Using a cell on board - what's my options?

[Bonnie1222]

DH and I are at booking a WC on the Fantasy. Normally when going on a cruise the first thing we usually do is turn off the phones and lock them in the safe until debarkation day. We love not being connected 24/7 and welcome the break.

However I recently lost my mom and worry about my Dad being alone as he lives in a small town in the mountains of TN and has no family nearby. We can communicate by email, but I know I would feel so much better if I had the ability to call him if I needed just to check on him. The ship to shore phones are expensive and I as far as I can tell my cell phone through Boost won't work on board.

I have some old AT&T phones (5+ year old flip phones) but I get mixed answers from AT&T on whether or not purchasing a pay as you go SIM card through them would work.

Is there a Pay as you Go or Pay by month option out there that will work on board while we are at sea and/or the Western Caribbean stops? Or are there other options you can recommend.

Thanks

 

[disneyholic family]

you can call your Dad using skype (if you get the internet package on board the ship)..
although i think with skype you need to have an account to be able to call someone's landline..

if both you and your Dad have smart phones, you can call him for free using whatsapp and similar apps...

again, that means you'll have to sign up for the shipboard internet...

as long as you don't do video calls, you won't use up many MBs for the calls - that is, make regular voice calls, not video calls..

there may be other ways to do it, but those are the methods DH used on our cruise last week...

 

[Winston Wolf]

Another option is the Verizon Worldpass where you pay $5 - $10 per day depending on the port and you can use your plan's data internationally. I believe AT&T has a similar plan. Call using skype or whatsapp.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Calling from the ship with Cellular at Sea can be very expensive. If you get an international plan (usually a daily or monthly fee) you should be able to call your dad from the ports. Otherwise, I would get an internet plan on board so you can email him when at sea.

 

[Rabb it]

I think the international plan is the best bet, and the cheapest. Internet on board is going to be way more expensive than an additional 15 bucks a day for international plan on your cell.

 

[mhconley]

And just to be 100% crystal clear international plans will only allow you to make phone calls while in port or within range of land based cell towers. There is no cellular coverage at sea. If you really want to make calls while on board (at sea) then using a VoIP app over the ship based internet is the only way to go (unless you have a satellite phone). VoIP apps include Skype, WhatsApp Messenger, Google Hangouts and even Facebook Messenger. If you have VoIP at home many of those carriers also have apps that allow you to use your home phone line on your smartphone.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I think the international plan is the best bet, and the cheapest. Internet on board is going to be way more expensive than an additional 15 bucks a day for international plan on your cell.

I'm not sure about that. $15 a day adds up, and if you are only using your Internet package for voice calls, you won't need that big of a plan to cover the calls. Plus, I think the original poster was on Boost Mobile, and unsure what international plans they might offer. Worth calling them, for sure, but in the end Internet calls might be best. Unless they've changed the prices, it was $19 for 100 MB, $39 for 300 MB, and $89 for 1000MB. That might not be much data for sending pictures or watching videos, but since phone calls over the internet use ~0.5 – 1 MB/min depending on the App, that a fair amount of calling.

Plus as PP pointed out, this will work on Sea days as well.

Just my perspective. Enjoy!

 

[bbel]

Can you Wi-Fi call through your phone?
My phone worked in ports at no extra charge but there was a couple of times I had to call home out at sea but just used my phone as normal but with airplane mode on and through the Wi-Fi

 

[Ray4Fun]

Hi,, I would Upgrade your phone to easily accept Text Messages. Incoming messages are practically Free,, Ok,, .05 cents. Outbound are .50.
With that said,, here is AT&T's web page describing what it all entails. https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1001002

Lastly,, If dad cannot text,, if he calls you just pick it up. A whole lot can be said in 1 minute. We've been there and totally understand. It was worth the 100 bucks at the end of our 7 days for the peace of mind my wife and I had.

Have a great time.

 

[longboard55]

Other cruise lines have unlimited wifi at a reasonable price. Disneys is terrible. I went thru my first $100 package by leaving my phone on while charging. Voips will work, I used Vonage but turn off wifi after each call and never leave it on. Also be prepared to spend a lot of money.

I really do not understand it. Instagram is their best advertising. Why silence it

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I really do not understand it. Instagram is their best advertising. Why silence it.

So true. And FB. I started cruising on DCL expressly from the series of photos and albums two different friends posted on FB from their DCL cruises. I even scrutinized their photos to pick out my stateroom. People these days however post more photos on the fly rather than later. My daughters won't even post anything but a live photo on SnapChat, they'd never post something from their camera roll.

 

[Bonnie1222]

Thanks for all the information!

BOOST has an option if we choose a cruise that stops in Mexico, but not the rest of the Caribbean. I would have to get an additional phone number for AT&T and I would only do a non contract/pay as you go, which by their own customer service cannot confirm it will work. {sigh}

VOIP is a good option I can look at, thanks for the recommendations. A coworker said they have MagicJack and likes it alot and it has a mobile app, and it also has international package rates or less than 3 cents a minute from what she told me. I would keep the phone off except for the call to Dad.

 

[kay1864]

When docking in each port, I've received messages from my carrier that say there is unlimited data and texts, and phone calls are usually about 20 cents/minute. So during the day while in port, you don't need to pay for DCL internet.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

When docking in each port, I've received messages from my carrier that say there is unlimited data and texts, and phone calls are usually about 20 cents/minute. So during the day while in port, you don't need to pay for DCL internet.

This is exactly what we have for the Bahamas and Mexico and parts of the Caribbean, but we have Sprint. Very convenient and free.

 

[mevelandry]

I don't live in the USA but with Videotron (in Canada) we actually have some kind of "passport" that gives us the option to use our phones for calls and data like we would do at home for 10$/per day. I know that people from the US told me that they had access to a similar option.

 

[kiford]

We had a similar issue a few years ago on our Med cruise. My mother was in the hospital and my dad was on his own but he didn't want us to spend lots of money calling. So we set him up with Skype (on an iPad we bought for him) but only talked to him once since he was usually out during the day visiting my mother and we were several hours ahead. If we hadn't set it up for him and done some test runs to show him how it worked before we left he would never had been able to do it himself but once he knew, it was fine. It works quite well using the ship internet. DH even used it to have a conference call with people from work while standing on deck when docked in Dover. We do have a Skype account that allows us to call landlines and it's not expensive but most people we know use it on their computer or mobile devices. We've kept it as a fallback in case we need it with my father or other family.

We have since used it on other cruises to communicate with him occasionally. We did send an e-mail every day with pictures and included a brief trip report so he could share it with my mother. We now do that routinely on all trips, especially now that he's on his own. I copy my sister on them too so that we can have a running conversation over a couple of days on the same topic rather than just sending passive information. It worked out particularly well when we were in London as my dad is from England originally so he was quite interested in our photos.

 

[Spize]

Google voice is free, works on Data, and you can text from a tablet even.

 

[Bonnie1222]

We had a similar issue a few years ago on our Med cruise. My mother was in the hospital and my dad was on his own but he didn't want us to spend lots of money calling. So we set him up with Skype (on an iPad we bought for him) but only talked to him once since he was usually out during the day visiting my mother and we were several hours ahead. If we hadn't set it up for him and done some test runs to show him how it worked before we left he would never had been able to do it himself but once he knew, it was fine. It works quite well using the ship internet. DH even used it to have a conference call with people from work while standing on deck when docked in Dover. We do have a Skype account that allows us to call landlines and it's not expensive but most people we know use it on their computer or mobile devices. We've kept it as a fallback in case we need it with my father or other family.

We have since used it on other cruises to communicate with him occasionally. We did send an e-mail every day with pictures and included a brief trip report so he could share it with my mother. We now do that routinely on all trips, especially now that he's on his own. I copy my sister on them too so that we can have a running conversation over a couple of days on the same topic rather than just sending passive information. It worked out particularly well when we were in London as my dad is from England originally so he was quite interested in our photos.

Thank you for all the info. Two follow up questions if you don't mind:
1. Which internet package do you purchase or do you use the free one the cruiseline offers only? (trying to guess how much data it uses)
2. Could you dad call you if you if you had a prearranged time? Say I told my dad we are in our room getting dressed for dinner every day from x-y if you want to call us we'll have the computer on...

We have Skype for business at work integrated into our Office accounts and desk phones, but to be honest it still kind of baffles me how it all works.

 

[kiford]

Thank you for all the info. Two follow up questions if you don't mind:
1. Which internet package do you purchase or do you use the free one the cruiseline offers only? (trying to guess how much data it uses)

2. Could you dad call you if you if you had a prearranged time? Say I told my dad we are in our room getting dressed for dinner every day from x-y if you want to call us we'll have the computer on...

We have Skype for business at work integrated into our Office accounts and desk phones, but to be honest it still kind of baffles me how it all works.

1. On the first day, we got the 50MB free package. DH used it up entirely on his conference Skype call to work but he was on with them for about 1/2 hour plus sent photos. When my mother was in the hospital, the internet was based on time not MB like it is now and was much slower and there was no free package. After he used the free 50MB, I think we bought the smallest package twice, although we didn't do many calls, mostly just e-mails. A lot of the e-mails had picture attachments which were large and DH checked in at work every day, downloaded and sent several e-mails and did a lot of texting. That was an 11 day cruise and we didn't use the second package up completely and I used it to download a few Kindle books too.

Both times we were in Europe. On that first trip (2010), DH made the mistake of typing a couple of e-mails offline on his cell phone, turned on the data roaming, sent the e-mails and then turned roaming back off. Got a bill for $20. It's not much less expensive now but fortunately you can also find more wifi hotspots in most places. So we also try to find locations where we can use wifi to send e-mails when in port. I don't know about the Caribbean, but a lot of the port buildings in Northern Europe had wifi.

2. I presume you mean if you're using Skype? Yes, you can prearrange a time and it's probably a good idea to do so. When DH goes to Taiwan, he only ever calls me on Skype using his cell phone and I answer on my iPad. Because of the time difference, we typically arrange for him to call me in the morning before he goes to breakfast - I'm receiving in the early evening so I know to have my iPad ready and the app open as soon as I get home from work.

If you don't know how to set it all up, find someone at work who has used it more frequently and give it a test a week or so before you go so that you both know how to use it. That would give you time to work out any kinks.

 

[RRB]

The connections and workings of cell phones on a cruise ship can be confusing. Here is some basic information so that everyone can make good decisions on their cruise. If this information is already known to everyone, sorry for taking up space –

1. Cell service wile in a foreign port. While docked in a foreign port, you have a couple of options 1) you can use the local cell services for calls. You need to do your homework on the ports and their services before you leave home then contact your service provider (Sprint, ATT, Verizon, etc.) to see what plan they offer for your trip and specific locations and if they offer service. If you don’t have a plan in place with your service provider before you leave, you will still probably be able to make/receive calls but it would be in “International Roaming” which is expensive. 2) It is also possible to log into a wifi network off the ship (at a restaurant, hotel, coffee shop, etc.) and use a wifi calling app to make/receive calls. These apps include Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Advantages of wifi calling is that it is free but the calls may not have the same quality as Cell calls and video calling apps such as Skype and Hangouts may be slow, intermittent or not work at all.

2. Cell service at sea (away from land and in international waters). While at sea, you can use one of three services available on the ship; 1) “ship to shore” communications where you use the telephone handset in your stateroom to make a call. This service is expensive. 2) DCL uses a service called “Cellular at Sea” which allows you to use your cell phone to make/receive calls while on board just like at home. Here is what is listed on the DCL website - Prices vary depending upon your cellular provider and usually include international roaming charges. These charges will be billed to you directly by your wireless carrier. Note that DCL does not charge for Cellular at Sea, your service back home does and the costs will be charged after you get back from you cruise. Contact your service provider to tell them which ship you are cruising on and where you are going. Tell them you may be using the Cellular at Sea service while the ship is away from port. The Cellular at Sea service does not require an internet connection to work so you don't have to sign up for internet to use it. Also note that Cellular at Sea shuts down as the ship approaches land. 3) buy an internet package and use a wifi calling app to make/receive calls. These apps include Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, etc. Please note – without signing up for internet service, the wifi calling will not work. This “wifi” service is not free as it is on land because DCL charges you for data while you use the internet.

3. Internet on the ship at sea. Satellite based internet service is offered by DCL in several different packages or you can “pay by the minute”. DCL charges for data, not time. That means sending/receiving emails without attachments uses the lowest amount of data. Surfing the web, Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, Netflix and other internet based services uses much more data and your charges for internet usage will reflect that. There is a wifi system on all DCL ships. This wifi system allows your laptop/tablet/phone to connect to the ships system however, wifi is not internet service without signing up for an internet plan. Wifi calling (as described in #2 above) will use the internet connect to make/receive calls which uses data. Lastly, you do not need to have internet service to use the “DCL Navigator” app. This app does not text or call off the ship but does provide a wealth of services on the ship

I hope this helps those who are wondering how things work like I did when I first started cruising.