Cell Phones, Wifi, Communication etc.

[sarawithanh]

Ok, new topic! I only mention it b/c my mom and I were discussing it just a few moments ago so I figured ya'll are super helpful with tips and such that I would pose the question here.

 

My grandfather asked me the other day about this - he wanted to know how we were going to communicate with phones and such in the event that I go off on an excursion without him, etc etc.

 

I told him I didn't know how his phone works - Droid w/ Verizon service (through my Uncle who works for Verizon - so I may need him for technical assistance....I only know how to use my iphone - I'm a dummy with anything else hahaha!)

 

Anyways, I was explaining to grandpa that we probably wouldn't use our phones on the ship, and just leave notes on the door for each other....

 

I already intend to upgrade for $10 to get a certain number of texts from Europe....and I believe its $30 for a certain amount of Europe data to enable me to post on Facebook and Instagram (necessary!)....I hadn't really considered upgrading for phone service b/c I'm just not a big phone person and my parents are happy with text updates and mom will stalk my facebook page.

 

Anywho....I wonder if maybe it does make sense to have phones on??? I have no idea. MOm was mentioning long bathroom trips and such...but I kind of feel like as long as Grandpa gets my attention when he tells me something and I get his attention when I tell him something that we can find our way to each other???

 

It was complicated trying to find my friends on our carnival trip - obviously bigger trip and more places to hide ;) and nobody was checking their phones or their doors for messages...but I digress.

 

I dont really know what to tell Grandpa about if he needs to get ahold of me and I'm on an excursion without him.....I kind of told him that he shouldt really need me during the 4hours i'm gone (IF for some odd reason he doesn't go), and that he should just leave a note on the door for me to meet him somewhere at a particular time post-excursion.

 

Also - is free wifi generally avail when we are docked - are we readily able to pick up random wifi hot spots while docked?

 

THoughts? tips? guidance?:D

[rallydave]

Wifi is generally not available while docked and in the unusual case where the terminal does have open wifi, between the crew and the passengers who find it it will be pretty slow with many connected and probably only work on board on the side facing the terminal. Best to ask crew or follow them to the local wifi area near the ship.

 

As to using phones on board and while off the ship, highly recommend you leave the phones off or at least in airplane mode so if you find wifi you can connect. Using the phones on board requires going thru the ships wifi or paying for the phone connection program which is expensive. Ashore using the phone is also expensive and depends on the carrier. Leaving the phone on while on shore will cause you to receive data, texts and phone calls which are expensive. Generally Verizon phones don't work in Europe with the only phones working from ATT and T-Mobile as they are GSM while CDMA phones generally don't work.

 

Phones in Europe and most of the rest of the world are complicated so suggest you check out with your carrier if they will work as they also need to work on specific frequencies that are in Europe.

 

A suggestion for when you are on board would be to bring 2 FRS radios that don't require a license and should work fairly well on board as well as within a couple hundred feet or so on shore.

 

Pretty sure the Verizon phone won't work and neither will your Iphone if not with ATT and T-Mobile. Also google around on the internet to find specifics of your phone and carriers. Without knowing your specific phones and carriers, nobody on the board can provide specific answers other than if the phones do work, they will be more expensive than you expect and double $30 worth of data will last you 8 days for posting and downloading e-mail.

[sarawithanh]

Thanks Rally Dave!

 

I have ATT so I'm fairly confident my phone will work. But I plan to chat with an ATT representative about the upgrading texts/data for while I am in Europe. and IF my phone will work should I need it.

 

You answered the question I wanted. I was pretty sure we should leave our phones off and in plane mode...which is what I usually do (need to ask my uncle to show me how to enable that on gramps phone I guess).

 

As for the data - I'll be turning my email off - and only keeping facebook and instagram open when I'm excursioning.... I will need a few days of ship wifi for my school work so I already know that.

 

Would walkie talkies work? My dad has some walkie talkies, I think there are 7 frequencies on them. Not sure Gramps will want to walk around with a walkie talkie - but I'll leave that up to him!

[gray eagle]

I have an I Phone and AT&T service. I checked with AT&T prior to to going to Europe and was advised to keep the phone in airplane mode. I was told to pay for phone service I would have to get a European SIM card which is only available in Europe. She did urge me to turn off data roaming or the data charges could be many hundreds of dollars. In fact she recommended turning off the phone completely as more than one customer swore the phone was on airplane mode and still had a very high bill. That being said, we left our phones in air plane mode for wifi and so we could use the camera and had no problems. You will note you phone to automatically switch to AT&T At Sea once you get off shore ( at least in the Atlantic). I switched to air plane mode whenever I saw that as that service incurs additional charges.

[Travelcat2]

Talk to any crew member -- they know every single free Wi-Fi spot in the world. They are in most ports -- you only have to ask!

 

Also, tell your grandfather that in case of an emergency, the tour guide can get in contact with the ship. They ultimately could contract your grandfather. Try not to let him set up unlikely scenarios that could be stressful for him or you. If there is a problem while he is on the ship, there is a doctor as well as officers and crew that could take care of him.

 

In terms of telephone, we shut down our cell phone completely. If I need to contact anyone, I use the internet. If it were a dire emergency, I'd use the ships phone.

[RachelG]

Unless you have a special plan that covers calls in Europe, I very highly rec you leave your phone off or in airplane mode the whole time. The reason I say that is because my husband once forgot. His phone rang while we were in the baltics, and he unfortunately answered it. And he got a huge bill.

 

If your grandpa has an emergency while you are out on tour, the ship will know which tour you are on and be able to contact you. And the personnel on the ship will take good care of him.

 

I do use my phone for pictures while abroad and for an alarm clock, but not for communication.

[rallydave]

Thanks Rally Dave!

 

Would walkie talkies work? My dad has some walkie talkies, I think there are 7 frequencies on them. Not sure Gramps will want to walk around with a walkie talkie - but I'll leave that up to him!

 

Not sure what walkie talkies your Dad has so difficult to answer your question. Depends on their size and quality. Check out FRS radios and if yours are that you should be good to go and they generally have clips to go on your belt or in your pocket. Quality makes a big difference as some are really cheap and only work for short distances and can have lots of interference. Simply try your Dad's and see how they work. Remember, a lot of steel in the ship and that tends to block or minimize radio signals.

[RachelG]

Many years ago, when we were relatively new to cruising and were taking our teenaged sons, my husband and I bought it would be a good idea to take walkin talkies to communicate with each other and the boys. We bought the highest end available at the time.

 

And we never used them. It was too much a pain to carry them around. For one thing, I am not putting one on my belt or waist, so I had to carry a purse to put it in. Half the time they were left in the room. We gave up on the idea after just a couple of days since the regent ship is not that large,and we had a good idea where to look to find the missing person.

[Travelcat2]

Agree that walkie talkies would be an unnecessary thing to carry around. Regent ships are approximately 1/3 the size of most cruise ships -- it would not be easy to get lost:)

[Caroldoll]

through them. My friend, above Travelcat talks to me when I am gone. We do a small amount of text. I have never found my bills to be high. I think the foreign service is around 10 or 15 extra a month. I have used the phone out of the country to look for my tour people, etc. Valuable asset. You can have it discontinued later.

[sarawithanh]

Thanks guys!

 

I think I'm nixing the walkie talkie idea.

 

Grandpa doesn't really know how to use his phone that well and thinks I do - well I don't! So I'm telling him he needs to get his son (the Verizon rep) to show him how to put it on airplane mode. Either that or I just suggested that gramps keep his phone OFF since we'll be together mostly...

 

and I'll have my phone . I use my phone for camera, alarm and wifi when abroad.

 

But I'm def going to upgrade the text/data plan for like $30-40 for while I am on excursions and such. That should be sufficient for my needs.

[jhenry1]

Verizon droids do work in Europe. You can get a new download to update the phone and they work. I did it on my droid last year for Europe and it worked. You can also call the Verizon international number and I believe it is $20 and you can get texts and other options while in Europe. Just call the international department and they can take you through the steps. Also if his phone can not be updated then you can get a phone to take and they will ship it to you and you mail back upon your return for not a lot of money. I did this prior to the availability of the update.

 

Hope I am making sense.

 

Kandy

[findacruise]

I have AT&T iPhone and get the 50 text package while we are gone. It's 50 texts in a 30 day period and includes the ability to send pictures. It has always been enough. Just set yourself a reminder to remove it when you get home. If you remove it before the 30 days the texts are prorated for the period of time. So if you are gone, say 15 days and find you use only 24 texts, remove it as soon as you get home and your bill will be prorated and you will owe only $5 plus tax.

 

I have never used all 50 texts, even sending pictures to friends along the way.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

If you have phones that are GSM or HSPA, you should be able to text each other no problem, roaming in most countries and even at sea. Have a look at the rates for your carriers--I'm in Canada so I can't say what yours would be, but both major carriers in Canada charge $.75 for an outgoing text message. If you stick to text, keep your data turned off, and don't answer any phone calls from numbers you don't recognize, you should be fine..

[sarawithanh]

I have AT&T iPhone and get the 50 text package while we are gone. It's 50 texts in a 30 day period and includes the ability to send pictures. It has always been enough. Just set yourself a reminder to remove it when you get home. If you remove it before the 30 days the texts are prorated for the period of time. So if you are gone, say 15 days and find you use only 24 texts, remove it as soon as you get home and your bill will be prorated and you will owe only $5 plus tax.

 

I have never used all 50 texts, even sending pictures to friends along the way.

 

Ohhh good tip on removing it when I get home. So I guess I'll wait until the week of the trip to activate it then!

[trvlrs]

I would also add: "Turn off your voicemail while in Europe". If your phone rings and you don't pick it up but your voicemail does, you will be charged for the call. We always disable our voicemail when away from home

[RachelG]

I would also add: "Turn off your voicemail while in Europe". If your phone rings and you don't pick it up but your voicemail does, you will be charged for the call. We always disable our voicemail when away from home

 

That is why I just leave my phone in airplane mode.

[CruisetheCs]

Thanks guys!

 

I think I'm nixing the walkie talkie idea.

 

Grandpa doesn't really know how to use his phone that well and thinks I do - well I don't! So I'm telling him he needs to get his son (the Verizon rep) to show him how to put it on airplane mode. Either that or I just suggested that gramps keep his phone OFF since we'll be together mostly...

 

and I'll have my phone . I use my phone for camera, alarm and wifi when abroad.

 

But I'm def going to upgrade the text/data plan for like $30-40 for while I am on excursions and such. That should be sufficient for my needs.

 

You might check with your carrier well before you leave. An international plan's data package or message limits may be tied to your billing date rather than the date you wish to start the service. If you initiate service late in your billing period you may be able to only get a small pro-rated part of the monthly allotment until the next billing period begins.

 

So if the plan is to use most of your data package during a few days make sure you don't get caught between billing periods. Your carrier can explain this and tell you when it is best to start your international plan depending on when or how you think you will be using the data package.

[Travelcat2]

Also keep in mind that some of the customer service representatives are clueless when it comes to using the cell phone internationally on a ship. They do not think about what the ship charges to use their signal. While many people have successfully texted or used their cell phone on board, there are also many that return home with a huge bill and do not understand why. Just be careful -- international calling is not the only issue.

[sarawithanh]

Also keep in mind that some of the customer service representatives are clueless when it comes to using the cell phone internationally on a ship. They do not think about what the ship charges to use their signal. While many people have successfully texted or used their cell phone on board, there are also many that return home with a huge bill and do not understand why. Just be careful -- international calling is not the only issue.

Thanks TravelCat, while ON the ship, I would keep my phone in airplane mode and only log into wifi to do anything so that should keep things fine. I will have to doublecheck if I can still send texts for free via wifi (imessage on iphone allows free texting as long as both users have iphone etc)

[Travelcat2]

Thanks TravelCat, while ON the ship, I would keep my phone in airplane mode and only log into wifi to do anything so that should keep things fine. I will have to doublecheck if I can still send texts for free via wifi (imessage on iphone allows free texting as long as both users have iphone etc)

 

The issue really is using the ship's signal for anything. When you get onboard, check with Reception (or maybe the technical person in the computer room?) to make sure that Regent will not be charging you for "free texting".

 

I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures on your cruise:)