Att Cellular Plan

[mommyto2girls]

Since ATT is new to NCL has anyone used it.? I must stay in touch for work. Does it include calls when your docked (western Caribbean ) or do I still need my international calling plan. ATT Wireless has given  me 4 different answers. We get lots of free internet with our booked package and Platinum Plus just wondering about the calls. 

Edited December 1, 2018 by mommyto2girls
Typo

[Cruise Master 55]

ATT is the only people who can answer that for you since they are the ones potentially billing you.  If they can't get a straight answer for you, no amount of opinions here will be relevant.

[mommyto2girls]

I am well aware but since I got 4 different answers I was hoping someone had used it. I was not looking for an opinion but a straight forward experience,  to me cell phone plans are not subjective. It was not about who is billing me it’s about who used the plan and possibly understood it.. thanks for your input.

[abbiep]

I have ATT  also. On our Alaska cruise, we had no problems when we were in port. There were no extra charges.  I didn't try it when I was at sea or when we were in Victoria.

[mommyto2girls]

Thanks but Alaska is already part of my plan

[Dacypher2003]

i work for ATT, there is a plan just for while you are out to sea (cruise ship plan) and there are different plans while you are on land ( international day pass and the passport plans). The International plan and passport plans DO NOT cover you while you are out at sea, only when at port and on land. if you have any questions pm me

[Cruise Master 55]

3 hours ago, mommyto2girls said:

I am well aware but since I got 4 different answers I was hoping someone had used it. I was not looking for an opinion but a straight forward experience,  to me cell phone plans are not subjective. It was not about who is billing me it’s about who used the plan and possibly understood it.. thanks for your input.

 

 

What plan and coverage others have is of no relevance.

[abbiep]

35 minutes ago, mommyto2girls said:

Thanks but Alaska is already part of my plan

I have been researching Alaska and never thought to look where you were headed.  Just assumed it was Alaska.  ATT has  a plan for $10 per day for international.   You only get charged on the day you use it.  I did use it in Jamaica, Cozumel and had no problems.  Once again, I didn't use anything while we were at sea.

[mommyto2girls]

27 minutes ago, Cruise Master 55 said:

 

 

What plan and coverage others have is of no relevance.

 

10 minutes ago, abbiep said:

I have been researching Alaska and never thought to look where you were headed.  Just assumed it was Alaska.  ATT has  a plan for $10 per day for international.   You only get charged on the day you use it.  I did use it in Jamaica, Cozumel and had no problems.  Once again, I didn't use anything while we were at sea.

I have the $10 international day pass thanks 😊

[mommyto2girls]

36 minutes ago, Dacypher2003 said:

i work for ATT, there is a plan just for while you are out to sea (cruise ship plan) and there are different plans while you are on land ( international day pass and the passport plans). The International plan and passport plans DO NOT cover you while you are out at sea, only when at port and on land. if you have any questions pm me

Unable to PM you , but I do have the $10 Passport Plan just wondering if the $100 cruise ship plan will be usable in the western Caribbean or do I need both? Thanks 

[Dacypher2003]

1 minute ago, mommyto2girls said:

Unable to PM you , but I do have the $10 Passport Plan just wondering if the $100 cruise ship plan will be usable in the western Caribbean or do I need both? Thanks 

You will need both. Cruise ship plan doesn't cover you while you are on land

[mommyto2girls]

2 minutes ago, Dacypher2003 said:

You will need both. Cruise ship plan doesn't cover you while you are on land

Thank you that’s what I needed to know because the website says it does in Mexico and certain Caribbean islands. Thanks where i got different answers from the Att reps

[mommyto2girls]

39 minutes ago, Cruise Master 55 said:

 

 

What plan and coverage others have is of no relevance.

What does that even mean🤔 

[rtkenmore]

5 hours ago, mommyto2girls said:

Since ATT is new to NCL has anyone used it.? I must stay in touch for work. Does it include calls when your docked (western Caribbean ) or do I still need my international calling plan. ATT Wireless has given  me 4 different answers. We get lots of free internet with our booked package and Platinum Plus just wondering about the calls. 

You need your international plan in port...  do the 24 hour day passes probably the best value at $10/day.  The cruise plan is only good on the ship from my understanding. 

[cheersforbeers]

The $100 plan can be used while at sea as long as your DISPLAY reads Cellular at Sea, NOR-18 or 901-18, if it does not pretty hugh rates and it’s available to 14 NCL ships.  Besides Canada and Mexico it includes 26 Caribbean Islands to the best of my knowledge.  Hope this helps  

[mommyto2girls]

41 minutes ago, cheersforbeers said:

The $100 plan can be used while at sea as long as your DISPLAY reads Cellular at Sea, NOR-18 or 901-18, if it does not pretty hugh rates and it’s available to 14 NCL ships.  Besides Canada and Mexico it includes 26 Caribbean Islands to the best of my knowledge.  Hope this helps  

Thank you that’s what Att rep told me

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, mommyto2girls said:

Since ATT is new to NCL has anyone used it.? I must stay in touch for work. Does it include calls when your docked (western Caribbean ) or do I still need my international calling plan. ATT Wireless has given  me 4 different answers. We get lots of free internet with our booked package and Platinum Plus just wondering about the calls. 

Wireless would be clueless to how the ship operates its cell tower. 

 

NCL ships turns off their cell towers when they are close to land and there is terrestrial cell coverage. Since your phone is set to roam, it will hook up with any cell service it sees. 

 

So so you need to have a land plan that covers you when you are close to and in port. 

 

For those in alaska, that could be a Canadian land service at any point (not just Victoria). 

[Nola26]

3 hours ago, mommyto2girls said:

 

I have the $10 international day pass thanks 😊

This plan does not apply when you're out to sea. So if you require phone access while onboard, especially while at sea you should consider the new on ship plans with NCL from ATT.

 

I used the $10/day plan on a Southern Caribbean cruise last Thanksgiving and it was awesome. You are only charged on the days you use it. I didn't try to time my use to have the 24hr period cover multiple port stops, but that is good advice. The best part of the plan is I was able to use my phone in exactly the same way I would at home (texting, calls, etc.). It was nice to send some photos home.

 

I have ATT and popular cruising destinations like Cozumel, Costa Maya (Mexico) and St. Thomas, San Juan (US) are all part of my normal plan, no extra charge or international plan required. I would suggest you confirm if these are covered by your plan if Mexico or USVI are part of your itinerary.

 

As an aside I also have ATT for my company provided phone. I will have to reach out to our telecom team to understand my options with that phone. If your phone is issued by your company, you may want to check options/requirements. We have specific international options but I'm not sure of the onboard options (honestly I don't want one either).

 

 

Edited December 2, 2018 by Nola26

[cheersforbeers]

If you had the Canada and Mexico as part of your plan, the additional 26 islands are now included at no charge, but require the unlimited data plan at minimum.  

s

[zqvol]

I can tell you that I can make Internet calls without incurring any expense (other than the Internet costs). This is with AT&T. I never received any calls, but I did make some.

[Nola26]

13 hours ago, cheersforbeers said:

If you had the Canada and Mexico as part of your plan, the additional 26 islands are now included at no charge, but require the unlimited data plan at minimum.  

s

For NCL cruisers two common ports are missing: Belize and Honduras. The $10/day plan would be the option to use in those ports. The is great information, thanks for sharing.

[Stace894]

Others may have had a different experience.  I spoke to many people at ATT including the international plan people.  I chose the day pass plan for $10/per phone.  We ended up with a bill over $200 in about 1 hr because we used it while docked but still on the ship on the balcony.  This was after being assured by mult people at ATT it would work on the ship as long as we were docked.  All settings were correct.  We were on the phone with ATT for 1 hr and finally just used it when we were on land our 1 beach day.  Took us 2 mos to fight to get the charges removed.  Not worth the worry.  Worked fine on land but wouldn't plan anything for on board the ship.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Stace894 said:

Others may have had a different experience.  I spoke to many people at ATT including the international plan people.  I chose the day pass plan for $10/per phone.  We ended up with a bill over $200 in about 1 hr because we used it while docked but still on the ship on the balcony.  This was after being assured by mult people at ATT it would work on the ship as long as we were docked.  All settings were correct.  We were on the phone with ATT for 1 hr and finally just used it when we were on land our 1 beach day.  Took us 2 mos to fight to get the charges removed.  Not worth the worry.  Worked fine on land but wouldn't plan anything for on board the ship.

When you are using your phone on a cruise ship or abroad, look in the upper left corner to see what carrier you are connected to.  (At home, it will say AT&T.)  If it says "Cellular at Sea," then you are connected at sea and, if you have a cruise ship plan, that's what your call falls under.  But if it says something else, that's the name of the local cell service provider ON LAND -- you are connected on land and paying per minute for an international call or using your international plan (not your cruise ship plan).

[GUEST71919]

My husband is with ATT and I have to admit that despite our experience and education we could not make heads or tails of the information that we found (since it conflicts). So goes it with all telecommunications companies, but we can all agree it’s a bit insane that no one truly knows what you can expect from your plan beforehand. 😳. When we sailed to Alaska and planned on another week in BC, we signed up for the $10 per day plan. But when we returned home, there were no charges from the days we used them in Canada. My sister has another carrier and her plan clearly included Canada. Who knows is the answer for most all the plans and that is scary.

 

As @zqvol suggested, we use the WiFi package onboard and call that way (we have not been charged). I turn ON WIFI calling and turn ON airplane mode. It has worked so far just fine (better on RCL than NCL I will admit as the NCL speeds can be quite slow... but still a better option that at sea call rates). And of course costs you whatever the ship charges you for internet connectivity! 

 

good luck!

Edited December 3, 2018 by 2Beeze

[Turtles06]

Folks, one thing you should look into for any cell phone needs you have aboard ship is Wi-Fi calling. If you have an internet plan on board (so you have Wi-Fi access), and your phone is capable of Wi-Fi calling, you can make calls that way (keeping your cellular service turned off), no need to pay for a cruise ship cell plan through your carrier.  I just did this on a Transatlantic.  I am an American and have an iPhone and my service is through AT&T.   With AT&T, there is no charge to make domestic calls (that is, to the U.S.) on the ship using Wi-Fi calling.  If you make an international call that way, you'd be charged the international rate.  Basically, in terms of charges, it's as though you were at home using your cell phone, just making the call over Wi-Fi.   Set up Wi-Fi calling before you go.   

 

I just got my cell phone bill, and it showed 17 minutes of Wi-Fi calls (to the U.S.), no charge.   I saved whatever AT&T is charging now for the cruise ship plan ($50-60).

 

https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/features/wifi-calling.html