If An Emergency....

[dman1]

If there is an emergency on land while we are on ship, is there a way contact can be made with us while on board?  

[Ptroxx]

Found this a while back and saved. 

[ticketsunlimited]

6 minutes ago, dman1 said:

If there is an emergency on land while we are on ship, is there a way contact can be made with us while on board?  

Your phone 

[dman1]

2 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

Your phone 

Funny....I'd keep your day job though!

[leaveitallbehind]

7 minutes ago, dman1 said:

Funny....I'd keep your day job though!

It may be, but it is also an accurate response.  If you have an international (cruise) calling plan through your cell phone provider  -or-  activate the Stream wifi plan on board, calls can be made within those plans directly to and from your cell phone while on board.  This would actually be easier and more direct than the emergency number and process provided by RCCL.

Edited March 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[leaveitallbehind]

I should add that with Stream you need to have your cell phone settings set to wifi calling in order to place and receive calls.

Edited March 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[dman1]

10 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I should add that with Stream you need to have your cell phone settings set to wifi calling in order to place and receive calls.

So we would be able to make actual phone calls with this package or just through FaceTime?

[Joseph2017China]

3 minutes ago, dman1 said:

So we would be able to make actual phone calls with this package or just through FaceTime?

WiFi calling is a setting on your phone.  You can make and receive phone calls while on a wifi network. this is not the same as making a phone call using a cell tower.  However, you phone, will jump from wifi to cell tower without you ever knowing it.  So, you keep you phone in airplane mode, your wifi still works and can be used.

 

A person can also call the ship, but it is expensive per minute and can be done.  Kind of an old school way and when they call, they have to catch you in your room, which is also tricky if you are out having fun.   

 

New school way, is call your phone, and you answer it, like normal. 

 

 

[dman1]

1 minute ago, Joseph2017China said:

WiFi calling is a setting on your phone.  You can make and receive phone calls while on a wifi network. this is not the same as making a phone call using a cell tower.  However, you phone, will jump from wifi to cell tower without you ever knowing it.  So, you keep you phone in airplane mode, your wifi still works and can be used.

 

A person can also call the ship, but it is expensive per minute and can be done.  Kind of an old school way and when they call, they have to catch you in your room, which is also tricky if you are out having fun.   

 

New school way, is call your phone, and you answer it, like normal. 

 

 

Thank you!!

[leaveitallbehind]

26 minutes ago, dman1 said:

So we would be able to make actual phone calls with this package or just through FaceTime?

Actual phone calls.  And good point by @Joseph 2017China about airplane mode setting with wifi calling.  

Edited March 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[PTC DAWG]

They can contact you, but you won't be of much help on the high seas.  

 

 

[topnole]

29 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

WiFi calling is a setting on your phone.  You can make and receive phone calls while on a wifi network. this is not the same as making a phone call using a cell tower.  However, you phone, will jump from wifi to cell tower without you ever knowing it.  So, you keep you phone in airplane mode, your wifi still works and can be used.

 

A person can also call the ship, but it is expensive per minute and can be done.  Kind of an old school way and when they call, they have to catch you in your room, which is also tricky if you are out having fun.   

 

New school way, is call your phone, and you answer it, like normal. 

 

 

Do all carries have wifi calling now?

[leaveitallbehind]

6 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

They can contact you, but you won't be of much help on the high seas.  

 

 

This is true, but at least you will have contact.  And if it is something requiring you to return home, RCCL will assist with your travel arrangements at the next port of call that can facilitate your return.

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, topnole said:

Do all carries have wifi calling now?

I believe most carriers provide this, but wifi calling may not be an option on all phones - particularly older ones.  I think you would just need to contact your provider and give them your phone make and model to confirm.  Or just check your phone settings to see if wifi calling is listed as an option.

Edited March 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Another_Critic]

19 minutes ago, topnole said:

Do all carries have wifi calling now?

The 3 major US carriers do, but not all plans / MVNOs support WiFi calling.

 

P.S.  You need to set up WiFi calling while connected to your "home" cellular carrier.

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Another_Critic

[topnole]

1 hour ago, dman1 said:

If there is an emergency on land while we are on ship, is there a way contact can be made with us while on board?  

Since you won’t be in proximity to help in an emergency, I would think email or texting would be the easiest.  Or, as others have suggested wifi calling.  However, unless you are expecting a potential issue I’m not sure it is worth it to buy internet just for the off chance sometime goes wrong at home.  Maybe be cheaper just to make a quick call here and there to find out how things are going or just pay international text rates.  But if you will use internet during the week, text, email, or wifi calling would be options.   Note: wifi calling could be spotty or completely unreliable depending on the ship, how many are using wifi on the ship at the given time, etc.  In this case texting might be better. 

[time4u2go]

I would just have the people call the emergency number provided in post #2.  If you're not in your cabin, they can leave a message.  Sure it will cost a few bucks, but it's an emergency.  You'll see the blinking light and retrieve the message.  You can then choose whether or not you want to activate internet access on the ship in order to respond.

[scottnkim]

Also be aware that in these covid days, returning home at the next port is also not always certain.  Covid quarantine requirements vary for being allowed to fly back into the US.      

[boscobeans]

We have Spectrum service on our iPhones and with Voom we make and receive calls just like we were at home as well as email and texts all at no charge.

[Biker19]

15 minutes ago, scottnkim said:

Also be aware that in these covid days, returning home at the next port is also not always certain.

You'd probably have to make a real compelling case to the ship for them to get around the current blanket prohibition on downline dismemberments.

[LeeW]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

Do all carries have wifi calling now?

 

Old phone on Boost did have wifi calling (VOIP).  New Celero 5G phone doesn't have this capability.  It really does vary by phone and provider.  Also, you need to set all this up before you leave your service area.  At home go to airport mode, turn on wifi, and then turn on wifi calling.  Make or receive a call.  Do the same thing when you get to the pier.

 

Also, we only buy a single line of surf onboard.  When we use a different device we log off the phone and obviously can't get wifi calls.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

Since you won’t be in proximity to help in an emergency, I would think email or texting would be the easiest.  Or, as others have suggested wifi calling.  However, unless you are expecting a potential issue I’m not sure it is worth it to buy internet just for the off chance sometime goes wrong at home.  Maybe be cheaper just to make a quick call here and there to find out how things are going or just pay international text rates.  But if you will use internet during the week, text, email, or wifi calling would be options.   Note: wifi calling could be spotty or completely unreliable depending on the ship, how many are using wifi on the ship at the given time, etc.  In this case texting might be better. 

Most carriers provide limited cell and unlimited text service while on a cruise for reasonable fixed rates, which has typically been our choice for communication while at sea, as compared to the Stream costs. In our case we use the service not just as an emergency contact option but as a regular way to keep in touch day to day.  It really is a personal decision for whatever level of communication comfort you have.

 

Fortunately, our C&A tier allows for 4 days combined of wifi and the upgrade to Steam plus the other days is reasonable for us to use that option from time to time.  We have not had any connection issues with that on board either.  But the key is to use the Stream v Surf package as that provides the wifi bandwidth necessary.  

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, dman1 said:

If there is an emergency on land while we are on ship, is there a way contact can be made with us while on board?  

Note: your party will be charged several minutes of connect time even if they don’t get in contact with you. 

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-phone-call-services
 

Your friends and family can contact the ship by calling (888) 724-7447. Or from outside the U.S. they can call (321) 953-9003. The cost is $7.95 USD a minute and can be charged to their MasterCard^® or Visa^®. From outside the U.S. additional long distance charges will also apply. 

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

But the key is to use the Stream v Surf package as that provides the wifi bandwidth necessary.  

Surf BW is plenty for voice calls or texts.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Biker19

[leaveitallbehind]

9 minutes ago, LeeW said:

 

Also, you need to set all this up before you leave your service area.  At home go to airport mode, turn on wifi, and then turn on wifi calling.  Make or receive a call.  Do the same thing when you get to the pier.

I think that also may vary by provider as recently on Allure we set it up on board prior to departure.  We did, however, confirm and test the service at home to be sure the plan with our carrier included our phones.  But that was a couple of weeks prior to the cruise, and wifi calling was deselected on our phones until we were on board.

 

Agree with the single line purchase on board as well.  

Edited March 3, 2022 by leaveitallbehind