Pay phones in ports?

[lovetogolfgirl45]

I was wondering if pay phones are readily available in the ports. Leaving Sunday on the Victory and I must be in contact with family members at home. I was planning on buying an international phone card to be the most economical means of communication.

[PattyG12]

I think it depends on the ports. I found it was cheaper to call from the ship. I thin my AT&T rates were $1.99 or something per minute to check in at home. Then I called from Nassau. A pay phone. It was pretty much a pain.

[kitty9]

Do not purchase those phone cards---they will waste you money as they don't work in the phones in the ports. Those calling cards are for use calling TO a foreign country from the US and not for calling to the US from a foreign country. If you have a cell phone, see if it can be used internationally.

That's the cheapest way to call home.

[Travelcat2]

Also, beware of calling from the ship. If you are using their signal, you could pay a few dollars a minute. The best thing to do is email.

[andynapril]

Alot of ports have phones similar to internet cafes for tourists to use. We have paid a flat fee to call the US for so many minutes. Sometimes they're even located in the cruise ship terminals. Also as suggested here call your cell phone provider. You will likely have to have international calling activated or added to your service.

[Essiesmom]

Ask onboard among the crew where the best phones are and where to buy the phone cards. they do it all the time. EM

[Flinstones]

Ask onboard among the crew where the best phones are and where to buy the phone cards. they do it all the time. EM

 

On my last cruise, I purchased a calling card in the port that could also be used in other ports I was visiting. I think I paid $5.00 for a 30 min. card. It was very reasonable.

[satxdiver]

Be aware of the pay phones in ports that take credit cards to call the US. They are very expensive! Most cell carriers charge $2.49/minute while using the ship cell tower (AT&T, Verizon, etc). The charge will appear on your cell phone bill. The ship will not charge you. If you have a world cell phone (AT&T or T-Mobile mostly), you can use it in all the Caribbean ports. Your cell phone provider will tell you how much it will cost but usually less than the shipboard charge of $2.50/minute.

 

World cell phones are four band GSM. AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM but do sell two band cell phones which may not work outside the US. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA cell phones which are not compatible with a GSM cell tower.