Freedom-texting?

Going on Freedom in November.

I am not technologically savvy & don't understand satellites & WiFi & ship capabilities at all...

I have Verizon. Can we text (NOT call) each other while on board the ship?

Can we send & receive texts from ship to back home (US)?

Can we text from the Caribbean to back home?

Do I need an internet plan on the ship to be able to text?

If texting is possible, does anyone know Verizon's charges?

Are there certain settings I need to change on my phone so I don't get extra charges that I am not aware of?

Thank you in advance for any help.

If you are willing to pay $0.50 per text sent and $0.05 per text received, you don't need a WiFi package. Verizon will charge you. You don't need to do anything except turn on your phones, they will connect to the ship's cell tower. As a precaution, I would turn off cellular data to ensure no data charges.

You can text using the ship’s cellular system, Cellular at Sea. Verizon will charge you $0.50 for every sent text and $0.05 for every received text. You do not need the ship’s WiFi to do that. Normally I would recommend turning cellular data off but Verizon does not allow data usage through Cellular at Sea, only calls and texts.

Thank you both.

And just to clarify, I can text from the ship back to the US to keep in contact with family as needed, correct?

Thank you both.

And just to clarify, I can text from the ship back to the US to keep in contact with family as needed, correct?

Yes.

Thank you both.

And just to clarify, I can text from the ship back to the US to keep in contact with family as needed, correct?

Also, since there's no cellular data, it's possible that your texts may be limited to SMS (simple) texts, no photos, no videos, no group texts.

Also, since there's no cellular data, it's possible that your texts may be limited to SMS (simple) texts, no photos, no videos, no group texts.

Pretty sure this is true. Verizon does not even list a price for MMS messages anymore.