Cell phones at sea

[tequilasunrise]

Anyone know if US cell phones will work via the satellite service at sea in the Mediteranean?

 

I know they do in North American Waters but I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

Oh and don't worry, just have a few quick calls I might need to make from my balcony. I won't be sitting in the lounge chair next to you on a business call :eek:

[shorefolks]

Anyone know if US cell phones will work via the satellite service at sea in the Mediteranean?

 

I know they do in North American Waters but I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

Oh and don't worry, just have a few quick calls I might need to make from my balcony. I won't be sitting in the lounge chair next to you on a business call :eek:

 

They do generally work OK in Mediterranean waters, but you will be paying the elevated ship-board price. If that matters to you, talk to your service provider ahead of time about a temporary global plan which often (but not always, depending on the country) gives a better rate while in port. The savings could be significant.

 

However, since you are sensitive to the disturbance to others through making extended phone calls, please DON'T make your calls from your balcony. Do it inside your cabin, please. On a crowded deck one has little expectation of calm and quiet. On one's balcony it is a very different story. Escaping from such disturbance is one big reason why many people will cruise (and with a "private" balcony) in the first place. Thanks for your consideration.

[paul929207]

THey will work, but like in NA waters, the price is high

[sassyredhat]

I found it out the hard way. My bill was $268.oo. :D

 

Put it on airplane mode while you are not using it.

Pat

[Pam in CA]

THey will work, but like in NA waters, the price is high

I believe it's $2.49/minute plus any international roaming and per-minute charges depending on your cell service plan. Cheaper and easier to use texting or email.

[JimmyVWine]

...talk to your service provider ahead of time about a temporary global plan which often (but not always, depending on the country) gives a better rate while in port. The savings could be significant.

 

I believe it's $2.49/minute plus any international roaming and per-minute charges depending on your cell service plan. Cheaper and easier to use texting or email.

 

Combine the advice of these two posts. Med cruises are usually port-intensive, and go to places that have fine cell coverage with rates that can be packaged as a global rate from your home provider. And they will pro-rate the plan (usually), so if you only need it for two weeks, you would pay half of the monthly charge for the global feature. Keep your phone in airplane mode while on the ship to prevent it from roaming, and use texts and emails as needed, saving your calls for the times when you are in a port and can access a provider that fits within your global plan. The cruise world is littered with people who have come home to $500 cell phone bills.

[PescadoAmarillo]

If you have a smartphone, download the Vonage app, find free WiFi in port and call back to the US for free.

[cruisincdns]

If you have a smartphone, download the Vonage app, find free WiFi in port and call back to the US for free.

 

Or download the very popular Viber application and use WiFi to make free phone calls, free text messages, free photo sharing, etc. Here is their link: http://www.viber.com/

[Colo Cruiser]

Or download the very popular Viber application and use WiFi to make free phone calls, free text messages, free photo sharing, etc. Here is their link: http://www.viber.com/

 

 

Still expensive anyway you look at it through the ships system.

[partybarbie]

On sea days, I used Facebook to send and receive messages. For business, I would try and e-mail.

[slomotion]

Anyone know if US cell phones will work via the satellite service at sea in the Mediteranean?

 

I know they do in North American Waters but I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

Oh and don't worry, just have a few quick calls I might need to make from my balcony. I won't be sitting in the lounge chair next to you on a business call :eek:

 

Most Mediterranean cruises are fairly port intensive. I found multiple internet cafes with public phones at pretty reasonable prices at the ports.

[TLC535]

Or download the very popular Viber application and use WiFi to make free phone calls, free text messages, free photo sharing, etc. Here is their link: http://www.viber.com/

 

 

Good app...but be aware that whomever you are calling must have the same Viber app.

[satxdiver]

The ship cell tower will work with almost all cell phones used in the US. It is $2.49/minute for AT&T and Verizon while the ship is out of port. In port you will be using the cell towers in that port. Be aware that Europe uses a different frequency band than the US so you must have a world cell phone which means multiple bands. Also most of the rest of the world including Europe uses GSM which is also used in the US by AT&T and Tmobile. Verizon and Sprint uses CDMA which will not work with a GSM system. Check with Verizon/Sprint to see where your cell phone will work in Europe.