Mobile phone for UK, Norway, Ireland

[DaveT65]

I will be on Celebrity Infinity for a Norwegian Fjords cruise out of Harwich, followed by a land tour in Ireland.

 

I think I would like to get a "disposable"/"burner" mobile phone for use while in England, Norway and Ireland. I have read on Trip Advisor that "carphonewarehouse" is the place to buy an inexpensive phone and a month of limited service. I don't need service onboard the ship. Also, no internet, texting, etc. Only possible calls to transfer services, airlines, hotels, tour companies, etc. In other words, use for problems only. Does anyone have any experience & suggestions here? What and where to buy? Expected cost?

 

Apparently they don't have a store at LHR, and I'm not sure I would have an opportunity between arrival at LHR late evening and arrival at Harwich Port noon the next day. Transfer from LHR to Harwich will NOT be the cruiseline transfer, but Harwich Cruise Shuttle Bus or private car service. Cannot do trains, which might provide the opportunity on-route.

 

I have a limited use cell phone here in the USA, and I will look into a European SIM card for it, but I am not hopeful as it is a pre-paid T-Mobile very basic phone.

[daiB]

I will be on Celebrity Infinity for a Norwegian Fjords cruise out of Harwich, followed by a land tour in Ireland.

 

 

 

I think I would like to get a "disposable"/"burner" mobile phone for use while in England, Norway and Ireland. I have read on Trip Advisor that "carphonewarehouse" is the place to buy an inexpensive phone and a month of limited service. I don't need service onboard the ship. Also, no internet, texting, etc. Only possible calls to transfer services, airlines, hotels, tour companies, etc. In other words, use for problems only. Does anyone have any experience & suggestions here? What and where to buy? Expected cost?

 

 

 

Apparently they don't have a store at LHR, and I'm not sure I would have an opportunity between arrival at LHR late evening and arrival at Harwich Port noon the next day. Transfer from LHR to Harwich will NOT be the cruiseline transfer, but Harwich Cruise Shuttle Bus or private car service. Cannot do trains, which might provide the opportunity on-route.

 

 

 

I have a limited use cell phone here in the USA, and I will look into a European SIM card for it, but I am not hopeful as it is a pre-paid T-Mobile very basic phone.

 

 

Hi,

 

Car phone warehouse do one for 99p, when you buy a £20.00 card. So that's £20.99 in total. Not sure if that will work in Norway and Ireland as well. If you are going by private car service there are 2 shops in Colchester which is about 15 to 20 short of Harwich.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Ps. Have you tried eBay. The problem may be the coverage in 3 separate countries.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[gaelsail]

we have found www.three.co.uk works well in Norway & UK

[DaveT65]

dauB,

 

I am a complete novice regarding cell phones, so what would I look for on eBay to get a phone that will work in UK/Norway/Ireland? Something like this?:

 

 

- This is an unlocked phone. It may contain a carrier logo on the phone, but it does not affect any of its functions and it's 100% compatible with any GSM carrier worldwide.

 

- Please note that the internet and MMS options may not yet been set up for your network. It can be easily set up according to your carrier in about 5 minutes.

SPECIFICATION:

Brand BLU

Model Aria T174

Color Black Red

Style Bar

Carrier Unlocked

Carrier Name AT&T, Cingular, H2O, T-Mobile, Simple Mobile, Fido, Rogers Wireless & Others - Phone will work on any GSM carrier worldwide.

Cellular Band Quad-Band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 Mhz

Camera Resolution VGA

SIM Card Dual SIM

 

And where do I get or activate the proper SIM card?

 

gailsail:

I went to the three.co web site and was completely lost [see above :p ] as to how I would get a phone & SIM and activation!

 

Sorry to be such a novice in this regard, but I appreciate those attempting to help me :D .

[daisydog]

Try the Mobal phone website. It might be what you want.

[DaveT65]

daisydog,

 

Thanks much!! Mobal might, indeed, be just what I am looking for based on a quick review. I also see Roam Simple and SimpleRoam. All are similar but with different upfront costs, length of service and costs per minute. And I could combine one of them, getting just a Europe or WorldWide SIM card, with diaB's suggestion to look for an unlocked quad band GSM phone on eBay. $19 for a basic phone when I just looked.

 

I see being able to get the phone while still at home [and hopefully check it out] & having a SIM card that is good throughout Europe [or more] as opposed to having to get a card/plan for each country as real advantages.

 

I'm on it ;) .

[gaelsail]

gailsail:

I went to the three.co web site and was completely lost [see above :p ] as to how I would get a phone & SIM and activation!

I bought mine in a 'Three' store while we were in transit through London but I think they are available through several suppliers? I just know I get a good connection in Norway.

[dogs4fun]

I have the T Mobile phone - it actually has a UK phone number. Works like a charm in every European city we have been in. :)

[samscruiser]

We use cellularabroad which has a tie in w/ Natl Geographic. Works just about anywhere in the world. Has both US and UK phone numbers built it. Calls to the UK number use no minutes on your phone.

[ozscotart]

All the mobile phone companies in Britain have very cheap phones instore : we last bought one for DH for £10 about 6 months ago in EE, I think it came with £5 credit. Get them to check that it is registered such that you can use their international deal, whatever it is, e.g. vodafone have one called Vodafone Passport. You might want to ring customer services before you leave the UK to verify : it can be very difficult to get this sorted abroad. In any case you will probably need to register your mobile with whichever company you buy it from for use overseas, and best to topup before you leave the UK. You can also buy a sim only, if you have a functioning phone.

As an example, vodafone passport cost 75p a call plus your local UK charge, making calls in some countries cheaper than using their local phone system. Orange (EE) have a similar deal as do O2 I think. Carphone warehouse deal with all the usual mobile companies, but I generally go direct. The Nokia currently advertised at 99p with vodafone on carphone warehouse looks a very good deal.

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

I have the T Mobile phone - it actually has a UK phone number. Works like a charm in every European city we have been in. :)

 

Someone on our recent cruise also suggested T Mobil. Could you elaborate a bit about having a UK number? Is what you have a "burner"/disposable? Does it have wifi capability? How do you pay for calls and data? Many thanks in advance.

[DaveT65]

I have posted an updated version of my original question here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42129306#post42129306