know about calling through WhatsApp, but people have reported success with the texting features (I don't use the app, personally).

[originalgeek]

Wi Fi calling? Does this even include texting/calling through WhatsApp?

 

Texting will be fine even with the lowest, social package. You can iMessage if you have apple or instant message/text message through Facebook and WhatsApp.

 

But yeah, the actual voice wifi calling may be blocked. I think that's fairly recent because I swear when I was looking at plans last march the part about wifi calling wasn't there. But maybe I been drunk since then. ;)

 

I'll find out about Yahoo fantasy football in December lol.

[tef43]

For me the best part of cruising is the thrill of telling people, you aren't going to be able to contact me. I going on a cruises. And they say, oh, yeah, fine.

^^^^^ THIS!

 

Exactly, cruising for us means "off the grid, COMPLETELY!"