Calling Home when in Disney

[Samlovesthemouse]

Hi All

This is my first post!! I have been lurking on here for a few weeks and thought it was about time to join.

I have a question regarding calling home. Last year when me and my BF went we spent a fortune calling home on our mobiles

What does everyone else do to keep in touch with their families but not spend a fortune?

We did think about using skype but don't want to take a laptop so we are struggling with ideas... please help!

 

[jen_uk]

You can buy calling cards, the $5 ones I bought from the Florida Mall lasted about 40 minutes, the one I bought from Disney only lasted 3 minutes I find the cheapest way to do it though is to buy a calling card in this country and then give the pin number to everyone you want to speak to and ask them to call you! A £5 card gives about 700 minutes so its easily enough for all family to use

 

[wayneg]

Welcome to DISboards.

As Jen says the calling cards are great value. I was given one from someone on DIBB in 2008 which had about 60 mins left on it. Worked well for a friend that was with us calling his parents but we would rather have laptop with us and use MSN, DIS etc. Also use it for clearing photo memory cards, online check in, loads of stuff. Easter we are taking 2 laptops, August taking 3, wouldn't want to do a trip without them now.

 

[lam]

Welcome to DISboards.

As Jen says the calling cards are great value. I was given one from someone on DIBB in 2008 which had about 60 mins left on it. Worked well for a friend that was with us calling his parents but we would rather have laptop with us and use MSN, DIS etc. Also use it for clearing photo memory cards, online check in, loads of stuff. Easter we are taking 2 laptops, August taking 3, wouldn't want to do a trip without them now.

We leave in 3 days but i like to travel 'light' so won't be taking my lap-top.
Last year I made 3 phone calls to Ireland from AK villas, ranging from 6mins to 15 mins and they charged me circa $190!!(may even have been MORE than this)
I nearly died when i got the bill!!

Can i pick up these phone/PIN cards on my Virgin flight at Gatwick or at Gatwick airport?
How do they work?
DO i use them from my mobile(southern ireland) or from the hotel phone or from a 'lobby' phone?

Sorry to be a pain but not very 'savvy' about such matters BUT won't spend all that money again for a few minutes conversation!!

regards

lam

 

[DISWolves]

The first time that we went, I got an international phone card from my local Co-op travel agent. This can be used on any public phone, by first dialing a code and then your international home number, Last year I took a small Samsung netbook with Skype loaded, this year will be the same. I also intend to take my i-Phone with Skype loaded for when we are in a 'free' wifi area. If you have an i-phone remember when in USA to turn off data roaming or you may be in for a big shock when your next bil arrives.

 

[Pootle]

I always have a pre-paid phone card which I used to get from Wal-mart and would often top up. This time I had difficulty and the 'tech' guy at the cell phone counter told me they had stopped selling them but I could still buy them at Walgreens (and other places I've forgotten).

I bought a Walgreens $20 PhoneCard plus which gives '340 US minutes'. Now I don't remember how many international minutes that translated into (and it doesn't say on the card) but it does tell you when you make a call, and I was surprised at how many it was (a lot!).

As a DVC member I don't pay to make calls but I think generally it is 75 cents from your room at Disney resorts, but after that, nothing other what is deducted from the card.

I also like to have one of these with me when I'm at the airport in case of flight delays. Makes it easy (and cheap) to call home although there is a 'cost' (extra minutes deducted) for using from a public phone kiosk.

 

[TOONMADLAD]

I've used this company before, not for the USA but for Mexico and they were ok. http://speedypin.com/phone/cards/United+Kingdom

Or like others have said you can buy from Walgreens or maybe at the airport in Orlando.

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

We used a $10 calling card which as it turned out, was a life saver and got us home!
We must have used well over 60 minutes in total on just one card and it still said we had minutes left.
Definiatly good value. We got it from a machine in our hotel (though we stayed off site).

 

[Samlovesthemouse]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys ...I will check out the link posted!

Does anyone know if you can buy Phone cards from the Disney Hotels?

 

[Ann B]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys ...I will check out the link posted!

Does anyone know if you can buy Phone cards from the Disney Hotels?

Yes but they don't last long at all. Did this once but it only lasted a few minutes!!!
We buy a phone card from a UK travel agent before we go for £10. When in WDW we use the pay phone in the lobby and it lasts a very long time. Have had no problems with this at all. A very cheap and convenient way to keep in touch back home. We have had some last about an hour and then brought it home and finished using it here.
HTH
Ann

 

[Samlovesthemouse]

Yes but they don't last long at all. Did this once but it only lasted a few minutes!!!
We buy a phone card from a UK travel agent before we go for £10. When in WDW we use the pay phone in the lobby and it lasts a very long time. Have had no problems with this at all. A very cheap and convenient way to keep in touch back home. We have had some last about an hour and then brought it home and finished using it here.
HTH
Ann

This is what I think Il do then, it sounds relatively cheap and simple, what more could I want! Thank you

 

[torsie24]

I text my parents the hotel # and get them to call me!

 

[lam]

I always have a pre-paid phone card which I used to get from Wal-mart and would often top up. This time I had difficulty and the 'tech' guy at the cell phone counter told me they had stopped selling them but I could still buy them at Walgreens (and other places I've forgotten).

I bought a Walgreens $20 PhoneCard plus which gives '340 US minutes'. Now I don't remember how many international minutes that translated into (and it doesn't say on the card) but it does tell you when you make a call, and I was surprised at how many it was (a lot!).

As a DVC member I don't pay to make calls but I think generally it is 75 cents from your room at Disney resorts, but after that, nothing other what is deducted from the card.

I also like to have one of these with me when I'm at the airport in case of flight delays. Makes it easy (and cheap) to call home although there is a 'cost' (extra minutes deducted) for using from a public phone kiosk.

Hi, Am i missing something here?
I'm a DVC member too and got charged about $200 plus to make 3 short calls to the Republic of Ireland.I was staying at my home resort.
How come you get the calls free??

lam

 

[Pootle]

Hi, Am i missing something here?
I'm a DVC member too and got charged about $200 plus to make 3 short calls to the Republic of Ireland.I was staying at my home resort.
How come you get the calls free??

lam

LOL, I guess I didn't put that very well. I don't get the CALLS free (that's why I have the phone card) but I don't pay the 75c access fee that you pay for making any call from your room, even 1-800 numbers.

 

[disney_princess_85]

II bought a Walgreens $20 PhoneCard plus which gives '340 US minutes'. Now I don't remember how many international minutes that translated into (and it doesn't say on the card) but it does tell you when you make a call, and I was surprised at how many it was (a lot!).

As a DVC member I don't pay to make calls but I think generally it is 75 cents from your room at Disney resorts, but after that, nothing other what is deducted from the card.

I bought one of these cards from Walmart and used it to call out from my Disney room. I wasn't charged anything extra to do this.

 

[ScotScroogeMcDuck]

We have bought phone cards from the Dolphin before and used them at the payphones, they were always good value.

has anyone ever used skype via their iphone in Orlando before?

 

[Howellsy]

I also gave my parents my hotel room number at the Pop and they would text me when they were going to call, then they would use one of the cheap access numbers to phone me and we could talk for a lot longer. I found this worked very well

And sorry to steal the thread slightly, but has anybody called someone else in America at the same time as them, possibly off their mobile? I'm not sure how interntational charges work when two British phones are abroad

I have friends who'll be there this August (who will have both their British sim cards and American sims) and I'm not sure how best to contact them to meet and sort everything out. I'm going to take my laptop, but connecting to the internet for 10 days in the Pop isn't going to be cheap!

 

[DISWolves]

has anyone ever used skype via their iphone in Orlando before?

I already have got the app loaded with credit, so I intend to us it in August when I am in a free wifi zone

 

[anthony2k7]

Someone recommended the universal cards to me before so we got one and it seemed to be nearly as bad as the disney ones for value!

Last time we got one from one of the machines in MCO airport - seemed to last considerably longer than both the disney and universal ones. Still seemed a bit of a rip off though!

 

[LouiseUK]

As a complete ignoramus in these matters, can I just ask how the phone card works - do you put it in the pay phone and it takes credit off or do you have to dial a number on the card first (like using the 1p a minute providers)?