International cell phone??

[onebzyldy]

We are wondering if we can purchase a cell phone in Barcelona for use only during our Med cruise? This in place of bringing our own along with added international LD minutes and text plan??

Thanx in advance for any help with this!

Happy Cruising.......

DonnaF :D

[luvtheships]

You want to purchase a pay per use phone in Euro in Spain for only one cruise in order to save on the costs of a phone you already own and will work?

 

I would seriously use what you have or look into buying an inexpensive Mobal phone from the UK before you leave home.

 

Either way, your idea or my ideas, the per minute cost is going to be around 1.50 per minute.

 

I find it truly amazing that in this day and age of some much advanced technology, that international cell phone use is still so absurdly expensive. Talk about corporate price gouging.

[onebzyldy]

Thanx for your comments.

 

I have inquired about an international *package* from here in CANADA [why did u think we were from the UK?] and the cost would be in and around $150.00 + taxes for a LD & text package with 120 of minutes for LD and 250 outgoing texts, anything over and above that would be billed seperately at .83c per minutes LD & .20c per text.

 

You are so correct in saying that we are getting gouged!!!! :mad:

 

Has anyone on these boards actually purchased a phone in Europe to use only for international usage while there ???

 

Happy Cruising..........

DonnaF :D

[luvtheships]

Thanx for your comments.

 

I have inquired about an international *package* from here in CANADA [why did u think we were from the UK?] and the cost would be in and around $150.00 + taxes for a LD & text package with 120 of minutes for LD and 250 outgoing texts, anything over and above that would be billed seperately at .83c per minutes LD & .20c per text.

 

You are so correct in saying that we are getting gouged!!!! :mad:

 

Has anyone on these boards actually purchased a phone in Europe to use only for international usage while there ???

 

Happy Cruising..........

DonnaF :D

I knew you were from Canada but Mobal is UK based and many many travelers, myself included use Mobal for their international cell service when traveling. Cheap easy to use good phones and no contracts.

 

If you go for a phone in Spain it too will be no contract and you will still be paying high per minute rates.

 

It is a very difficult situation for a traveler to get inexpensive cell service in Europe, so $1.50 or so per minute with a good international cell service like Mobal is what loads of pax do.

 

The only other alternative is to go thru your own cell company and set up a plan and keep your number..but rates are still high and you run the risk of anybody with your cell number calling you on the ship, where extra charges are incurred:eek:..like 2.49 extra minute.

 

The only way to get really cheap like .07 per minute rate is to use a landline and an international phone card, which of course only work in hotels or pay phones, not the ship.

 

bottom line, look for Wifi in ports to read email and chat and use a cell phone for absolute emergencies...thus making Mobal the cell of choice for many...turn it on when traveling..keep it off at home until your next trip...mobal charges your credit cad for use by the way and no contracts.

 

also, the deal you were quoted from your service doesn't really sound so bad, but if you plan to travel to europe more than once, then the mobal deal is good as well. The only problem with the Mobal deal is if someone from Canada calls you..they are call an international number..but your emergency contact back home can easily add international service to their landline or cell for basically pennies and at least they will have it should they need to call you.

[Langoustine]

why did u think we were from the UK?

 

I don't think anyone did. Getting a phone from Mobal in the UK is very common for travelers here in the U.S. You should take a look at their web site.

[onebzyldy]

I do not have *data* on my phone, so simply use it for phone calls and texting. Thanx for the info, I will look into it here in Canada and see what I can find out. Right now we r leaning towards getting the package with our provider here and taking our own cell with us. But still have plenty of time to do a bit more research :)

 

Along with all the excursion stuff that is just mind boggling!

 

Again, has anyone bought a phone in Spain for International usage ?

 

luvtheships = thank you so much for your input and information, very very much appreciated!

 

Happy Cruising........

DonnaF :D

[onebzyldy]

I don't think anyone did. Getting a phone from Mobal in the UK is very common for travelers here in the U.S. You should take a look at their web site.

 

Oops,,,,then my ignorance :eek:

Sorry about that.

I am definitely gonna goodle Mobal and check it out.

Thanx a bunch!

 

Happy Cruising........

DonnaF :D

[TERRIER1]

I went to a travel a travel show here in NYC last year and purchased a cheapo international cell phone from One Sim Card. I have a Verizon cell with no text and it doesn't work overseas. The One Sim Card phone worked fine for my needs last year and I just added more minutes for my trip this June. I am totally not savvy when it it comes to cell phones. Verizon has a plan where they mail you a phone that has a card in it that works overseas and you mail back the phone when you are finished with your trip. Good luck.

[aloisia]

I do not have *data* on my phone, so simply use it for phone calls and texting. Thanx for the info, I will look into it here in Canada and see what I can find out. Right now we r leaning towards getting the package with our provider here and taking our own cell with us. But still have plenty of time to do a bit more research :)

 

Along with all the excursion stuff that is just mind boggling!

 

Again, has anyone bought a phone in Spain for International usage ?

 

luvtheships = thank you so much for your input and information, very very much appreciated!

 

Happy Cruising........

DonnaF :D

 

I`m right in the process of checking out Rogers European Voice Travel Pack.

Looks like I have to pop into one of the retail stores (asp - we leave on the 4th!) .... my cell is an older model :rolleyes: & am not sure if it will work with this package. 15 mins for $20. or 40 mins for $48. Usually I just check emails from the ship however during our last cruise I couldn`t connect at all on the ship. :confused: Just looking for some way the family can get a hold of us.

[hkto]

If all you want is voice them buy cheap older unlocked world voice phone with quad frequency GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (example http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=829). That particular model should be $20-30 at the most. BTW cell is also working on the ships at sea but cost is very high.

 

For email only any wi-fi enable portable (iTouch, etc) or smartphone is sufficient. I don't think I ever had trouble getting some free wifi on shore. I wouldn't don't do on the ship as signal is weak (probably satellite), shared by lots of people and is charged by minute (you'll be paying while waiting)

[onebzyldy]

I`m right in the process of checking out Rogers European Voice Travel Pack.

Looks like I have to pop into one of the retail stores (asp - we leave on the 4th!) .... my cell is an older model :rolleyes: & am not sure if it will work with this package. 15 mins for $20. or 40 mins for $48. Usually I just check emails from the ship however during our last cruise I couldn`t connect at all on the ship. :confused: Just looking for some way the family can get a hold of us.

 

We r with Bell and theirs is $100 for 120 LD minutes and .83c a minute over and above and $50 for 250 texts [incoming texts r free] and .20c each over and above that, plan is good for one month. I have gotten some great advice/ideas on this thread so will research them all b4 I make my decision. But you don't have much time left, so good luck to you - I am sure it will all work out for u :)

PS. You will l♥ve the EPIC, she is beautiful and tons of fun!!!!

 

Happy Cruising.....

DonnaF :D

[hkto]

If one is thinking of spending in ballpark of $100 then buying a local SIM card would be a better option. In Europe all incoming calls are free and local SIM owner only pays for outgoing ones however Bell & Rogers charge for both. Last year I spent 25 euros on a Vodafone card in Portugal; lasted me over 2 weeks and I used it for both voice and internet when WI-Fi wasn't available. If I remember correctly incoming calls were free, to North America was 44c on weekdays, 22 on weekends, local calls - under 20c, data - 12 euros for 1gb.

[MATHA531]

You don't want to use a cell phone of any kind while on the cruise and not in port because rates are astronomically high no matter what direction you go in. The cell phone might prove handy while in port or while on a shore excursion but the question is just how much you might use it in lieu of whether or not your Canadian carrier has a European roaming plan.

 

Now for any kind of extensive land tour say of Europe it's a different story. For the most part Canada (and the USA) use different technologies and different frequencies than do European carriers (and we'll just consider voice, not data). The standard answer is to procure an inexpensive gsm unlocked phone that at least has the two European frequencies (900 mhz and 1800 mhz)...many gsm phones today if not most are quad band and have those two frequencies as well as the two frequencies used in North America i.e. 850 mhz. and 1900 mhz. As data and smart phones have become the rage and norm, voice only quad band phones are readilly available at pretty good prices and even though the models are a couple of years old, will work and function perfectly at least for voice and text messaging.

 

Next you need a plan. The standard advice is on your first stop (in this case Spain?) to purchase a Pay as you go j(PAYG) sim cards. I am not as familiar with Spanish sim cards as I am with English sim cards but you can go to a web site, prepaidgsm.net and there might be some details there. The eu has worked to bring down roaming rates within the eu and receiving calls on any European PAYG plan todya is generally relatively cheap even outside the country of origin of the sim card. Within the country of origin of the sim card, receiving calls will be FREE (hard to beat that eh)....calls to North America from within the eu but outside the country of origin of the sim card will be very expensive...calls to North America from within the country of origin can vary greatly. I know within the UK you can make calls to North America on certain UK carriers for as little as 3p/minute but well as I said these rates do vary.

 

Another alternative is to look up various offers by e-kit. I have one that on the same sim card provides both a USAS number (country code +1) and a UK number (country code3 +44). You can give your contacts either number and they can decide whicdh number to use (I'm not sure how expensive it is in Canada to dial a USA number as opposed to a UK number). On your end, while in port within the eu or on a shore excursion within the eu, if the call comes in on ther +1 number, you pay 19¢ US per minute to receive the call or if the call comes in on the +44 number (UK) you receive for free. Your caller pays the approriate rate of his or her ld carrier bearing in mind that calls to UK mobiles from Canada are probably surcharged. You can look up the actualities on ebay (they may have Canadian cards)...

 

But bear in mind as I said at the top of the replay. Any calls that come in or you make no matter what you have while the ship is at sea will cost you an arm and a leg (well at least an arm).

 

Hope that helps.

[luvtheships]

You don't want to use a cell phone of any kind while on the cruise and not in port because rates are astronomically high no matter what direction you go in. The cell phone might prove handy while in port or while on a shore excursion but the question is just how much you might use it in lieu of whether or not your Canadian carrier has a European roaming plan.

 

Now for any kind of extensive land tour say of Europe it's a different story. For the most part Canada (and the USA) use different technologies and different frequencies than do European carriers (and we'll just consider voice, not data). The standard answer is to procure an inexpensive gsm unlocked phone that at least has the two European frequencies (900 mhz and 1800 mhz)...many gsm phones today if not most are quad band and have those two frequencies as well as the two frequencies used in North America i.e. 850 mhz. and 1900 mhz. As data and smart phones have become the rage and norm, voice only quad band phones are readilly available at pretty good prices and even though the models are a couple of years old, will work and function perfectly at least for voice and text messaging.

 

Next you need a plan. The standard advice is on your first stop (in this case Spain?) to purchase a Pay as you go j(PAYG) sim cards. I am not as familiar with Spanish sim cards as I am with English sim cards but you can go to a web site, prepaidgsm.net and there might be some details there. The eu has worked to bring down roaming rates within the eu and receiving calls on any European PAYG plan todya is generally relatively cheap even outside the country of origin of the sim card. Within the country of origin of the sim card, receiving calls will be FREE (hard to beat that eh)....calls to North America from within the eu but outside the country of origin of the sim card will be very expensive...calls to North America from within the country of origin can vary greatly. I know within the UK you can make calls to North America on certain UK carriers for as little as 3p/minute but well as I said these rates do vary.

 

Another alternative is to look up various offers by e-kit. I have one that on the same sim card provides both a USAS number (country code +1) and a UK number (country code3 +44). You can give your contacts either number and they can decide whicdh number to use (I'm not sure how expensive it is in Canada to dial a USA number as opposed to a UK number). On your end, while in port within the eu or on a shore excursion within the eu, if the call comes in on ther +1 number, you pay 19¢ US per minute to receive the call or if the call comes in on the +44 number (UK) you receive for free. Your caller pays the approriate rate of his or her ld carrier bearing in mind that calls to UK mobiles from Canada are probably surcharged. You can look up the actualities on ebay (they may have Canadian cards)...

 

But bear in mind as I said at the top of the replay. Any calls that come in or you make no matter what you have while the ship is at sea will cost you an arm and a leg (well at least an arm).

 

Hope that helps.

wow..that is a ton of stuff to understand!!LOL And probably the reason why 4 years ago I bought a $99 Mobal phone when they were giving away $100 worth of free phone time! someone in my immediate family has used that phone in Europe every summer since 2008 and only in 2011 did I get my first over and above charge as we had finally run out of the free minutes!LOL

 

Another little bit of advice for anyone who actually will have access to a landline (hotel room) phone...do try to make all your calls back home from there..because as long as you buy a phone card there, you will pay about 7 cents a minute and make sure that you have whoever might call you back on that hotel room landline to also be working off a 7 cent phone card from wherever they are.

 

This is basically how I keep in touch with the kids when they travel abroad..I put the 7 cent plan on my US cell phone and just call their hotel room. I put the plan on my cell phone because then I can talk to them from anywhere and don't need to be at home.

 

FWIW, and IMHO, a cell phone in Europe for a North American is just too darn expensive to actually use for anything other than a quick or emergency call back home or to call your private tour guide in the ports when you get off the ship and can't locate him:D

 

however, I will mention that I have a niece in Barcelona who lives there but doesn't want to buy a contract cell phone, so she bought a non contract phone in Barca and pays like 1.50 a minute to make local calls on it...all because she doesn't want to commit to a 2 year plan..and moves frequently enough (she is a student) that a landline is unneeded:confused:

 

to the OP..so yes, it is possible to pick up a phone there..but the high cost is why buying a Mobal is so popular because it can be used worldwide..not just in Europe.

 

also, if you buy a phone in Barca..won't it automatically become more costly once you leave Spain?

[luvtheships]

I`m right in the process of checking out Rogers European Voice Travel Pack.

Looks like I have to pop into one of the retail stores (asp - we leave on the 4th!) .... my cell is an older model :rolleyes: & am not sure if it will work with this package. 15 mins for $20. or 40 mins for $48. Usually I just check emails from the ship however during our last cruise I couldn`t connect at all on the ship. :confused: Just looking for some way the family can get a hold of us.

remember..sometimes the old technology is the best....if there is a real emergency back home and they think you need to be made aware of it (as in you will cut your vacation short and return or if you leave children behind) all they have to do is send a TELEGRAM to the ship or better yet call the cruiseline and tell them you must be contacted and they will get the message to you on the ship and which point and iff it is a real emergency, just pick up your cabin phone and call and to heck with the cost.

 

This is why Mobal is good..you can call home for maybe 5 minutes at most every 5 or 6 days..just to say hi..we are having fun.

 

and you can keep your Mobal on and in your bag during your trip and if they want to call you..in that emergency situation..then they can..of course you will probably not hear the phone ringing..but you will see a missed call and return the call.

 

FWIW..at the high costs of international service, it is best to give the number to one trusted person and then give that person's number to the masses. so if someone wants to contact you, they just go thru your trusted person and that person will call your Mobal.

 

I also give the Mobal number to any private tour guides and upon exiting the ship I turn it on and hold it so I hear it ring should the guide try to locate us.

[hkto]

If anyone cares I came across an online seller of a number of Spanish SIM cards. I am not endorsing them (as I never bought from there) http://www.simcardspain.es/en/

[MATHA531]

wow..that is a ton of stuff to understand!!LOL And probably the reason why 4 years ago I bought a $99 Mobal phone when they were giving away $100 worth of free phone time! someone in my immediate family has used that phone in Europe every summer since 2008 and only in 2011 did I get my first over and above charge as we had finally run out of the free minutes!LOL

 

Another little bit of advice for anyone who actually will have access to a landline (hotel room) phone...do try to make all your calls back home from there..because as long as you buy a phone card there, you will pay about 7 cents a minute and make sure that you have whoever might call you back on that hotel room landline to also be working off a 7 cent phone card from wherever they are.

 

This is basically how I keep in touch with the kids when they travel abroad..I put the 7 cent plan on my US cell phone and just call their hotel room. I put the plan on my cell phone because then I can talk to them from anywhere and don't need to be at home.

 

FWIW, and IMHO, a cell phone in Europe for a North American is just too darn expensive to actually use for anything other than a quick or emergency call back home or to call your private tour guide in the ports when you get off the ship and can't locate him:D

 

however, I will mention that I have a niece in Barcelona who lives there but doesn't want to buy a contract cell phone, so she bought a non contract phone in Barca and pays like 1.50 a minute to make local calls on it...all because she doesn't want to commit to a 2 year plan..and moves frequently enough (she is a student) that a landline is unneeded:confused:

 

to the OP..so yes, it is possible to pick up a phone there..but the high cost is why buying a Mobal is so popular because it can be used worldwide..not just in Europe.

 

also, if you buy a phone in Barca..won't it automatically become more costly once you leave Spain?

 

I might challenge that statement in bold above but it can be very country specific...

 

E-kit is not expensive, it's not dirt cheap but it is convenient and you do get free reception of calls throughout almost all of Europe west of Russia if you are dialed on the +44 number...if dialed on the +1 number you pay 19¢/minute, not bad.

 

However I am most familiar with Britain and while some of it may be relevant for a trip to Spain and some not, you may already have a gsm ohone with the European frequencies when you upgrade to a smartphone. Your company may or may not unlock it for you at no or a small charge. You might also find many ways to unlock the phone online. But I do understand that in Canada, just like the USA, not all companies use gsm.

 

As noted, you can get a gsm quad band for around $30 or $40 on ebay today. Not all that expensive either.

 

If you are going to Britain, British sim cards are FREE, not expensive at all. If you use T Mobile UK or Orange UK or 3 UK as your gsm PAYG carrier while in Britain, calls to North America cost 3p/minute timed to the nearest second....not very expensive at all.

 

So I'm not prepared to agree that using a cell phone in Europe is expensive. I am not all that familiar with S[anish sim cards and the policies of the Spanish telcoms as I am with British ones. That is why I recommend prepaidgsm.net that has lots of info about stuff like this.

 

But I will repeat what I said. While because of eu roaming rates, if you are on a Mediteranean cruise, while in port or on a shore excursion whether it's France, Italy or even Greece, things aren't all that bad but while at sea, it indeed is very very expensive....

[4774Papa]

We are wondering if we can purchase a cell phone in Barcelona for use only during our Med cruise? This in place of bringing our own along with added international LD minutes and text plan??

Thanx in advance for any help with this!

Happy Cruising.......

DonnaF :D

There is a company called MOBAL that offers a cell phone based in the UK that only bills when your use it. I have used it just a little. It is expensive unless you limit your conversations to just a few minutes.

[luvtheships]

I might challenge that statement in bold above but it can be very country specific...

 

E-kit is not expensive, it's not dirt cheap but it is convenient and you do get free reception of calls throughout almost all of Europe west of Russia if you are dialed on the +44 number...if dialed on the +1 number you pay 19¢/minute, not bad.

 

However I am most familiar with Britain and while some of it may be relevant for a trip to Spain and some not, you may already have a gsm ohone with the European frequencies when you upgrade to a smartphone. Your company may or may not unlock it for you at no or a small charge. You might also find many ways to unlock the phone online. But I do understand that in Canada, just like the USA, not all companies use gsm.

 

As noted, you can get a gsm quad band for around $30 or $40 on ebay today. Not all that expensive either.

 

If you are going to Britain, British sim cards are FREE, not expensive at all. If you use T Mobile UK or Orange UK or 3 UK as your gsm PAYG carrier while in Britain, calls to North America cost 3p/minute timed to the nearest second....not very expensive at all.

 

So I'm not prepared to agree that using a cell phone in Europe is expensive. I am not all that familiar with S[anish sim cards and the policies of the Spanish telcoms as I am with British ones. That is why I recommend prepaidgsm.net that has lots of info about stuff like this.

 

But I will repeat what I said. While because of eu roaming rates, if you are on a Mediteranean cruise, while in port or on a shore excursion whether it's France, Italy or even Greece, things aren't all that bad but while at sea, it indeed is very very expensive....

my us cell phone is not adaptable to Europe but I do wish it were but I won't be upgrading for it as the Mobal workd for us. However,I agree that if you have a US cell that can be unlocked for Europe that is the way to go....but the issue that might come up, especially for pax that use their US cells at home for close to all calls is this...what about all the people that have your number? Do you really want them calling you? Do you really want to answer the calls, just in case?:rolleyes: and worse yet, do you really want to broadcast to your entire contact list and them some, that you are in Europe and please do not call you? turning off the unlocked cell defeats the purpose if the main purpose is to contact you in emergencies..day or night..on land or the high seas. I still say in a true emergency, just contact the cruiseline and they will get a message to the pax.

 

I would think that a Europe cell is for a. convenience b. emergencies

 

convenience will cost a whole lot more than emergencies if you use your unlocked US cell phones.

 

As I posted earlier, it is really idiotic in this day and age, with instant email service worldwide etc. that it has to be so complicated to use a cell worldwide, but I do understand the differing cell systems between North America and Europe.:(

 

FWIW..in an emergency no call is ever too expensive.

[MATHA531]

my us cell phone is not adaptable to Europe but I do wish it were but I won't be upgrading for it as the Mobal workd for us. However,I agree that if you have a US cell that can be unlocked for Europe that is the way to go....but the issue that might come up, especially for pax that use their US cells at home for close to all calls is this...what about all the people that have your number? Do you really want them calling you? Do you really want to answer the calls, just in case?:rolleyes: and worse yet, do you really want to broadcast to your entire contact list and them some, that you are in Europe and please do not call you? turning off the unlocked cell defeats the purpose if the main purpose is to contact you in emergencies..day or night..on land or the high seas. I still say in a true emergency, just contact the cruiseline and they will get a message to the pax.

 

I would think that a Europe cell is for a. convenience b. emergencies

 

convenience will cost a whole lot more than emergencies if you use your unlocked US cell phones.

 

As I posted earlier, it is really idiotic in this day and age, with instant email service worldwide etc. that it has to be so complicated to use a cell worldwide, but I do understand the differing cell systems between North America and Europe.:(

 

FWIW..in an emergency no call is ever too expensive.

 

If your North American carrier is gsm, and if your North American carrier allows international roaming and if your cell phone has at least one but preferably both frequencies used by European gsm telcoms i.e. 900 mhz and 1800 mhz. you do not need to unlock it. You may have to register with your carrier (depending on their policies) but in this case nothing more needs to be done. You are up and ready to go if it is your intent only to use the cell phone for emergencies or an occasinal call and if that's your intent, that's fine. I would not try to disuade you.

 

Of course using e-mail depends on the ability to find an internet cafe or have access to wi fi which might be free but certainly isn't on a cruise (and obscenely expensive just like using a cell phone. Of course, the reason for that is when you're out at sea, there are no handy towers. The ship is probably using a satelite set up of some sort so they have to charge very high prices. Not that having a European cell phone on a European cruise will do you much good in avoiding these higher fees).

 

And I agree that many people feel that when they're on holiday, they don't want to be bothered. And again, I am not saying that attitude is in the slightest wrong and I'm not in the slightest trying to be arguentive.

 

However, others might feel the way I do. I want to be reachable 24/7 for reasonable rates. I happen to have a British cell payg plan establishd years go for use when in Europe. I also have a set up so that I have a local NYC number ith my area code which I can program to ring to the cell phone for a very very reasonable rate. So I simply set my home phone to call forward to this local number and voila I am reachable 24/7. Personally, I prefer that. Of course I have to shut the phone off while at sea as I will not pay the very very high rates the cruise lines charge but throughout Europe, thanks to the eu attempt to lower intra European roaming rates, the cell phone is on and I receive calls all the time. Caller ID works so I can decide to accept the call or not, no different than when I trvel at home and can be whizzing along the Santa Monica Freeway and if somebody calls my home number, it's forwarded instantly. That's simply the way I prefer it.

 

But you and only you have to make up your mind how you want to handle it. The only thing I say is that given modern technology, it's not complicated nor need it be all that expensive. Mobal is a solution too but I think their rates once you leave the UK are very high. Getting a local sim card anywhere in Europe for the most part is usually very easy, inserting it into an unlocked gsm phone is very easy and voila you're good to go if that's what you want.

[Boomy]

When in Europe...when we have WiFi...we use our Magic Jack phone... $20 a year free calls from Europe to US & Canada. When we reach a port we go to a wifi restaurant and make our calls and check our messages ... Magic Jack on our email!;)

[onebzyldy]

When in Europe...when we have WiFi...we use our Magic Jack phone... $20 a year free calls from Europe to US & Canada. When we reach a port we go to a wifi restaurant and make our calls and check our messages ... Magic Jack on our email!;)

 

What is *MAGIC JACK* ?

 

Happy Cruising.........

DonnaF :D

[radsailor]

I bought a small phone from Brightroam that has a UK number. Each year when I go to Europe I just renew the SIM card. It is easy and cheap.

[readytogo2]

What is *MAGIC JACK* ?

 

Happy Cruising.........

DonnaF :D

I have used magic jack even when Im on a cruise ship...but you need an internet connection for your laptop and in my case I bring a small cheapy landline phone. As long as you have an internet connection...all calls to the US or Canada are free:)

 

Magic Jack

[World Gallery]

I have used magic jack even when Im on a cruise ship...but you need an internet connection for your laptop and in my case I bring a small cheapy landline phone. As long as you have an internet connection...all calls to the US or Canada are free:)

 

Magic Jack

 

Thanks for posting about Magic Jack. We have been looking for the best option for months and it seems this may be the best but it does sound too good (and too easy) to be true. I have a few questions: Where do you buy it? My husband says he thinks he saw it at Walgreens. Do they assign you a phone number if you don't want to transfer your number to it (I wouldn't want to be receiving calls, only calling to the US from Med. and Baltic ports). Did you get yours online at the website you posted? There is a free trial but no details. Also, we leave in 3 weeks so I am wondering if we have time to receive it by mail if we order online.

I guess this means if you want to use it in port, you have to carry your laptop and a landline phone with you, right? We a small, cheapy basic laptop. Will any laptop work? I am trying to visualize myself at a cafe in Europe with a laptop and a cheap, bulk, landline phone

So calling from Europe back to the US is free but if you use it to call Europe from the US, you have to buy international minutes, is that correct?