Receive Phone Calls

[Schoifmom]

I'm 99% positive I know the answer to this, but I wanted to see if anyone had any creative ideas.  DH's brother is critically ill and DH is his medical POA.  We leave for Alaska next week.  Is there a good way to receive phone calls on board?  I know that Carnival has disabled wifi calling and we don't want a huge Cellular at Sea bill for data (we have a wifi plan already purchased).  Any creative ideas out there?

 

ETA - We are on T-Mobile, if that matters to anyone.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Schoifmom

[Colorado Beach Bum]

I think you can turn off data roaming and still receive phone calls.  Shouldn’t have huge bill unless you answer the call.  If person calling you has iPhone and so do you, you could use FaceTime using ship WiFi. 

[BlerkOne]

You can call FROM the ship for $1.99/minute on the cabin phone or likely for free (in this case) from guest services. It shouldn't cost much to receive messages and then you could call back. Or an email.

 

otherwise

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/calling-home

 

 

[Haljo1935]

Hey @Schoifmom each ship has a dedicated phone number; I know you'll want it before boarding, but it is printed on your cabin card. I'm sure you can also get it from HAL. We had the ship contact us during a Med cruise due to family emergency - family called the ships number and they reached out to us. They then let us use their phone to call our family (no charge).

Hope this helps and all goes well.

[mz-s]

Yes Carnival has emergency contact information on their website, leave your booking number/ship/room number with family ashore and they can contact Carnival -Carnival will relay the message to you.

 

Or like others have said you can turn off cellular data but leave on cellular, unless you actually answer or make a call then you shouldn't get roaming charges. You'll see someone called and can decide if you want to face the roaming charges to make the call.

[BlerkOne]

34 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Yes Carnival has emergency contact information on their website, leave your booking number/ship/room number with family ashore and they can contact Carnival -Carnival will relay the message to you.

 

I've read various degrees of success with that. It isn't 24x7 and there are inevitable delays with relaying.

 

Shore-to-Ship Communication – Emergency Contact Number

We do not offer a direct dialing service to our ships.

The following number is to be used as an emergency contact number for family members not traveling with our guests. In the event of a true emergency, family may contact our call center at 1-800-227-6482 on Mon - Sun, 7:00am - 12am EST.

Our team will take down the caller's name and contact information and pass it on to our Guest Services team onboard.

[Organized Chaos]

Since you've already purchased wifi, then pretty much any texting service that operates over the internet will work. iMessage if you & the other person have iPhones. WhatsApps, facebook messenger, etc. You can even make voice calls on some of them. Just remember the wifi service isn't always the greatest at all times and you might be limited depending on which wifi package you purchased.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Organized Chaos

[Schoifmom]

3 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Since you've already purchased wifi, then pretty much any texting service that operates over the internet will work. iMessage if you & the other person have iPhones. WhatsApps, facebook messenger, etc. You can even make voice calls on some of them. Just remember the wifi service isn't always the greatest at all times and you might be limited depending on which wifi package you purchased.

I completely understand that.  We are looking for a method of the hospital calling DH.  They are not going to be using any messaging apps.  I think that the method of simply turning off data and taking the hit for any phone calls received is likely the way to go.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

You can make sure you Date Roaming is turn OFF, and still receive calls and text. You are only charged for the ones that you answer, open, or reply to. 

 

If you have an iphone, you won't be able to receive voicemails as it runs through data  to check them.

[psikic]

7 minutes ago, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

You can make sure you Date Roaming is turn OFF, and still receive calls and text. You are only charged for the ones that you answer, open, or reply to. 

 

If you have an iphone, you won't be able to receive voicemails as it runs through data  to check them.

By the way, you could still be charged for texts you receive, whether or not you open them.

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

I've read various degrees of success with that. It isn't 24x7 and there are inevitable delays with relaying.

 

Shore-to-Ship Communication – Emergency Contact Number

We do not offer a direct dialing service to our ships.

The following number is to be used as an emergency contact number for family members not traveling with our guests. In the event of a true emergency, family may contact our call center at 1-800-227-6482 on Mon - Sun, 7:00am - 12am EST.

Our team will take down the caller's name and contact information and pass it on to our Guest Services team onboard.

 

Yes it is not 24/7 and is not realtime, but it is a free way to receive a message from family shoreside in case an issue arises.

 

Obviously everyone's case is unique. If I knew I would need to be contacted, I would leave my phone on and deal with roaming charges. But I always leave the Carnival emergency contact number with my house sitter just in case. Thankfully I have never received that tap on the shoulder while cruising, and prayerfully never will.

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

I think you can turn off data roaming and still receive phone calls.  Shouldn’t have huge bill unless you answer the call.  If person calling you has iPhone and so do you, you could use FaceTime using ship WiFi. 

 

I believe that's right. That's the way I do it so I would be able to receive calls in an emergency. I don't do the airplane mode. And I don't have large bills.

[pinto18]

5 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I believe that's right. That's the way I do it so I would be able to receive calls in an emergency. I don't do the airplane mode. And I don't have large bills.

Yup same here ..no airplane mode ( just in case there is some impt phone call? Dialing for Dollars? ok only some of us with understand that reference) Just turn off data roaming 

 

[babygrljaz]

@Schoifmom I have t-mobile like you. If you do leave for phone off airplane mode & have incoming calls you will be charged if it goes to voicemail. I've had this happen before both while at sea (5.99/min) & in the Bahamas (25 cents/min). The way they explained it to me was because the call was "answered" by voicemail it was billed as a call.  Also most T-Mobile plans work in Canada as they do at home (unlimited or whatever you have). Alaska is US so you should have full service there too. When at sea will be your uncovered roaming 

[balcony bound]

9 hours ago, pinto18 said:

Yup same here ..no airplane mode ( just in case there is some impt phone call? Dialing for Dollars? ok only some of us with understand that reference) Just turn off data roaming 

 

It was worth reading this thread just for the Dialing for Dollars reference🙂

[Homosassa]

Just be aware that cruising in Alaska may mean there will be times when there will be no cell phone coverage because of the surrounding mountains blocking signals.

 

You will notice the same problem with satellite feeds, such as the TV programs in your cabin.

[ninjacat123]

19 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

I'm 99% positive I know the answer to this, but I wanted to see if anyone had any creative ideas.  DH's brother is critically ill and DH is his medical POA.  We leave for Alaska next week.  Is there a good way to receive phone calls on board?  I know that Carnival has disabled wifi calling and we don't want a huge Cellular at Sea bill for data (we have a wifi plan already purchased).  Any creative ideas out there?

 

ETA - We are on T-Mobile, if that matters to anyone.

I'm sorry your brother-in-law is critically ill.  Saying a prayer that the hospital won't need to call your DH.