Does Sprint service work on Carnival ships?

[gbfan06]

Hi everyone! I have a question regarding cell phone access on Carnival ships. I read where Carnival had completed outfitting its entire fleet for cell phone access in an arrangement with Cingular. I have Sprint service and contacted Sprint customer service who indicated (without any conviction) that my phone, set on roaming, should be able to receive and send calls while in international waters. Since I have absolutely no confidence in Sprint customer service (one gets a different response to the same question on nearly every inquiry), I wanted to ask if anyone has actually used Sprint service while at sea. I'm hoping to take a last minute trip on the Valor (Western Caribbean) but need to have periodic access to the mainland before I can agree to go. I would very much appreciate your input. Thanks so much!

[Chigirlcruzin]

On the Miracle Western Caribbean, my phone showed the roaming indicator and 2 bars for the signal. I tried making a couple calls and sending text messages, but none went through. No charge for trying though - my bill did not show any of these attempts.

 

PS What does your name mean? Are you a Packer fan?

[Attack Dog]

I was on the Valor recently and my sprint phone only worked in US ports including St. Thomas. I did not try the the analog roaming. My dad used to work for Sprint and he told me before I went on my first cruise that the network would not work far from US shores and most non-US countries. He did not mention anything about analog roaming working. I would of called him briefly before answering your question but he just happens to be on the Ecstasy at the time of this writting.

[Attack Dog]

One other thing I thought of. I don't know what you need your phone for but you can make phone calls through the ship. Unfortuantely it cost somewhere around $7.00 per minute. I don't remember the exact price. There is also the internet cafe. I beleave that I read the Valor has Wi-fi service from the forward to the aft section of the ship. I never used these services but maybe you could research them. I hope this helps.

[ConquestCruiser]

I have Sprint and on the Conquest my phone worked always when we were close to land and sometimes at sea.......Cost me about $40 bucks or so, not too bad!!

[willy paul]

I used Sprint on our TA cruise in October. I used it at sea off Madeira and the roaming charges were more reasonable than I expected.

[elsje]

Hi everyone! I have a question regarding cell phone access on Carnival ships. I read where Carnival had completed outfitting its entire fleet for cell phone access in an arrangement with Cingular. I have Sprint service and contacted Sprint customer service who indicated (without any conviction) that my phone, set on roaming, should be able to receive and send calls while in international waters. Since I have absolutely no confidence in Sprint customer service (one gets a different response to the same question on nearly every inquiry), I wanted to ask if anyone has actually used Sprint service while at sea. I'm hoping to take a last minute trip on the Valor (Western Caribbean) but need to have periodic access to the mainland before I can agree to go. I would very much appreciate your input. Thanks so much!

 

I am not sure if you spoke with the Internal Roaming department, but here is their number 888-226-7212 and http://www.sprintpcs.com/internationalroaming

 

I have International ($4/month) on my Sprint phone and my calls in some of the Caribbean islands and/or Mexico vary from 50 cents to $1.50 per minute, depending on the area. You can find the rates in the above mentioned web-site and also which phones work (some reguire quad band or dual/tri and so on.

 

A week before I go out of the country I call the Sprint International Customer Solutions and tell them where I am going. They then check to see if my current cell phone is "up-to-date"...if not they take care of it right then. The service has been great for me.

 

I have been able to get service closer to shore, but once away from shore and on the seas I could not get reception. I merely take my cell phone for emergencies on the island or to get in touch with my family at home.

 

Hope this helps ~ Els

[gbfan06]

Thanks to everyone for your help on this. I very much appreciate your assistance. I did in fact inquire with Sprint's international customer service on two different occasions. The first time I was told Sprint service would not work in conjunction with Carnival while at sea because Cingular had set up the system. However, after I read a few comments from folks who used cell phones from non-Cingular providers, I questioned whether I had received accurate information. During the second call I made to Sprint, first I explained their own website had a page on "access at sea" with a list of ships included, they then suggested I "might" be able to use my Sprint phone at sea as long as it was set up for roaming. I believe my phone will work on-shore in several Caribbean locations because of local roaming networks. In this case, I was particularly interested in whether it would actually work during at sea days. My only hope of knowing is from Sprint customers who've been there and done that. Again, thanks so much for your input.

 

PS: Yes, I'm a long-time Packers fan!