phone reception on ship in port

[latebuyer]

It looks like skagway and juneau don't have coffee shops open in the evening at this time of year unless one knows of one? I was wondering if i could call with a us long distance plan from a ship in port as it doesn't seem like there is a good spot in town to do it in the evening.

[CruiserBruce]

Are you asking about a cell phone? Your reception while docked should be fine. If you have a US cell phone plan, you should not have any issue.

[latebuyer]

Thanks, yes i have a cell phone. Would i get the internet if i have a data plan well?

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, christinand said:

Thanks, yes i have a cell phone. Would i get the internet if i have a data plan well?

 

I don't know your phone or your plan, but as Alaska is in the US, whatever your plan allows you to do elsewhere in the US, you will be able to do in Alaska, in or near the towns. We spent 14 days cruising Alaska this last June, and our AT&T phones worked exceptionally well around the various ports, data and cell.

[Crew News]

11 hours ago, christinand said:

It looks like skagway and juneau don't have coffee shops open in the evening at this time of year unless one knows of one? I was wondering if i could call with a us long distance plan from a ship in port as it doesn't seem like there is a good spot in town to do it in the evening.

 

In addition to what has been answered above, if you are docked next to the rock wall in Skagway, smartphone reception while on board might have a problem.  If you leave the ship and walk away from the rock wall, service should be good.  Within the first hour of docking and if there are several ships in port, reception might be slow with thousands of passengers turning on their cell phones.

[xlxo]

Cell reception when docked should be good.  Outside and balcony cabins will offer the best reception... especially if the cabin is facing the tower at those ports.

 

When sailing through the passages (South), I can get reception around small Canadian towns... especially if I go to the top deck of the ship.

[Melinda Brasher]

Don't count on automatically having coverage in Alaska if you have a plan in the US.  It really depends on your network and/or plan.  On my last trip, my phone didn't have any service in Alaska.  I had to wait until I got back to Seattle to use it.  Apparently, this is not unusual, so check with your provider first.  Or just unplug.  🙂 

[rkacruiser]

I have a Consumer Cellular flip-type phone.  In Juneau, I was unable to use it to make a call to Anchorage when I was in my cabin.  I left the ship and tried to make the call from the dock.  The call went through fine.

[Coral]

4 hours ago, Melinda Brasher said:

Don't count on automatically having coverage in Alaska if you have a plan in the US.  It really depends on your network and/or plan.  On my last trip, my phone didn't have any service in Alaska.  I had to wait until I got back to Seattle to use it.  Apparently, this is not unusual, so check with your provider first.  Or just unplug.  🙂 

Who the heck is your carrier? I know a long time ago, a local carrier (Windstream) considered Alaska roaming and charged extra. This was 15 years ago.

 

I have Verizon and have not had problems in Juneau and Skagway.

[Melinda Brasher]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Who the heck is your carrier? I know a long time ago, a local carrier (Windstream) considered Alaska roaming and charged extra. This was 15 years ago.

 

I have Verizon and have not had problems in Juneau and Skagway.

 

I admit I'm slightly anti cell phone, so I just have a little tracphone, which did work in Alaska a few years ago but didn't work this time.  However, it's not just me.  On the cruise I talked to at least two other sets of people (who probably had fancier phones and carriers) who had to arrange beforehand to have their carrier add Alaska for their trip, since their plan only had lower 48 coverage.  I'd reserved a kayak trip with a non-cruise company, and when I showed up, they said, "We tried to text you, but we figured your phone wasn't working here," so apparently it's come up a lot with them too.

 

I'm sure many people won't have any problem, but I think it's better not to assume you'll automatically be covered.  

[disneylover89]

disregard

Edited September 28, 2019 by disneylover89