Verizon Service / Alaskan Cruise

[Susan C]

Hello,

My DH has been asking me to find out if anyone can comment on Verizon coverage for phone and internet in VC and Alaska..

Also does anyone know the cost of the internet access on ship? I secretly wish he couldn't work while on vacation, but he will find a way!

Thanks
Susan

 

[ua1992]

We had decent coverage in port and none with Verizon at sea. We signed up ahead of time with Verizon for international while in Vancouver - knew we wanted our GPS on our phone to work. there was a $19 and $30 package depending on the MB you wanted for data.

 

[DisneyBasket]

Hello,

My DH has been asking me to find out if anyone can comment on Verizon coverage for phone and internet in VC and Alaska..

Also does anyone know the cost of the internet access on ship? I secretly wish he couldn't work while on vacation, but he will find a way!

There is no Verizon wireless service in any of the ports the Wonder calls in or at sea. You can purchase an international package for use in Vancouver. I confirmed this several times with Verizon customer service. If you do use Verizon wireless cell phones in port you will pay a hefty roaming charge, if you ARE able to connect. We have the Nationwide Calling Plan and use iPhones. After several protracted discussions with Verizon Wireless, we decided to simply put the phones in Airplane Mode and not use the cell phone service at all during our trip.

The charge for using the internet/wireless on the ship is very expensive and slow. I believe the cost is about $.75 per minute. The cost goes down a bit if you buy a large package but it adds up. We were delighted to do without our cell phones and internet for the week.

I believe there is a list on the Vancouver FAQ thread of places at each port where you can get free wifi. Otherwise, you are at the mercy of what is provided by Disney, and you will pay dearly for that. I would encourage him to disconnect for the week, he can use lack of access as his excuse if he needs one! (Although I understand the inability of some of us to go completely cold turkey when it comes to instant information!! )

Our stateroom was on the port side, by the dock, at Ketchikan, and we were able to use wifi from a shop near the dock from our verandah. YMMV.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hello,

My DH has been asking me to find out if anyone can comment on Verizon coverage for phone and internet in VC and Alaska..

Also does anyone know the cost of the internet access on ship? I secretly wish he couldn't work while on vacation, but he will find a way!

Thanks
Susan

We did Alaska on HAL. We have Verizon. Except for Vancouver, in all ports we had phone service, regular service, no extra charge. We called home while onshore in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. No surprises on the bill after getting home.

Internet onboard is usually very slow, so be prepared if that's what you want to do.

 

[mousemom11]

We just returned from the Wonder today. I have Verizon with the nationwide calling plan. Before I left, I called Verizon and activated international roaming. Verizon emailed me their Canada rates, which are $.69 per minute for the phone and $2.05 per mb for data. However, there is no additional charge for texting to/from Canada, as it was already included in my regular plan. So here's what I did:

• Went into the Data Manager in my Droid's settings and unchecked the box "Data Roaming - Connect to Data Services While Roaming"
• Used the Vancouver hotel's free WiFi on my laptop for data while in Vancouver
• When overcome in Vancouver by the need to connect to friends, I texted them, rather than called.
• I had no Verizon connection while at sea.
• I had Verizon Extended Network service (free phone, BUT data roaming charges) in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.
• I was able to confirm the correctness of the above, because my most recent Verizon bill was generated yesterday and I looked at it online today.
• I paid $55 for 100 minutes of internet service on the Wonder. It is VERY slow and those minutes went fast just checking email a few times and uploading a few pics to FaceBook.

 

[ssanders79]

Also does anyone know the cost of the internet access on ship? I secretly wish he couldn't work while on vacation, but he will find a way!

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/services/internet-cellular-services/

Internet Rates
Internet/Wireless Internet Access
For sailings less than 7-nights:
Pay as you go - $0.75 per minute
50 min for $27.50 ($.55 per minute)
100 min for $40 ($.40 per minute)
250 min for $75 ($.30 per minute)

For sailings 7-nights or longer:
Pay as you go - $0.75 per minute
100 min for $55.00 ($.55 per minute)
250 min for $100 ($.40 per minute)
500 min for $150 ($.30 per minute)

 

[DL1957]

I have verizon service and had no issues on the 5/3 cruise. Worked better in port and as OP stated there are no additional fees for Alaska if you have a nationwide plan. E-mail was slow coming in on my blackberry but everything else worked well.

 

[Doingitagain]

We just returned from the Wonder today. I have Verizon with the nationwide calling plan. Before I left, I called Verizon and activated international roaming. Verizon emailed me their Canada rates, which are $.69 per minute for the phone and $2.05 per mb for data. However, there is no additional charge for texting to/from Canada, as it was already included in my regular plan. So here's what I did:

• Went into the Data Manager in my Droid's settings and unchecked the box "Data Roaming - Connect to Data Services While Roaming"
• Used the Vancouver hotel's free WiFi on my laptop for data while in Vancouver
• When overcome in Vancouver by the need to connect to friends, I texted them, rather than called.
• I had no Verizon connection while at sea.
• I had Verizon Extended Network service (free phone, BUT data roaming charges) in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.
• I was able to confirm the correctness of the above, because my most recent Verizon bill was generated yesterday and I looked at it online today.
• I paid $55 for 100 minutes of internet service on the Wonder. It is VERY slow and those minutes went fast just checking email a few times and uploading a few pics to FaceBook.

I had exactly the same information from Verizon, glad to see it checked out!

We also purchased a Skype credit so we will use the Vancouver hotel wireless to Skype call my mom on her birthday. She doesn't text
Can't use Skype on the ship, but that's OK since her birthday is when we are in Vancouver.

*Skype to Skype on computers is free, but you have to purchase credits to use Skype on your computer to call a phone. I know you can Skype using iPhone/Droid, but she doesn't have that either.