Cell phone on the cruise?

[DMLAINI]

So we'll have our phones on airplane mode. Will we still be able to text each other in the DCL app?

 

[monkeydawn]

So we'll have our phones on airplane mode. Will we still be able to text each other in the DCL app?

Yes, as long as you connect to the ship's wifi.

There are very clear instructions in this thread. If you dont understand them the best thing to do would be to visit the Connect At Sea desk once you are on the ship.

 

[Smilelea]

Has anyone used it on the Dream?

It was working on the Dream in December.

 

[JM_97]

Stop by the Connect@Sea desk on the first day of your cruise; they have a pamphlet there that walks you through how to make sure everything is turned off for your cruise. It goes step-by-step, which makes it really simple! As of my most recent cruise on the Fantasy in May 2019, iMessages (iPhone to iPhone texts) are included and you do not need to use WiFi on the ship for these messages. You just can't send pictures for free. And of course using the DCL app on board is free too. So it should be very easy to stay in touch with the rest of your party on the ship, and if you have an iPhone, anyone back on land who also uses an iPhone. Have a great trip!

Editing to add: I believe they also have CMs who work at the Connect@Sea desk (during certain hours, not around-the-clock); they should also be able to help you with any technology needs during your vacation!

Didn't know that about iMessage. That sounds very convenient.

Does this also work on Castaway Cay?

 

[MarkLT1]

Don't have anything to add, other than thanks for all the great info everyone! Unfortunately I cant completely unplug, as I might need to troubleshoot a work server issue if something goes south while I am gone. Very glad to know both about the iMessage for free on Fantasy (my vacation firewall who will contact me in an emergency has an iPhone), as well as the 50mb free data (it would take me much less than that to troubleshoot the issue). I've been getting a littler nervous about being able to do a troubleshoot if necessary, and this really puts my mind at ease!

 

[SL6827]

I just don't know if I could trust that my teen and even more so her friend that is going with us not to swap their phone back off airplane mode and try to get on the internet without us knowing. Would this be possible for them to do? If so, I just may have to confiscate their phones completely. I mean, could they possibly run us up a $300 bill in wifi charges if we are not proactive on this?

 

[JM_97]

I just don't know if I could trust that my teen and even more so her friend that is going with us not to swap their phone back off airplane mode and try to get on the internet without us knowing. Would this be possible for them to do? If so, I just may have to confiscate their phones completely. I mean, could they possibly run us up a $300 bill in wifi charges if we are not proactive on this?

Are you worried that they'll use your data plan or that they'll buy a WiFi plan? If they buy a WiFi plan, I bet it would be easy to catch as it would come up on the bill. If you're worried about using data secretly, maybe call your provider and ask if there's a way to block data usage for that time?

 

[hnthomps]

I just don't know if I could trust that my teen and even more so her friend that is going with us not to swap their phone back off airplane mode and try to get on the internet without us knowing. Would this be possible for them to do? If so, I just may have to confiscate their phones completely. I mean, could they possibly run us up a $300 bill in wifi charges if we are not proactive on this?

One has to login to the wifi once a plan is purchased, so if you don't trust them, don't give them the login (or only allow them to use it when you've logged them in to your device or whatever version of that works).
My bigger worry would be inadvertent roaming charges from the mobile phone company. Some carriers just plain won't work at sea. Others will charge you international roaming charges (and the ones that don't work at sea probably work in port with roaming). ad hoc international plans are usually $20 - $40 for the month. It might be worth investing in that as a backup just in case someone accidentally turns airplane mode off.

 

[SL6827]

One has to login to the wifi once a plan is purchased, so if you don't trust them, don't give them the login (or only allow them to use it when you've logged them in to your device or whatever version of that works).
My bigger worry would be inadvertent roaming charges from the mobile phone company. Some carriers just plain won't work at sea. Others will charge you international roaming charges (and the ones that don't work at sea probably work in port with roaming). ad hoc international plans are usually $20 - $40 for the month. It might be worth investing in that as a backup just in case someone accidentally turns airplane mode off.

Well her friends phone isn't on our Verizon account so we wouldn't incur any charges there, but I wouldn't want her family to get that bill either. I could completely disable my daughter's phone, lol. My adult daughter was talking about buying 1 GB for her and her boyfriend to possibly use late at night a bit, but I don't know how long 1 GB will last them. Her cell phone is on our plan, her boyfriends is not.

 

[SL6827]

Don't have anything to add, other than thanks for all the great info everyone! Unfortunately I cant completely unplug, as I might need to troubleshoot a work server issue if something goes south while I am gone. Very glad to know both about the iMessage for free on Fantasy (my vacation firewall who will contact me in an emergency has an iPhone), as well as the 50mb free data (it would take me much less than that to troubleshoot the issue). I've been getting a littler nervous about being able to do a troubleshoot if necessary, and this really puts my mind at ease!

This is an issue too. I don't mean to sound boastful or obnoxious but my husband's company will freak out if something bad goes down and they can't get him on the line. He always still "works" when we are on vacation, but we have not been anywhere lately that he could not be contacted. We added the Travel Pass with Verizon with our time in the Caymans, but it doesn't work on the ship.

 

[g_ppetto]

A few more comments... We're also on Verizon. On our last trip I was talking to our daughter as we left Port Canaveral. I was rather curious how far out the VZW towers reached. We were well out of the channel when the call ended. It turns out the call had shifted seamlessly from the local VZW towers to whatever was on the ship. Our next bill had a small charge I could only attribute to the phone call as we left port. It was only a couple of dollars, under $4.

re: on board data plans - We picked up a 1GB plan, mainly for my wife. We got into the habit of signing into and out of the data plan. Remember which browser you used to create the account and bookmark the page. When you sign out you are presented with a page that shows how much data is left. We would screen shot the page to help us remember how much was left.

For those that need to be available while on the trip, I would give my employer a heads up that I'll be expensing a rather large phone bill once I return from the trip.

I'm curious to know how reachable someone would be if they left their cell phone on while on the ship. Would a call placed through a cell tower in NJ go through and reach me on the ship? And then, what was the cost associated with the call?

 

[monkeydawn]

Well her friends phone isn't on our Verizon account so we wouldn't incur any charges there, but I wouldn't want her family to get that bill either. I could completely disable my daughter's phone, lol. My adult daughter was talking about buying 1 GB for her and her boyfriend to possibly use late at night a bit, but I don't know how long 1 GB will last them. Her cell phone is on our plan, her boyfriends is not.

Do you have a couple of old iDevices that arent on a current plan that the girls could use while on the ship but couldnt possibly use data on? They could still buy wifi if they really wanted. If she's going to buy a GB make sure she turns off all notifications, I had most of mine turned off and the couple I left on (messages and phone) ate a good chunck of my free data whenever I connected. I was able to check email once and the weather app a few times and then the free data was gone.