Cell service on the ships?

[TJDisneymama]

Probably a stupid question, but I have no clue what to expect! Will we be able to make/get calls/texts on the ship? Only when in port? We are doing the 3 nt. Dream so just PC to Bahamas. TIA

 

[martinm]

Probably a stupid question, but I have no clue what to expect! Will we be able to make/get calls/texts on the ship? Only when in port? We are doing the 3 nt. Dream so just PC to Bahamas. TIA

You can but the service is slow and EXPENSIVE.

I recommend you wait till at a wifi spot in port to reconnect.

I use the week to take a week off from being wired to my life. (not for everyone I know)

 

[MedicGoofy]

Probably a stupid question, but I have no clue what to expect! Will we be able to make/get calls/texts on the ship? Only when in port? We are doing the 3 nt. Dream so just PC to Bahamas. TIA

The cell service was fine for me. I had to make several calls home while on my cruise and called from the middle of nowhere in the Caribbean. I had no issue with getting through, and 2 of the calls I made from the 1st deck of the ship from the medical office (interior of ship, no windows). And that call went through fine, and the person on the other end had no issue hearing me.

I also texted a few times with no issue.

The only thing to be aware of, is the cost of doing this. Almost $400 later, it hurt.

 

[TJDisneymama]

what do they charge international rates? I don't want to pay an arm and a leg because people are texting me...

 

[lbgraves]

The service you will use on the ship is Cellular at Sea. It was $2.50 just for a missed call one cruise. Turn off your phone completely while on the ship. I take the battery out of mine and leave it all in the safe. If you have an international plan, you will be able to access that while in the ports. Not sure about at CC since that is DCL's though. It will show on your phone if you are connected to Cellular at Sea or not.

 

[bitlerzx4]

I use the week to take a week off from being wired to my life. (not for everyone I know)

us too. We made it a rule that no electronics come aboard with us.

 

[ShakeyShakey]

I would suggest setting your phone to Airplane mode while at sea (as soon as you leave port) - the charge for data, voice and text is crazy - if you need to be connected purchase the internet service and use email - additional mobile phone rates will be set by your carrier - $2.50 per minute and $0.50 per text (each way) is the AT&T rate - this adds up very quickly on top of roaming fees.

Like the previous post, use this time to disconnect from the real world.

 

[erionm]

Probably a stupid question, but I have no clue what to expect! Will we be able to make/get calls/texts on the ship? Only when in port? We are doing the 3 nt. Dream so just PC to Bahamas. TIA

While at sea, cell calls and texts will be via Cellular at Sea.

http://wmsatsea.com/roaming-partners.html

In port, you will be subject to your carriers roaming agreement with the local carrier(s).

 

[Jestocost]

Probably a stupid question, but I have no clue what to expect! Will we be able to make/get calls/texts on the ship? Only when in port? We are doing the 3 nt. Dream so just PC to Bahamas. TIA

As the PPs have noted, cellular phone and data service on the ship is expensive. In an emergency it will be cheaper than ship-to-shore rates.

While you may be able to use your phone in Nassau, I think that will be international roaming for all of the major U.S. cell phone carriers. In most cases that will mean that your phone has to be compatible with the local phone system, that you have to have international roaming capabilities as part of your plan, and that all of that actually works when you go to make a call (in my experience not a guarantee). It also probably will be at very high international roaming rates. Check with your cell provider for details.

 

[Filmguy]

I was dealing with an issue at the office I was on the phone for maybe 20 mins and with data etc I had a $500 bill! St Thomas is in the US so thats US rates, otherwise its OUCH!

 

[wendyoconnor]

We put our smartphones in airplane mode for the week and I don't miss checking my email or calling family or surfing the internet. The TV's in the staterooms have enough channels that we stay informed of major news stories and sports scores. It doesn't bother me that family can't call us while we are on vacation. It wasn't very long ago that family vacations were taken with out cell phones. We leave the DCL number with family in case of an emergency.

DH's grandfather was disappointed that he couldn't track us as we sailed, we use Find Friends on our iPhones, because we had our phones off. Neither of us wanted to pay the huge cell phone bill when we got home.

 

[KEMdisney]

If I turn my phone completely off while cruising, will I have any issues with people texting me while I'm on the cruise?

 

[Ravenne]

We leave the DCL number with family in case of an emergency.

What number is that? Is it their general customer service number or is there a different number in case of emergencies?

 

[DillWaters]

If I turn my phone completely off while cruising, will I have any issues with people texting me while I'm on the cruise?

If you get a lot of texts, I'd put it in airplane mode before you turn it off. That way if something bumps your phone and switches it back on while out at sea or abroad, you won't get charged for the dozens of texts queued up just waiting for your phone to come back online.

 

[erionm]

What number is that? Is it their general customer service number or is there a different number in case of emergencies?

There is an emergency number in the packet that DCL mails prior to your cruise. It's a toll free number, but the caller must enter a CC# in order to complete the call the the ship.

 

[Ravenne]

There is an emergency number in the packet that DCL mails prior to your cruise. It's a toll free number, but the caller must enter a CC# in order to complete the call the the ship.

Do they get charged anything or is it for some sort of insurance purposes?

 

[MikeAndNick]

us too. We made it a rule that no electronics come aboard with us.

I also have that rule. All phones and computers are turned off and locked in the safe. The one exception on our last cruise is I changed from books to a Kindle Reader.

 

[erionm]

There is an emergency number in the packet that DCL mails prior to your cruise. It's a toll free number, but the caller must enter a CC# in order to complete the call the the ship.

Do they get charged anything or is it for some sort of insurance purposes?

The shore to ship call will be charged to the CC# entered.

 

[StephenKay]

Hi there,

Sorry to jump on to someone else's post, however I want to contact my wife by email whilst crossing the atlantic in May and I am thinking of buying a data package with my network provider which is Vodafone uk. I know I can get a signal via GSM on the crossing, however do I need to buy a Disney wireless package also. Or can I just compose an email and then press send?

 

[TJDisneymama]

I was dealing with an issue at the office I was on the phone for maybe 20 mins and with data etc I had a $500 bill! St Thomas is in the US so thats US rates, otherwise its OUCH!

yikes!!!

i was just in the bahamas a couple years ago and used my phone a good amount for calls and texts...... I don't remember it being very expensive. Maybe $100 total for the 5 days I was there. But it sounds like at sea is what's most expensive (of course)