cell service and free wifi? - carnival/freeport/nassau

[chihomg]

hi guys/gals. first time cruiser here. i'm going on the carnival scensation.

 

i have an iphone with att. is there service out at sea or in the ports? is it considered roaming?

 

also is there wifi on the ship or in the ports and is it free?

 

just trying to figure out how to keep in touch with people in case someone needs to get in touch with me for an emergency or for work.

 

most important, if someone needs to contact me, i would like a way for them to.

[BahamaMamas]

I think there your cell company will have an international roaming rate for the bahamas and a separate, usually slightly higher, rate for when the ship is at sea. AT&T charges like around $2.50/minute. I'm not sure about wi-fi but I think its something they will charge you for.

[miamivice435]

Any free wifi spots onshore? Starbucks....etc?

[GloriaF]

I have ATT and plan on keeping my phone turned off while on the ship. I've read on these boards that if you do not disable your roaming, it will roam constantly at $1.99/minute. (That's a bill I don't want to see!!)

 

You can add an international calling plan for one month to your ATT service for a low fee, and cancel it when your cruise is over. That might make calls while on shore a little less expensive. The ship will charge an outrageous per minute fee while at sea or onboard the ship anytime (even in port, I think).

 

I hope someone else will post here with absolute info and not just hearsay like my info is.

 

Have a great cruise!! We'll be on Ecstasy Nov 26-Dec 1.

[HappyCampers3]

Right before you leave home call AT&T and add International texting. Only 9.95 a month and you can send 50 texts. No charge for any texts you receive, on or off the ship. A few days after you return home, cancel the service. If you add this in the middle of a billing cycle (as 99% do), you must call AT&T to add it, so you can ask that they do not prorate the 50 texts, but make sure they credit all 50 even in the middle of your billing cycle. Waiting a few days after you return home will ensure all texts have been billed to your account. Wouldn't want to cancel the service before all charges have been applied.

 

This service works wonderful while out at sea on the ship; using your phone off the ship will depend on where you are. Each port is different when it comes to being able to use your cell phone. Was once in Cozumel and could not get my phone to work. I definitely felt like I was being held hostage there :(

 

When you want to stay in touch with family while away, a few texts a day is great for giving you a peace of mind. It really reduces the need to 'talk', just knowing that all is ok at both ends.

 

Another option to the high phone call costs is to purchase an internet package and communicate using MSN Messenger (most likely, the ship will block Skype). Make sure you have both MSN accounts connected before you leave home. Logging on for a few minutes of chat also offer a wonderful peace of mind. Another option with the internet package is to compose your emails and even insert a picture or two in Word. When you are finished, log on to the internet, attach your Word document you created to an email and send. While you are sending this email, your email will download, then quickly get offline and then read your mail.

 

Be creative and think outside the box. These are just a few ways to keep in touch with home, especially if you are traveling without your children. It goes both ways, knowing they are ok and they knowing you are ok makes for a relaxing trip!

 

P.S. With international texting and international roaming (no charge for international roaming) you can keep you phone on (with AT&T) at all times and not be charged :) Do your research online at AT&T dot com or call AT&T directly and ask questions.

[Karpkg]

hi guys/gals. first time cruiser here. i'm going on the carnival scensation.

 

i have an iphone with att. is there service out at sea or in the ports? is it considered roaming?

 

also is there wifi on the ship or in the ports and is it free?

 

just trying to figure out how to keep in touch with people in case someone needs to get in touch with me for an emergency or for work.

 

most important, if someone needs to contact me, i would like a way for them to.

 

Any free wifi spots onshore? Starbucks....etc?

 

Just came off a Carnival Fascination cruise w/ports to Nassau and a stop at Half Moon Cay, departing from Jacksonville.

 

When leaving Jacksonville I had signal for around an hour. Checked my Iphone 3G couple hours later and it said something like roaming at sea?

 

http://ipod.about.com/od/internationaliphone/qt/iph_data_roam.htm

I quickly went into Settings/General/Network then made sure data roaming is off. I wasn't sure, but also turned off cellular data.

 

I still used my Iphone for the games, Calendar and Clock settings. Received a text from ATT(free) "Intl rate of $19.97/MB applies in this location. To reduce data charges....etc etc....." at 8:14 PM but that was all.

 

We stopped at Nassau, and just inside the terminal there were people with netbooks, laptops and Ipads accessing the free wifi. On my Iphone the wifi network said "A Festival Place" and I accessed that. No problems.

 

It's 3 days past our cruise and I double checked my online bill tonight and there's been no roaming charges or anything extra on my ATT bill.