Cellphone use onboard (T-Mobile)

[CruiseOrLand]

I realize that this is not an exclusively Windstar topic. But the single mention of T-Mobile in the nearby thread titled "On board Wind Spirit now...I am SOLD on Windstar" brought this up. I thought it should be asked separately.

 

On our last two Windstar cruises, Tokyo-Hong Kong and Panama Canal & Costa Rica, we used our T-Mobile 55+ plan, mostly for data. We used it so much that we got a nasty automated warning after our return from Asia, when we had already resumed domestic USA service. At one point, while on board Star Legend near both continents, we each received text messages:

 

"Caution- Cruise Ship is NOT covered in your T-Mobile plan! Data is $15/MB+ tax, Talk $5.99/min, $.50/text. It adds up quickly- dial #763# to disable data and switch to Wi-Fi to browse the internet or check emails"

 

I noticed that my Carrier (listed on the Home screen) now ended with the word "OnWaves", which seemed like a cruise-ship reference. So I avoided that carrier for the rest of the trip. I suspect that it was not an on-board product of the Star Legend, but I'm not sure. I think it was either a nearby large cruise ship, or a money-earning shore antenna station. Does anyone have any details on this issue? Since the message included the term "T-Mobile", it was customized for our phones, whoever sent it.

[milepig]

There are a bunch of posts including several from me but Cruisecritic search isn’t great. Just google cruisecritic onwaves or on waves as two words and they should come up. 

 

Unless you buy the internet package you need to set your phone on airplane mode when not in port.  As far as I know Onwaves isn’t part of any carrier’s package. It’s listed as not covered on the T-mob site somewhere. Use your phone when in port or close to shore and you’ll be fine. You can ask your carrier to block Onwaves if you’re concerned. 

 

If you buy the WiFi on board you can turn your phone to data only. If yuo have phone over internet calls and texts will still come through. 

[msears101]

OnWaves is the Windstar's Cell service that is provided onboard.  It is a third party provider, that is onboard the windstar ship. Windstar has no real control over it.  T-mobile sent the texts to warn you of the charges.

 

My recommendation for all cruise lines, and all cell phone carriers to turn off roaming while on the ship or go into airplane mode and turn on wifi manually - unless you want to pay those prices which are not cheap.

 

Most T-mobile plans include international roaming at no charge with the option to buy a faster pass.  Sprint is another US carrier that has a similar plan.  I have used both. ATT and Verizon offer it for a per day charge around $10/day.  Note you need may need to enable international roaming before you leave the states.  Make sure to read all the fine print and make sure understand it and agree with it.

 

The other option is to buy a local SIM card.  This is great for Europe and when you are travelling to a single country.  Most airports have someone selling SIM cards.  You pop it in your phone and you get local number which is great for making local calls to restaurants, hotels, taxis, etc.

 

 

[milepig]

54 minutes ago, msears101 said:

 

 

Most T-mobile plans include international roaming at no charge with the option to buy a faster pass.  Sprint is another US carrier that has a similar plan.  I have used both. ATT and Verizon offer it for a per day charge around $10/day.  Note you need may need to enable international roaming before you leave the states.  Make sure to read all the fine print and make sure understand it and agree with it.

 

The other option is to buy a local SIM card.  This is great for Europe and when you are travelling to a single country.  Most airports have someone selling SIM cards.  You pop it in your phone and you get local number which is great for making local calls to restaurants, hotels, taxis, etc.

 

54 minutes ago, msears101 said:

 

Just to be clear  - those T-Mobile plans do NOT cover cruise ships - here's what they saw about Windstar in particular: All T-Mobile Plans T-Mobile ONE and Simple Choice Plan Customers get these rates automatically. Not on one of these plans? Activate these rates by adding the World Class service to each line through My T-Mobile.   (Sorry - I'm in bold column mode and can't seem to escape...) I would be very suprised if a local SIM card did either.   Just follow the advice given in this great message - go into airline mode and turn on data if you have the shipboard internet plan. Otherwise just turn the phone off when not on or near shore.	No Data	Sending $0.50/txt Receiving Deducted from your domestic texting plan’s allotment.	$5.99/min

[milepig]

1 minute ago, milepig said:

 

Just to be clear  - those T-Mobile plans do NOT cover cruise ships - here's what they saw about Windstar in particular: All T-Mobile Plans T-Mobile ONE and Simple Choice Plan Customers get these rates automatically. Not on one of these plans? Activate these rates by adding the World Class service to each line through My T-Mobile.   (Sorry - I'm in bold column mode and can't seem to escape...) I would be very suprised if a local SIM card did either.   Just follow the advice given in this great message - go into airline mode and turn on data if you have the shipboard internet plan. Otherwise just turn the phone off when not on or near shore.	No Data	Sending $0.50/txt Receiving Deducted from your domestic texting plan’s allotment.	$5.99/min

 

Sorry - that entire reply looks like dog's dinner.

 

That chart is what the say about Cruise Ship access, but the header didn't come through.

 

All the T-Mobile plans do NOT cover Onwaves service, which is what Windstar uses. The charges for T-Mobile are Texts - $0.50 (that's not too bad) but the killer is Data, which is charged at $5.99 a minute.  If you're surfing looking for things to do the next day, checking your post-cruise reservations, etc. you can easily spend many minutes doing that. Windstar is getting a little better about telling people about this, but the first time we experienced it people all over the ship were running around in circles screaming "I just got a text from T-Mobile that I've run up $1,000 in roaming charges." As I said, if concerned, T-Mobile can (or was able to) block access to Onwaves from your device just to be super safe.

[Geezer Cruiser]

I used T Mobile on our Windstar Iceland cruise in 2017. Had very good service almost the entire time, with NO additional charges, despite warnings that I'd racked up hundreds of dollars in "roaming" usage; turned out that was a "glitch". If you're in a participating country for service, you'd need to go out of your way to sign on to a signal that costs extra. Take what connects automatically and you're fine. 

 

[milepig]

1 hour ago, Geezer Cruiser said:

I used T Mobile on our Windstar Iceland cruise in 2017. Had very good service almost the entire time, with NO additional charges, despite warnings that I'd racked up hundreds of dollars in "roaming" usage; turned out that was a "glitch". If you're in a participating country for service, you'd need to go out of your way to sign on to a signal that costs extra. Take what connects automatically and you're fine. 

 

 

I don't think this is good advice. In Iceland you're close enough to shore most of the time to pick up the Iceland shore phone service. If you see ONWAVES as your provider you will be charged, and big time.

[Geezer Cruiser]

Not to belabor the issue, but I don't recall On Waves as an autoconnect feature? It may appear in a list of possibilities one can "proactively" add away from shore connections, but my experience was that it's clearly avoidable. 

 

 

[milepig]

1 hour ago, Geezer Cruiser said:

Not to belabor the issue, but I don't recall On Waves as an autoconnect feature? It may appear in a list of possibilities one can "proactively" add away from shore connections, but my experience was that it's clearly avoidable. 

 

 

 

Well then, that has changed, in the past it was autoconnect, and many on one of my itins were dinged for huge bills being made aware until they got the "you're spending a lot of money" warning when the damage was done.  Thanks for the update. In any case, the safe thing to do is to either put your phone into airline mode or turn off data when leaving port

[msears101]

So, the behavior might be different.  My message from T-Mobile on my last cruise, was only for text and voice charges only.  There was no mention in the text message for data.  It was also odd that the T-mobile text message came after I had regular service again.

 

My experience is "on waves" appears after I have lost cell service from land.  

 

I just turn my phone cell service during the sail away.