Will cell/mobile phones work on an Alaskan cruise?

[binciong]

Will be taking our first cruise this June and I'm curious to know whether our mobile phones will work. Our itinerary takes us from Seattle to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan and Victoria.

 

Here is more itinerary detail:

http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=5017&tourCode=&date=0610&noOfPax=2&resType=C&definition_name=

 

I'm guessing that there is probably service intermittently? Maybe when we are close to shore? or does the ship have repeaters that keep your signal going the whole way?

 

Any concern about roaming charges for this particular trip? We have Sprint service in case that matters.

[Cuizer2]

If you connect through the ship you are going to pay big time. Something like $2.50 per minute. As to the state of Alaska, check with you cell phone provider.

[PennyAgain]

If your cell phone service provider gives you service in Alaska you will be able to use your phones in the Alaskan port town, but make sure it says the name of your provider when you turn your phone on and not

 

"Cellular at Sea" or "Rogers" which is a Canadian service provider.

 

Cellular at Sea with cost you $2.49 a minute and Rogers is sky high.

 

Know what your costs are for texting and for data downloads. Be prepared.

 

With so many ships in port at the same time, there is a risk that one or more ships are not following the rules and will have their repeaters still on.

[binciong]

Thanks for the responses but let me ask the question a different way.

 

When I get on the ship in Seattle (while docked) I'll still have service correct? At some distance away from shore I'll of course lose service. Is that really quick or might it still be on my provider's network for ah hour or two?

 

When we get to a port (assuming it's a developed area) I should have a signal again right? So I'm thinking that as you approach the port, you will also get a signal.

 

Maybe I am wrong and the ship has something that blocks all mobile phone signals even when it's docked?

 

I guess I was thinking that since my particular cruises route runs fairly close to the coast that there could possibly be a signal from time to time.

 

If a ship goes from San Diego to Los Angeles, do they have cell service?

[Texas Tillie]

You will probably never loose connection, but when the ship is sailing, you'll go through their tower and pay through the nose. In the towns, you'll go through the land towers and if you have a national plan - it's "free" - just goes against your total minutes. Verizon seems to be very good in Alaska.

[cruisebum50]

You will not lose service after you set sail, you will just be using the ship's cell tower, not the land based towers. When the ship is docked they should turn off the ships tower and you should be using the land based tower. Roaming charges will depend on whether or not you are charged those on your cell plan. As others have told you, once you set sail and are using the cell tower on the ship you will pay $2.49 per minute.

[Cuizer2]

Thanks for the responses but let me ask the question a different way.

 

When I get on the ship in Seattle (while docked) I'll still have service correct? At some distance away from shore I'll of course lose service. Is that really quick or might it still be on my provider's network for ah hour or two?

 

When we get to a port (assuming it's a developed area) I should have a signal again right? So I'm thinking that as you approach the port, you will also get a signal.

 

Maybe I am wrong and the ship has something that blocks all mobile phone signals even when it's docked?

 

I guess I was thinking that since my particular cruises route runs fairly close to the coast that there could possibly be a signal from time to time.

 

If a ship goes from San Diego to Los Angeles, do they have cell service?

 

If you want to know what kind of connection you will have in the Alaskan ports, ask your provider. Once the ship sails, you will be connecting through the ship (even if there is other service on land within range) and you will be paying $2.50 per minute to use the ship's service.

[yogi2929]

In 2007 & 2008 we had no problem in Alaskan ports using AT&T. As a matter of fact had the strongest land signal I ever had had up to that point when anchored in Icy Straight. The Juneau vendors were astounded at how strong my AT&T signal was.

 

In 2008 DH used his IPhone in Victoria and Vancouver. The rates were less than Cellular at Sea (if I remember it was less than $1/minute) We did not have International roaming on our phone that cruise.

 

As other have said see what provider your connection is with. There have been a very few reports of phones picking up a ship's signal while in port.

 

Call/Google your provider for International/Cruise rates.

[binciong]

Got it. So anytime the ship is sailing you are limited to the ship's roaming service which you pay for. Whenever the ship is in dock you can use your own carrier's service (assuming there is coverage).

 

Thanks for those explanations.

 

Has anyone used internet phone (voip) while onboard from your laptop to get around the ship tower charges? I assume that as long as it's a high speed connection, there's no reason that it wouldn't work unless they somehow block those services too.

[Cuizer2]

Got it. So anytime the ship is sailing you are limited to the ship's roaming service which you pay for. Whenever the ship is in dock you can use your own carrier's service (assuming there is coverage).

 

Thanks for those explanations.

 

Has anyone used internet phone (voip) while onboard from your laptop to get around the ship tower charges? I assume that as long as it's a high speed connection, there's no reason that it wouldn't work unless they somehow block those services too.

 

It is NOT a high speed connection and you pay about 50¢ per minute to use the Internet.

[binciong]

That's too bad that it's not high speed (I assume that is universal, all ships, all lines). I did realize that I would be paying for the internet but $30/hr for low speed is not a good deal. Guess they gotta make up the revenue for the low prices they are offering nowadays.

 

I wonder if they keep it at low speed specifically for the purpose of preventing VOIP service?

[Cuizer2]

That's too bad that it's not high speed (I assume that is universal, all ships, all lines). I did realize that I would be paying for the internet but $30/hr for low speed is not a good deal. Guess they gotta make up the revenue for the low prices they are offering nowadays.

 

I wonder if they keep it at low speed specifically for the purpose of preventing VOIP service?

 

It was like that before VOIP became popular. It is simply the limits of the system. And the same speed restrictions apply to the staff, not just the passengers.

[PennyAgain]

Be very careful about using an iPhone in any Canadian port for any reason. The least use of data downloads will cost a heap of money.

[kitty9]

That's too bad that it's not high speed (I assume that is universal, all ships, all lines). I did realize that I would be paying for the internet but $30/hr for low speed is not a good deal. Guess they gotta make up the revenue for the low prices they are offering nowadays.

 

I wonder if they keep it at low speed specifically for the purpose of preventing VOIP service?

 

 

All cruise ships block the ability to use internet based phone service, such as Skype and others. I specifically asked when on Royal Caribbean and Carnival and they said every line jams the ability to use those services.

[Travelcat2]

It really depends upon the cruise line you are on. While on board (in port or not), you will be going through the ship's tower. Some ships do not block Skype -- most do. Anyone who has national coverage in the U.S. can use their cell phones while in port (just get away from the ship)

[CFD130]

They work great to SKIP accross the harbor so you wont have to take any calls and you can relax on you cruise;)

ditch the phone

[sarge98]

Will be taking our first cruise this June and I'm curious to know whether our mobile phones will work. Our itinerary takes us from Seattle to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan and Victoria.

 

Here is more itinerary detail:

http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=5017&tourCode=&date=0610&noOfPax=2&resType=C&definition_name=

 

I'm guessing that there is probably service intermittently? Maybe when we are close to shore? or does the ship have repeaters that keep your signal going the whole way?

 

Any concern about roaming charges for this particular trip? We have Sprint service in case that matters.

Wife and I just returned from a 7 day Soiuther Caribbean cruise yesterday, 2/7/10. We called home (Detroit) on our Tracfone from San juan Purto Rico for the same rate as in the USA, it would have worked from the US Vingin Islands also. Call your provider, Also we were docked in San Juan, not at sea. Good luck

[Texas Tillie]

It really depends upon the cruise line you are on. While on board (in port or not), you will be going through the ship's tower. Some ships do not block Skype -- most do. Anyone who has national coverage in the U.S. can use their cell phones while in port (just get away from the ship)

 

That has not been my experience. While docked in various ports in Alaska, in Key West and in Miami, I have used my cell phone from the ship and it did not go through the ship's tower. I was told that when the service was first installed that the ships did not turn the service off in port. In Alaska many of the locals were getting huge bills for thier service that was picked up on the ship's towers. The ships are now very careful to turn off their service as soon as the ship is secured at the dock.

[kitty9]

It really depends upon the cruise line you are on. While on board (in port or not), you will be going through the ship's tower. Some ships do not block Skype -- most do. Anyone who has national coverage in the U.S. can use their cell phones while in port (just get away from the ship)

 

Once ships get within a certain distance from the ports, they turn off their satellite service and you are using the local providers and their land based cell towers. Once they leave the port, they turn on their cellular at sea satellites---we've found it's usually within 30 minutes of leaving the port.

[FritzG]

In May/June '08 we had no trouble using our Verizon phones throughout most of the cruise. It was great being able to contact each other on the ship via phone too.

The only caution I would give you is that in the Inside Passage you might connect with Canadian towers. We added a Canadian plan for something like $5 for the month because we were also spending a couple of days in Vancouver post-cruise.

[RetireeWannabee]

depends. I had an awesome signal in Juneau.