Cell Phones at Sea

[Clarea]

Hey guys, late to the party... but in order to do this do I need to sign up and pay for ship's internet plan ? Do I stay signed in all the time ?

I have Verizon, iPhone 6, wifi calling enabled, going on Med Cruise, NCL SPIRIT.

If by "do this" you mean use WiFi calling on your phone, then yes, you would need to pay for the ship's internet. Whether you stay signed in all the time is your choice.

[bgpgatthebeach]

Thanks so much !

I could not be more confused..... plus I am more concerned about being able to send and receive text messages while out at sea. Is that a whole different discussion?

 

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks so much !

I could not be more confused..... plus I am more concerned about being able to send and receive text messages while out at sea. Is that a whole different discussion?

If your phone is enabled for WiFi calling, and you are connected to the ship's internet, then all phone functions (including texting) should work as if you are connected to the cellular network at home.

[bgpgatthebeach]

In the past we have purchased x # of minutes. That's the part I'm confused by.

Those ship internet minutes will be "spent" somehow?

 

 

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[Clarea]

In the past we have purchased x # of minutes. That's the part I'm confused by.

Those ship internet minutes will be "spent" somehow?

RC does not sell plans by minutes anymore.

 

The least amount you can get (except for some ships that offer lesser plans on the last day) is one 24-hour period of unlimited data.

Edited November 29, 2016 by clarea

[bgpgatthebeach]

Thanks so much! I'll double check my options

Best wishes! P

 

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks so much! I'll double check my options

Best wishes! P

You're welcome.:)

[Debduck]

One more question please....If i have purchased the voom and surf plan and my phone is in the airplane mode, and also in the wifi calling mode, can I get emails?

[Clarea]

One more question please....If i have purchased the voom and surf plan and my phone is in the airplane mode, and also in the wifi calling mode, can I get emails?

Yes.

 

You can easily experiment with this at home.

[TeeRick]

No worries - wifi calling is very easy and works great on ship. Calls are crystal clear. Only thing Is that with Verizon you can only call to US numbers. If you have an internet package you might get bumped off occasionally so check once in awhile. Anthem has been steady and has not logged me out at all even though the internet package says it will do so after 2 hrs of inactivity.

 

 

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[DScruiser]

OK. What is your valid reason for turning it off? The reason about emergency services not knowing your address is not valid, therefore it is not a valid reason.

 

Now of course the answer "Because I want to" is perfectly valid, but it is not a valid technical reason.

 

Ok, I’ll give you a valid reason for turning off WiFi calling when within range of a cell tower. I turned on WiFi calling prior to my cruise on Allure last spring and promptly forgot about it. Now, I often talk while driving and I’m one who likes to have my Bluetooth in place and the number dialed before putting the car in gear. Suddenly, I was dropping calls like crazy! I spent weeks cursing my cell carrier before I finally realized that the WiFi signal I was using, whether it was at work or at home, was just strong enough to connect while I was in my driveway or in the parking lot, and then of course it would drop the call as soon as I backed out and drove away. This was not a problem that was going to correct itself as I wasn’t about to start trying to dial while I was driving. So, I turned WiFi calling off and the problem was solved. Done and done!

[mein18]

Wifi calling allows you to make calls while connected to wifi as opposed to using a cellular signal. Verizon charges $1.79 per minute for calls while on the ship. The OP already purchased Voom to surf the internet. They can put their phone in airplane mode to turn off cellular and enable wifi calls and all of their calls to the US will be free.

I never knew this service exhisted. Just turned it on on my phone. Good to have at any time and especially on a cruise when you have wifi. Since we will be on the other side of the world and with Verizon out of country rates, this will allow some calling.

 

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[blackshirt]

Ok, I’ll give you a valid reason for turning off WiFi calling when within range of a cell tower. I turned on WiFi calling prior to my cruise on Allure last spring and promptly forgot about it. Now, I often talk while driving and I’m one who likes to have my Bluetooth in place and the number dialed before putting the car in gear. Suddenly, I was dropping calls like crazy! I spent weeks cursing my cell carrier before I finally realized that the WiFi signal I was using, whether it was at work or at home, was just strong enough to connect while I was in my driveway or in the parking lot, and then of course it would drop the call as soon as I backed out and drove away. This was not a problem that was going to correct itself as I wasn’t about to start trying to dial while I was driving. So, I turned WiFi calling off and the problem was solved. Done and done!

 

I'm guessing your carrier is not ATT. One of the main reasons ATT took so long to implement wifi calling is ensuring their implementation would not drop calls when switching between wifi and cellular. I can start a call on wifi at home and when I drive away, no problem, the call does not drop when the phone switches to cellular.

[Clarea]

I never knew this service exhisted. Just turned it on on my phone. Good to have at any time and especially on a cruise when you have wifi. Since we will be on the other side of the world and with Verizon out of country rates, this will allow some calling.

Remember, with WiFi calling, you are charged as if you are placing the call from the US. So you may be in Italy calling some local hotel, but you will pay as if you are calling from the US.

[blackshirt]

Remember, with WiFi calling, you are charged as if you are placing the call from the US. So you may be in Italy calling some local hotel, but you will pay as if you are calling from the US.

 

But that international long distance charge is likely less than international roaming rates. It definitely is with my carrier.

[Clarea]

But that international long distance charge is likely less than international roaming rates. It definitely is with my carrier.

Agreed, just wanted to make it clear that there may be charges that people don't expect.

[reedl]

No worries - wifi calling is very easy and works great on ship. Calls are crystal clear. Only thing Is that with Verizon you can only call to US numbers. If you have an internet package you might get bumped off occasionally so check once in awhile. Anthem has been steady and has not logged me out at all even though the internet package says it will do so after 2 hrs of inactivity.

 

Most phones are constantly doing some sort of data connection activity. The polling for email (or the persistent connection for email notifications), etc. will result in some sort of data flowing. Even the normal pings for the Cellular WiFi voice connections will result in activity.

 

The only time it typically disconnects is if you are in a location with poor or non-existent WiFi connectivity.

Edited November 30, 2016 by reedl

[reedl]

Remember, with WiFi calling, you are charged as if you are placing the call from the US. So you may be in Italy calling some local hotel, but you will pay as if you are calling from the US.

 

But typically you would know that since you need to dial 011 plus the country code, etc. When you dial that way, most people understand that it is a toll call. Wow, remember when calling even a few towns away was a toll call?

[Charles4515]

But typically you would know that since you need to dial 011 plus the country code, etc. When you dial that way, most people understand that it is a toll call. Wow, remember when calling even a few towns away was a toll call?

 

 

 

I remember that. Had to keep a phone book by my phone to know what was in my toll free area. It was not by area code, it was by towns. To call my parents house in Baltimore, in the same state, was a toll call more expensive than calling friends in California.

 

 

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Edited November 30, 2016 by Charles4515

[Clarea]

... Wow, remember when calling even a few towns away was a toll call?

Yes, and still is with our land line.

 

Yes, I know, "what's a land line?".

[reedl]

Yes, and still is with our land line.

 

Yes, I know, "what's a land line?".

 

I still have a sort of 'land line' but it is VoIP phone number which uses VoIP to analog phone adapters (kind of like Vonage but more flexible).

 

But they do have POTS (Plain old Telephone Service) lines that do have unlimited long distance. But if you are not making calls outside your local area, then there is no need to change of course.

[Charles4515]

I still have a sort of 'land line' but it is VoIP phone number which uses VoIP to analog phone adapters (kind of like Vonage but more flexible).

 

 

 

But they do have POTS (Plain old Telephone Service) lines that do have unlimited long distance. But if you are not making calls outside your local area, then there is no need to change of course.

 

 

 

I have a "land line" that has unlimited local and long distance calling that comes with my Verizon FIOS (fiber). I keep the line because there is no extra charge for it with my FIOS plan.

 

 

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[Clarea]

I still have a sort of 'land line' but it is VoIP phone number which uses VoIP to analog phone adapters (kind of like Vonage but more flexible).

 

But they do have POTS (Plain old Telephone Service) lines that do have unlimited long distance. But if you are not making calls outside your local area, then there is no need to change of course.

 

I have a "land line" that has unlimited local and long distance calling that comes with my Verizon FIOS (fiber). I keep the line because there is no extra charge for it with my FIOS plan.

 

We're still dinosaurs and have POTS lines, and removed long distance service from those lines a while ago because it's included on cell phones. But I still have to send an occasional FAX to a non-local number, so am familiar with toll charges.

[setsail]

Thanks so much !

I could not be more confused..... plus I am more concerned about being able to send and receive text messages while out at sea. Is that a whole different discussion?

 

 

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If all you want to do is send/receive some text, you don't need any plans, turn data roaming off and text just like you are at home. It's very cheap

[secrui]

Just plain dialing. No extra apps needed for voice calls and texts.

 

Thank you!