Cell phone use at WDW

[Snibs2412]

Thanks - I love these boards!!!

 

[jmann]

Yes!! My family and I just took our first trip to WDW this past March Break, and on our drive down we picked up 2 Net10 phones (one for me and one for my husband) at Wal-Mart. They worked wonderfully, and were such a great deal. Why would we pay outrageous fees to use our Bell cell phones in Florida when the US has options like this??!?

I know, my Rogers phone would cost me a fortune to make a call or text. For $30 I get a phone and can make local calls without thinking about it.

 

[cdnmousegirls]

When there last Sept we still paid some very expensive roaming charges but used our unlimited texting free to communicate with the rest of our party in the parks!

 

[Styx555]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been answered already, however can't find it. I have 2 rogers phones that we will be bringing down with us. If we text each other, are there additional charges?

What about texting to a phone back home on Canada?

Thanks

 

[Kurby]

yes - but you can get a texting package when you go.

we got one from bell - $5 for 50 messages.

it is the cheapest way to go since roaming charges are a *itch

 

[Styx555]

we currently have unlimited texting. Will this work or is it a seperate package needed when visiting the States?

 

[Wazzo]

I picked up two prepaid cell phones in the US yesterday (just across the border), and I am now trying to activate them at home. The activation doesn't seem to be updating the phone. Is it possible to activate them from Canada? Or do I need to be in the US?

I have a Florida phone number on the online account for the phone, but the phone itself doesn't seem to be connecting to the service. I'm wondering if I need to wait until I'm across the border for the phone to pick up the right American signal??

 

[cslittle999]

I picked up two prepaid cell phones in the US yesterday (just across the border), and I am now trying to activate them at home. The activation doesn't seem to be updating the phone. Is it possible to activate them from Canada? Or do I need to be in the US?

I have a Florida phone number on the online account for the phone, but the phone itself doesn't seem to be connecting to the service. I'm wondering if I need to wait until I'm across the border for the phone to pick up the right American signal??

You probably need to be in the US. Most pay-as-you-go phones don't work outside of the country they are bought in.

 

[Wazzo]

You probably need to be in the US. Most pay-as-you-go phones don't work outside of the country they are bought in.

Thank you! I will try again once we cross the border.

 

[peacefrogdog]

1. Is there a time delay to activate the phone once in the US? I'm debating buying a T-Mobile or Virgin phone once I arrive in Orlando for November but would like to start using it right away. Wil it work right away once activated?

2. Also, when you buy a pre-paid card, do you have to activate it by certain time? For example, if I buy a pre-paid card now, could I wait to use it (and activate it in November)?

3. Also, can you buy pre-paid cards in Canada (e.g. Virgin) and use them for a US-based phone?

 

[Wazzo]

1. Is there a time delay to activate the phone once in the US? I'm debating buying a T-Mobile or Virgin phone once I arrive in Orlando for November but would like to start using it right away. Wil it work right away once activated?

2. Also, when you buy a pre-paid card, do you have to activate it by certain time? For example, if I buy a pre-paid card now, could I wait to use it (and activate it in November)?

3. Also, can you buy pre-paid cards in Canada (e.g. Virgin) and use them for a US-based phone?

Hopefully someone will have better answers for you, but here's a start:

1. I haven't activated my phones yet (they won't activate at home in Canada), but I have read that people have started using the phones 10 minutes after activation. You do have to charge the phone before activation though, and that can take 4-6 hours. So, that might be a delay for you.

2. You should be able to buy a pre-paid card and wait to use it. They usually don't start the clock until you activate the card.

3. Not sure on this one, sorry!

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Any new info?? Would love updates.

 

[CDNmouse]

Just back from a week in Naples FL folowed by a week in Orlando.

I picked up three Net10 pay as you go phones from a Target Store in Detroit before going.

Phone were on sale, reg $29.99 on sale for $19.99 and came with 300 minutes each.

Activated the phones online in Naples. We had a Naples area code assigned but this was not big deal as there was no additional cost for long distance calls anywhere in the USA. We went to Orlando for a family reunion at Disney World so I gave my brother and sister each a phone.

They worked great and we were able to remain in contact if we separated in the parks or allowed the kids to head over to the parks first and call to meet up when we got there.

300 minutes was more than enough for us. Charges were by the minute meaning that if our calls were 1 min and 5 secs, 2 minutes were deducted. At the end of our week in Orlando we still have almost 200 minutes left on each phone.

Since we all headed home at different times on different flights we were even able to call each other from different parts of the US for no additional cost. When I arrived back home in Detroit I called my sister from the plane, she was still at the Magic Kingdom during Extra Magic Hours.

So in total for about $60 plus tax we had three phones to use in Disney World. Worked well for us!

Gary

 

[Wazzo]

I recommend Net10 too! We bought ours across the border (on sale at Target for $15.49 including 300 minutes), and I activated them online back home in Canada. I used a Lake Buena Vista zip code during the activation, and I got a phone number local to WDW.

We drove down to Florida, and the phones activated perfectly once we crossed the Canadian border. We used them for texting and calling, and had a ton of minutes left. Great service!

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Just back from a week in Naples FL folowed by a week in Orlando.

I picked up three Net10 pay as you go phones from a Target Store in Detroit before going.

Phone were on sale, reg $29.99 on sale for $19.99 and came with 300 minutes each.

Activated the phones online in Naples. We had a Naples area code assigned but this was not big deal as there was no additional cost for long distance calls anywhere in the USA. We went to Orlando for a family reunion at Disney World so I gave my brother and sister each a phone.

They worked great and we were able to remain in contact if we separated in the parks or allowed the kids to head over to the parks first and call to meet up when we got there.

300 minutes was more than enough for us. Charges were by the minute meaning that if our calls were 1 min and 5 secs, 2 minutes were deducted. At the end of our week in Orlando we still have almost 200 minutes left on each phone.

Since we all headed home at different times on different flights we were even able to call each other from different parts of the US for no additional cost. When I arrived back home in Detroit I called my sister from the plane, she was still at the Magic Kingdom during Extra Magic Hours.

So in total for about $60 plus tax we had three phones to use in Disney World. Worked well for us!

Gary

I recommend Net10 too! We bought ours across the border (on sale at Target for $15.49 including 300 minutes), and I activated them online back home in Canada. I used a Lake Buena Vista zip code during the activation, and I got a phone number local to WDW.

We drove down to Florida, and the phones activated perfectly once we crossed the Canadian border. We used them for texting and calling, and had a ton of minutes left. Great service!

Thanks, we'll definitely look into Net10 at Target & hope we catch a sale. Hope it's as easy to reactivate after a couple months without using them, KWIM?

 

[jasmom]

Last week I was in Syracuse and they didn't have any at Target. That was one of the reasons we went was to look for phones. I am still trying to figure out how we are going to communicate.

 

[CDNmouse]

Thanks, we'll definitely look into Net10 at Target & hope we catch a sale. Hope it's as easy to reactivate after a couple months without using them, KWIM?

We are not even going to bother trying to reactivate the. I looked at the cost of reload minutes and 300 minutes was $30 ... more than what we paid for the phone. We will just get new phones again next trip.

We got ours at target but I have also seen them at other big box stores like Walmart.

Gary

 

[DisneyStiles]

First - my apologies as I haven't read all of this thread. We are flying to WDW, taking the ME and will not be in the US prior to our trip. Is there anyway to get these phones in Canada ahead of time? Sorry if this has already been answered.

Also does anyone know if the walkie talkies work well at WDW

Thanks,

 

[CupidsKiss]

I was browsing Walmart.com & Target.com for the Net 10 and Trac phones. They do not specify that they come with minutes. Is it everyones experiences that they generally do or do you need to purchase the phone cards too?

 

[Wazzo]

First - my apologies as I haven't read all of this thread. We are flying to WDW, taking the ME and will not be in the US prior to our trip. Is there anyway to get these phones in Canada ahead of time? Sorry if this has already been answered.

Also does anyone know if the walkie talkies work well at WDW

Thanks,

I personally couldn't find any companies that would ship the phones to Canada, so I had to go and get them across the border. You could have them shipped to your hotel in Florida, but you'd still need to charge and activate them. HTH!

I was browsing Walmart.com & Target.com for the Net 10 and Trac phones. They do not specify that they come with minutes. Is it everyones experiences that they generally do or do you need to purchase the phone cards too?

When I was shopping for the phones in person, the only phone that came with minutes was the Net10 phone. All of the other prepaid cellphones I saw at Target, Walmart, KMart etc. did not come with minutes included. Online deals may be different though...