Cingular on Freedom of the Seas

[robster18]

Has anyone tried to use their cingular cell phone on the freedom. I thought I read something about Freedom doing something with cingular. I called cingular and my phone should work out there. They said it is about $2 a minute. We will also try hooking up the laptop in our room, but not sure how well that is going to work.

Thanks

[Lightsluvr]

Here's the website link...

 

http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/travelguide/coverage/cruise_ships_rates.jsp?PIDL=IRSD|IRWT

 

It only works if your phone is GSM equipped. (Almost all Cingular phones are multi-band digital and will work fine.) They turn the ship's cell OFF when in port.

 

Enjoy.

 

LL

[pooh1bear43113]

Cingular does have towers on several (many) ships. They are all listed on their web site....also, Cingular offers (or did in April) "specials" that will reduce the price of the call for something like $4.99 or $5.99 for 1 month (I cancel when I returned home) the price drops from something like $2.45 to $1.99/min. while on-board. Cingular's web site also gives you the prices for using your cell phone just about anywhere in the world - and offers packages that will reduce the per/min. price for just about anywhere in the world.

 

I purchased a quad band phone for our trip to Europe last May and purchased one of Cingular's "specials" that brought the price of calls made back to the U.S. from each country to something like $1.49 or $1.29 (can't remember which - but it was a savings).....I then cancelled the "special" when I returned back to the States.

 

I've used the Cingular phone service on NOS in the E & W Caribbean as well as on Celebrity's Summit in April cruising from LA to Hawaii.

 

I simply do not like to mess with phone cards - or look for a phone in port that looks "clean". The cell phone is expensive - but it is most convenient and my family can get hold of me whether we're on land or at sea. Of course I have warned them not to call just to "chat"! But it's great especially if you have a family member who is in poor health - your family can always get hold of you - and your phone number stays the same where ever you are in the world - on a ship or on a shore excursion in Timbuktu! But that's just my experience and my opinion.:)

 

(As an aside: We were in the middle of the Pacific in April headed to Hawaii and relaxing on the veranda one evening when my cell phone rang - scared me to DEATH! It was our son - who promptly apologized for calling while he knew we were at sea - but needed to take care of a personal matter we had forgotten to finalize before leaving home....what was truly amazing was the clarity of the call - considering that our son lives 2 miles from our home and I can't use my cell phone to call him from my HOME because the reception is so bad! Yet in the middle of the Pacific - the reception was crystal clear!)

[SA Traveler]

Cingular at Sea worked fine on the Rhapsody a couple of weeks ago. I would think that it would be no different on the Freedom. Do sign up for the 5.99 per month service (I think they call it Cingular World Traveler) to get the rate reduction.