Verizon Cell Phone

[We Love Tinkerbell]

Does a verizon cell phone work on the cruise -- I have searched for information but can't get anything specific. Does it work at CC and Cozumel?

Thanks

 

[Kgroo]

My Verizon phone did not work from the time we left the port and got out of range. I don't think that any cell phones will work once you leave the US unless you have an international card.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

My Verizon phone did not work from the time we left the port and got out of range.

I second that!

 

[TYTY]

I have Verizon and mine didn't work at Cozumel or GC.

 

[TiggerKing]

In order for a cell phone to work once you leave port, there are a few different things to consider:

1) The phone must be either a tri-band or quad-band phone. These are sometimes referred to as "world phones".
2) You MUST activate international roaming with your cellular company prior to the trip. Speaking from experience here, I purchased a phone the day I flew to Europe last year, and even though I told them I was going to Europe, they did not activate the roaming. (Can you tell this is a sore spot with me). So, I spent 4 hours calling my wife (at $4.00 per minute) and having her call the cell company to get the problem corrected.
3) The island must have cell service.

Once you have the two items above taken care of, you should be able to have cell service on most of the islands. But, I would also caution you to call your provider about what the actual rates will be for roaming on the locations that you are visiting. They may only charge you .99 per minute, but then you receive a pass through fee from the island you visited that raises that rate immensely.

 

[TheWog]

Our Verizon service worked on St. Thomas, but not on St. Maarten. Did not work at CC, but that doesn't help you with Cozumel, sorry.

 

[Buddy Bear]

Castaway Cay is formally known as Gorda Cay which is part of the Bahamian islands. The Bahamas has its own cell service which will not work with Cingular, Verizon and AT&T directly, but there is an alternative route.

BaTelCo has roaming agreements with many companies from the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Roaming rates are $3.00 per day and 99¢ per minute, and will be billed through your home carrier. In order for you, as a non-BaTelCo subscriber, to receive calls while in The Islands Of The Bahamas, the caller must dial 1-242-359-7626, wait for the second tone and then dial your number.

The above paragraph was gleaned from Bahamas.com

I have never tried this yet, but plan to when we sail in August.

 

[TJGorman]

If you have Cingular, the Cell phone will work on St. Thomas and St. Maarten, but you will have to pay a HEFTY long distance charge if you use it on St. Maarten. The free long distance is included when on St. Thomas!

 

[luv2cruzsus]

Thanks Buddy Bear! This is good info that should be in the PassPorter. We'll definitely try in on our next cruise.

 

[tvguy]

Cell phones don't work on the ship when it is at sea unless it is close enough to shore to hit a cell tower on land.

Check with your provider on whether your phone will work in each of the ports, and more importantly, what it will cost to use it there.

We left ours at home, figured the cabin phone or a pay phone would be available if we needed to make a call. 7 cruises, never needed a phone.

 

[Buddy Bear]

Check with your provider on whether your phone will work in each of the ports, and more importantly, what it will cost to use it there.

I know in theory this is the obvious answer, but the reality is the customer service reps for the cell phone companies are not well versed in international calling charges.

 

[flexsmom]

Our Verizon phone worked in Key West on the Western and in Nassau on the 4-night cruise.

 

[SueEllen]

we have Verizon as well. I could not use the phone in Cozumel (because I do not have international service added) but was advised we could add it to the plan while traveling. It will also not work in Grand Cayman (same reason)

On the Eastern you can get service while passing Puerto Rico (at sea) and at St. Thomas (but the roaming charges were outrageous on my plan) St. Martin also requires that you have the international service.

No service at Castaway Cay.

Sue Ellen

 

[eeyoregon]

I was just in Cozumel with my Verizon phone. Got a signal with no problem, dialed mom and got some lengthy message in Spanish and quickly hung up fearing what kind of a charge I might get! Key West was the last time that my phone worked during our Western Cruise.

 

[Tracey1974]

Thank goodness cel phones don't get any signals- that way work can't get ahold of me on my vacation!!!

At least if it is an emergency, you can use the phones on the ship.

 

[lorrainesy]

If you have Cingular, the Cell phone will work on St. Thomas and St. Maarten, but you will have to pay a HEFTY long distance charge if you use it on St. Maarten. The free long distance is included when on St. Thomas!

I think it depends on what call plan you are on. I went to Cingular before my first cruise and asked if I would have service and if I would be charged roaming/long distance. They switched my plan to the national one and I was never charged a cent in long distance or roaming. I was able to use my Cingular phone in:

St. Thomas
St Maarten
Aruba
Grand Cayman
Cozumel
San Juan PR
Nassau
Free Port

Grand Cayman warning~ A friend of mine used the pay phone at the port and was billed over $30 for a 10 minute collect call.

(not that it matters if you are sailing Disney because they don't go there)

 

[tvguy]

I know in theory this is the obvious answer, but the reality is the customer service reps for the cell phone companies are not well versed in international calling charges.

I had no problem with Verizon when I checked, but I did look up the area codes of the areas I wanted to call from.