Cheapest way to call home from a cruise?

[nilseks]

DH and I are taking a Carnival cruise in February. Yes, you can tell we're thrifty because we're going on Carnival. My parents will be here at our house with our boys. In the past I have done a few girlfriend cruises and I just emailed home to my husband from the ships computers, but never worried b/c I knew hubby would have everything under control. With DH and I both on the cruise, I will have some anxiety about my parents being able to handle everything, and I feel the need to call home daily. I also need to feel like my parents can contact me if necessary!

I have an iphone with AT&T and I'm told it's very expensive to call the US from a cruise. I don't even know that I would have a signal?

Any advice on best way to call home--a certain calling card or something? Or maybe I can be a prepaid phone with international minutes? I just have no clue where to start! Thanks!

 

[SaraJayne]

DH and I are taking a Carnival cruise in February. Yes, you can tell we're thrifty because we're going on Carnival. My parents will be here at our house with our boys. In the past I have done a few girlfriend cruises and I just emailed home to my husband from the ships computers, but never worried b/c I knew hubby would have everything under control. With DH and I both on the cruise, I will have some anxiety about my parents being able to handle everything, and I feel the need to call home daily. I also need to feel like my parents can contact me if necessary!

I have an iphone with AT&T and I'm told it's very expensive to call the US from a cruise. I don't even know that I would have a signal?

Any advice on best way to call home--a certain calling card or something? Or maybe I can be a prepaid phone with international minutes? I just have no clue where to start! Thanks!

DH and I went on a Carnival cruise this last February, leaving our children at home with Grandma.

I was able to contact her daily through the Carnival website (which is free while onboard). It's just like a regular messageboard, and I posted updates every day, and my Mom could write there, also.

Anyway, I did call home once during the week, just to check in. The 10 min $70 phone call was worth the peace of mind...both for me and the kids.

I called from our cabin on the ship, because our cell phones didn't work internationally.

 

[Sarahlovy]

It is $2.49 a minute for you to call from the cruise ship. You have to make sure that international calling is enabled in for for your phone to even work on the ship. AT&T offers a discount plan for some international locations (which is what they consider calling from a cruise ship- they have a tower onboard), but it is not applicable for cruise ship calling, so make sure that they do not try and sell you on it. (You can view your rates at http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/international-roaming.jsp).
Text messages are also more expensive, and do not come out of your texting plan if you have one. If people send you text messages and you have your phone on so you receive them, it just counts as a regular text, and it is .50 to send a regular message and 1.30 I believe to send picture messages. Data is almost 2 cents a kilobyte, and adds up fast.
I don't know what the least expensive way to contact home is, but there is how much it would be to use your iPhone. All information can be double checked at the linked site.

 

[Bowen9475]

I went on a weekend cruise with a girlfriend last Fall. I left my husband and kids at home. I called home each day from the port of Nassau. When we got off the ship there was a small shopping area. One thing they sold was calling cards and they had pay phones right there to make the calls from. I think I paid $10 for a 60 minute card. Because we ran into bad weather and had to stay overnight in Nassau, I was able to call home several times on this card. Hope this helps

 

[msmayor]

Depending on where your cruise 'ports', check with your cell carrier to see if their location is "included" in your plan.

When we cruised to San Juan/St. Thomas/St. Maarten a few years ago, both San Juan and St. Thomas were part of our calling area and there was no additional charge for 'roaming' when calling from there. I was able to make parasailing arrangements while in San Juan, and confirm them in St. Thomas for no additional charge.

 

[budbeerlady]

We left Dd at home with my parents on our last Carnival cruise. On the cruisecritic board I read about buying calling cards on the island and using those. We called Dd from the Grand Cayman with a 30 min card, I think it was $5 and we didn't use the whole thing. I think we talked for not quite 20 min between Dhs mom and my family.

They have signs posted on the stores for the calling cards and then phones to use them on in the back of the business. It was cheap and easy, we would do it again next time.

 

[tlbwriter]

A friend of mine just got back from a cruise - they signed up for some kind of international calling plan from AT&T just for the time they were at sea. I think she said it cost about $50 (one line), but it included unlimited calls and texts, and a limited amount of data.

ETA... check out AT&T's international calling options here:
http://www.att.com/esupport/article...5YQI-0-2&cv=820&sid=KB115935#fbid=iuQS720bw9y

 

[seashoreCM]

Note that some calling cards and all pay phones have surcharges. For example you may have a 60 minute card but the first minute takes 10 minutes worth of time off of the card (more for a pay phone) and each succeeding minute takes one minute off of the card. Read the instructions on the back of the card before buying it.

 

[nilseks]

Thanks so much for all the tips and hints. The calling cards sound great--I do remember seeing that in a port somewhere on a past cruise. Would be great if we could get the $5 one from Grand Cayman!

But first I'm going to check out that $50 calling from AT&T. That is more than I want to spend but would be so worth it for the peace of mind, if I could have unlimited calling home. My oldest (10) is a real mama's boy and I know it will be hard for him not to talk to me every day.

 

[maggiew]

If you have a smartphone, turn OFF the data or you will be in for a HUGE bill. Do this before the ship sets sail. Even if you don't check email, etc., if you have apps that autoconnect to the internet, you will rack up charges.

We recently went on a Carnival cruise also. My mom was scheduled for minor (knee) surgery while we were gone. I checked in via the Carnival Funville forum on the ship like another poster mentioned. It was free (although note that it is public if anyone happens to click on your thread). I did call home from St. Thomas and it was approximately $7 for a brief call (a few minutes).

Maggie

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I bought a cheap pay as you go phone at Walmart.
It is Verizon and cost $15 and had $10 loaded so I really paid $5 for it.
I put in my kids at home and my mom as contacts then set the phone to only receive calls and texts from my contacts so I did not waste money on spam calls or texts.
I took it with me to the beach each day and did not worry about it getting wet or stolen like I would my regular phone. I buy time each time we cruise and it has lasted a few years.
Texts were 5 cents to receive and 50 cents to send. I sent one to one daughter and before hand had told them to forward to the other. I do this each day and at 5 cents a text they text me as much as they want.
Calls were $2.49 a minute.
If you are cruising the Caribbean, you do not need international calling.
For Verizon Puerto Rico is free but St. Thomas is not.
When we had T Mobile both were included in the plan.
We usually sail Holland America and when we are at sea from the sailaway we get a message welcoming us to their service and what the prices are. Carnival owns HAL so they probably have the same service.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I don't know about Carnival but DCL has "Cellular at Sea" which shows on my phone when we're at sea. I did have to call the airline once and I don't recall it being super expensive. As others said, try to call from St. Thomas or Key West if you stop at either of these.
I have to say, it's a little thing but we loved that on our Alaskan cruise, we could get ATT in every port.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I don't know about Carnival but DCL has "Cellular at Sea" which shows on my phone when we're at sea. I did have to call the airline once and I don't recall it being super expensive. As others said, try to call from St. Thomas or Key West if you stop at either of these.
I have to say, it's a little thing but we loved that on our Alaskan cruise, we could get ATT in every port.

HAL has Cellular at Sea too so probably all the Carnival owned lines use them.

 

[stsomewhere]

I vote not to callhome. What are you going to do? Leave a number for the grandparents to reach in in case of any emergency.

Or if you need to call, just call from port during the middle of your trip.

Just go and hav a great time on your trip.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I once went on a week long cruise for a burial at sea.

I left the kids home with DH and we communicated through the Carnival Fun forum. Yes, it is public, but you will see, many families communication on it.

Also, I researched in advance and found out the ship I was on had live cameras you could watch online.

We had a set schedule where I would go out on the deck where the camera was and wave to the kids on the camera. DH would bring up the website and the kids would look for mama. They loved it.

I had taken a 12 pack of soda and was able to make a sign out of the cardboard box, using a fat marker from the bartender.

 

[pjlla]

Not taking the time to read all of the replies, so sorry if this is a repeat.

My DH has a VOIP phone line here (Phone Power) at home for his job. He had the kids download the app to their phones/Ipod touch so that they could call home from abroad for free. It works with wi-fi.

In 2011 DD was able to call home from Costa Rica on her Ipod Touch, in 2014 DS was able to call home from Costa Rica on his Samsung Galaxy and DD was recently able to call home from Ireland and Scotland from her Iphone 5S. The wi-fi signal needs to be pretty strong (and the cell signal needs to be turned off on the phone so that you don't accidentally use it) and I know nothing about wi-fi on a cruise ship..... but there is an option. Best of luck..............P

 

[tinatark]

Do your parents text? Outgoing (not pics) are usually .50, incoming free.

I cruised Carnival out of Port Canaveral last November - the entire last night, after about dinner, we were close enough to Florida that I was in range for regular cell service the entire time.

Call AT&T to confirm their plans/prices for ports.