Verizon vs T-Mobile for Cruise in Europe

[seaventuregal]

I am thinking of changing our current cell phone plan from Verizon to T-Mobile and would like to ask if anyone has used T-Mobile recently on a cruise to Europe and if the phone service worked for text and data as well as talk.  I know Verizon worked quite well for us on previous trips, but the cost keeps going up and T-Mobile has a much less expensive plan for Seniors with lots of extras.   We will be cruising to Italy and Greece in October.   Thanks!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile in April for just this reason and have since used it on two trips:  B2B river cruises in Holland, Belgium and France in April-May; and a comprehensive Baltic cruise in July-August.  It worked flawlessly everywhere we went.  When the ship's wifi was too slow, I logged my computer into the phone as a HotSpot – nice fast connection.  Best part?—no extra charges!

 

I had planned to take T-Mobile's Magenta Max for Seniors plan, but they showed me how I could include my 2 kids on a family plan and it would be even cheaper to get the regular Magenta Max plan.  I do recommend Max over plain Magenta because the data roaming is more comprehensive.

 

Also don't pass up the chance to get new iPhones for free as new T-Mobile customers!  They gave us $800 per device trade ins on our old iPhones, which completely covered the cost of new basic ones (and most of the cost of my higher-end Pro).  [One tip:  go to the T-Mobile store and bring the phones you want to trade in.  This makes the process much smoother.  I signed up for the service via phone and then had to do the upgrades and trade-ins serially which really complicated the record-keeping.]

[IslandThyme]

I can't speak to recent use in Europe, but I used T-Mobile on the HAL Grand Asia and it worked perfectly all over Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and on many of the Pacific islands. No extra charges either. All I did was call them before leaving and give them my itinerary so they wouldn't dispute any of the use. I use that senior plan myself and am perfectly happy with it.

[seaventuregal]

1 hour ago, IslandThyme said:

I can't speak to recent use in Europe, but I used T-Mobile on the HAL Grand Asia and it worked perfectly all over Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and on many of the Pacific islands. No extra charges either. All I did was call them before leaving and give them my itinerary so they wouldn't dispute any of the use. I use that senior plan myself and am perfectly happy with it.

That is good to know.   We are considering the Magenta Max plan and just want to make sure it actually works overseas.   Thanks for responding.

[KY Deb]

We just returned from Ireland last month, not a cruise.  T Mobile worked perfectly.  5g mostly. Automatically connected to the network.   Did not have to call or sign up in advance on their website.  No charges.   

[seaventuregal]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile in April for just this reason and have since used it on two trips:  B2B river cruises in Holland, Belgium and France in April-May; and a comprehensive Baltic cruise in July-August.  It worked flawlessly everywhere we went.  When the ship's wifi was too slow, I logged my computer into the phone as a HotSpot – nice fast connection.  Best part?—no extra charges!

 

I had planned to take T-Mobile's Magenta Max for Seniors plan, but they showed me how I could include my 2 kids on a family plan and it would be even cheaper to get the regular Magenta Max plan.  I do recommend Max over plain Magenta because the data roaming is more comprehensive.

 

Also don't pass up the chance to get new iPhones for free as new T-Mobile customers!  They gave us $800 per device trade ins on our old iPhones, which completely covered the cost of new basic ones (and most of the cost of my higher-end Pro).  [One tip:  go to the T-Mobile store and bring the phones you want to trade in.  This makes the process much smoother.  I signed up for the service via phone and then had to do the upgrades and trade-ins serially which really complicated the record-keeping.]

Thanks HostJazz Beau for such a comprehensive response to my inquiry.  We have a local T-Mobile store near our home and have checked out the plans.  It sounds like it definitely makes sense to switch to T-Mobile!!

[seaventuregal]

15 minutes ago, KY Deb said:

We just returned from Ireland last month, not a cruise.  T Mobile worked perfectly.  5g mostly. Automatically connected to the network.   Did not have to call or sign up in advance on their website.  No charges.   

Thanks Deb!   I appreciate your feedback and it sure helps make our decision!

[SFCAcruiser]

4 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

... can't speak to recent use in Europe, but I used T-Mobile on the HAL Grand Asia and it worked perfectly all over Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and on many of the Pacific islands. No extra charges either...

If I may ask a follow-up question.....

I have T-Mobile and have used it on land in Europe and other continents  without problems or charges.  My question has to do with the onboard experience. With T-Mobile, is it necessary to switch the phone to "airplane mode" (or turn it off) while cruising in order to avoid roaming charges?

[ivanidea]

An alternate to T-Mobile is Mint Mobile.  Much cheaper, although their prices do not include taxes and fees, or roaming.  Even after adding extra money to the account for roaming, we still saved a lot of money, which will go towards buying new phones.

[uktog]

17 hours ago, seaventuregal said:

I am thinking of changing our current cell phone plan from Verizon to T-Mobile and would like to ask if anyone has used T-Mobile recently on a cruise to Europe and if the phone service worked for text and data as well as talk.  I know Verizon worked quite well for us on previous trips, but the cost keeps going up and T-Mobile has a much less expensive plan for Seniors with lots of extras.   We will be cruising to Italy and Greece in October.   Thanks!

You might get a much wider range of answers and more help on the Europe ports of call board rather than relying on the Azamara audience.  A high % of guests on the summer cruises in Europe on Azamara were to from the US so your pool of respondents may be pretty limited here

[Mercruiser]

I lived in the Netherlands for two years, 2018-2020, managing my USA company offices in Europe. During that time, I had a Dutch mobile phone for business and a USA "Google Fi" phone for personal use, with a USA phone number. I travelled extensively all over Europe, Turkey, Israel, and Republic of Georgia.

 

Google Fi worked great in Europe, including a Baltic cruise (and the Caribbean and Tahiti). What I like best about Fi is the utter simplicity of their international roaming. Using the "Flexible Plan" its $20 per month plus $10/GB data with a max of $60 in any month ("Bill Protection" feature),  anywhere in the world (their world is 200+ countries.) Voice calls while roaming in Europe are 20 cents per minute. I didn't make many voice calls. I mostly used Skype and WhatsApp for voice.

 

Of relevance to cruising, Google Fi will never bill you more than $80 in one month ($20 monthly fee plus $60 "Bill Protection" cap). Google Fi will not connect to the onboard cellular connection on a cruise ship (Cellular at Sea). You will never get a surprise bill while using Google Fi.

 

Google Fi has no contracts (except new phones have to be used 90 days to get the purchase price discount). You can cancel whenever you want. Or you can put your service on hold between cruises.

 

I recommend the Flexible Plan for most people, not the unlimited.

 

Links: 

International Roaming, Calling & Data Rates - Google Fi

 

[ddpe]

We used T-mobile while in port from Lisbon to Barcelona and then Barcelona to Nice.  We had no problems.  I have the best data plan, however.  I did not use the phone while away from port.

[Utopia1]

How does Spectrum compare to T-Mobile and Verizon for cruising?  Spectrum does not have a special plan for foreign travel. (only Canada and Mexico)

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hard to find Spectrum mentioned in the reviews of cell phone service for travelers.  I did find one that mentions Google Fi – it comes in second to T-Mobile:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/wireless-carriers-international-travel-plans,review-4327.html

 

[Mercruiser]

I'm a cheapskate when it comes to cellular plans (more money for cruising that way :). Right now I'm on Visible (Verizon owned discount carrier), paying $25/month for unlimited everything in the USA only - no international roaming. 

 

I'm planning to switch carriers in January for my upcoming Azamara cruise from Peru to Miami, followed by a couple more Europe cruises next summer.  This thread reminded me to read up on international roaming plans again. Back in 2018, I did not pick T-Mobile because their Europe data speeds were very slow. Maybe that has improved now that it's 2022?

 

Here are the two relevant T-Mobile web pages:

 

https://www.t-mobile.com/plan-details

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/international-roaming-services

 

Summarizing these web pages, you have to be on the Magenta MAX plan to get 5GB of high-speed data in Europe. Above 5 GB, the speed drops to a glacial 256 Kbps. If you are on the regular Magenta plan, it's always  256 Kbps, except in these 11 countries where you get 5 GB of high-speed data: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece.

 

The cost of Magenta MAX, for one line, age 55+, is $65/month. Since T-Mobile limits customers to 5GB of international high-speed data, lets compare to Google Fi, which charges $20 (fixed monthly) + $50 (data) for 5 GB = $70/month. Here is the relevant Google fi web page:

https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6201699?hl=en

 

For 4.5 GB data or less, Google Fi is cheaper because they only charge for the data used. For more than 5 GB of data, Fi is a better way to go because T-Mobile throttles the speed to 256 Kbps above 5 GB. Google Fi charges $10/GB up to 6 GB. From 6 GB to 15 GB, they charge $60 under the "Bill Protection" feature.

 

In summary, T-Mobile Magenta MAX has the best plan, if and only if, you use between 4.5 and 5.0 GB of data in a month. For less than 4.5 GB or more than 5 GB of data in a month, Google Fi is best.

 

Unless something changes, I'll be using Google Fi.

 

Sorry for the long post. I just retired (again) and have lots of time on my hands. I guess I need to go on a cruise.

[seaventuregal]

1 hour ago, Mercruiser said:

I'm a cheapskate when it comes to cellular plans (more money for cruising that way :). Right now I'm on Visible (Verizon owned discount carrier), paying $25/month for unlimited everything in the USA only - no international roaming. 

 

I'm planning to switch carriers in January for my upcoming Azamara cruise from Peru to Miami, followed by a couple more Europe cruises next summer.  This thread reminded me to read up on international roaming plans again. Back in 2018, I did not pick T-Mobile because their Europe data speeds were very slow. Maybe that has improved now that it's 2022?

 

Here are the two relevant T-Mobile web pages:

 

https://www.t-mobile.com/plan-details

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/international-roaming-services

 

Summarizing these web pages, you have to be on the Magenta MAX plan to get 5GB of high-speed data in Europe. Above 5 GB, the speed drops to a glacial 256 Kbps. If you are on the regular Magenta plan, it's always  256 Kbps, except in these 11 countries where you get 5 GB of high-speed data: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece.

 

The cost of Magenta MAX, for one line, age 55+, is $65/month. Since T-Mobile limits customers to 5GB of international high-speed data, lets compare to Google Fi, which charges $20 (fixed monthly) + $50 (data) for 5 GB = $70/month. Here is the relevant Google fi web page:

https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6201699?hl=en

 

For 4.5 GB data or less, Google Fi is cheaper because they only charge for the data used. For more than 5 GB of data, Fi is a better way to go because T-Mobile throttles the speed to 256 Kbps above 5 GB. Google Fi charges $10/GB up to 6 GB. From 6 GB to 15 GB, they charge $60 under the "Bill Protection" feature.

 

In summary, T-Mobile Magenta MAX has the best plan, if and only if, you use between 4.5 and 5.0 GB of data in a month. For less than 4.5 GB or more than 5 GB of data in a month, Google Fi is best.

 

Unless something changes, I'll be using Google Fi.

 

Sorry for the long post. I just retired (again) and have lots of time on my hands. I guess I need to go on a cruise.

The T-Mobile plan for TWO lines on the Senior Magenta Max plan is $45 each or $90 for both.  This is significantly less than our current plan with Verizon at $130 and Verizon is increasing the plan cost by another $12 next month!  We are ready to switch to T-Mobile and will actually have more benefits including the International Plan which Verizon charges an extra $100 per month when travelling overseas and is included with no extra charge with T-Mobile.

[the mice]

We have T-Mobile's senior Magenta Max 2 line plan which is $90 taxes included.  We moved over from Sprint and we love the international coverage which we had from Sprint. but which is even better with T-M. 

No one has mentioned it but you also get Netflix standard (2 lines) included.   Plus we have gotten offers for 1 year free of Paramount+, one year free of Apple TV+ and assorted other freebies from T-Mobile Tuesdays - things like free Shutterfly 8x11 albums, free magazine subscriptions, free coffees, etc.   And you can get these bennies on both lines.   

[seaventuregal]

1 hour ago, the mice said:

We have T-Mobile's senior Magenta Max 2 line plan which is $90 taxes included.  We moved over from Sprint and we love the international coverage which we had from Sprint. but which is even better with T-M. 

No one has mentioned it but you also get Netflix standard (2 lines) included.   Plus we have gotten offers for 1 year free of Paramount+, one year free of Apple TV+ and assorted other freebies from T-Mobile Tuesdays - things like free Shutterfly 8x11 albums, free magazine subscriptions, free coffees, etc.   And you can get these bennies on both lines.   

I think there is also free in-flight Wi-Fi connection for a year but need to revisit the T-Mobile store to check.

[the mice]

A few limitations for that.  I haven't used it so cannot personally comment on how it works but per T-Mobile, it lists this: 

Magenta MAX® plans.    Unlimited full-flight Wi-Fi & streaming.   Unlimited texting.

On US-based airlines; Wi-Fi Calling functionality, valid e911 address, and one prior Wi-Fi call with current SIM card required for messaging. Where available on select US airlines.

 

Maybe someone else can chime in with personal experience.

[Model 60]

Verizon worked well for me.

 

I'm dubious about Spectrum. The monthly price is attractive, but I'm still grand-fathered into the senior plan on Verizon, which is about the same.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, the mice said:

A few limitations for that.  I haven't used it so cannot personally comment on how it works but per T-Mobile, it lists this: 

Magenta MAX® plans.    Unlimited full-flight Wi-Fi & streaming.   Unlimited texting.

On US-based airlines; Wi-Fi Calling functionality, valid e911 address, and one prior Wi-Fi call with current SIM card required for messaging. Where available on select US airlines.

 

Maybe someone else can chime in with personal experience.

When it's actually available on a plane [due to carrier limitations], the T-Mobile in-flight wi-fi works great.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Latest update (per Wall Street Journal – sorry, paywall):

SpaceX, T-Mobile to Connect Satellites to Cellphones in Remote Areas

 

“It means no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cellphones,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at an event at SpaceX’s facility in Texas.

[seaventuregal]

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Latest update (per Wall Street Journal – sorry, paywall):

SpaceX, T-Mobile to Connect Satellites to Cellphones in Remote Areas

 

“It means no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cellphones,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at an event at SpaceX’s facility in Texas.

Very interesting video.  Thanks for sharing!

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:59 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Latest update (per Wall Street Journal – sorry, paywall):

SpaceX, T-Mobile to Connect Satellites to Cellphones in Remote Areas

 

“It means no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cellphones,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at an event at SpaceX’s facility in Texas.

 

If that happens here I may have to upgrade to a data plan! Right now I’m home mostly and I just use wifi for data, unfortunately dsl. 

[Mackdogmolly]

If I had a T-Mobile plan, would I still need a WiFi plan from the ship?