Make Wi-Fi calls with basic internet package?

[treehugr]

We have the basic internet package with our cruise. Can anyone recently on a cruise (preferably Silhouette) answer as to whether they were able to make wi-fi calls on board using the basic internet package. Thank you. 

[Rockymaya]

Basic internet barely works for email.

[Barwick Cruiser]

We were on Silhouette just a few weeks ago with basic wifi and my sister was able to make calls using WhatsApp. 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Just now, Rockymaya said:

Basic internet barely works for email.

On the Silhouette at least, the basic enabled us to send and receive emails, read cruise critic and browse the web. Very different than our experience on Eclipse in September where the basic wifi was pretty useless. Not sure why the different experiences other than perhaps location (we were in Alaska in September) or different ships are connected differently? 🤷‍♀️

[treehugr]

2 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

We were on Silhouette just a few weeks ago with basic wifi and my sister was able to make calls using WhatsApp. 

Did you see any additional charge on either end phone bill? Not familiar with all these apps. Does whatsapp work with iphone?

[Potstech]

Yes it does and should not have any additional charges. Our group of 5 will be using it on our next Eclipse cruise to stay in contact with each other.

[bEwAbG]

If you all have iPhones, Wi-Fi calling is natively built in.  You may need your carrier to unlock the function, though.  For Android, you'd need to research the device.  You should test all of this before you go on vacation. You can do this from your home by just turning your phone to airplane mode, connecting to Wi-Fi, and then trying to make or receive calls.  If it doesn't work, then you need to contact your carrier to see what the next steps are to get it activated. 

 

Apps like WhatsApp or Google Voice you can test in advance the same way.  Probably not a bad idea to test a couple different options and make sure everyone has them on their phones with any accounts needed already set up.

 

Your original question as to whether it always works on the basic package?  Reports vary.  Some people say you can but many others say you have to upgrade.  If you find it doesn't work on basic, you could always upgrade to a higher package once on the ship.

[Barwick Cruiser]

2 hours ago, treehugr said:

Did you see any additional charge on either end phone bill? Not familiar with all these apps. Does whatsapp work with iphone?

No additional charge on either end, keep in mind both parties need to have the app and access to wifi. Works on IPhone as well as android. 

[rknee]

On the Silhouette last week ... there we were, in the middle of the sea and my phone rang.  Surprised the heck out of me, but I answered.  Not the best connection in the world, but it worked.

[phoenix_dream]

The correct answer to the question is maybe.  I've been on all the Celebrity ships(many times) except the two newest, and internet even on the same ship can vary dramatically day to day and sailing to sailing.  In my experience basic internet, most of the time, did not allow me to do much.  I could open my email, but could not open any links.  I could see Facebook, but could not open any comments sections.  I could not post to FB.  I could not open Cruise Critic.  Even on premium (which I am lucky to have now as Zenith), there are times when the internet is not up to par.  This was true even on ships with Starlink, although overall it was substantially better the majority of the time.  

[Los_Pepes]

I was on the Millennium this week and I tested the speed of my internet on the basic package. It was .21 MPS! You can barely do anything and it was frustrating. It was part of an AI package but if it wasnt, I would have asked for a refund. 

[TommyD3]

Adult children onboard Apex currently. Even with the Zenith premium WiFi the phone calls are hit or miss. Speed test revealed about 4 mbps down but only 1 mbps up. Worked great last month !!!

[Bo1953]

Many of the 'basic' questions are on X's website here...

 

As such, I can only rely on what others have posted about the package they use...

 

The basic package, as described, is exactly what it is, basic and nothing more need be expected.

 

bon voyage

 

ETA: just like beverage packages, only we can decide if it is worth it to upgrade.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Bo1953

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, Los_Pepes said:

I was on the Millennium this week and I tested the speed of my internet on the basic package. It was .21 MPS! You can barely do anything and it was frustrating. It was part of an AI package but if it wasnt, I would have asked for a refund. 

 

Did it show that you were using StarLink?  I believe I heard Millie had been upgraded to StarLink already. 

 

For what it's worth, I was able to make voice calls with basic WiFi on Reflection in December 2021 while the ship was inport in Fort Lauderdale.  

Edited March 13, 2023 by DaKahuna

[Los_Pepes]

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Did it show that you were using StarLink?  I believe I heard Millie had been upgraded to StarLink already. 

 

For what it's worth, I was able to make voice calls with basic WiFi on Reflection in December 2021 while the ship was inport in Fort Lauderdale.  

[Los_Pepes]

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Did it show that you were using StarLink?  I believe I heard Millie had been upgraded to StarLink already. 

 

For what it's worth, I was able to make voice calls with basic WiFi on Reflection in December 2021 while the ship was inport in Fort Lauderdale.  

Edited March 13, 2023 by Los_Pepes

[budcann]

17 hours ago, treehugr said:

We have the basic internet package with our cruise. Can anyone recently on a cruise (preferably Silhouette) answer as to whether they were able to make wi-fi calls on board using the basic internet package. Thank you. 

On Silhouette last week, my wife received a wifi call, Tmobile bill shows "5 min/wifi call", no additional charge. This was with the basic wif package.

[DaKahuna]

5 hours ago, Los_Pepes said:

 

That does not bode well.  Hopefully, it It staff will get it fine tuned and improving the speeds by the time we sail next month. 

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

Definitely maybe.  In most ports yes as we connected to the port wifi.  Onboard with WhatsApp poor connection that cut in and out.

[drakes2]

26 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Definitely maybe.  In most ports yes as we connected to the port wifi.  Onboard with WhatsApp poor connection that cut in and out.

What's the wifi on the Apex its 15 night TA in April.  I didn't purchase the AI package and was planning on getting the basic with my 30% elite discount pre cruise but its still fairly expensive and if it's not great I can find better ways to spend my money.  

[Los_Pepes]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

That does not bode well.  Hopefully, it It staff will get it fine tuned and improving the speeds by the time we sail next month. 

 

I did it multiple times throughout the week with about the same results. The last two days it shot up to 100MBS but only a few apps worked and for some reason it was still painfully slow. 

[drakes2]

18 minutes ago, Los_Pepes said:

I did it multiple times throughout the week with about the same results. The last two days it shot up to 100MBS but only a few apps worked and for some reason it was still painfully slow. 

It doesn't sound promising. For comparison I just returned from a 7 night cruise with Princess and paid a special pre cruise price of $42 for wifi. They only have one package but it was great at all times. Celebrity's wifi is crappy. 

[CNSfromHI]

On 3/12/2023 at 11:14 AM, treehugr said:

We have the basic internet package with our cruise. Can anyone recently on a cruise (preferably Silhouette) answer as to whether they were able to make wi-fi calls on board using the basic internet package. Thank you. 

We cruised on Silhouette last fall with the basic internet package. I carry an iPhone 12 but, despite turning off "Cellular" in Settings, AT&T absolutely hammered me billing-wise for the next two billing periods for cellular use, which just happened to end/start midway through our cruise.

 

As I discovered afterward, keeping your iPhone in "Airplane" mode is recommended. Otherwise, your phone will keep searching for cellular networks, try to update stuff, etc., even if you think you've turned such usage off.

 

I did not try to make a WiFi call on board but I recommend ignoring comparisons between basic/premium levels when it comes to land-based and Celebrity-based packages. Honestly, using my non-cellular iPad on Celebrity's basic internet package was useless -- at any time of day or night. Even when the Wi-Fi symbol was almost full, which was rare, I couldn't access my email or update anything. After a few days, I just stopped trying.

 

I hope your experience is different but, at the very least, I hope this helps you avoid a nasty billing surprise!

 

cjr

[drakes2]

2 hours ago, CNSfromHI said:

We cruised on Silhouette last fall with the basic internet package. I carry an iPhone 12 but, despite turning off "Cellular" in Settings, AT&T absolutely hammered me billing-wise for the next two billing periods for cellular use, which just happened to end/start midway through our cruise.

 

As I discovered afterward, keeping your iPhone in "Airplane" mode is recommended. Otherwise, your phone will keep searching for cellular networks, try to update stuff, etc., even if you think you've turned such usage off.

 

I did not try to make a WiFi call on board but I recommend ignoring comparisons between basic/premium levels when it comes to land-based and Celebrity-based packages. Honestly, using my non-cellular iPad on Celebrity's basic internet package was useless -- at any time of day or night. Even when the Wi-Fi symbol was almost full, which was rare, I couldn't access my email or update anything. After a few days, I just stopped trying.

 

I hope your experience is different but, at the very least, I hope this helps you avoid a nasty billing surprise!

 

cjr

I turn my phone on flight mode as soon  as I board my flight then turn back off once I return home

 Once many years ago I did not do this although my data was off and it picked up a signal in one of the Caribbean Islands which I was charged for but my service provider refunded it.  One must has to be very careful to avoid such charges. 

[phoenix_dream]

5 hours ago, drakes2 said:

It doesn't sound promising. For comparison I just returned from a 7 night cruise with Princess and paid a special pre cruise price of $42 for wifi. They only have one package but it was great at all times. Celebrity's wifi is crappy. 

With Celebrity upgrading all their ships to Starlink I think you may find that the internet may pleasantly surprise you.  I'm not claiming at all times, as it depends on location, weather, etc., but on ships with Starlink the internet is substantially better.  Just did a b2b on Apex and while there were a couple days it was slower than others, overall it was considerably better than what I had experienced before.