Question on wifi for cell phone emergency use only

[tcrny]

Hi everyone...we are traveling tomorrow on NCL Breakaway. We've never used the wifi/internet packages on any of our prior cruises. But now because our kids not traveling with us, we wanted to be able to be reachable on a cell phone in case of emergency. We would not be using the internet on the ship to go online or any social media - but only for cell phone access. Will the basic wifi package cover this? Thanks very much for any help on this.

[Moby0215]

Wifi is different than cell coverage (unless you have a very new phone and you activate wifi calling). And even then you are not on all the time. Only when you specifically log on will you have a connection.

 

 

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[ColinIllinois]

Cathy, here is some good information from the FAQ's regarding people being able to contact you while you are on the ship:

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#staying-in-touch

[tcrny]

Thanks so much for your replies. I will check out the faq about that. :)

[garycarla]

You could leave your phone on and calls will come through and you pay the $2.99 a minute. We do that and might have to pay for a few calls while on the ship. Luckily the vast majority of people that would call us know we are away and do not call. But, we have 24/7 coverage.

 

If you get lots of calls, that would not work as well.

 

They can do the "call the ship" thing, but realize the chances of them getting you right away is very slim. If you are not in your cabin, they will have to leave a message. You could be ashore, at dinner, at a show, etc.

[BirdTravels]

Wifi is different than cell coverage (unless you have a very new phone and you activate wifi calling). And even then you are not on all the time. Only when you specifically log on will you have a connection. k

If you disabled all apps other than wifi calling, you could leave wifi logged on all the time. No problems. No charges.

[tcrny]

You could leave your phone on and calls will come through and you pay the $2.99 a minute. We do that and might have to pay for a few calls while on the ship. Luckily the vast majority of people that would call us know we are away and do not call. But, we have 24/7 coverage.

 

If you get lots of calls, that would not work as well.

 

They can do the "call the ship" thing, but realize the chances of them getting you right away is very slim. If you are not in your cabin, they will have to leave a message. You could be ashore, at dinner, at a show, etc.

Thanks, I'll have to give Verizon a call to see what they will charge for that. I suppose we will get charged for calls even if we don't answer?

[SandyAtSea]

Tell the kids to text you if there's an emergency. It costs 5c to receive a text and 50c to send one (Verizon). If they text you to say "Call home" then it's whatever Verizon charges per minute. DO NOT go through the ship phones. You do not need to be on wifi either. Leave your phone on but turn off data because you do NOT want someone to text or email you a picture, it will cost a fortune. You can decide whether to answer the phone or not. You will not get charged unless you answer it or of course you call in to get voice mail. But I recommend texting. Also, set your phone so your email doesn't come in automatically. You can retrieve it when you're in port and find a free wifi spot.

[garycarla]

If you disabled all apps other than wifi calling, you could leave wifi logged on all the time. No problems. No charges.

 

This only works if you have an unlimted internet package that some ships have. AND, if it logs you out, you will NOT be connected.

[tcrny]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! Think we got it figured out. Have a wonderful weekend!