I hope it's just a rumor...

[happy cruzin]

Heres some ideas i've thought of when we do our cruise, maybe some can benifit from these and still be able to keep in touch with family at home.

 

No one has mentioned text messeging. I know it doesn't work at all when your at sea but when you reach a port and get off the ship and far enough from the ship your service switches over to the local towers and if your in an area the has digital service I think it would be a whole lot cheaper if not free or including in your plan to text a messege to someone at home then to call wouldn't it? providing your texting someone at home or where ever with a cell phone also. Nearly all my family and friends have cell phones that are on 24/7 and use text messaging. I'm also going to tell family if it's an absolute emergency then call over and over back to back and maybe by the 4 or 5 time my cell goes off i'll answer knowing it must be an emergency. Does caller ID work at sea? Calls I get at sea from numbers I don't recognize or repeated calls over and over I don't recognize i'll just ignor and when I return to main port again in my normal calling area I'll return calls.

I think when me and my fiancee go on our honeymoon cruise next year were going to tell who ever is watching our kids and imediate family and friends to just email us whenever they want and we'll check email once a night on the laptop. Where thinking about doing the 60 minutes of internet service for $24 and if we use that up before our 5 day cruise is over we'll buy another 30 minutes or so depending. It's far cheeper and can get a lot more said if you type out your email or reply offline in MS word then copy, paste, send, & logg back off again.

I'll probably jump on and start a thread on here during our cruise with pictures to make all those who wish they were on a cruise jealous :p lol

 

A few thoughts.....

 

1. text messages do work while on the ship. I can not remember what the cost was - but none of them are "free" like they are at home.

 

2. when the ship docks it is required to turn off the tower on the ship so that you can pick up local towers. The ships service is only available while at sea - not while in the ports.

 

3. we have Cingular/AT&T and caller ID worked from the towers on the ship - but not when we were picking up local towers in the ports.

 

4. just remember you are charged for every minute used - even when checking messages - when you are using the system on the ship. Others have posted that you get charged even for calls that you do not answer. This has NOT been the case for Cingular/AT&T - but maybe it varies by carrier.

 

5.also there is no free "mobile to mobile" or "in networking calling" - each phone gets charged for each minute used.

[CARIBBEANBLUESKY]

Cingular/At&t website shows that calls from the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are covered within the national plan, so there would be no extra charge to make calls back to the US. This sounds right as these are US territories. But can anyone verify this info?? Have you actually used your phone there and not had any additional charges? It would be great to be able to call home while in these ports and talk to the kids without rushing off the phone.

 

 

This is correct. I used my AT&T/Cingular phone in PR and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and there were no charges for these calls on my bill.

[CARIBBEANBLUESKY]

You have to have a phone that has international capability and your international calling has to be enabled by your carrier. The rate is 2.49 per minute for all calls when using the tower on the ship.

 

This is correct. I was able to use my phone (AT&T) on the ship while at sea and in ports other than U.S. territories. I had called to have international calling activated and was also told the rate would be $2.49 per minute when using the ship's tower. I was told it would be $1.99 per minute when outside of U.S. territories and not using the ship's tower. My friend also has AT&T and could not use his phone because he had not activated international calling. We were in the Caribbean. I don't know if the $1.99 rate applies elsewhere.

[Jeepenfun]

1. text messages do work while on the ship. I can not remember what the cost was - but none of them are "free" like they are at home.

I've been searching on verizon's website and all I can find for there rates while internationaly is text messages sent are 50 cents and recieved texts are 5 cents. I looked at the cellular at sea website too and for verizon it had "N/A" for text messaging. I just thought it wasn't available. Would be interesting to know the text msg charges though using cellular at sea.

 

With all the texting that goes on someone has to know this answere. maybe a call to Verizon can answer this too.

[mumsyo]

I have cell phone with me when I cruise. But, it is off when I am on the ship. I only take it in case of an emergency. Sometimes, if I am in a US port, I will use it to check on things on the home front.

 

Marilyn

[UpstateCruizer]

We have Verizon cell service and I'm torn as to wether having the ability to use the cell phone would be good for us or not. A few years ago we took a land based vacation to Nashville. We were having a great time until the second evening. We had hired a house/pet sitter that was an employee at the local vets office. Shortly after dinner on the second night he called to tell us that he "lost" one of our dogs (Maxx). Since we have 4 Maltese who stay in a fenced in yard when let out, we couldn't figure this out. Knowing this situation was happening back home and being assured he'd turn up must be hiding we were encouraged to stay on vacation. When the next day came we decided to look for flights back home. Getting 4 of us on the same flight was impossible. It totally ruined our vacation. If this had happened while on a cruise there isn't much we could have done about it and I'm not sure if given the chance I'd want to be at sea worried sick over something I could not change. I can see the peace of mind from hearing things are fine but will it ruin a cruise if you find out someone is ill has gotten hurt etc? Something you can't do anything about until you return? BTW Maxx returned home after being gone 21 days as a scrawny mess and apparantly spent those days in the woods hiding out. :)

[J.A.H.]

I used my Trac phone on board the Spirit (Mexico) last December, from inside my cabin, and had great reception. Didn't pay anybody anything, (except that I probably used extra minutes?) These things are great. Got it for $10 at Wal Mart and just add minutes whenever I want to. No need to take it all over the ship, though. It worked great INSIDE the cabin!:D

[happy cruzin]

I've been searching on verizon's website and all I can find for there rates while internationaly is text messages sent are 50 cents and recieved texts are 5 cents. I looked at the cellular at sea website too and for verizon it had "N/A" for text messaging. I just thought it wasn't available. Would be interesting to know the text msg charges though using cellular at sea.

 

With all the texting that goes on someone has to know this answere. maybe a call to Verizon can answer this too.

 

Can't help you with the Verizon part :( since we are Cingular/AT&T - but I sent and received text messages while on our Triumph and Legend cruises. Seems to me the .50 per message sounds right - but I can not swear to it. I do remember thinking that the TM was cheaper than calling - when I got the bill!!

 

I suggest that if Verizon is your carrier that you call and ask for the international department. The international department for Cingular/AT&T has always very helpful in explaining my options and the cost per minute for each port that we are going to visit.

[The4Cruisers]

It's amazing that not a single person on this thread has Verizon (unless I missed it)! I do and the rate for Verizon is $0.69/minute in the USVI and $1.25 in the Bahamas. Was told I may have trouble getting service though. Only to check on my boys and their homework! And hopefully not driving my mother crazy!

 

Glory in 4 days!

 

I've got Verizon, but that phone is turned off from the moment I take a seat at the embarkation port and doesn't get turned on again until we wake up pierside at disembarkation, so int'l rates / service don't make a difference to me. ;)

[Giggles2007]

Yep, it is true. We used our phone on the Glory in June to keep up with elderly relatives. I don't think I saw anyone using one though.

 

 

I will be sailing Glory in the near future but in the past on Victory and Destiny, I got a signal here and there. But signal or not my phone ALWAYS stay off! I turned it on once in a while to check on kids at home but next cruise they will be with me for the first time so I shall pack the phone away and not pull it out until I get home (maybe).:D :D :D

[nmcrzer]

DH works for Verizon. The 50 cents per text message charge is only available while in port. While on the ship, the calls and texts are managed through Cellular at Sea, and currently there is no text messaging capability to send or receive while on the ship. I'm addicted to text messaging, and indeed it did not work on the Conquest last year. Calling worked, but it was the $2.49/min through Cellular at Sea.

[cicima]

With Cingular/At&T, no matter where your ship is going, the cruise ship rate is 2.49 per min. That is for all calls. No mobile to mobile or anything like that applies. Generally, if the phone is on and a call comes through that you do not answer, you will have the 1 min call and the 2.49 charge on the bill. the rate in ports differ per port. The text messages are .50 per message...

 

Hope this helps....

[gypsygirl]

Sad but true - we had a guy in the dining room on the phone all through dinner at the table next to us on the last cruise.:mad: :eek:

 

Now that's really disgusting.

[mcgore83]

We used our verizon service to check in with the kids while cruising on the Triumph. No charge when we called from San Juan and St. Thomas. Cost was .69 cents per minute from St. Maarten. We spent about $5 dollars keeping in touch with family, but only in port and in private!!! I think it is so rude for people to use their cell phones in restaurants, malls, etc. Please excuse yourselves.

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Do only certain providers work? I have Tmobile and when we went on the Destiny in January my phone only had service in San Juan and St. Thomas.

[happy cruzin]

Do only certain providers work? I have Tmobile and when we went on the Destiny in January my phone only had service in San Juan and St. Thomas.

 

I thought that they all worked when you have international capabilities activated by your carrier. But only when you have an international activated account.

[Jeepenfun]

I thought that they all worked when you have international capabilities activated by your carrier. But only when you have an international activated account.

I'm assuming this is the current list of cell phone carrier partners through cellular at sea.

http://www.cellularatsea.com/roaming.htm