iPhone and charges

[TACMS]

When on the ship I know that if you use your phone you will get charged. My question is if the iPhone is put on 'airplane' mode so you could still listen to music.... will there be a charge?

 

We leave tomorrow...

[Tralynn222]

As long as you don't access the internet, which you wouldn't be able to do without entering some sort of code so they can charge you anyway, you'll be fine to use your IPHONE for music or any other apps.

[uksimonusa]

As long as you don't access the internet, which you wouldn't be able to do without entering some sort of code so they can charge you anyway, you'll be fine to use your IPHONE for music or any other apps.

 

The above is only true if the iphone is in airplane mode or data roaming is turned off, otherwise the iphone will continually access the internet checking for emails, FB etc and the data charge onboard is very high

[TACMS]

thanks so much.... my daughter will just keep it i airplane mode and use ONLY for music. One more question.....when in St. Thomas - she can turn on since it is part of US???

 

again - thank you

[mrparkland]

What sort of code do they give you ?

 

Is it a security key to type in ?

[reallyitsmema]

thanks so much.... my daughter will just keep it i airplane mode and use ONLY for music. One more question.....when in St. Thomas - she can turn on since it is part of US???

 

again - thank you

It depends on who your service is with. St Thomas is a free call for some providers but it is not a free call with Verizon Wireless.

[GXmanDC]

I imagine a "code" would be a password for Wifi. Smartphones will automatically connect to the Ship's cellular network unless you turn off data roaming or put the phone in airplane mode.

[Babyberger]

We kept all our iPhones on airplane mode and never had a problem. AT&T told us that if we turn off airplane mode we will automatically hit the ships cell tower and be charged roaming. We didn't bother to turn them on in St. Thomas so I am not sure on that issue.

[uksimonusa]

At&t is free in both St Thomas and San Juan

[emtb12]

thanks so much.... my daughter will just keep it i airplane mode and use ONLY for music. One more question.....when in St. Thomas - she can turn on since it is part of US???

 

again - thank you

 

MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE DATA IN ADDITION TO PUTTING IT INTO AIRPLANE MODE.

Depending on your carrier you can use it. I have Verizon and was able to make calls, send email and check text in St. Croix and San Juan. We were not in St. Thomas, so not sure.

[Macfans]

AT&T is free in St. Thomas as it is in San Juan.

[TACMS]

Great - will check with my cell phone when I turn it on in St Thomas - that we are not roaming....- we have AT&T........

 

One more question :) ---- if she wanted to make a phone call in St. Marteen, not using the cell phone, how do you use the pay phones at the pier?

[jackretired]

iPhones are great on a cruise, in airplane mode. Put your schedule in your calendar.

Enter new friends in contacts complete with pic and note of which cruise.

The app awsome notes works in airplane mode. Camera works. etc.

[Luetta]

We put our iPhones in airplane mode and to be sure turned off wifi, and all other options, push notifications everything we could think of. In St Thomas we turned the phones on once on the dock just to be sure. We had no additional charges and my daughter was glad to text all day.

[sungifts]

Great - will check with my cell phone when I turn it on in St Thomas - that we are not roaming....- we have AT&T........

 

One more question :) ---- if she wanted to make a phone call in St. Marteen, not using the cell phone, how do you use the pay phones at the pier?

 

 

The pay phones in port take credit cards or you can use a calling card.

 

If you look at the top of your iphone to the left where the 3G usually is, you will be able to tell what network your call would go thru - it will change regularly depending on where you are at the time. If with AT&T, they will also send you free texts letting you know you would be charged extra for roaming when you get out of their area. I'm with AT&T and have always used my phone in St. Thomas without any extra charges.

 

I always turn off push notifications, location services, and data roaming the minute the ship sails. I leave my phone on the entire cruise so I can receive emergency texts from family, but don't answer any calls that may come in. I also have my teenage son leave his on and we occasionally use texting to find each other. (this is not advisable if you or your teen might receive lots of texts from people not knowing you are out of town!) Texts are 50 cents each.

 

Also keep in mind that if you turn off your phone but do not turn off push notifications, as soon as you turn the phone back on, it will push for all your mail, texts, facebooks notifications, etc - and if not in AT&T's network, you will be charged international rates!

[critterchick]

We kept all our iPhones on airplane mode and never had a problem. AT&T told us that if we turn off airplane mode we will automatically hit the ships cell tower and be charged roaming. We didn't bother to turn them on in St. Thomas so I am not sure on that issue.

 

You'll only be charged roaming if you're making or receiving phone calls. But if you turn off the data fetching feature, your phone won't be downloading any data.

 

I always turn off push notifications, location services, and data roaming the minute the ship sails. I leave my phone on the entire cruise so I can receive emergency texts from family, but don't answer any calls that may come in. I also have my teenage son leave his on and we occasionally use texting to find each other. (this is not advisable if you or your teen might receive lots of texts from people not knowing you are out of town!) Texts are 50 cents each.

 

I think that, if the call comes into your phone and then goes to voice mail, you are charged for the call. If the phone is in airplane mode and the call goes straight to voicemail, you aren't charged. But I've never had it happen, so can't confirm it.

 

We put the phone into airplane mode with data fetching off, and then turn Wifi on (the iPhone 3GS and 4 allow you to use Wifi even in airplane mode) if we want to use the Internet onboard or in port. We turn the phone on every now and then to make sure we don't have any emergencies to deal with.

 

And we use Skype to make calls if we can find a Wifi connection in port.:)

[Pushka]

Location services also needs to be turned off. The reason for turning all the data services off, as well as Flight mode, is that you might forget and turn the phone on to access the wireless. If you havent also turned off all the data and location services, then you will be accessing the service.

 

A passcode on the phone will prevent the kids turning the phone on completely.

 

When overseas, we turn off 3G, data and location services, but leave it on. Text messages are very cheap to send and receive. But we dont answer phone calls as once these leave our home country, then we are billed, hugely! Our all family knows they should text us not call us.

[phoenix1181]

I had my iPhone on Airplane mode during our cruise in May & had a horrendous bill because I didn't change the Data setting. You need to do both!

[mrparkland]

If you put the phone in airplane mode. The 3G data will also be turned off.

 

If you turn on the WIFI ---- I don't see how the cruise ship can charge you unless you opt in to their wifi service.

[SeaCBear]

I agree. I've traveled to many countries with my iPhone - France, England, Mexico, Cuba, islands in the Caribbean, and frequent trips to the U.S. - and I just make sure Data Roaming is turned off.

 

I do leave WiFi turned on. You're not going to be charged unless you connect and agree to pay charges to a fee-based WiFi service (like on the ship), but you can often find free WiFi in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, airports, etc. - even on tiny islands in the Caribbean.

 

I don't put my iPhone into Airplane mode (except, of course, on the airplane), because then my phone wouldn't work. I want family members and close friends who do have it to be able to call me or text me if there's an emergency. (On our last cruise my phone did ring on the third day to inform us that, sadly, my father-in-law had passed away).