RCI to offer guests Cell Phone Use via AT&T/Cingular

[KamloopsCruisers]

.....regarding your inquiry, Royal Caribbean does not have policy of where cellphone are/are not permitted to be used.

We apologize for any disappointment in this regard.

 

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

Maria Perez

Customer Service Representative

Oh dear, I think I hear ringing in the dining room.:mad:

[mojo4trav]

SCENE:

While lying under the stars on the top deck after dinner, watching them pass as we sail slowly toward St. Thomas...

"What a beautiful night honey, I'm really glad we chose a cruise to celebrate our anniversary this year..."

RING RING RING RING

"Hello, yes, ok, well I have my laptop with me, give me a few minutes to get online and I can send you the file. OK, no problem, you too, goodnight."

Hmm, wonder how well that will go over with the spouse?

[nosnobunny]

I think this is a great idea. The more options we're given the more we can make our vacation the best it can be.

 

Of course you would. This doesn't come as a surprize.

 

I have one question to those who think they are so indispensable. If you're out in the middle of the ocean and you get a call to say you're dog's sick, your kids are misbehaving, etc. what are you realistically going to be able to do to alleviate the problem. You're in the middle of the ocean!

 

Beth

[ruttie]

I have one question to those who think they are so indispensable. If you're out in the middle of the ocean and you get a call to say you're dog's sick, your kids are misbehaving, etc. what are you realistically going to be able to do to alleviate the problem. You're in the middle of the ocean!

 

Beth

the people i leave my kids with would never call me on my cell phone .. I trust them and they could handle what ever problems come up.. (plus i leave my phone off and only turn it on to call them) I want my phone so that I can relax and enjoy knowing that I can call and check on them whenevr i feel like it.. kinda like a security blanket....;)

[TOMMYCRUISER]

I think it's great idea there may be situations were you need to be contacted or you need to keep in contact with a family member so this would be great for that as far as it going of in dinner I hope people would have the sense to have it off or on vibrate. Besides if I read it right you'd have to be in a certain area of the ship for it to work.

 

Cell phones are very inmportant link to sick relatives for some people. It all comes down to having respect for others. Sorry but this touched a nerve.

 

Tom

[chrisklik]

I have to agree... I may not be indispensible to some but I am to others. I would like to know I could keep in contact with my family(parents both elderly). I know they can reach me ship to shore, but at an extrememly expensive rate and after jumping through hoops. If something should happen to them i want to know NOW. Granted I can't just jump off the ship, but if i am in a port or even on the way to the next one, i can be making arrangements to get home. Or who knows, that cell phone call may be the last time I get to hear their voice ot they get to hear mine. Ships are big enough for there to be cell phone friendly areas.I agree there should be designated no cell areas,( eating areas,casinos,auditoriums,etc) but there is no reason for them not to be allowed on decks or in your cabins. I may not like the fact that someone child is screaming because they can't have what they want, but do I tell them they can't cruise??? No. Just as parents do their best to keep their kids under control, cell phone users will need to keep their use under control....

[erin_cruisers]

Sorry to hear about that!

I believe that this will be another unenforceable rule, that the minority

will abuse. (just like the chair hogging, towels, kids in adult pool, etc etc).

 

Yes, I have a cell phone, but unlike some, I turn mine off when I don't want to be disturbed, (ALWAYS off at home, and ALWAYS off when on holidays).

The ship has a telephone for emergencies, and that's what it's there for, and if it's not an emergency, I don't need to hear about it!!!

 

I'm 47, and I DO remember what it was like without Blackberries, cell phones, pagers, 2-way personal radios. ...and yet, we actually survived!

And we weren't emailing/text messanging/cell phoning back and forth, etc every 15 seconds with useless drivel. My gawd, are we important now!

 

There!... I'm OK now...

but don't let me catch someone's cell phone/pager/cherrypit thingy going off during the show, or dinner, or, or....

[KamloopsCruisers]

Sorry to hear about that!

I believe that this will be another unenforceable rule, that the minority

will abuse. (just like the chair hogging, towels, kids in adult pool, etc etc).

 

Yes, I have a cell phone, but unlike some, I turn mine off when I don't want to be disturbed, (ALWAYS off at home, and ALWAYS off when on holidays).

The ship has a telephone for emergencies, and that's what it's there for, and if it's not an emergency, I don't need to hear about it!!!

 

I'm 47, and I DO remember what it was like without Blackberries, cell phones, pagers, 2-way personal radios. ...and yet, we actually survived!

And we weren't emailing/text messanging/cell phoning back and forth, etc every 15 seconds with useless drivel. My gawd, are we important now!

 

There!... I'm OK now...

but don't let me catch someone's cell phone/pager/cherrypit thingy going off during the show, or dinner, or, or....

Erin, I'm 48 and totally agree with you, but I have a strong suspicion we are in the minority. If I was truly needed in an emergency I could be contacted on the ship - otherwise, please leave me alone! My world back home can run quite smoothly without me for a few days.

 

Sue

[mojo4trav]

I want to add expand on something said previously. There is technology available to limit the use of phones in certain areas; this is actually quite popular in Asia, and entirely feasible to implement in this case. Let's just hope Cingular and RCCL are willing to invest the extra capital to make it happen.

[1corona4u]

Erin, I'm 48 and totally agree with you, but I have a strong suspicion we are in the minority. If I was truly needed in an emergency I could be contacted on the ship - otherwise, please leave me alone! My world back home can run quite smoothly without me for a few days.

 

Sue

I totally agree with both of you. I remember when they weren't around too. I got along just fine without it.

[bh2359]

1. When on a cruise, the only time that your cell phones work is when you are in or very near a port that has phone towers that support your phone company.

 

2. When out of port, if there is an emergency, you can always call on the ship's phone. Yes, it is expensive but if it truly is an emergany, should it matter?

 

3. There are ports the ship stops in that do not have compatible towers to support your cell phone.

 

THUS,

 

If the ship you are on has this new cell phone system in place and only turns it on when within 60 minutes of any port, then this new system will work.

 

Otherwise, as many posters have stated, good luck!

[mojo4trav]

1. When on a cruise, the only time that your cell phones work is when you are in or very near a port that has phone towers that support your phone company.

 

2. When out of port, if there is an emergency, you can always call on the ship's phone. Yes, it is expensive but if it truly is an emergany, should it matter?

 

3. There are ports the ship stops in that do not have compatible towers to support your cell phone.

 

THUS,

 

If the ship you are on has this new cell phone system in place and only turns it on when within 60 minutes of any port, then this new system will work.

 

Otherwise, as many posters have stated, good luck!

Having a background in management with the second largest wireless carrier in the US, I an inclined to agree with your statements. However, there is something additional being done to allow for wireless calls at sea. I believe they may be looking to implement a system that will utilize the satellite link to transmit and receive calls. Naturally, this would come at an additional charge beyond standard airtime rates, perhaps even requiring the feature to be enabled before traveling to prevent 'accidental' usage. In the end this is simply a way for RCCL and Cingular to provide an 'added value service' to their customers and increase revenues.

Of course, we won't know EXACTLY what their plans are until they implement them.

[emund]

My initial reaction was that this would be a good thing, to keep in touch in case of an emergency, but now I do agree the downside far outweighs the good. I do agree that this should be limited to certain areas of the ship. Chances are that the service won't even work inside the ship anyway though.

 

Erik

[sgttami]

We were on Empress a few weeks ago and you would not believe the amount of people that were talking on cell phones while we were in port on the ship..pool deck/Windjammer/Centrum....we didn't sail until 10 PM and were on the ship at 2 so we listened to non-stop constant chatter and babble up until about an hour after we were at sea.

 

When we couldn't dock in St. Kitts but were very close to shore, we saw people on the cell phones as well yapping to someone that we weren't docking...blah..blah. No emergencies from what I heard...Nothing but idle chatter.

 

I do have a cell phone and I do not know the phone number offhand. It's written on the phone and it was bought for emergencies on the road where there was no access to a phone. ( I used to travel 40 miles home from work at midnight on very desolate roads..no pay phones, no NOTHING!! or I never would have bought it) Fortunately, I never had to use it.

 

Vacation should be just that..VACATION!!! I don't care what line of work anyone is in, someone at the company should be able to answer questions while the boss is away..If not, then your'e not a very good boss!!! I know very successful people who ran businesses long before the days of cell phones and computers..

 

I think it is a good thing to know that if you need it..you can use it but PLEASE.....life is filled with too much noise and confusion as it is.

[bUU]

This ties in well with the current thread about what folks want to see RCI do in the future. Some folks, including myself, have noted that the responses break down into basically two camps: Folks who want traditional cruising, and folks who want a new kind of adventure-oriented cruising. I mentioned that I felt that that's why RCI maintains two brands, so they can offer a product that is directed more specifically towards the needs of these very-different market segments.

 

I'd be shocked if they offered this service, or similar innovations, on Celebrity, for the very reasons some folks are mentioning here, along the lines of it breaking the traditional cruising model. For that same reason, though, it makes sense to me that they offer this kind of service on RCI's signature brand, given that it is the brand being designed to appeal to the previously unserved cruising market segment.

[hstrybuf]

How true it is, bicker. I myself prefer the more traditional style of cruising and find there are already too many cell phones onboard. While there are always exceptions, most of the time people cruise to get away from the run of the mill days, including phones. If anything is soooo important that you must have a cell phone (other than those few exceptions) then stay home!

 

I realize that this is only one person's opinion and most likely the service will be in effect by the time I next set foot on a ship. I'll deal with it and hope that the atmosphere is not downgraded due to excessive use of cell phones. I also hope that they will limit where and when they may be used. *sigh*

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Well it's the modern era and I'm sure there doing this because the number of people that wanted it out number the people that don't. I for one am all for it I have parents that are up there in age and their healthis not the best and trying to get a hold of someone on a ship is nearly impossible because I've experienced this.

 

And from what I've read there will be certain arae's where you will have to go to us your cell phones for them to be effective and it will only be when your out at sea in ports you must rely on land base towers. I do bring my cell phone everywhere I go in fact I do not even have a house phone and yes I am on vacation.

 

There are two sides to ever situation and they both have good points but you just can't stand in the way of progress because you will get run over. I'm sorry to be so blunt but cell phones are very necessary for some of us.

 

Tom

[Tyron]

I can see the good and the bad in this scenario. I do hope that RCI will provide the service but limit the service area where individuals can use their cell phones. I just read now cell phone use will be available on airlines in the very near future. While I'm all for technology and progress I can't help but to think of how this service can and will be abused by countless number of folks who have nothing better to do than run their damn mouths on cell phones, talking about NOTHING

[TOMMYCRUISER]

I totally agree with you there Ty!

 

Tom

[dfgf]

Once RC offers this service, I won't hold a grudge against anyone who takes advantage of it. Hopefully, they won't hold a grudge against me when I answer all of the questions they yell through the phone. This usually gets someone to excuse themselves to somewhere where I don't have to be part of their conversation. Here's a typical conversation, where the letters "RCU" stand for Rude Cellphone User.....

 

RCU: "HEY! HOW'S IT GOING?!?!?!"

ME: "Fine." (RCU looks at me, confused, but keeps talking)

RCU: "WHERE ARE YOU ?"

ME: "At the pool." (RCU looks at me, still confused, but continues conversation)

RCU: "THAT'S GREAT! WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?"

ME: "None of your business." (RCU gives me dirty look, excuses him/herself to a more remote area, and we both end-up happy!)

[TOMMYCRUISER]

Now that's funny I like that.

 

Tom

[adam00]

I'll be using that method on the ship as well as here at home.:D

[pdkai]

On my last two cruises I had my son injured in Iraq on one and family death on the other. I got the information without having cell phone access in the middle of the ocean.

 

I guess people using them in public wouldn't bother me so much if they wouldn't talk so LOUD. In a restaurant you don't hear people talking to their tablemates, but let them get a phone call and you can hear them across the room.

 

On the ship, I have a feeling people will be using them to call other people sailing with them. You know, "Where are you now?" "What time do you want to meet in the Windjammer?" "I can't find you in here, what table are you sitting at? Save two more chairs." ETC, ETC

[bUU]

Tommy: It's not always a matter of democratic determination of how many people want something vs. how many don't. Rather, it is more a matter of which decision results in the best overall long-term shareholder value. So even if fewer passengers want something a specific way, if there are enough passengers that way are willing to pay enough extra for it, combined with enough passengers that may not like it but are willing to live with it, then it'll be the best overall business decision.

[adam00]

You wouldn't happen to be the same Bicker that I used to "talk" to on the news group Marine Aquaria would you?