Rumored cell phone use onboard?

DH's boss says he was on a cruise lately (not Carnival) and the ship had a cell tower. So, he wants DH to stay in touch during vacation. OK, fine, the company pays the bills, but does Carnival have a cell tower?

 

If it matters, DH has a Blackberry with Verizon service.

 

As an aside, I have an iPhone. I suspect I should just turn it off and lock it in a safe to avoid nasty service fees. True?

 

Thanks!

Yes - ever Carnival ship is cell phone enabled - with a tower that is turned on when the ship leave port and is turned off when you are in port.

I would check with your carrier and www.cellularatsea.com to get all of the information that you need. When accessing the ships tower your display will say "cellular at sea".

You must have international service enabled and it is 2.49 per minute while on the ship. In the ports it will be less - but the coverage is not always reliable.

 

For the iPhone make sure your data roaming is off - that will stop outrageous data fees. But the calls and texts will still have a charge. I turn mine off and put it in the safe - but thats me.

DH's boss says he was on a cruise lately (not Carnival) and the ship had a cell tower. So, he wants DH to stay in touch during vacation. OK, fine, the company pays the bills, but does Carnival have a cell tower?

 

If it matters, DH has a Blackberry with Verizon service.

 

As an aside, I have an iPhone. I suspect I should just turn it off and lock it in a safe to avoid nasty service fees. True?

 

Thanks!

 

My first thought is: If I have to stay in touch while I'm on vacation... then I guess I'm not really on vacation and therefore I presume you won't be docking me for any of the days I'm out of the office (this actually happened to me once when I was still with Hilton Hotels and guess what, I wasn't asked to stay in touch any longer) :D

 

Now, having got that off my chest.... My experience on all the Carnival ships I've been on.. is that once you get a few miles out to sea, the cell phone stops working.

 

Now, having said that.. how is the boss to know one way or the other? Have him turn it off and enjoy your vacation!!!!;)

Now, having got that off my chest.... My experience on all the Carnival ships I've been on.. is that once you get a few miles out to sea, the cell phone stops working.

 

I have to respectfully disagree. The cell phones do indeed work at sea. Now, they have the capability of working. If someone happens to forget to turn it on, well...;)

Carnival does have a cell tower. I just returned from a cruise to the Bahamas on October 4 and I used my Blackberry through Verizon. I got the unlimited global data plan for the time while I was gone. I think it was $64.99. They can prorate it for the time you are gone. For calls it was $1.99 a minute. Texts were .05 incoming and .50 outgoing. I hope this helps.

For your iPhone, make sure you turn off data roaming &/or put on airplane mode. I plan on using "most" of my iPhone on our upcoming cruise, but some apps do transmit data in the background which will cause charges (like those push messages). Before we leave, I am going to go to our local AT&T store to clarify and possibly switch to a temporary international plan. (I've heard it can be done but don't know anything about it. I have a family plan so if it's too much, I'll just turn off the data)

 

As for your DH's phone, seems like the boss knows what to expect in the form of charges. Carnival ships use "cellular at sea" but I assume it's similar to what other ships use.

DH's boss says he was on a cruise lately (not Carnival) and the ship had a cell tower. So, he wants DH to stay in touch during vacation. OK, fine, the company pays the bills, but does Carnival have a cell tower?

 

If it matters, DH has a Blackberry with Verizon service.

 

As an aside, I have an iPhone. I suspect I should just turn it off and lock it in a safe to avoid nasty service fees. True?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Carnival does have towers on the ship. No international service is needed. Turn the phone on and it works just like at home except that it is expensive but since the company is paying who cares about cost.

 

Your DH needs to work out how much extra time off he will get before he leaves home for staying in touch. Most companies are happy to make these arrangements if they need the person to stay in touch.

I have to respectfully disagree. The cell phones do indeed work at sea. Now, they have the capability of working. If someone happens to forget to turn it on, well...;)

 

Since we are talking Verizon - I know from experience that the international services have to be enabled. I have had full service indicated on the display on my corporate Blackberry and still not been able to make a call - or receive emails.

When we were on Conquest, it was only $2.99 to call from your cabin, on the cabin phone. I was on Ecstasy when they tried out the $1.99 per minute calls

DH is front-line support for some sort of customer support system at work, so in case of emergencies, he has to be in computer contact. It's unlikely this will be an issue, but he's supposed to be connected "just in case." As a perk, we can use the phone for personal use, too. :) If he does get a call during our vacation, I assure you the reply he sends will be accompanied by a snapshot of my tropical drink of the day. :)

 

Thanks all! You're most helpful!

I have to respectfully disagree. The cell phones do indeed work at sea. Now, they have the capability of working. If someone happens to forget to turn it on, well...;)

 

And watch, how without any disagreement, I let you disagree with me :p and I must admit, I keep my cell phone on and at some point see that I have no service (Sprint) and then place the thing on my night stand and use it as an over priced alarm for the next seven days...

 

I DONT want it to work!!!

And watch, how without any disagreement, I let you disagree with me :p and I must admit, I keep my cell phone on and at some point see that I have no service (Sprint) and then place the thing on my night stand and use it as an over priced alarm for the next seven days...

 

I DONT want it to work!!!

 

Well, I agree with THAT part.:D The stinker about our cell phones is we use them for clocks. Hubby and I never wear watches. So inevitably I end up at the $10 sale at the shops to buy some cheap watch so I can turn my phone off.:rolleyes:

Just tell your boss that you will be happy to keep in touch, as long as they are paying the bill...give you a company phone to use. Oh, and by the way...rates are $2.49 per minute, that's $150/hr...See what they say. EM

LOL, all I can say is thank god my boss has not cruised yet!!

 

I get 3 weeks of vacation per year. I take at least one week where I can not be reached. I have told him.. NO phone and NO NO NO computer... period!

 

hmmm... come to think of it, that's probably why he hasn't cruise yet... haha!

Well, I agree with THAT part.:D The stinker about our cell phones is we use them for clocks. Hubby and I never wear watches. :cool:so I can turn my phone off.:rolleyes:

I also bough a $10.00 watch on my last cruise, on our last port day in Roatan I was buying some last minute trinkets before I boarded the ship. A local girl about 12 years old commented how much she liked the lime green watch I bought. I just gave it to her and she was thrilled to no end to get it!

Well, I agree with THAT part.:D The stinker about our cell phones is we use them for clocks. Hubby and I never wear watches. So inevitably I end up at the $10 sale at the shops to buy some cheap watch so I can turn my phone off.:rolleyes:

 

What is funny for me is that we were promised watches that doubled as phones... not phones that doubled as watches...

DH's boss says he was on a cruise lately (not Carnival) and the ship had a cell tower. So, he wants DH to stay in touch during vacation. OK, fine, the company pays the bills, but does Carnival have a cell tower?

 

If it matters, DH has a Blackberry with Verizon service.

 

As an aside, I have an iPhone. I suspect I should just turn it off and lock it in a safe to avoid nasty service fees. True?

 

Thanks!

 

Keep YOUR iphone off to avoid nasty charges and your DHs BB on with everything running. If his boss wants it on, I'd keep it on. It will be an expensive vacation for the company. :p

As soon as we leave port, we turn off our cell phones & put them in the safe where they stay until we get back.

 

Doug

As soon as we leave port, we turn off our cell phones & put them in the safe where they stay until we get back.

 

Doug

 

It's wonderful you have that option.

 

A lot of people, such as the OP, don't.

 

OP, make sure the international service is turned on. It should work fine. We've used our phones all over the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.

 

And make sure you expense any data usage back to his company. If the BB has to be on, they can pay for the data.

Just tell your boss that you will be happy to keep in touch, as long as they are paying the bill...give you a company phone to use. Oh, and by the way...rates are $2.49 per minute, that's $150/hr...See what they say. EM

 

Most companies don't do short term leases on phones anymore, as the hardware is so cheap. It's easier to just expense any necessary charges back to the company.

Maybe it is just me, but once I get on that ship, the last thing I want to have around me is my cell phone. Who do I possibly need to call or get a call from? I am on a cruise ship.....trying to enjoy a vacation.

 

As far as keeping in contact with others that may need to be kept in contact with, email them every day or two.

I would hate to have to agree to that, regardless of who is paying the bill. Now if my employer wanted to pay for the cruise.....and my S&S bill......that might change my mind!!! :D

 

Working in IT, I'm pretty much on-call 24/7. I think that is one of the things that makes me love cruising so much. It's the perfect excuse to be "off the grid" and actually relax. :cool:

 

I understand that some folks can't do this, but I do feel sorry for them.

Maybe it is just me, but once I get on that ship, the last thing I want to have around me is my cell phone. Who do I possibly need to call or get a call from? I am on a cruise ship.....trying to enjoy a vacation.

 

As far as keeping in contact with others that may need to be kept in contact with, email them every day or two.

 

The lines between personal and professional life have been blurred by the introduction of telecommuting and smartphones. In certain industries and for certain positions, there is no clear-cut line between personal and professional time. 9/11 made this really clear when a good bit of the Financial Services industry in NYC was forced to work out of home offices and disaster recovery sites.

 

Because I have a company-issued laptop and token ring, as part of the agreement I signed to work from home, I can be asked to "work" at any time, even when on vacation or when ill. I knew this was the deal when I signed the agreement.

Because I have a company-issued laptop and token ring, as part of the agreement I signed to work from home, I can be asked to "work" at any time, even when on vacation or when ill. I knew this was the deal when I signed the agreement.

 

Well, I feel sorry for you that you can't enjoy a guaranteed 24/7 vacation once in awhile. But I also understand that in this day and age(economy wise), we have to do what we have to do.

Well, I feel sorry for you that you can't enjoy a guaranteed 24/7 vacation once in awhile. But I also understand that in this day and age(economy wise), we have to do what we have to do.

 

With the big bucks come big responsibilities. ;)

 

As a business owner, I'm rarely completely disconnected from work for more than a day or two at a time. In my case it has nothign to do with the economy, but a desire to work my arse off now so I can take it easy later.