Question about cell phone/internet/Sim card.

[Beckysc]

So....planning a trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo at Thanksgiving.

My cell phone is through Verizon and we don't have an international calling plan. When we went to Disneyland Paris, we just used the WhatsApp to text and send an occasional picture when we had wifi and I was able to check my emails.

Will we need to do something different for Hong Kong/Tokyo? I will admit that I'm an idiot when it comes to this type of thing...
I did see that you can get one through Klook and pick it up at the airport for $5 but I'm not sure if I would need one.

Thanks.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Anyone who travels internationally shouldn't use verizon because the SIM card option isn't possible... So you're stuck with portable wifi which is almost always more expensive.

A lot of malls in HK have wifi but are usually limited to about 30 minutes and very slow. Disneyland has wifi but it's coverage is spotty in some places. Some hotels provide a phone or wifi device in HK so you may want to check with the place you're staying at if they have that. In Tokyo, you'll definitely want to pick up a portable wifi of some sort. Free wifi isn't that common in Japan and often requires registration which you can't do if you can't receive an email or SMS.

 

[Beckysc]

Thanks you so much for the info. I think we will be fine in HK with using the hotel and disney wifi. I need to start focusing more on Tokyo now that I know what we have Hong Kong set.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Thanks you so much for the info. I think we will be fine in HK with using the hotel and disney wifi. I need to start focusing more on Tokyo now that I know what we have Hong Kong set.

I used Roaming Man, which is a wifi hotspot that works in multiple countries. (There are other companies too.) It worked out well and I liked having wifi in Hong Kong. Wait times weren't really necessary as everything was 5 minutes... But it did help to figure out closing times for restaurants and showtimes. Then I just kept the same one with me in Tokyo (I also had it in Shanghai). It also meant I didn't have to pickup/drop off at each airport and instead it was sent to my house and I sent back after I got home.