Has anyone used their cell phones on their cruise??

[ANT2304]

Either at ports or on the cruise!!!!

 

[tinkmom2]

I have a tracfone and wasn't able to use it at all. It kept saying for emergency use only! It was ok though I still went and checked my email once in the internet cafe.

 

[Jusacuz]

Yes. I was able to text onboard a few times and check my voicemail once. It didn't work at Castaway Cay or on the sea day, though. It was too expensive for me anyway so it was probably good that it didn't work. I imagine different phones & services get different results. I have Verizon.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Yes, we have done it quite a few times. You can only do it when you are either in port or very close to port. We have Sprint, and at the time, we did not have an international plan. We didn't have blackberry's, iphones, or anything, just plain phones. What happens is that it uses the ships satellite to be able to make the call. The best thing to do is contact your phone company, tell them where you'll be and see what the rates are.

I think when we were calling from GC or Cozumel (can't remember which one) it was a couple dollars a minute. But for us, business owners, it was a deal. Dealing with phone cards can be a pain, the ship is $7 a minute, etc etc.

One thing we did to keep in touch was to use the internet plan. We'd type the message on our computer first, and then just use a few minutes to cut and paste into the document we were sending. We'd hurry and check our inbox, and would be done.

 

[TiggerTails57]

We text.......our DD did call us once and it cost big bucks!!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We used our Verizon cell at St Thomas. I didn't think the charge was too outrageous.

 

[rb71593]

has anyone used an AT&T Go Phone?

 

[tvguy]

Generally speaking, using your cell phone isn't too expensive in ports. Just depends on your plan and carrier.

Using your cell phone on the ship at sea will always be through Cellular at Sea no matter which carrier or plan you have, and it is pricey.

We left our cell phones at home.

 

[zimaaaaah]

I used my ATT phone while docked at Nassau and the charge wasn't bad at all. A bit more expensive, but not as high as I feared it might be. Reception was fine.

 

[Scooby3x1y]

I was looking for something else, and ran across DCL's answer to this:

Question
Can I use my cell phone while out at sea?
Answer
Yes. With the Cellular at Sea phone service, you can make and receive phone calls and text messages on your own cell phone once the ship is approximately 12 miles out at sea. This service is available from most phone service carriers—such as AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile—and is currently accessible exclusively in staterooms aboard the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Pricing varies depending on your wireless provider and usually includes International roaming charges. It is recommended that you contact your service provider to obtain information on rates before beginning your cruise.

 

[star2500]

What about just texting....my daughter is panicking already that she won't be able to text. lol Will texting be chargeable if you have an unlimited texting plan.

 

[jagmom]

I have T-mobile and I could never get it to work. I guess it saved me some money, though.

 

[rb71593]

What about just texting....my daughter is panicking already that she won't be able to text. lol Will texting be chargeable if you have an unlimited texting plan.

Yes, texting will be about 50¢ a message

 

[Scooby3x1y]

It will be international texting, so check with your carrier and your individual plan. It will be more expensive than normal though.

 

[star2500]

OMG lol....the phone is staying home! lol....she had 8000 text messages last month.....I'll be coming home to a texting bill that cost more than our cruise lmao

 

[Scooby3x1y]

OMG lol....the phone is staying home! lol....she had 8000 text messages last month.....I'll be coming home to a texting bill that cost more than our cruise lmao

Yeah, and really the cruise is about having fun and doing stuff you can't do at home. She'll have fun and be fine...

 

[star2500]

Oh I totally agree with that one. She had the riot act read to her after that phone bill came even though we didn't have any charges.

The only reason I agreed to this phone is because it's a good "punishment" lol

 

[Scooby3x1y]

Oh I totally agree with that one. She had the riot act read to her after that phone bill came even though we didn't have any charges.

The only reason I agreed to this phone is because it's a good "punishment" lol

Yeah, leverage can be a good thing!

 

[kovets]

Check this website out - it answers most questions: http://www.cellularatsea.com/guest_services.htm

 

[tvguy]

OMG lol....the phone is staying home! lol....she had 8000 text messages last month.....I'll be coming home to a texting bill that cost more than our cruise lmao

That's one text every 6 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 31 days.

Wow, and to think I blew my stack when my son went over his 500 message a month limit.