Using an Iphone

[Janice Jones]

My DH and I are planning a Southern Caribbean cruise in February, 2014. Can we use our phone for text messages and calls while in port and what are the approximate charges? You are wonderful about answering my questions as we are not tech savy and need all the help we can get. Thanks.

[alwaysfrantic]

If you are on AT&T St. Thomas & San Juan are part of the regular US plan. I used everything there without charge. Never took my phone out of airplane mode in other ports, so can't help with the fees.

 

If you do use it for phone & text, turn off data roaming. That is where the unbelievable fees come in. If you keep it in Airplane Mode and enable wifi in ports, you can use iMessage and Skype at no charge.

[sudsca]

I was able to use a T-Mobile smartphone in St. Thomas with no roaming charges. But other non-US ports you would be roaming and would incur extra costs. As the alwaysfrantic has said, wifi hotspots in the ports are the way to go.

 

Rae

[comfortcove]

Does anyone know about iphone 4 on Verizon??

 

Many thenks!

[beachbum6264]

Does anyone know about iphone 4 on Verizon??

 

Many thenks!

 

The Verizon web site has a page that shows costs for phone usage in different countries. I got an international plan added when I was in Canada, then had it removed when I returned to the States, it saved me some $$ on calls and internet usage.

[Typhoon1]

Most carriers consider San Juan and St. Thomas part of the US calling area.

 

For other locations, I would keep it shut down, Unless, your willing to pay astronomical roaming fees.

[Linda&Vern]

I suggest checking with your carrier. On our first cruise, I was so "not mobile phone smart" that I thought if I had a signal in port, I could use my phone. DH also used it for business calls. We returned home to a $600 cell phone bill. That was "above" my normal monthly bill. Needless to say, now when we travel we visit our AT&T store and convert to the international plan while we are out of the country. Solves our problems.

[Thebes]

I suggest checking with your carrier. On our first cruise, I was so "not mobile phone smart" that I thought if I had a signal in port, I could use my phone. DH also used it for business calls. We returned home to a $600 cell phone bill. That was "above" my normal monthly bill. Needless to say, now when we travel we visit our AT&T store and convert to the international plan while we are out of the country. Solves our problems.

 

FYI : t- mobile is starting to charge very low fees for international starting this month or next. Like 20 cent/ min and free texts from anywhere in the world . Big article in Nyt. Recently.

[Randyk47]

We've had nothing but iPhones for I think going on seven or eight years and have used them all over the world. Early on we were very careful about using them in the Caribbean and, in fact, only used them in the US Virgin Islands where AT&T had service. Last year in Europe we had to stay connected because of my mother's health so we signed up for an International plan while we were out of the country. We signed up for two months as our travel, including our cruise, started in one month and ended in another but the prorated charge for two months wasn't all that bad. To keep the damage down AT&T has an on-line step-by-step tutorial on how to set up an iPhone, and maybe other smart phones for that matter, while traveling outside the US that keeps you from running up data and roaming charges, etc. Mom passed away last December so the need to stay connected next year won't be as critical but since it was so easy and relatively inexpensive we'll probably do the same next year when we're back in the Med.

[RJ2002]

We've had nothing but iPhones for I think going on seven or eight years and have used them all over the world. Early on we were very careful about using them in the Caribbean and, in fact, only used them in the US Virgin Islands where AT&T had service. Last year in Europe we had to stay connected because of my mother's health so we signed up for an International plan while we were out of the country. We signed up for two months as our travel, including our cruise, started in one month and ended in another but the prorated charge for two months wasn't all that bad. To keep the damage down AT&T has an on-line step-by-step tutorial on how to set up an iPhone, and maybe other smart phones for that matter, while traveling outside the US that keeps you from running up data and roaming charges, etc. Mom passed away last December so the need to stay connected next year won't be as critical but since it was so easy and relatively inexpensive we'll probably do the same next year when we're back in the Med.

 

Good advice, as well as the instruction to turn data roaming off.

 

Someone else suggested to turn the phone completely off. That is unnecessary, unless you absolutely don't want the ability to receive urgent or emergency calls.

[PoppyandNana]

Good advice, as well as the instruction to turn data roaming off.

 

Someone else suggested to turn the phone completely off. That is unnecessary, unless you absolutely don't want the ability to receive urgent or emergency calls.

 

I was told by Verizon that my iPhone would not work in Europe and that if we turned it,on we might be liable for hundreds of dollars in roaming charges.

 

We ended up renting a cell phone from an online vendor two years running. Works ok bit our limited usage was in no way relative to the cost of the rental

[comfortcove]

Last year while in Europe we used the International Plan w Verizon. We also ran up a substantial data bill, when i did not intentionally use any data at all. On upcoming Caribbean cruise, I hope to learn how to turn off international data on my iphone, while using phone for texts and maybe one or two calls. I love the camera on my phone!

[Randyk47]

I was told by Verizon that my iPhone would not work in Europe and that if we turned it,on we might be liable for hundreds of dollars in roaming charges.

 

We ended up renting a cell phone from an online vendor two years running. Works ok bit our limited usage was in no way relative to the cost of the rental

 

I honestly don't know if it was our particular iPhones and the way they're set up or whoever we connected with in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey but our phones worked fine. I called my mother at least every other day while we were on land from all those countries and the connection was as good as right here in San Antonio. Maybe that's unique to AT&T and their service provider partners in Europe....I don't know the how but the phones did work. I think our whole additional bill for two months of International service was around $30 give or take.

[RJ2002]

I honestly don't know if it was our particular iPhones and the way they're set up or whoever we connected with in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey but our phones worked fine. I called my mother at least every other day while we were on land from all those countries and the connection was as good as right here in San Antonio. Maybe that's unique to AT&T and their service provider partners in Europe....I don't know the how but the phones did work. I think our whole additional bill for two months of International service was around $30 give or take.

 

I think all these reports just goes to show that it is advisable to call your cell carrier before leaving. Get all the details on international calling and data costs, and have them explain all the various settings.

[peaches from georgia]

Check out the Viber app you can put on your cell phone. You can call or text from anywhere in the world as long as you and the party you want to contact also has the Viber app. My granddaughter was in England most of the summer and she and all the family here had Viber on their cell phones and we all texted everyday with her.

[Goldenfox]

T-Mobile recently introduced free international data and texting from over 100 countries. I quit Sprint and got a new iPhone with TMobile. Phone calls are standard 20c a minute. Check the website to see if the countries you're visiting are in the 100. I know the ones I'm traveling to are. Now I don't have to worry about huge data or texting bills ever again. And get this, you don't even have to sign up for it. It comes standard.

[RJ2002]

Check out the Viber app you can put on your cell phone. You can call or text from anywhere in the world as long as you and the party you want to contact also has the Viber app. My granddaughter was in England most of the summer and she and all the family here had Viber on their cell phones and we all texted everyday with her.

 

Good suggestion! I've got Viber too. For it to be free, both Viber users must have a wifi connection. The Viber website also says you can use 3G but there might be a charge from your carrier. I've never used the 3G option so perhaps someone else with experience can elaborate.

 

The Viber app is free and very easy to configure.

[Thebes]

T-Mobile recently introduced free international data and texting from over 100 countries. I quit Sprint and got a new iPhone with TMobile. Phone calls are standard 20c a minute. Check the website to see if the countries you're visiting are in the 100. I know the ones I'm traveling to are. Now I don't have to worry about huge data or texting bills ever again. And get this, you don't even have to sign up for it. It comes standard.

 

How has the service and connectivity been with tmobile ? I know they came up with very generous rates lately, first time in the industry. Wonder if anyone has been using tmobile on their recent Caribbean cruises ?

[Thebes]

Check out the Viber app you can put on your cell phone. You can call or text from anywhere in the world as long as you and the party you want to contact also has the Viber app. My granddaughter was in England most of the summer and she and all the family here had Viber on their cell phones and we all texted everyday with her.

 

Wonder if the viber app will still work with only wifi ?

[jankn]

Just wondering about the viber hook ups.........if it has to be done with WIFI, thats what makes phone calls so expensive on the ships, so how would that be a good option ? :-) I do have AT&T and last time I cruised and also on my European trips I got it set up with my carrier to call and text internationally and had the same good luck as a previous poster, didnt cost more than approx $30 for the time I needed it for service. The best deal is using Facetime on my Ipad tho.....my family in Norway who have internet service and I can call unlimited and have no charges , so think I will get that worked out for my coming cruise....

[boze9999]

Call Verizon and talk to their iternational department. They're very informative and easy to work with. Your IPhone should be international ready. Tell them where you're going and they'll get you all set up. Text messages are generally .50 to send and .05 to receive. Very affordable. Phone calls, not so affordable. Some US territories are included in your plan (ie: San Juan), so that's a bonus. Every port has wifi - follow the staff or go to restuarants (McDonalds, Hard Rock, etc) and buy something and you can use their wifi to make calls via Skype, Viber or Facetime as well as any other internet usage you might need. You can also download VZ Messages to your computer, ipad, etc and send/receive text messages for free anytime/anywhere you have wifi. On the ship, I also keep my phone in airplane mode so I avoid any chance of connecting to the ship phone/internet system.