Verizon wireless coverage in Alaska

[alre309]

Your verizon mifi or Personal Hotspot will work just as it does in the rest of the US. Just don't connect to the ship's phone or wifi network

 

Im not sure I understand what you mean- I dont connect to a phone or network I use my own device from verizon that plugs into my computer usb its a modem with an antenna- how would I know if it's using the ships service??

[Gig103]

Why shouldn't a 4G/LTE do the *228 updatE?

 

I am not clear on the details, but that updates something on the chip that can mess up the SIM card. Although I read that your phone will stop you from dialing it because of this.

[Gig103]

Im not sure I understand what you mean- I dont connect to a phone or network I use my own device from verizon that plugs into my computer usb its a modem with an antenna- how would I know if it's using the ships service??

 

I wouldn't turn on the mifi when on the ship because it will automatically try to connect and will be roaming data.

[alre309]

I wouldn't turn on the mifi when on the ship because it will automatically try to connect and will be roaming data.

 

even while in port?

[alre309]

I wouldn't turn on the mifi when on the ship because it will automatically try to connect and will be roaming data.

 

sorry but its not a mifi its a portable modem…doesnt connect to another network i pay a monthy service for internet access on it here it is:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&&action=viewPhoneDetail&&selectedPhoneId=5632

[Larry22554]

sorry but its not a mifi its a portable modem…doesnt connect to another network i pay a monthy service for internet access on it here it is:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&&action=viewPhoneDetail&&selectedPhoneId=5632

 

OK, it's a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE USB Modem 551L. It connects to a wireless network. If you connect to the ships network you will incur additional data charges.

[pamesacruisin]

We were in Alaska last week and have Verizon Wireless. We kept the cell phones off when on the ship and turned them on while in the ports. Had coverage in all the ports and DH could check and send emails. During our land portion we'd sometimes loose coverage for a little while. I was surprised at how good the coverage was in the ports. Just always remember to turn the cell phones off before getting back on the ship. Oh....note to self....next time you are in Alaska and it is pouring rain in Icy Strait and the whales make an appearance so close to the shore, don't get out cell phone to call friend to share in excitement........cell phone gets wet and little white dot is now red and is no longer under warranty:o Luckily it still works:D

[Randyp1234]

Voice and data working fine right not from the balcony of stateroom C102 of the Star Princess in Ketchikan.

[geekypenguin]

I am not clear on the details, but that updates something on the chip that can mess up the SIM card. Although I read that your phone will stop you from dialing it because of this.

 

I tried dialing it on my 4G Droid and it told me I couldn't, so the phone does indeed stop you.

 

We had excellent coverage in all the ports.

[clagkids]

When I asked Verizon, they said to put it on "Airplane mode" under settings - wireless & networks. Will this work ok? We leave next Monday. Thanks.

[oratheeexplorer]

I just called Verizon and they said there is no coverage in Alaska. This makes no sense to me.

 

She tried to sell me extra services and insisted I would be in roam in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan for both data and phone.

 

Has anyone used Verizon in Alaska?

 

Thanks,

 

Joanne

 

We were just there and worked a lot for me. Anchorage was ok, Princess Denali and Mt. McKinley Lodges, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan. Did not work in the little village of Talkeetna or traveling to and from on the bus.

[jpthomas27]

sorry but its not a mifi its a portable modem…doesnt connect to another network i pay a monthy service for internet access on it here it is:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&&action=viewPhoneDetail&&selectedPhoneId=5632

 

It's not mifi, it's a wireless modem...OK.

Where do you think the wireless modem gets it's signal?

It still connects to a network and if it connects to the ships netwrok it will be expensive. You want to ensure it connects to the land based verizon network.

[SunnyMeowser]

When I asked Verizon, they said to put it on "Airplane mode" under settings - wireless & networks. Will this work ok? We leave next Monday. Thanks.

 

 

I put my phone in "Airplane Mode" before getting on a plane or on the ship. That way I can use it on the ship for the apps and an alarm clock and not worry about it accidentally connecting to the ship's service. I also had a phone that I thought I had turned off before getting on the plane (had not put it in airplane mode) and when I got to destination the battery was drained and I had to charge it to call my ride.

I will do it for my tablet too.

Airplane Mode turns off the phones antennaes be it for wifi or 3g or 4g, saves the battery from trying to search for them too.:cool:

[clagkids]

I put my phone in "Airplane Mode" before getting on a plane or on the ship. That way I can use it on the ship for the apps and an alarm clock and not worry about it accidentally connecting to the ship's service. I also had a phone that I thought I had turned off before getting on the plane (had not put it in airplane mode) and when I got to destination the battery was drained and I had to charge it to call my ride.

I will do it for my tablet too.

Airplane Mode turns off the phones antennaes be it for wifi or 3g or 4g, saves the battery from trying to search for them too.:cool:

Thanks for verifying that. Airplane mode sounds good.

[SunnyMeowser]

In Airplane Mode you won't receive text or calls either. And as a disclaimer it's probably best to verify with your specific mobile service company.:) Some phones have settings to limit roaming data too.

[hockeygal54]

I just got back from AK Monday nite late. I had NO service once I was on AK soil! I could use wifi in the Denali and McKinley lodges only and then discovered that text would work with the wifi but still no phone. Spoke to several people who said they had issues too inc locals who had moved up there. I had all the settings the same as if I was @ home and nada. No phone service! When I was on ship I had phone in airplane mode plus turned data off too but don't think u will pull ship signal without having an Internet password which of course u pay for.

[rmats]

FYI for Android users, you may get a messageon your phone that says something like "Data charges may apply while roaming. Do you want to enable data roaming?" when you are in AK. It is OK to enable; you won't have to pay extra while you're in AK. Since VZW doesn't have any of their own towers in AK, they have agreements with other providers.

 

You just need to make sure to turn data roaming off when you get back on the ship and leave port. Otherwise, you might end up paying for roaming charges through the cruise line's network.

[hockeygal54]

I'm still confused on the no service issues in larger cities and plan to go by Verizon store when I'm in the neighborhood of a good one. One closest to me sucks, which is why I never deal with them. Guess it's no biggie since I've gone without service always on "foreign" trips but just planned on having it and didn't so was rather bummed!

[pamesacruisin]

I'm still confused on the no service issues in larger cities and plan to go by Verizon store when I'm in the neighborhood of a good one. One closest to me sucks, which is why I never deal with them. Guess it's no biggie since I've gone without service always on "foreign" trips but just planned on having it and didn't so was rather bummed!

That does seem strange because we have Verizon Wireless and took 2 phones to Alaska. We had good service in all the ports and I remember calling my daughter sitting in my room at the McKinley Village Lodge. We never did anything special, just used the phones like we would at home. We would keep them off while on the ship. We didn't have good coverage when we traveled on the train from Fairbanks to Denali and also lost it a lot on the motorcoach from Denali to Seward, but no big deal as we were too interested in the scenery to care about the phones. Always had coverage in the ports though.

[Shmoo here]

We've called home from Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Anchorage. The connection was fine, just like calling at home.

 

We were charged extra, not much, something like $2.00 for 5 minutes of time.

 

:)

[karonius]

I just called Verizon and they said there is no coverage in Alaska. This makes no sense to me.

 

She tried to sell me extra services and insisted I would be in roam in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan for both data and phone.

 

Has anyone used Verizon in Alaska?

 

Thanks,

 

Joanne

 

Got back from Alaska 3 weeks ago. We did 7 nights land and 7 night cruise. There were 4 of us all with verizon plans (one iphone, 2 droids, and a flip phone) We had good coverage throughout Alaska. I just recieved my bill and NO Roaming charges. All phone and data (OFF ship) were included in my plan.