Making calls at sea

We’re cruising up the Western European coast on the Viking Sky this spring and greatly looking forward to it! My husband needs to keep in touch with his elderly mom while we’re away; she greatly appreciates his daily calls. We had no problem doing this during land trips to Iceland and the Bahamas (using AT&T’s international roaming program) but have never tried calling from sea. Those of you who have used your phones on Viking Ocean Cruises, how did that go? Any tips or advice?

I had to use my phone once while in Norway in June, but I don't remember the specifics. I think I called from the ship while at sea on my cell phone, but I don't remember too much about it, except that I worried WAY too much about it! I do remember that I had no clue how to dial, whether I could use WiFi dialing or not, and things like that. I ended up asking for help from one of the Viking reps in the Viking Living Room or whatever it's called. The person was very helpful, and the call went through without issue. It didn't cost a lot. (We have T Mobile.)

The Viking folks should be able to help you. I think someone is there 24/7. Even if you have to use the ship's phone in your cabin (i.e., make the call through marine service), it is not horribly expensive as long as you only talk a short while - although I don't remember the actual amount they charge!

I'm hoping others will chime in, as when it comes to cell phones, I'm STILL confused about what to do while on the ship. I usually just turn the thing off and put it in the safe unless I really need to make a call! Of course, that's partly because I've read horror stories of people on cruises getting billed huge amounts of money for using their phones on the ship. However, maybe that's not the case any more, and as long as you sign into Viking's wifi while using your cell phone, I suppose you'll be fine. But just in case, I use my phone sparingly while I'm on the ship. For email and what not, I just use the ship's computers, or my tablet. Viking's free internet is one thing I really love about the cruise line.

I called my dentist from St Petersburg Russia when I developed a toothache and knew I was going to need a new crown:( I had signed up for a Verizon package that included unlimited texting and a certain amount of minutes. It was not expensive at all. Also called my mom a couple of times from the cabin. I just kept track of how many minutes I was using. If I remember right I just dialed the number, not even the country code, because my phone didn't know it was not in the States. I could be wrong but that is my recollection.

if you really really really need to stay in touch you might consider renting a satellite phone .....

with this you are not dependent on the ship's service or how your cell phone company deals with the billing ....

average cost around $200 for a month and that includes 25 minutes of talk time. Additional talk time can be purchased in bundles. Note that these phones typically do NOT WORK in doors ..... they need a clear line of sight UP

an example company that rents: http://www.roadpost.com

google it, there are others but what you want is connection to the IRIDIUM system .....

Just home from Western Mediterranean and used my cell frequently for calls home, etc. We used the AT&T "International Day Pass" which costs ($10.00 / day) and you can use your phone as you would at home ... same rules. I used it on our Paris/Normandy cruise this summer and there were no issues at any time, but on the ocean you need to watch usage when the ship is at sea ... I got a notification from AT&T via text message that the ship itself is not part of the plan (no cell towers). I just turned it to "Airplane Mode" about a half an hour after we would set sail and had no problems. I was able to talk to my husband who was holding down the fort at home a couple of times a day and text and send pics as well. The time difference meant that the calls were generally in the afternoon and evening, but it was nice being able to stay in touch.

We use T-Mobile who's parent co is deutsche telekom who seems to have reach all over the globe. For what we have the plan gives unlimited Texting and Data. Same price model as most all now-a-days. Voice is .20 cents a minute. That is land based calling.

There are apps you can sign up for to make calls, as long as you are on WiFi.. we have used Facebook messager, whatsup, and hangouts.

If you have an iPhone, go into the settings and set up WiFi Calling. With the ship's WiFi you can then make phone calls worldwide, without additional charges.

My daughter set me up on Viber which is a free app. I haven’t used it yet (we go next week) but she has and likes it. Calls and messaging are free. The person you are calling must also have Viber

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Has anyone used “FaceTime” on their IPad on Viking? Concerned there may not be enough bandwidth.

Thanks,

Jerry

I used FaceTime on a Christmas cruise on viking Sea in the Mediterranean and was able to give a tour of the ship using the wifi.

I used FaceTime on a Christmas cruise on viking Sea in the Mediterranean and was able to give a tour of the ship using the wifi.

Thanks much for the reply.

Twitchy, since you’ll have WiFi on the ship, you can download the SKYPE app on your phone, if your Mom also has a smart phone or computer, have her download the app also, calls via SKYPE are free to one another if both parties have the SKYPE app. Also, if she only has a landline, SKYPE calls to her are very inexpensive, you may want to check it out.

I too check in with my 86 year old Mom daily when we travel, the WiFi on the ship isn’t perfect and sometimes too slow for SKYPE calls but I’ve had pretty good luck.

Enjoy your trip.

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If you have an iPhone, go into the settings and set up WiFi Calling. With the ship's WiFi you can then make phone calls worldwide, without additional charges.

well I just played with my iPhone 5 and found nothing in settings to set up WiFi calling ......

perhaps this came with an APP you loaded?????

or you can tell us where it is buried in the iPhone menus ....

well I just played with my iPhone 5 and found nothing in settings to set up WiFi calling ......

 

 

 

perhaps this came with an APP you loaded?????

 

 

 

or you can tell us where it is buried in the iPhone menus ....

You need a I Phone 6 or newer for WiFi calling. You can call over WiFi with on the ship. The only reason my husband upgraded was for this feature.

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Lobes1 - many thanks for the tip about WiFi calling on the newer iPhones. I had no idea this existed and will make use of it on our Viking Sea Cruise this spring.

Very cool about the WiFi calling. That will save us a bundle of money. Thanks!

WARNING WARNING.

1 - Just to clarify as some of the posts could be read wrong. Calling from the ship and calling from land are totally different. All those "plans" do not cover calls on the ship.

2 - If you are going to use any of those calling apps via wifi, test it out at home. Do not wait until you are on the ship and try to figure it out.

As to wifi on the ship. It is generally pretty good. But the time just before everybody is about to leave on tours, or just got back can be round. With a few hundred folks slamming the connection at one... rush hour. Also can happen at certain times at sea as well. Simple traffic congestion.

Just returned from Viking Star Barcelona-Rome. I used the Whatsapp app of my cellphone and called home every day, free and clear

Just returned from Viking Star Barcelona-Rome. I used the Whatsapp app of my cellphone and called home every day, free and clear

Thanks ,looking into this.

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I called my elderly mother every day in port on my iPhone using wi-fi and Vonage app for no charge. Reception was perfect whether in Croatia, Barcelona, or Venice!