Cost of phone calls while in Disney?

[pta-mom]

What should I do?

My boys & I leave in seven days for Disney but my hubby is staying home. We will be gone twelve days so of course I would like to talk to him! I just found out that the hotels on site charge big bucks for not just out going calls but in coming as well...someone said they paid $80 for twenty minutes!

I have a cell phone but I assume the roaming charges on that would be huge as well.

Any ideas what would be the best way to call home (or have him call me) at a reasonable (read cheap here!) rate?

 

[mackeyapp]

You may want to check with Bell. DH was able to put a package on our cell phone (I believe it was for the month) that enabled us to call home and also check messages with our business. Give them a call and someone should be able to help you out. We didn't do that the first year we went down and spent a lot more money with phone calls. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[pta-mom]

I'm not with Bell, I'm with Fido, but I'll give them a call & see. Thanks!

 

[pta-mom]

You may want to check with Bell. DH was able to put a package on our cell phone (I believe it was for the month) that enabled us to call home and also check messages with our business. Give them a call and someone should be able to help you out. We didn't do that the first year we went down and spent a lot more money with phone calls. Good luck and have a great trip!

Thanks Mackey! I'm on hold as Fido signs me up for fifty minutes long distance, in-coming or out-going, for $35 for the month. Not cheap but certainly better than what I might have paid if I had waited until I got to the hotel to make the call.

 

[B-Ride]

Just make sure you aren't still going to be killed on the roaming charges. My kids have phones that they can call free between each other but it was the roaming charges that would kill us.

 

[pta-mom]

Just make sure you aren't still going to be killed on the roaming charges. My kids have phones that they can call free between each other but it was the roaming charges that would kill us.

Yay, I asked that too but apparently it is all included in the price so it works.

Actually the lady I was dealing with made an error as she was adding all this to my account, which took longer & made her feel bad so instead she gave me 168 minutes for only $35!! Doubt I'll use 168 minutes but you never know!!

 

[esdras]

Thanks Mackey! I'm on hold as Fido signs me up for fifty minutes long distance, in-coming or out-going, for $35 for the month. Not cheap but certainly better than what I might have paid if I had waited until I got to the hotel to make the call.

I'm not sure if you are staying onsite - but if so, act now! I was reading through the cell phones thread that has a sticky in this forum, and buying a U.S. cell phone could actually be your cheapest option.

I went with Virgin Mobile USA, but others can be just as reasonable.

Here are the easy steps at this point.

1. Set up a PayPal account and have it set to charge your credit card for purchases - this will let you buy from Virgin Mobile's USA site as they accept PayPal, but not a Canadian credit card.
2. Go to the US Virgin Moblie website. Any time you activate a phone with Virgin Mobile, they give you $2.50 in airtime. Until Aug. 18, they have three promos - buy $10, $15 or $20 in airtime, get a free phone. The phones aren't great - but they work. Of course, the $10 airtime is the cheapest phone. Virgin Mobile costs $0.20/min in the U.S. and $0.35/min to Canada. The $20 phone would give you an hour talk time to Canada - or, buy the $10 one, and when you activate the phone, buy their "minute pack" at $20, lowering your cost per minute to 10 cents US or 25 cents to Canada. That would run you abut $35-$40 Canadian (after taxes and exchange) and give you two hours and 10 minutes of talk time back to Canada. Very reasonable.
3. If you do this and buy the phone - they will not ship it to Canada, but they will ship it to your resort, and Disney will hold on to it until you arrive. Under name - put yours. Under Address Line 1 - put GUEST ARRIVING xxx, 2008. Under Address Line 2, put the resort address, and then the rest as normal.
4. Arrive at Disney, pick up your phone, call Virgin Mobile and activate your account.

If you go to the US fairly often, keep the phone. Although your account will expire between trips, whenever you go to the US, simply pick up an airtime card and reactivate your account. You'll get a new phone number each time - but that's not a big deal.

Anyway, hope this helps.

ETA - just saw your latest post - that due to the screw up they gave you more minutes for less than you could do by getting a US phone. Never mind - you've got a better deal this time.

 

[SAGE]

I picked up a $10. phone card from a variety store. Tons of minutes and I called from our hotel room.

 

[briarberry]

Sounds like you are all set. I had a similar problem but I needed 2 phones so I read up about the Virgin phones on this board. I went to Port Huron last week (I was going anyway) and bought 2 Virgin phones at Target for $13 each. I activated them online and when I cross the border they should work once I top them up with the cards I also got at Target. This way I can have a working phone and my DD and niece who are coming with us can go off on their own at the parks and we can call each other to meet up.
Plus it only costs 15 cents a minute to call home! The phones are fairly cheap but who cares for such a short time. Now I will have a phone to use in the states whenever I go. I will just reactivate it.
I love these boards, they are so helpful!

 

[ferris198]

I used my FIDO in Disney, and it was fairly cheap.
We also called my husband from the hotel room, let it ring once, he didn't answer but instead called us back.
Our bill was really inexpensive.

 

[minnie56]

We always add the 'Florida call home' plan to our cells through Bell Mobility..so cheap and plenty of minutes. You can also use the payphones in the Resort Lobby's and put on your calling card. If you use your calling card in your room they will still tack on their fee ($3 or $4) so better to take a walk to the lobby.

 

[esdras]

We always add the 'Florida call home' plan to our cells through Bell Mobility..so cheap and plenty of minutes. You can also use the payphones in the Resort Lobby's and put on your calling card. If you use your calling card in your room they will still tack on their fee ($3 or $4) so better to take a walk to the lobby.

Admittedly, it's not too expensive - $20 for 100 min. (which includes roaming and long distance fees). That's $0.20/min - even back to Canada - which is less than what I'm paying for Virgin Mobile USA. Although we're using two cell phones to talk to each other while at WDW. We probably will only call home once to let family know we made it safely.

My ONLY complaint with the Bell service is this...

100 Florida travelling minutes
Includes both incoming and outgoing calls
$0.39 per minute for additional minutes
$20 per month Minimum 2-month term

That last clause is a deal breaker for us. We're never in the US for more than a week or two at a time - so, being forced to pay for 2 months isn't worth it for us. It raises the cost to $40 - which is still pretty good - especially if you are calling home to Canada - but going with a pre-paid US cell service will be cheaper for us in the long run.

As always - YMMV!

 

[minnie56]

I know..but for us often our 2 daughters (at University) have been at home so the calls are many and we manage to use it well. We also have a cell phone that DD24 bought 3 yrs ago when she did the College Program at Disney and if we are together we have bought a minute card for that then we have a cell number for anyone to reach us. I think we prefer the Bell deal..

The last few times DH's company has paid the $40 anyways so he is reachable sooo that's all good.

There is another plan that you can add w/Bell similar to the Florida one that allows anywhere in the US calling in or out. We did that last New Years as we were in NYC in addition to Florida the next month so we managed to use both of the months minutes. Can't recall what they call that one?

 

[esdras]

I know..but for us often our 2 daughters (at University) have been at home so the calls are many and we manage to use it well. We also have a cell phone that DD24 bought 3 yrs ago when she did the College Program at Disney and if we are together we have bought a minute card for that then we have a cell number for anyone to reach us. I think we prefer the Bell deal..

Yeah, it all depends on the family dynamics. We're a young family (our kids are 8 and 4), so it would only be either my wife's or my parents needing to contact us in Florida, and that would only be in the event of something bad happening - (knock wood that it doesn't for this upcoming trip).

The last few times DH's company has paid the $40 anyways so he is reachable sooo that's all good.

Oh, now that's perfect. If you (or husband) have a job, that even when you are on vacation, your company might need to contact you (not to come back, but even just to consult), then they SHOULD pay for the service. If someone else is paying, and they know the minutes are gone whether they are used or not - and therefore have no problems with you using them for personal calls - you're set!

There is another plan that you can add w/Bell similar to the Florida one that allows anywhere in the US calling in or out. We did that last New Years as we were in NYC in addition to Florida the next month so we managed to use both of the months minutes. Can't recall what they call that one?

Here are the two plans:

Connect Florida

• 100 Florida travelling minutes
• Includes both incoming and outgoing calls
• $0.39 per minute for additional minutes
• $20 per month
• Minimum 2-month term

Connect U.S.A.

• 100 U.S. travelling minutes
• Includes both incoming and outgoing calls
• $0.75 per minute for additional minutes
• $40 per month
• Minimum 1-month term

 

[minnie56]

Yes! That's the other one. What works for one might not always suit another I agree.

 

[nokanda]

If you use your calling card in your room they will still tack on their fee ($3 or $4) so better to take a walk to the lobby.

we used a phone card last year and there was no fee...we stayed off site...maybe thats why??? anyone know if you stay on site and use a phone card if there is a fee?

 

[minnie56]

Some Hotels add a facilitating service fee, Disney Resorts of course being one of them!

 

[OntFamily]

I just found out that the hotels on site charge big bucks for not just out going calls but in coming as well...someone said they paid $80 for twenty minutes!

At a Disney hotel, there is no charge for incoming calls.

Also, there is no charge for any outgoing calls for local, 1-800, collect or calling card calls.

 

[minnie56]

At a Disney hotel, there is no charge for incoming calls.

Also, there is no charge for any outgoing calls for local, 1-800, collect or calling card calls.

There are charges added when using a calling card in your Resort room. Trust me, I have had it on my bill and questioned it many times!! It is either $3 or $4 per call.

 

[Nicki828]

A friend of mine bought a cell phone while in FL and bought a pay as you go card - that might be a cheaper option. US cell rates are way more reasonable.