7/14/2014 - 12-Night Mediterranean Cruise (with Greece) Venice to Barcelona

[denise]

just went to the ATT store regarding using our phone on the trip...

text messages are 50 cents...in and out...each!

voice--they have plans that can get it down to 50 cents a minute...with prepaid packages. But if you don't use all the minutes it's just to bad....

So what do you all do...we have always just had our phones off and used wifi for free when we can and even used facetime once with wifi..

Used the ships wifi on the Baltic in 2010 and it was so slow but I had to have it as my mom had just passed away and I had to pay her bills while we were gone.

I need your suggestions please..

 

[Cousin Orville]

just went to the ATT store regarding using our phone on the trip...

text messages are 50 cents...in and out...each!

voice--they have plans that can get it down to 50 cents a minute...with prepaid packages. But if you don't use all the minutes it's just to bad....

So what do you all do...we have always just had our phones off and used wifi for free when we can and even used facetime once with wifi..

Used the ships wifi on the Baltic in 2010 and it was so slow but I had to have it as my mom had just passed away and I had to pay her bills while we were gone.

I need your suggestions please..

I order an ATT texting plan and an international data plan. I don't make international calls. It works well when in port. I don't believe either work when you're sailing.

 

[danfromca]

just went to the ATT store regarding using our phone on the trip...

text messages are 50 cents...in and out...each!

voice--they have plans that can get it down to 50 cents a minute...with prepaid packages. But if you don't use all the minutes it's just to bad....

So what do you all do...we have always just had our phones off and used wifi for free when we can and even used facetime once with wifi..

Used the ships wifi on the Baltic in 2010 and it was so slow but I had to have it as my mom had just passed away and I had to pay her bills while we were gone.

I need your suggestions please..

First - the ship should have the new upgraded internet plan - charges by megabyte instead of by minute. I was on the Fantasy a few weeks back, and it was both less expensive and faster than on previous cruises.

In terms of phone - I switched recently to T-Mobile, in part because of their global plan for this cruise and the previous one. On my Fantasy cruise, it exceeded expectation - in port I really did have free unlimited text messages and 3G data. Phone calls were only 20cents/ minute.

I still keep my phone off on the ship (cellular at sea is absurdly expensive), but I'll have it on while in port and on shore.

 

[SailingSeas]

http://www.boingo.com/retail/ is invaluable for finding free wifi hotspots. With wifi, then get an account at http://www.skype.com/en/ for voice calls.

I hope that helps!

 

[jd99]

just went to the ATT store regarding using our phone on the trip...

text messages are 50 cents...in and out...each!

voice--they have plans that can get it down to 50 cents a minute...with prepaid packages. But if you don't use all the minutes it's just to bad....

So what do you all do...we have always just had our phones off and used wifi for free when we can and even used facetime once with wifi..

Used the ships wifi on the Baltic in 2010 and it was so slow but I had to have it as my mom had just passed away and I had to pay her bills while we were gone.

I need your suggestions please..

The first time we did a Med cruise we did nothing, assuming we would just use wifi on the ship and not need phone. When our luggage was lost on the way (in Barcelona) we were lost without our phones. Since we are going to be in Greece for 10 days prior we will buy the international calling plan just in case - but mostly we will use texting when needed. We have AT&T too and found last time in Greece that this was the best choice for us.

 

[denise]

The first time we did a Med cruise we did nothing, assuming we would just use wifi on the ship and not need phone. When our luggage was lost on the way (in Barcelona) we were lost without our phones. Since we are going to be in Greece for 10 days prior we will buy the international calling plan just in case - but mostly we will use texting when needed. We have AT&T too and found last time in Greece that this was the best choice for us.

We did the same on our Med cruise in '07...I thought I could turn on the plan from the internet in Greece. (free in the hotel) but no I had to call in....well how can I do that? So we did the three weeks in Greece and the entire cruise without internet except free wifi here and there...life was good...

We usually just find free wifi and we are fine. On the Baltic cruise a fellow cruiser told me about Whistle App before we left. We used that a couple of times but were fine without text. Well DD has a boyfriend and they want to text. I think they will just have to be happy with facetime when we have frree wifi!!

It will be nice if the ship is upgraded! Don't want to pay ATT 50 cents a text for messages like....what's ya doing? or just the letter K.....

DD understands her phone will be on airplane mode...

 

[LyndaC]

I used the new upgraded internet plan on the west bound Panama Canal cruise. Worked great, much better and quicker than the old plan. But if you're going to access it with either a phone or a tablet, make sure that all of your automatic programs are turned off, ie photo updating, or it will drain your MB really really quickly.

 

[jd99]

We did the same on our Med cruise in '07...I thought I could turn on the plan from the internet in Greece. (free in the hotel) but no I had to call in....well how can I do that? So we did the three weeks in Greece and the entire cruise without internet except free wifi here and there...life was good...

We usually just find free wifi and we are fine. On the Baltic cruise a fellow cruiser told me about Whistle App before we left. We used that a couple of times but were fine without text. Well DD has a boyfriend and they want to text. I think they will just have to be happy with facetime when we have frree wifi!!

It will be nice if the ship is upgraded! Don't want to pay ATT 50 cents a text for messages like....what's ya doing? or just the letter K.....

DD understands her phone will be on airplane mode...

We usually buy a texting plan that is $10 for - I think 50 texts - per phone. But you only get charged for outgoing. After that it is 50 cents each. Found that worked great for us - even with teenage daughter texting a friend at home. She kept good track of what she was sending out and then used wifi where she could for snapchat and instagram.

 

[LovesToRun]

We did the same on our Med cruise in '07...I thought I could turn on the plan from the internet in Greece. (free in the hotel) but no I had to call in....well how can I do that? So we did the three weeks in Greece and the entire cruise without internet except free wifi here and there...life was good...

We usually just find free wifi and we are fine. On the Baltic cruise a fellow cruiser told me about Whistle App before we left. We used that a couple of times but were fine without text. Well DD has a boyfriend and they want to text. I think they will just have to be happy with facetime when we have frree wifi!!

It will be nice if the ship is upgraded! Don't want to pay ATT 50 cents a text for messages like....what's ya doing? or just the letter K.....

DD understands her phone will be on airplane mode...

We use the app called "WhatsApp", which is free texting using WiFi. So, you do need WiFi, but when you do have WiFi, you can text for free anywhere in the world. Obvoiusly, if you are not where there is WiFi, and you need to send a quick text, it won't work, but if you are wanting to just send texts back home to update people on how you are, etc, this is a great way to text for free. I just put my phone in airplane mode, so that way I won't get any roaming charges, and turn on my WiFi on my phone so I can connect to whatever WiFi I have available to me, and then I can text, and send as many text messages as I want free of charge. The only thing is the people you text have to also have the WhatsApp app on their phone... so if you use this app, whoever you plan to text, make sure they've downloaded WhatsApp to their phone and added you to their contacts.

Here's a link for more info:

http://www.whatsapp.com/

Anyway, just another idea for texting.

 

[kwormington]

Hi All! So happy to have found this thread. My husband and I, along with our two kids*—*daughter (9) and son (4)—*will be joining you on the Med Cruise.

See you all in about a month!

Kate

 

[MPS516]

We add International to our plan for the time we travel and get the internet package on the ship for e-mail. In port the WiFi are often over crowded or difficult to sign into waiting for someone to drop off with the crew and so many passengers using those in port terminals or close by. DD and DW have their smartphones they hook to WiFi when we are in a restaurant or location with WiFi.

 

[keenercam]

Hi, everyone!

Kathy - Thank you for the reminder about Whatsapp. Someone had told me about it, but I'd forgotten. I've downloaded it and will remind our "kids" to download it too.

I have added everyone to the Facebook group page who has made the request. If you want to be on the Facebook page, please go here: and ask to join

FACEBOOK GROUP

Also, if you have signed up for the dinner in Venice, please respond ASAP to the email I sent today. We are well over the capacity that the restaurant can accommodate so I need to hear from everyone who signed up.

As we get closer to the sail date, I will try to compile a list of all the various meetings of DISers/FB group members so that you can add those dates and times to your calendars.

 

[SailingSeas]

SLG, was looking for your update, how are you doing? How did surgery go yesterday? I am thinking of you.

 

[Lynn G]

Hi All! So happy to have found this thread. My husband and I, along with our two kids*—*daughter (9) and son (4)—*will be joining you on the Med Cruise.

See you all in about a month!

Kate

Welcome to the group!

 

[fourbryants]

We are booked! Myself, DH, and our 3 girls who will be 21, 18, and 13 when we sail. We were also on the Magic with Keenercam a few years ago! She did a great job planning our pre-cruise dinner!

I have a 12 yr old girl on the cruise ! Hope they can meet up!

 

[fourbryants]

We booked this one on our last cruise in the Mediterranean (13 july -25july) , we love the greek islands. Jeroen Suzanne Tycho (boy then 15 years) Quinty (girl then 12 years) From The Netherlands

My daughter is 12 too and so excited about the cruise!!

 

[MPS516]

We had sailed the Med with a family from Huntsville in 2010, the are with NASA. It was really funny, they were a few years behind me at college in Memphis, we met on DIS Board.

 

[seaulater]

It will be nice if the ship is upgraded! Don't want to pay ATT 50 cents a text for messages like....what's ya doing? or just the letter K.....

I was on the Magic in April and the internet has been upgraded and changed. No longer charged by the minute.

 

[keenercam]

DIRECTORY INFORMATION - I just sent out an email regarding the directory.

If you want to be in the directory but did not receive the email, please let me know.

 

[SailingSeas]

Kevin, if you're checking here before checking your email, check your email. (am rather chuffed over the email.)