Getting in touch in case of emergency

I don't know if this has been addressed before, if so I'm sorry, but I need to know. My wife and I will be on the Freedom of the Seas from Nov 29 until Dec 6.

If a family emergency comes up how would our family get in touch? We will not be bringing cell phones or computers on board. The temptation would be too great and the cost too high. I E-mailed Royal Caribbean last week and have not had a response. Thank you for your time.

I don't know if this has been addressed before, if so I'm sorry, but I need to know. My wife and I will be on the Freedom of the Seas from Nov 29 until Dec 6.

If a family emergency comes up how would our family get in touch? We will not be bringing cell phones or computers on board. The temptation would be too great and the cost too high. I E-mailed Royal Caribbean last week and have not had a response. Thank you for your time.

You will be receiving a bunch of pre-cruise info from Royal Caribbean including how you can be reached by shore-to-ship telephone while on your cruise.

By the way, cell phones are an "iffy" thing, at best, while at sea.

Further information from RCI:

For someone on shore wanting to contact a passenger, the number is 888-562-7447. The caller should have your booking number which provides all the information they will need to contact you.

When the call is received by your ship's operator, they will call your stateroom first. If you are not there a message will be left to stop by the customer service desk to get your message.

For more general information on any subject you can contact RCI directly by calling (866) 562-7625

Thank you Walt, the information is greatly appreciated.

I don't know if this has been addressed before, if so I'm sorry, but I need to know. My wife and I will be on the Freedom of the Seas from Nov 29 until Dec 6.

 

If a family emergency comes up how would our family get in touch? We will not be bringing cell phones or computers on board. The temptation would be too great and the cost too high. I E-mailed Royal Caribbean last week and have not had a response. Thank you for your time.

Emergencies go both ways. Should YOU find yourself encountering an emergency on (or near) land, the last thing you'll need to add to your worries is finding someone to loan you a phone, particularly if there is a language difference.

Taking a cell phone and even leaving its voice capabilities active (I.e., you can turn data off and leave voice roaming on), you will not incur phone charges unless you actually make or receive a call. No emergencies, no extra charges.

Remember too that most smart phones will also save your having to pack a flashlight, alarm clock, mp3 device, camera, etc.

Bring the cell phone. Turn it off, if you don't need to use it. Better to have it, than not! There is an "off" switch!

If you have a smartphone, there are apps that you can use to call family members back home for free and vice versa. You can turn off your data and use the ship's wifi.

This is our plan for our first cruise coming up. :)

Ships wifi means buying a package, slow and expensive. Best thing to do is wait until you go ashore and then follow the crew to the nearest free wifi cafe, sometimes will be facility in the terminal when you more up.

If you have a smartphone, there are apps that you can use to call family members back home for free and vice versa. You can turn off your data and use the ship's wifi.

 

This is our plan for our first cruise coming up. :)

But apps like Facebook Messenger or plain old email will queue any messages for when you get around to connecting to the network once or twice a day.

Ships wifi means buying a package, slow and expensive. Best thing to do is wait until you go ashore and then follow the crew to the nearest free wifi cafe, sometimes will be facility in the terminal when you more up.

"Free" wifi is not as free as many folks think. Google the NBC TODAY SHOW segment on hacked "free" wifi spots that prey particularly on tourists. Your actual cost of following the crew to free wifi may be identity theft.

IMO, pay for your regular provider's international data program and use their foreign partner's data connect.

Keep in mind that network news shows use panic journalism as their bread and butter.

Ships wifi means buying a package, slow and expensive. Best thing to do is wait until you go ashore and then follow the crew to the nearest free wifi cafe, sometimes will be facility in the terminal when you more up.

Carnival is $5 a day for social media wifi. Expensive.......not. I'd much rather pay that than use the free wifi.

Just be aware that most cruise lines charge by the minute to be connected to the ship's WiFi network so it isn't really feasible to use it as a means of having someone at home contact you in real time.

 

But apps like Facebook Messenger or plain old email will queue any messages for when you get around to connecting to the network once or twice a day.

Carnival charges $5 a day for social media wifi. Which, by the way, is Facebook Messenger. lol

Carnival charges $5 a day for social media wifi. Which, by the way, is Facebook Messenger. lol

Most cruise lines. lol

Oh, and the OP isn't sailing on Carnival.

Carnival is $5 a day for social media wifi. Expensive.......not. I'd much rather pay that than use the free wifi.

But the OP is going on RCI, not on Carnival.

sending and receiving emails from a ship isn't expensive if you have your own laptop. You type the email while offline, then you log in, send it, download emails received from family, and log out again. Only 2 minutes log-in time needed per session. You can set up a special holiday email address for the purpose so that your normal emails and spam don't clutter it up.

For urgent emergencies, the ship's phone line is the way to go.

But seriously, what can you possibly do while you are off in the middle of the ocean if something happens at home?

But seriously, what can you possibly do while you are off in the middle of the ocean if something happens at home?

Pretty much everything you could do at home that does not require your physical presence (e.g., making funeral arrangements for deceased person; identifying/scheduling MD appointments, etc.)

But seriously, what can you possibly do while you are off in the middle of the ocean if something happens at home?

Uh. Start making arrangements to make your way home if needed?

Thank you for all your suggestions. I had no idea there were so many ways to keep in touch while on a cruise.

Bring your cell phone. I had an emergency at home while on my last cruise, and text got to me (and iMessage) and i could text back, call, figure stuff out for them etc. With no wifi plan and no special cell phone package the bill turned out to be about $20. .50 for outgoing text (incoming were free) and 2.50 a minute for the calls.

Next time on the Anthem, i have the unlimited wifi (its supposed to be fast), normally $15/day (free with promo). I'll call thru whatsup app or whatever if i need to. AT&T has cruise phone/data packages if I wanted to get that as well, but I don't need it.

I like having my phone (and my kindle, and my iPad...).

Most cruise lines. lol

 

Oh, and the OP isn't sailing on Carnival.

That's right the OP isn't. It's good info for any newbie who reads this.

But the OP is going on RCI, not on Carnival.

Read my reply to Underwatr.

But seriously, what can you possibly do while you are off in the middle of the ocean if something happens at home?

Pretty much nothing, which is why it's probably better to stay out of touch for the week and simply relax and enjoy your cruise.

Incidentally, I speak from experience -- twice.

Once we were on vacation in Florida (not a cruise), and my grandfather, who hadn't been quite well for years, died. He died on our last full day of vacation, and my mother made the choice NOT to call us. This meant that we enjoyed our last day and drove home without stress. When we arrived home, she told us right away, and we had to scramble to attend the memorial, which was about two days later. Had we known, we could not have done a single thing. My mom made a kind decision.

Years later we took our nieces on a cruise with us. Unbeknownst to us, their grandfather (other side of the family) became sick and died late in the week. Because the girls were with us, their parents were free to be with him in the hospital that last week and to arrange his funeral. As soon as we disembarked and were on the road home, I called to tell the girls' mom what time we'd started the drive ... and she told me but asked me NOT to tell the kids. Though I felt odd knowing and not telling, the girls were able to enjoy their last few hours of vacation /last hours in the car with their cousins.

None of us are as indispensable as we tend to think. If you could genuinely do something to help the person in trouble, by all means, ask your family to contact you -- but in most cases, you're not going to be able to make a difference, and knowing will just make you unhappy.

Pretty much nothing, which is why it's probably better to stay out of touch for the week and simply relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

Incidentally, I speak from experience -- twice.

 

Once we were on vacation in Florida (not a cruise), and my grandfather, who hadn't been quite well for years, died. He died on our last full day of vacation, and my mother made the choice NOT to call us. This meant that we enjoyed our last day and drove home without stress. When we arrived home, she told us right away, and we had to scramble to attend the memorial, which was about two days later. Had we known, we could not have done a single thing. My mom made a kind decision.

 

Years later we took our nieces on a cruise with us. Unbeknownst to us, their grandfather (other side of the family) became sick and died late in the week. Because the girls were with us, their parents were free to be with him in the hospital that last week and to arrange his funeral. As soon as we disembarked and were on the road home, I called to tell the girls' mom what time we'd started the drive ... and she told me but asked me NOT to tell the kids. Though I felt odd knowing and not telling, the girls were able to enjoy their last few hours of vacation /last hours in the car with their cousins.

 

None of us are as indispensable as we tend to think. If you could genuinely do something to help the person in trouble, by all means, ask your family to contact you -- but in most cases, you're not going to be able to make a difference, and knowing will just make you unhappy.

Totally agree w you. We have a friend whose mother died while she was on a trip in Australia. She cut out the rest of her trip to fly back for the funeral. Bodies keep. If nobody had told our friend of the death, she could have enjoyed the rest of her trip and dealt w the funeral when she came back.

DON