how far out to sea does wifi work?

Leaving out of Tampa in March, and I realize that internet is pricey on board, and using my phone for internet is ridiculously expensive, so I plan to shut off the phone ( or use airplane mode ) while I am on the ship. BUT.. how far out of Tampa is it before my cell phone stops being usable? If we are a few hours out, can I still use my carriers internet/wifi?

I would just like to be able to send off a few pics and texts when we sail but obviously dont want a $500 bill to come home to!

technology challenged are we?!?!?!?

You are mixing a few things up but let me try to give you a simple answer.

Cell Phones will typically work out to 10 miles from the "last" tower. For the first several hours departing Tampa, you are still in Tampa Bay and there are towers all around you so you SHOULD have coverage until an hour after going under the Sunshine Skyway bridge . . . On my last Tampa departure we went under the bridge around 6:30 as I recall.

WiFi is a totally different story. WiFi range is VERY limited. In this case, WiFi connects you to the internet via the ship's system and you pay for this ..... different beast than your phone plan ....

SO

use your phone up 'til a lil while after you pass under the bridge ..... and resume use at the same marker

(but knowing what your phone's symbol is for when it is ROAMING is a good idea . . ..)

I think once the ship leaves the dock you will have to use the ship's service & for cell phones it may be pricey option

Someone will correct me if I am wrong ;)

If you're not sure what you're doing the best option might be to turn off your phone or turn on airplane mode as soon as you board. If you access data through the ship's cellular network it can cost $15 per megabyte and if your phone is like mine it will go through 5 or 10 megabytes in an instant without you doing anything.

At the minimum know how to turn off data roaming and that will avoid the most costly kind of mistake.

I think once the ship leaves the dock you will have to use the ship's service & for cell phones it may be pricey option

 

Someone will correct me if I am wrong ;)

The ships do not turn on their cellular at sea service until they are 12 miles offshore. Certainly many have "inadvertently" switched on sooner and "forgot" to switch off when arriving in port on turnaround day.

In theory the OP should be able to use his carrier's data service to send pictures until the ship's towers go on, signal permitting of course. But not land based WiFi: even if the carrier has a hotspot at the port the signal will not penetrate the ship's hull much less carry any distance out to sea.

So "know when your phone is roaming" is as essential as any advice ever given here.

You will be able to until you see on your phone "Cellular At Sea".

Thanks all~

I think once the ship leaves the dock you will have to use the ship's service & for cell phones it may be pricey option

 

Someone will correct me if I am wrong ;)

No you are correct.

T-Mobile gives me free international data (not on the cruise ships though) so I was motivated to find a land-based signal at sea. I was able to connect as much as 20 miles out but I was very careful to make sure I wasn't connected to the ship.