cell phones in Alaska

[arizgirl]

This summer we'll be going to Alaska and saliling on the Diamond Princess. Our cell phone is with Verizon and I'm wondering what your experience is with ability to make and receive calls. Are there any extra charges using your cell phone on ship - I don't know what the tower situation is there.

[zelker]

Hi. We use Verizon also. It worked fine in all ports and there were no extra charges. HOWEVER -- do not use your cell phone while out at sea, once you are out of tower range or you will incur $$$ charges (last year on RCCL, it was something like $10/minute!!) because you switch over from land towers to marine cell service. Our phone actually displayed something so that I knew I was no longer on regular towers. You might want to check with your cruise line to see if they can tell you what the per minute charge will run. I am on HAL this summer and it's considerably less than last year (around $2.75/minute, I think I read) but still, unless it's an emergency, I will not be using the phone except when in port.

 

Hope that helps.

[LaurieCM]

About a half mile from the ship is best for using your cell. We have Verizon and that's what we did and had no trouble. In Florida most cruiseships turn off their tower while passengers are disembarking at the end of the cruise, but in the middle of a cruise, even in an American port, they leave it on.

[zelker]

About a half mile from the ship is best for using your cell. We have Verizon and that's what we did and had no trouble. In Florida most cruiseships turn off their tower while passengers are disembarking at the end of the cruise, but in the middle of a cruise, even in an American port, they leave it on.

 

We had absolutely no tower issues using it while on the ship while it was docked and didn't need to get any distance from it at all (this was specifically in Alaska, twice).

[chipmaster]

Check coverage here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController?requesttype=NEWREQUEST&coveragetype=broadband

 

Towers must be off in port orr you will get land based cell phone calls going thru the cruise ship towers. You'd get a lot of pissed local residents when they saw their additional charges ;)

[AlanAllyn]

Cruise ship rates on Verizon are $2.49 per minute (including on RCCL) and have been that price for a few years.

 

Ships are supposed to turn their tower off in port, but don't always. My phone indicates Verizon wireless when I am on their network.

 

Verizon has coverage in all your Alaska ports, but it may be spotty inland from Whittier (but ok in Anchorage).

[zelker]

Cruise ship rates on Verizon are $2.49 per minute (including on RCCL) and have been that price for a few years.

 

I just looked back at that bill and you're correct - I was charged $2.49 for that minute. For some reason, I thought it was more. Maybe I'm thinking of the ship to shore phones - aren't they around $10/minute?

[redwingfan517]

Does anyone know how texting works? Does the same rate apply? I don't see that info on my Verizon bill.

[NCGAL1971]

I would be interested in the answer to the texting question too. I also have Verizon and was told by a Verizon store manager that the coverage

for the cell phone use is really good but may be spotting too far away from Anchorage. Not sure how far north he meant. Looking at the coverage map I am thinking I might be okay as far as Talkeetna but then nothing much north of there. We are planning to spend most of our time in the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage area so I am hoping we will be okay.

[zelker]

Cruise Ship Rates

 

Voice Roaming Rate:

$2.49 per minute

 

Text Messaging Rates:

$0.50/address sent

$0.05/message received

 

Global Email Pay Per Use Rate:

$0.02/KB ($20.48/MB)

[MisterBill99]

Towers must be off in port or you will get land based cell phone calls going thru the cruise ship towers. You'd get a lot of pissed local residents when they saw their additional charges ;)

Even if they leave it on, your phone should notice that there is a Verizon signal available and use that instead of the roaming signal.

[Traveller20074]

Ok, so if I'm understanding this right....IF there's good coverage in port...I can make calls to home no charge...right? I have AT&T, so who knows if they have towers in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan :o LOL

[mytime53]

Ok, so if I'm understanding this right....IF there's good coverage in port...I can make calls to home no charge...right? I have AT&T, so who knows if they have towers in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan :o LOL

 

Appears they do: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=voice&lat=59.44996711724152&lon=-135.302496768305&sci=9

[maple]

About the only time my Verizon reception would not work on the roundtrip from Seattle cruise, was the day at sea going out and the day coming back.

[mlmalone3]

We've used our AT&T cell phones while in Alaska in 2007 and 2009. As soon as we got off the ship in port, we called to check on kids at home. No problems at all....in any port....or up in Denali.:)

[greatam]

This summer we'll be going to Alaska and saliling on the Diamond Princess. Our cell phone is with Verizon and I'm wondering what your experience is with ability to make and receive calls. Are there any extra charges using your cell phone on ship - I don't know what the tower situation is there.

 

 

As another Arizona Verizon user (corporate account-69 cell phones), you will have good coverage in Alaska. I am in Alaska during the fish shipping season at least twice (early June and late August). I am able to use not only my cell but my Verizon broadband air card. BUT it is $2.49 per minute ON THE SHIP, $.50 per text outbound and $.05 per text inbound.

 

DO NOT leave your cell on on the ship if you have data capability. Verizon phones (and others that have data capability) will CONSTANTLY try to connect and download ON THE SHIP. You could come home to a whopper of a bill. One of my employees last summer incurred about $600 when he left his Verizon Blackberry on in the cabin at the end of our fish shipping season (he chose to take a cruise to get home). NOTHING IMPORTANT-just blah, blah, blah emails from friends (you know all those jokes you get). Just shut the phone off UNTIL you REALLY need to use it.

[PennyAgain]

Even if they leave it on, your phone should notice that there is a Verizon signal available and use that instead of the roaming signal.

 

If you are on the ship, and the ship violates Alaska law by leaving their cell repeater on, you will still be billed by the ship's telephone service. However, ships are now much more careful about their behavior in ports on this issue as the fines are substantial.

 

I remember when the ships did as they pleased and it was a major headache for Alaskans. If we saw a ship, we did not use our cell phones.

 

After the law was put in effect, most of that nonsense stopped. But to be sure, read what it says on your cell phone when you first turn it on. Also be very careful in Canada. as the rates for us there are high.

[purduemom1]

I called Verizon CS this afternoon and was told that they do not have any towers in AK but they have agreements with other providers to use their towers. He explained that the phone might say "roaming" but if you have a nationwide plan, there won't be any roaming charges. So my queston to those who have used their Verizon phones in AK, was this info accurate? If so, how would one know if you are picking up the ship's tower, (should it be on while in port) or one that is contracted with Verizon? Maybe I'm stressing over nothing but I've never had "roaming" appear on my phone except in Canada and then I knew I would be charged if I used the phone.

[Traveller20074]

We've used our AT&T cell phones while in Alaska in 2007 and 2009. As soon as we got off the ship in port, we called to check on kids at home. No problems at all....in any port....or up in Denali.:)

 

GOOD to know, thanks!!

[Traveller20074]

Appears they do: http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=voice&lat=59.44996711724152&lon=-135.302496768305&sci=9

 

thanks!

[PennyAgain]

If you are picking up the ship's own tower/service it will say.

 

Cellular at Sea

[NMLady]

If you are picking up the ship's own tower/service it will say.

 

Cellular at Sea

 

WHERE does it say this on a cell phone???

When we were sailing out of Miami we thought we were on Verizon since we were still in port. But I guess since we were under power we were on the ship's tower. We didn't know this though until we received our cell phone bill and saw the charges for that phone call.

 

Do ALL cell phones show when you're on Cellular at Sea??

[mytime53]

WHERE does it say this on a cell phone???

When we were sailing out of Miami we thought we were on Verizon since we were still in port. But I guess since we were under power we were on the ship's tower. We didn't know this though until we received our cell phone bill and saw the charges for that phone call.

 

Do ALL cell phones show when you're on Cellular at Sea??

 

I don't think all phones have the capability to show you...some just say "roaming".

[Mark_T]

DO NOT leave your cell on on the ship if you have data capability. Verizon phones (and others that have data capability) will CONSTANTLY try to connect and download ON THE SHIP. You could come home to a whopper of a bill.

 

Check your phone for options to turn off 'data roaming' this will prevent your phone from making a data connection when it is unable to reach your contracted network.

 

If you don't have such an option on the phone then better to turn off data all together and if that isn't an option either then yes, turning off the phone would seem like the only choice :)

[Mark_T]

If you are on the ship, and the ship violates Alaska law by leaving their cell repeater on, you will still be billed by the ship's telephone service. However, ships are now much more careful about their behavior in ports on this issue as the fines are substantial.

 

No.

 

You will only be billed by the ship if you connect through their system as a roaming call.

 

You can be on the ship with an active system on the ship and incur no charges as long as the phone is connecting to a shore based tower for your network.

 

People do need to learn how their phone shows them which network it is connected to and how to limit/decide which network it uses.