Mobile Broadband -please help

[Mosleymouse]

Hi everyone - I originally posted this on the UK board, but figure that you guys would probably know the answer anyhow.

We are doing a split stay ( first 5 nights at Port Orleans and 9 days at OKW) and will be taking our netbook for the first time. Here in the UK i have a mobile broadband dongle that i can top up as I go, and this works really well when I am not at home and need to take my laptop with me. ie: if i am round a friends, or at my caravan.
Does anyone know if you can buy a pay as you go dongle from somewhere like Walmart/Bestbuy which would be ideal for the first 5 days, and times that i will not be in my room for the DVC internet.
I would be able to leave this in my owners locker and use it every time i take my laptop to WDW.
By the way, from the research I have done, my Vodafone one here in the Uk will not work out there from what I can gather.
Even if Port Orleans have the $9.99 per day option, this is a very expensive way of checking a couple of emails.
If there are any experts out there i would appreciate your help.
Thanks in advance.x

 

[twinklebug]

Hi MosleyMouse! I agree $10 a day for checking email is outrageous... but it's actually charged at $10/24 hour period. So, if you access the web at 3pm you have up until 2:59pm the next day to use that connection before it again asks you accept a new 24hr charge. When we did this we used it Tues-Wed, skipped Thur and did the same again Fri-Sat. So DD was happy and felt she had access 4 days and I was only charged $20. Free access at the villas is the best.

I'm not sure how your cell phone package works when you're overseas, if you have unlimited data you may be able to tether your netbook to your cell phone and have access that way. I haven't tried this myself, but know others in my workgroup who have.

 

[Chuck S]

Verizon is Vodaphone's operating partner in the US. I would definately email Vodaphone to see what fees apply or if you are able to use the service here.

 

[beccasmom]

Tethering is a great option if you are able to use it. I often bring a netbook when I travel and tethering my BlackBerry to it is relatively simple.

 

[WDW43]

You could always take the boat over to downtown Disney and find a wifi spot. When we stayed at BWV before members had free Internet I was able to pick up a signal outside on the boardwalk.

 

[Tara]

I doubt you're going to find a carrier to allow you to roam with your mobile broadband. And I dint know of any carrier that offers a prepaid/paygo option.

What I had to do for my international travel is get an entirely separate plan thru ATT (my regular service is Sprint). That allows for use outside the US but the problem I've run into is that having the client for both installed creates big problems. When I need to switch to the international service, I have to uninstall the Sprint software, install ATT, then reverse when I am back home. This required signing a 2yr contact that will end up costing my company over $2000.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Virgin has a pay as you go broadband modem that you should be able to pick up stateside.

 

[Mosleymouse]

Thank you all for your help. I think i will check out the virgin mobile usb stick when i get there.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

The USB stick is $100 normally but if you shop around you can find it for $50.

$30 will get you 250 MB of download for 30 days.

k

 

[Tara]

Virgin has a pay as you go broadband modem that you should be able to pick up stateside.

Huh. Do you know when they started offering this? Must be within the last year because we looked into it a lot here, but no one has checked since last spring, I think. That's good news, though!