Island/Phone Calls Wifi

[Seacreature101]

I have searched and I cannot find an simple answer to my question regarding phone calls with an I-phone.  

 

Island is not full Medallion but does have only Medallionet available.  I plan on getting the unlimited plan

 

Will people be able to call me?  Will I be able to call people only?  Does phone need to be airplane mode?  If so, how do people call me?

 

We leave Thursday and I have to be able to call sitter who is staying with my dementia parent.

 

Sorry if answer on here somewhere but I have looked for a good while now.  Really appreciate your help at this crunch time.

[hbrote]

26 minutes ago, Seacreature101 said:

I have searched and I cannot find an simple answer to my question regarding phone calls with an I-phone.  

 

 

We sailed on the Regal this spring (April) and had no problems with wifi calling.  That may not be the same now

 

[cherylandtk]

You must set your phone up to use WiFi calling.

 

Here is the help page from Apple:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032

 

Depending on your carrier, there may be limitations on use. There is a link on the above page to the supported carriers and their requirements.

[erni]

We were on the Coral about a month ago.  Got the unlimited plan (medallion.net).  You need to make sure you have set up wifi calling on your phone.  Yes your phone should always be in airplane mode and always connected to ship WiFi.   We did find problems sometimes in making a call - we turned phoned on and off and it solved the problem.   We needed to stay in touch with caregivers also because of my parents - 97 and 99.  You shouldn’t have any problems.  You can also text and receive texts without a problem.

 

enjoy your cruise

Sue

[leck57]

8 hours ago, erni said:

Yes your phone should always be in airplane mode and always connected to ship WiFi.   We did find problems sometimes in making a call - we turned phoned on and off and it solved the problem.   We needed to stay in touch with caregivers also because of my parents - 97 and 99.  You shouldn’t have any problems.  You can also text and receive texts without a problem.

 

enjoy your cruise

Sue

 

Your phone does NOT need to be in flight mode, otherwise you cannot make or receive calls or make/receive texts. Many people put their phones in flight mode as it is the simplest but when you do that you essentially do not have a working phone in the traditional sense. What you should do is simply disable mobile data. Go to settings>connections>data usage>mobile data>select disable. That will stop your phone updating apps etc which are the causes of large bills.

[erni]

Leck57- there were 4 of us on the cruise. ALL of us ALWAYS had our phones in airplane mode and were able to make and receive calls with the WIFI on connected to ships internet.

[Seacreature101]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  A challenge for me leaving my parent this long (10 days) but all say I have to live life and it is our 35th anniversary.  🙂  I called ATT yesterday to see if they could help and after a few pass arounds and one called their supervisor, was told to put in airplane mode or I would be charged through them.  My phone says wi-fi calling on.  Is that all I have to do until I get on the ship to be able to use?  Am I using just like regular and make call like I normally do or do I go through Messenger or help me once more please...  

 

Really appreciate.  

[cherylandtk]

When on the ship use WiFi calling only (put phone on Airplane, then turn just WiFi back on, log into the medallionnet WiFi—should only have to do this the first time, it should keep you logged in) then call as normal, but instead of using cell tower on the ship you are using the WiFi connection.

 

You can test this out at home using your home WiFi system before you go.

 

 

 

 

[Seacreature101]

59 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

 

You can test this out at home using your home WiFi system before you go.

 

 

Well, kind of a duh moment.  Sorry and lol.  Will test and thank you again for your help and thanks again to all.

 

 

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, cherylandtk said:

When on the ship use WiFi calling only (put phone on Airplane, then turn just WiFi back on, log into the medallionnet WiFi—should only have to do this the first time, it should keep you logged in) then call as normal, but instead of using cell tower on the ship you are using the WiFi connection.

 

You can test this out at home using your home WiFi system before you go.

 

 

 

 

At home just put your phone in airplane mode, then turn Wifi on.  When you are connected to the internet try to make a call. Easy way to test this function.  Remember to turn OFF the airplane mode when the test is over.

[polmcs]

17 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

Your phone does NOT need to be in flight mode, otherwise you cannot make or receive calls or make/receive texts. Many people put their phones in flight mode as it is the simplest but when you do that you essentially do not have a working phone in the traditional sense. What you should do is simply disable mobile data. Go to settings>connections>data usage>mobile data>select disable. That will stop your phone updating apps etc which are the causes of large bills.

On board the ship, you WILL want to put your phone into airplane mode and then re-enable WIFi and then enable WiFi calling. If you were not in airplane mode and somehow the WiFi dropped or if the phone detected a more stable signal via the ship’s cellular connection, then it’s possible for one to start racking up usage charges at about $5 a min to talk, or 50c per text sent.

 

Airplane mode will ensure that the phone’s cellular radio will never be turned on. When my phone was updated to Android Pie a few months back, there was a setting to only use WiFi, prefer WiFi, or only use cellular, but they removed that option with the update and the phone itself decides which connection to use and in fact, the phone no longer informs you what connection it’s using, or if it’s even using WiFi calling connection. By enabling airplane mode and then enabling WiFi and WiFi calling, the phone can only make and receive calls/texts via WiFi and thus avoid any cellular fees.

[leck57]

5 hours ago, polmcs said:

On board the ship, you WILL want to put your phone into airplane mode and then re-enable WIFi and then enable WiFi calling. If you were not in airplane mode and somehow the WiFi dropped or if the phone detected a more stable signal via the ship’s cellular connection, then it’s possible for one to start racking up usage charges at about $5 a min to talk, or 50c per text sent.

 

Airplane mode will ensure that the phone’s cellular radio will never be turned on. When my phone was updated to Android Pie a few months back, there was a setting to only use WiFi, prefer WiFi, or only use cellular, but they removed that option with the update and the phone itself decides which connection to use and in fact, the phone no longer informs you what connection it’s using, or if it’s even using WiFi calling connection. By enabling airplane mode and then enabling WiFi and WiFi calling, the phone can only make and receive calls/texts via WiFi and thus avoid any cellular fees.

 

As I stated earlier, all you have to do is disable data to avoid the large bills. Of course you don't get charged $5 a minute if you don't answer. I only answer if it is a number I know and a call that I need to take. Other than that I send/receive texts which you cannot do in airplane mode. If your phone is in airplane mode you cannot receive standard calls. If people know to call you using wifi well and good but most don't. 

Most of the time now I use Skype or Google Duo but I guess everyone does what suits them.

[chamima]

Wouldn't it be simpler to just put the phone in airplane mode and then call using What's App?

[polmcs]

15 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

As I stated earlier, all you have to do is disable data to avoid the large bills. Of course you don't get charged $5 a minute if you don't answer. I only answer if it is a number I know and a call that I need to take. Other than that I send/receive texts which you cannot do in airplane mode. If your phone is in airplane mode you cannot receive standard calls. If people know to call you using wifi well and good but most don't. 

Most of the time now I use Skype or Google Duo but I guess everyone does what suits them.

If your phone/carrier supports WiFi calling (T-Mobile does) and you have a connection to a WiFi network, the you can make and receive calls and send and receive texts to your hearts content even if the phone is in airplane mode, but has WiFi/WiFi calling enabled.

 

The other party doesn’t have to do anything different here. Your cell phone registers with your carrier, or roaming partner if traveling internationally, so that your carrier knows where to route calls/texts. All this is different here is that your cell phone uses a network connection, rather than a cellular one. 

[lstone19]

19 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

As I stated earlier, all you have to do is disable data to avoid the large bills. Of course you don't get charged $5 a minute if you don't answer. I only answer if it is a number I know and a call that I need to take. Other than that I send/receive texts which you cannot do in airplane mode. If your phone is in airplane mode you cannot receive standard calls. If people know to call you using wifi well and good but most don't. 

Most of the time now I use Skype or Google Duo but I guess everyone does what suits them.

 

Calls via Wi-Fi calling are completely transparent to both you and the party you're calling or is calling you. They don't know it's a Wi-Fi call other there will be a slight satellite delay when doing it from on the ship. Text messages can be sent/received as well as they use the Wi-Fi calling route as well (think of Wi-Fi Calling as being "cellular via Wi-Fi" - anything that can happen via a normal cell connection can be done via Wi-Fi calling).

 

When connected to the ship's cellular tower, not answering does not assure you of no charges. If the caller leaves you a voicemail message, you may find yourself being charged double - once for the call to you via the ship and a second time for the connection back from the ship to the voicemail server (as it is the ship's cell tower that routes the call to voicemail when you don't answer). While I have no experience with that on a ship, I did get a double-charge for a call I let go to voicemail while on land in Guatemala last month (fortunately, only $0.25/minute doubled to $0.50/minute rather than the $5.99/minute doubled to $11.98 I would have paid if I let the ship's tower handle it (I have T-Mobile who has one of the most expensive shipboard rates but worth it since their land roaming rates are among the lowest).

[Elitein85days]

On 11/11/2019 at 2:36 AM, leck57 said:

 

Your phone does NOT need to be in flight mode, otherwise you cannot make or receive calls or make/receive texts. Many people put their phones in flight mode as it is the simplest but when you do that you essentially do not have a working phone in the traditional sense. What you should do is simply disable mobile data. Go to settings>connections>data usage>mobile data>select disable. That will stop your phone updating apps etc which are the causes of large bills.

Do not listen to this advice! 
 

1. Set up your phone to enable Wi-Fi calling. Most cell companies support it and you just need to turn it on in settings in your iPhone. 

 

2. Once on the boat put your phone in airplane mode and keep Wi-Fi turned on. 
 

3. Connect to the ship's Wi-Fi. 
 

4. Your phone will make and receive calls, texts, Internet etc. just like you’re at home. 
 

Whatever you do make sure your phone is in airplane mode and connected to Wi-Fi when on the boat! You won’t incur unexpected charges this way. 

[Seacreature101]

Got it and thanks again so much for all the  clarifications so my brain gets it. 🙃😍

[zonacruiser25]

So the unlimited wifi is for 1 device only, right?  So if I use wifi calling, my phone is hooked to the wifi and that is my one devise.  So if I then need to use my computer, I would need to disconnect my phone and then sign in my computer.  Can anyone confirm that this is the case?  If so, and I need both, then I would guess I want the "family" package with unlimited service on multiple devices????  Need to make sure I know this before our Royal cruise at the end of Nov.  I can only assume there are people that have done this and can help.  Thank you!

[lstone19]

4 minutes ago, zonacruiser25 said:

So the unlimited wifi is for 1 device only, right?  So if I use wifi calling, my phone is hooked to the wifi and that is my one devise.  So if I then need to use my computer, I would need to disconnect my phone and then sign in my computer.  Can anyone confirm that this is the case?  If so, and I need both, then I would guess I want the "family" package with unlimited service on multiple devices????  Need to make sure I know this before our Royal cruise at the end of Nov.  I can only assume there are people that have done this and can help.  Thank you!

 

Technically, yes. However, my experience on Coral Princess last month was that once my iPhone was on-line, even if then disconnected, it stayed known to the system and Wi-Fi calls, text messages, and alerts (from iOS apps) still came through for quite a while. At one point I switched to my computer and was shocked to receive a call even though the phone was disconnected from the ship's Internet. I only switched to the computer long enough to do whatever I needed to do on the computer and then reconnected the phone so I have no idea how long this state might have lasted. Also note that I did not explicitly log the phone out of the ship's Internet service but rather forced it by logging in the computer (where it will then alert you that another device is logged in and ask if you want to disconnect it).

 

FWIW, I see similar on some airplanes where just connecting to the plane's Wi-Fi will allow iMessages to work (both ways) as well as receive alerts.

[chamima]

28 minutes ago, zonacruiser25 said:

So the unlimited wifi is for 1 device only, right?  So if I use wifi calling, my phone is hooked to the wifi and that is my one devise.  So if I then need to use my computer, I would need to disconnect my phone and then sign in my computer.  Can anyone confirm that this is the case?  If so, and I need both, then I would guess I want the "family" package with unlimited service on multiple devices????  Need to make sure I know this before our Royal cruise at the end of Nov.  I can only assume there are people that have done this and can help.  Thank you!

 

 

No.

The unlimited wifi is for one device at a time. Not one device total.

If you need to use your phone at the same time as your computer you'll need 2 packages.

Otherwise you can log out of one and onto another.

[zonacruiser25]

Thanks for the replies!

[rlk2018]

10 hours ago, Elitein85days said:

1. Set up your phone to enable Wi-Fi calling. Most cell companies support it and you just need to turn it on in settings in your iPhone. 

 

2. Once on the boat put your phone in airplane mode and keep Wi-Fi turned on. 
 

3. Connect to the ship's Wi-Fi. 
 

4. Your phone will make and receive calls, texts, Internet etc. just like you’re at home. 
 

Whatever you do make sure your phone is in airplane mode and connected to Wi-Fi when on the boat! You won’t incur unexpected charges this way. 

 

7 hours ago, chamima said:

The unlimited wifi is for one device at a time. Not one device total.

If you need to use your phone at the same time as your computer you'll need 2 packages.

Otherwise you can log out of one and onto another.

So my wife can log on her iPhone and then log off if I want to log on with the iPad to check gmail or weather back in Texas on Wunderground or even upload photos to "de cloud"? This will be on the Island Princess on the Panama Canal transit in March. We don't need two packages.

[lstone19]

1 hour ago, rlk2018 said:

 

So my wife can log on her iPhone and then log off if I want to log on with the iPad to check gmail or weather back in Texas on Wunderground or even upload photos to "de cloud"? This will be on the Island Princess on the Panama Canal transit in March. We don't need two packages.

 

Yes. It is very easy to switch between devices. When you try to log on with a device, if another is logged in, it will tell you and ask if you want to disconnect it. Just go ahead and it switches - no need to log off the other device first.

 

It works the same if you have the four device package but I did not see anyway to tell it what device to log off - I guess it picks one at random. On my last cruise, my wife and I shared a four-device package and on the rare occasion I needed to log on with a fifth device (one of the computers in the Internet Cafe so that I could print something - there is a printer (no additional charge) in the Internet Cafe but only usable by the computers in there, not accessible from your own device as far as I could tell), I explicitly logged out another device first.

[The Mikado]

10 hours ago, zonacruiser25 said:

So the unlimited wifi is for 1 device only, right?  So if I use wifi calling, my phone is hooked to the wifi and that is my one devise.  So if I then need to use my computer, I would need to disconnect my phone and then sign in my computer.  Can anyone confirm that this is the case?  If so, and I need both, then I would guess I want the "family" package with unlimited service on multiple devices????  Need to make sure I know this before our Royal cruise at the end of Nov.  I can only assume there are people that have done this and can help.  Thank you!

Sort of. You can have as many devices as you need on your unlimited internet access account but only one at a time can be connected.

 

Last cruise, my wife and I swapped log-ins as needed. When switching from one device to another, you don't need to log off the current device first; when you try to connect the second device, it will tell you you're still connected to the first device and ask you if it's OK to log off and connect you to the second device.

 

And, at least in our case, we both continued to be able to send and receive texts even when we were logged off. Don't know if that's a Princess bug or feature.

Edited November 14, 2019 by The Mikado

[The Mikado]

2 hours ago, rlk2018 said:

 

So my wife can log on her iPhone and then log off if I want to log on with the iPad to check gmail or weather back in Texas on Wunderground or even upload photos to "de cloud"? This will be on the Island Princess on the Panama Canal transit in March. We don't need two packages.

Yes.