Can I i-message onboard without the internet package?

[rogueriver]

My sister and I will be doing a Panama Canal cruise in late October.  I will have the internet package but she won't.  Are we able to i-message each other while onboard if she doesn't have internet?  I know there is a messaging system on the app but it's not very helpful because it doesn't alert when you have a message. Thanks in advance.

[Charles4515]

No, iMessage won’t work without internet. 

[beg3yrs]

@Charles4515is generally correct but there are reports (and I have experienced this as well) that iMessage actually does work on Princess ships as long as you're connected to their WiFi. There seems to be an unacknowledged exception for this kind of messaging. WhatsApp seems to work as well.

 

All that said, I wouldn't stake my livelihood on this as it's not promised and probably could be closed off at any time.

[PapaGoose]

We did a Panama Canal cruise with NCL last February and we were wondering the same thing about iPhones and messaging. The big concern with Norwegian was that their internet is minute based and we didn’t want to use up our “precious minutes” sending messages to see where the other person was on the ship at any given time. Not only were we able to message on the ship but we could send messages to our son back in Canada. It worked through some kind of loophole thingamajiggy that NCL has left open because they are so caring and thoughtful….

 

I have read on different threads, here on CC, that Princess has also had this kind of loophole for iPhone users but we won’t find out until next February when we sail around Cape Horn on the Sapphire. 
 

Hopefully someone can chime in with firsthand experiences with this issue on recent sailings!

[t&atravel]

I too have been able to use iMSG without the paid internet however it was pre covid.  All my cruises since I have had the plus package so have not tested that this is still possible.  Princess may have closed whatever “thingamajiggy” that was open before.

[anjiedupree]

My husband and I text messaged each other  through the Medallion while on the ship. We just had to be travel companions on the Medallion. The Medallion was useful for tracking each others whereabouts on the ship too.

[AZjohn]

Like @PapaGoose and @t&atravel wrote, I too was getting iMessages out on the open seas without logging into internet. It was quite shocking when in our cabin I heard the chime from my phone while in open seas.

 

To make the point, it was only iPhone to iPhone messages. I didn’t know (and still don’t) how apple can do this but, they somehow tap into unsubscribed Wi-Fi for text messages (this goes for out of the country land trips also). I’m good for the term “thingamajiggy” is open 🤣

[Random Cruizer]

2 hours ago, AZjohn said:

 

 

To make the point, it was only iPhone to iPhone messages. I didn’t know (and still don’t) how apple can do this but, they somehow tap into unsubscribed Wi-Fi for text messages (this goes for out of the country land trips also). I’m good for the term “thingamajiggy” is open 🤣

 

Glad to hear an actual experience with this--I've read that's true, and your experience is confirmation, thanks!

[rogueriver]

Thanks all for comments. It sounds like we may luck out and be able to text each other. Well, that is unless Princess reads this thread and closes the thingamajiggy!

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, rogueriver said:

Thanks all for comments. It sounds like we may luck out and be able to text each other. Well, that is unless Princess reads this thread and closes the thingamajiggy!

😝 And…they do read them. 

[BamaVol]

13 hours ago, anjiedupree said:

My husband and I text messaged each other  through the Medallion while on the ship. We just had to be travel companions on the Medallion. The Medallion was useful for tracking each others whereabouts on the ship too.

Of course there is a medallion app function you can use to find traveling companions on the ship that doesn’t require an internet subscription or texting capability.

[startedwithamouse]

We've been able to use WhatsApp

[beg3yrs]

19 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

We've been able to use WhatsApp

That seems to be the app predominately used by the crew as well. Not only for personal use but they use it to message each other for job and ship-related issues.

Not being an IT guru, I do wonder if Princess leaves this WhatsApp capability open because it benefits Princess more than it costs. I then wonder if the "Thingamajiggy" for WhatsApp is the same one that allows iMessage to function ...

[Charles4515]

17 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

That seems to be the app predominately used by the crew as well. Not only for personal use but they use it to message each other for job and ship-related issues.

Not being an IT guru, I do wonder if Princess leaves this WhatsApp capability open because it benefits Princess more than it costs. I then wonder if the "Thingamajiggy" for WhatsApp is the same one that allows iMessage to function ...

WhatsApp and iMessage use the same TCP ports. 80, 443 and 5223. Princess would have to block WhatsApp and iMessage traffic from using those ports without a package. Royal Caribbean/Celebrity managed to block WhatsApp and IMessages without a package. They used to work on RC without a package but now they don’t. They do work with a package. Princess and NCL could configure their routers to block them too without a package but they would have to configure to distinguish between having a package or not. They would not want to block them entirely as passengers and crew would want to use iMessage and WhatsApp. So they can block WhatsApp and iMessage from connecting from using those ports without a package but continue to work with a package but it would take work so possibly it is a priority to block them. 

[t&atravel]

58 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

So they can block WhatsApp and iMessage from connecting from using those ports without a package but continue to work with a package

🤐🤫

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

That seems to be the app predominately used by the crew as well. Not only for personal use but they use it to message each other for job and ship-related issues.

Not being an IT guru, I do wonder if Princess leaves this WhatsApp capability open because it benefits Princess more than it costs. I then wonder if the "Thingamajiggy" for WhatsApp is the same one that allows iMessage to function ...

Our kids didn't have Plus in their cabin and we did, crew let them know about WhatsApp working with Intranet. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[Steelers36]

The idea of using WhatsApp with just ship's INTRAnet and not needing a MedallionNet package is new IMO because some time back, I am pretty sure only Apple's iMessage (among Apple users only) worked that way. 

 

I will continue to be purchasing MedallionNet because I want/need more than simply WhatsApp access.

 

[Steelers36]

On 9/26/2023 at 10:04 PM, t&atravel said:

I too have been able to use iMSG without the paid internet however it was pre covid.  All my cruises since I have had the plus package so have not tested that this is still possible.  Princess may have closed whatever “thingamajiggy” that was open before.

You can always testing anything by logging out of MedallionNet - even though you have the service as part of Plus/Premier package.

[t&atravel]

59 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

You can always testing anything by logging out of MedallionNet - even though you have the service as part of Plus/Premier package.

I know I could have but why bother. I’ll leave that to people who don’t want paid internet.

[MissP22]

On 9/27/2023 at 12:39 PM, startedwithamouse said:

We've been able to use WhatsApp

But did you try it when disconnected from their internet? 

Princess does provide free access to WhatsApp for the crew so possibly it might work for passengers as well without an internet connection.

{only intranet} ??

Princess Cruises is rolling out free WhatsApp access for crew on select ships.

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2020/02/princess-to-roll-out-free-whatsapp-for-crew/#:~:text=Princess Cruises is rolling out,roll out further over time.

[antsp]

23 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

But did you try it when disconnected from their internet? 

Princess does provide free access to WhatsApp for the crew so possibly it might work for passengers as well without an internet connection.

{only intranet} ??

Princess Cruises is rolling out free WhatsApp access for crew on select ships.

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2020/02/princess-to-roll-out-free-whatsapp-for-crew/#:~:text=Princess Cruises is rolling out,roll out further over time.

All crew get messaging free whilst onboard, if they want 'Normal' Internet it's $1 a day

[MissP22]

1 minute ago, antsp said:

All crew get messaging free whilst onboard, if they want 'Normal' Internet it's $1 a day

Is that a current price for them?

I once was told that if they wanted it they were charged $60 per month. 

[antsp]

36 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Is that a current price for them?

I once was told that if they wanted it they were charged $60 per month. 

It is for cruise staff, not sure if crew are charged differently