Princess LTE fee is a rip off

Just wondering what happens when you use Princess@Sea Messenger? You can't have your phone in airplane mode and access that, right? So is the safe thing to do to turn off cellular data and data roaming, but enable wifi? On my last cruise I never tried to access the internet service from my iPhone but used my iPad instead. As I recall, I knew when I was logging on to the paid service and was always extra careful to log off again.

Yes you can. Turn on airplane mode and enable WIFI. ;)

Yes you can. Turn on airplane mode and enable WIFI. ;)

Thanks! When I put my phone in airplane mode it defaults to WiFi off and I never even realized you could turn it back on, duh! I learn something new every day.

Also, what kind of internet plan did the OP have from Princess? I always buy a package with a fixed number of minutes and it lets me know when they are used up, and I have to affirmatively buy more.

My phone is on airplane mode all the time (not just on the ship), unless I want to access the internet.

If your phone is on airplane mode you won't get any telephone calls or texts.

DOH! I should've known from reading the OP that this was a joke. Shame on me :)

Can't be true... $2000 @ $9/GB you would have to use more than 222GB of data. Unless you were streaming movies from the time you boarded there is no way "normal" or "accidental" connected use would rack up more than 200GB worth of data. The even number "$2000" is also a tell. If I had a $2000+ cell phone bill I would put it in writing down to the penny.

If you were streaming something the entire time I hope it was worth it. Personally I have a hard time paying the $.26 for a Redbox Movie with a promo code. The movies lately have simply not been worth it even free.

I refuse to comment on this thread

I refuse to comment on this thread

And we appreciate your discretion :')

Gee Internet at sea is expensive, never would have guessed that.

Dear OP,

If you are on the ship, you are getting your cellular phone and data service through their satellite which bounces ship to shore to ship. Princess didn't rip you off - your ignorance ripped you off. Even in the US, if you are in Port Everglades or Port of Miami, while still docked, you're safe to use your cell service. But as soon as the ship starts to move through the cut, you risk being bounced to the ship's service before you're even out of the port. What did you expect would happen overseas? The internet package is for wifi only, not data or phone.

I can't stop laughing, so you purchase so many $$ of internet service through Princess. Then, you turn on your Iphone and continue to use it throughout your cruise, thinking, that you already paid for the usage, until you get home and find a bill for TWO GRAND. PRICELESS (pun intended)

Hard luck I say, but the OP wont bother replying. Those that simply join CC to post something negative follow the same pattern.

Yep, many "first posts" are just complaints. Then they never come back. So weird. :rolleyes:

If your phone is on airplane mode you won't get any telephone calls or texts.

Nope. I get phone calls and texts all the time. Just can't access the internet.

To the OP. You should call your cell company and explain your mistake, if you are very lucky they may be able to assist you by reducing your bill.

 

 

 

I agree with what others have said, Princess isn't to blame for this. At this point only your cell provider can assist you.

Att actually told us that Princess didn't allow their LTE aboard the ship. The ship was using its own tower. Sorry this is all Princess's greed.

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Yep, many "first posts" are just complaints. Then they never come back. So weird. :rolleyes:

Well I'm back and I'm done with dealing with Princess. ATT told us that Royal Caribbean had a deal with them but not Princess. They are a rip off.

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DOH! I should've known from reading the OP that this was a joke. Shame on me :)

Why is it a joke? My outrageous bill was not funny.

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Huh?! Princess took over your LTE? Anyway, sounds like this was your mistake, not Princess but I guess if you want to blame them for your mistake and no longer will cruise with Princess, that is your loss. I guarantee you that if you do the same thing you did on this cruise on a cruise with another cruise line, you will get the same results. Put your phone in airplane mode while on the cruise or buy an international package if you plan to use your LTE coverage on your phone.

That's exactly what ATT told us. When we were off the boat the LTE cost us $.98 but on the ship $9.

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I call them "one hit wonders" I wonder why they don't have anything else to do.

Can you spell being ripped off by Princess?

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Att actually told us that Princess didn't allow their LTE aboard the ship. The ship was using its own tower. Sorry this is all Princess's greed.

You said when docked, you are wrong.

If you are using a smartphone to access Wifi that might be the issue . If you didn't turn off cellphone coverage you'll pay about $9 a gigabyte for data. Check your phone setting , LTE is cell data not wifi . Many cellphones use wifi where possible then default cellular data if no wifi. Sounds to me like you pickup a cellular signal from shore which means your paying international roaming charges.

I bought the Wifi package which kept eating up at least 20 Minutes the moment I turned it on. I had an international plan of $10 a day for all internet access but on the Ship the LTE tower was controlled by Princess.

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I bought the Wifi package which kept eating up at least 20 Minutes the moment I turned it on. I had an international plan of $10 a day for all internet access but on the Ship the LTE tower was controlled by Princess.

 

 

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It states right on the AT&T website that Princess does not participate.

The $10 per day is for land use only.

Welcome to the forums! :) Everyone knows the internet packages are expensive. Everyone knows the internet packages are slow compared to land-based versions (half of that is unavoidable with present technology no matter how much bandwidth is thrown at the problem). Your comment "when we were docked they took over the LTE" seems odd - they take over the cellular no matter what, so I don't see why this is a surprise.

 

The biggest laugh here is that you sent this from your iPhone. Turn off data roaming before you board the ship and it won't cost you $2000! Enjoy your next cruise...glad you won't be on a Princess ship again.

I have unlimited roaming and data plan. And yes Princess had control over the tower when onboard the ship. Don't worry I won't go back to Princess they had a gimmick for every meal. Felt like we were at MaryKay presentation. Our waiters were constantly hounding us to buy something. Just tacky.

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Well I'm back and I'm done with dealing with Princess. ATT told us that Royal Caribbean had a deal with them but not Princess. They are a rip off.

Glad you came back! But apparently you didn't do enough research before your cruise to know how a ship's internet works. Sadly, you had an expensive mistake. Do some research now so it won't happen again. You can do a Search here on CC to find all about how each cruiseline does their internet.

It's OK to try another cruiseline - always good to see how each line works. I've tried 3 of them and will try a 4th in a few months.

Delete

Why is it a joke? My outrageous bill was not funny.

 

 

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I feel for you. I have a pretty simple cell phone - it's a smart phone but a Tracphone, pay as you go. I have it for that very reason, I can't screw up. I've read here at CC where parents let their kids use their phone to play games with and the next thing they know they get a big huge bill. Reminds me when my kids were 5 & 6, and they spent a couple of hours dialing those 900 numbers to speak to Santa! Boy was I p*ssed when I got the phone bill, my kids had no idea! So, yes, there's scammers every where if you're not careful, gotta be on guard constantly.

I have unlimited roaming and data plan. And yes Princess had control over the tower when onboard the ship. Don't worry I won't go back to Princess they had a gimmick for every meal. Felt like we were at MaryKay presentation. Our waiters were constantly hounding us to buy something. Just tacky.

 

 

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Was this your first cruise?

You said when docked, you are wrong.

Ok my bill told me I'm not. Do you have stocks and or work for Princess?

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