Free 150 minutes wi fi question

[coscab]

I bought my husband a phone to use on the cruise, his regular phone is a flip phone that he only uses to call me if he's out without me, he just presses one button, that's all he knows how to do. 

I got him the new phone so he can easily use it to text me on the ship because I go to the casino and he doesn't. so texting will be easier for him to not have to hunt me down. 

I am not so sure he will remember to log off when done texting so he won't burn all the free minutes, if he just turns off the phone when done texting will that work, if that does work will he automatically be using minutes when he turns it back on or will he just log on again.

He will be returning to his flip phone after the cruise🤣

[insidecabin]

17 minutes ago, coscab said:

I bought my husband a phone to use on the cruise, his regular phone is a flip phone that he only uses to call me if he's out without me, he just presses one button, that's all he knows how to do. 

I got him the new phone so he can easily use it to text me on the ship because I go to the casino and he doesn't. so texting will be easier for him to not have to hunt me down. 

I am not so sure he will remember to log off when done texting so he won't burn all the free minutes, if he just turns off the phone when done texting will that work, if that does work will he automatically be using minutes when he turns it back on or will he just log on again.

He will be returning to his flip phone after the cruise🤣

If you both pay $10 you can use the NCL app messaging without using internet.

 

(WiFi is free to use)

 

You have to logout to stop the clock.

[APDMOM]

 I recently read a review of someone who turned off the wifi and the phone, but they still lost all 150 minutes due to not going to the official logoff page. 

[Maanio]

I've seen many people struggle with the WiFi. I love how you bought him a phone, but I think it might be better to agree on set meeting times in a certain bar instead of trying to get this messaging to work

I mean I am 28 and I've helped people with the wifi before but I just hope you have a Stressless holiday and I don't think this WiFi will contribute to that when I read your story :)

[coscab]

13 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

 I recently read a review of someone who turned off the wifi and the phone, but they still lost all 150 minutes due to not going to the official logoff page. 

Thanks, looks like I better start training him now!  See you on board the Escape, almost the 16th😁

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, coscab said:

Thanks, looks like I better start training him now!  See you on board the Escape, almost the 16th😁

If you both have iphones, you don't need to pay that $9.95.

You can text and even call each other.

[coscab]

9 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

If you both have iphones, you don't need to pay that $9.95.

You can text and even call each other.

Thanks, not iphones.  I'm not going to pay the 9.95 if I can help it, we will probably text short messages a couple of times a day and its only 7 days. 

How do the minutes work for texts, do minutes count as you are texting and until the text is delivered and turn the wi fi off.

[1025cruise]

Log in, clock starts, log out, clock stops.

[coscab]

2 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Log in, clock starts, log out, clock stops.

Thank you, I should have figured that out for myself🙃

[Rick&Jeannie]

18 hours ago, coscab said:

Thanks, not iphones.  I'm not going to pay the 9.95 if I can help it, we will probably text short messages a couple of times a day and its only 7 days. 

How do the minutes work for texts, do minutes count as you are texting and until the text is delivered and turn the wi fi off.

Just be aware that your plan to text even short messages will require both of you to have an internet plan on board.  I personally would not "trust" the NCL app for the messaging function.  You both already know how to do "normal" texting...just stick to that.  If you have *any* idea that trying to keep up with "Am I loged on?" or "Did I forget to log off?"...just go for the unlimited internet plan.  Your cruise will be so much less stressful.  (Just my opinion.)

 

Also...I see you stated "not iPhones".  I have a very late model Android.  I sometimes have issues texting on board.  You might want to take a look at WhatsApp.  It's free and can do texts, voice calls as well as video calls.  It's VERY easy to use...try downloading it on both phones and just give it a try while still at home.  It's much more reliable than basic texting (this is ONLY in regards to Android phones...but WhatsApp works on iPhone as well.)

Edited December 8, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie

[Eggs2Go]

20 hours ago, coscab said:

 

I got him the new phone so he can easily use it to text me on the ship because I go to the casino and he doesn't. so texting will be easier for him to not have to hunt me down. 

 

 I would rather hunt someone down in the casino than to try to text them. I find the ship wifi thing too stressful even though I use my smartphone daily at home. I now turn my phone off once on the ship and lock it in the safe, not retrieved until just before disembarkation. I'm on a cruise, off and away.

[coscab]

Thanks for all the replies, I think we will just see how the 150 free minutes go, not that important if we can't use phones, many many previous cruises and did fine not using a phone on board, just thought it might help if he is waiting for me somewhere and I have lost track of time in the casino🤑🕚💲

[dbrown84]

the problem I see with the texting plan is that your husband can go online to send the text and go back offline, but you'd need to know to go online to receive the text.  then if you texted back, he'd have to know to go back online to receive your response.  so you'd end of blowing thru the minutes just going online to see if there is a message, especially since minutes are charged in whole minute increments. 

[coscab]

37 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

the problem I see with the texting plan is that your husband can go online to send the text and go back offline, but you'd need to know to go online to receive the text.  then if you texted back, he'd have to know to go back online to receive your response.  so you'd end of blowing thru the minutes just going online to see if there is a message, especially since minutes are charged in whole minute increments. 

Great point!  Back to square one.

[cruiseat50]

11 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Just be aware that your plan to text even short messages will require both of you to have an internet plan on board.  I personally would not "trust" the NCL app for the messaging function.  You both already know how to do "normal" texting...just stick to that.  If you have *any* idea that trying to keep up with "Am I loged on?" or "Did I forget to log off?"...just go for the unlimited internet plan.  Your cruise will be so much less stressful.  (Just my opinion.)

 

Also...I see you stated "not iPhones".  I have a very late model Android.  I sometimes have issues texting on board.  You might want to take a look at WhatsApp.  It's free and can do texts, voice calls as well as video calls.  It's VERY easy to use...try downloading it on both phones and just give it a try while still at home.  It's much more reliable than basic texting (this is ONLY in regards to Android phones...but WhatsApp works on iPhone as well.)

I think my hubby has the Whatsapp on his phone and I could put it on my phone as well.  So, you are saying that we don't need to logon to get the texts/calls?  Would there be a charge from Whatsapp then?

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, coscab said:

Great point!  Back to square one.

It's expensive, but if you pay to upgrade to unlimited internet, you don't have to worry about the minutes, panic about logging on/off - and text all you want to.

[Maanio]

4 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

It's expensive, but if you pay to upgrade to unlimited internet, you don't have to worry about the minutes, panic about logging on/off - and text all you want to.

Yes but they need it twice. That's a few hundred dollars. 

[dbrown84]

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

It's expensive, but if you pay to upgrade to unlimited internet, you don't have to worry about the minutes, panic about logging on/off - and text all you want to.

it would be cheaper ($10 per person) to get the texting option of the NCL app

[dbrown84]

6 hours ago, cruiseat50 said:

I think my hubby has the Whatsapp on his phone and I could put it on my phone as well.  So, you are saying that we don't need to logon to get the texts/calls?  Would there be a charge from Whatsapp then?

no, you still need to logon to the wifi to get your texts/calls.

[BirdTravels]

We both have iPhones using iMessage. We had no problem texting for free this week. That is a very specific hole in the NCL Wi-Fi. 

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, Maanio said:

Yes but they need it twice. That's a few hundred dollars. 

I am quite aware. 

My cruise next month will run us $460.

We're purchasing that for the internet, not local messaging.

[cruiser2015]

23 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

We both have iPhones using iMessage. We had no problem texting for free this week. That is a very specific hole in the NCL Wi-Fi. 

Just to clarify, the imessaging works without actually logging in to the wifi?

[cruiser2015]

49 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

it would be cheaper ($10 per person) to get the texting option of the NCL app

If texting between the two is the only goal, absolutely.

[Rick&Jeannie]

8 hours ago, cruiseat50 said:

I think my hubby has the Whatsapp on his phone and I could put it on my phone as well.  So, you are saying that we don't need to logon to get the texts/calls?  Would there be a charge from Whatsapp then?

You would still need the internet plan to use WhatsApp, and still need to "worry" about your minutes unless you go with an unlimited plan. As others have said, it's not cheap but it's the only way to not have to worry about minutes AND have "full" functionality (voice, text, video calls).

[insidecabin]

 

When you say text with new phone  do you mean regular text messages using cell coverage?

 

Or some messaging service over data?