Princess LTE fee is a rip off

[RocketMan275]

I looked it up. Don't rely on what someone told you. It has to be off at 12 nautical miles except in the European Union where it has to be off at 2 nautical miles. It can't be on otherwise. It will go off before the ship is docked. Either 12 miles out or 2 miles in most of Europe.

The OP stated that he was in Europe.

The OP stated that these charges were made while in port.

If these two statements are correct, then OP can insist that Princess drop the charges or admit they were in violation of EU law.

Should be hard to match the charges to port times on his cruise.

[RocketMan275]

In reading this thread I haven’t seen an emphasis on any of the above points. I think the most helpful points would be:

1: Take time prior to a cruise to learn basic operation of your device in regards to WiFi, cellular, and internet and the differences between each.

2: Read your carriers instructions on international use.

3: If purchasing an internet package read the cruise lines instructions particularly on how to log on, log off, and keep track of your minutes.

4: If things go horribly wrong, don’t come whining on CC.

 

Most don't do any of the first three steps. They come to CC and ask for guidance on a fairly complex and technical issue. They rely upon anonymous users on the internet rather than check with the cruise lines and their carriers.

 

Of course, CC posters also insist that they know more than the cruise lines and the carriers.

[Charles4515]

The OP stated that he was in Europe.

 

The OP stated that these charges were made while in port.

 

If these two statements are correct, then OP can insist that Princess drop the charges or admit they were in violation of EU law.

 

Should be hard to match the charges to port times on his cruise.

 

 

 

People can come up with all kinds of excuses for OP but OP turned on Data Roaming on their phone. Data Roaming is off by default. On my Northern Europe cruise on Princess a few weeks ago ( we could have been on the same ship) I only turned data roaming on when I wanted to use an International Day Pass. Which was not every day. Back onboard I turned data roaming off. Yes, have to remember to turn it off but also your phone tells you what carrier you are roaming on if you are not in Airplane Mode or a no service area.

 

The charges are not from Princess. They will be from Cellular at Sea. From previous horror stories, where people didn't understand roaming, the persons home cell carrier has not investigated. They have dropped the charges out of good will. As you said in another post. It is a complex issue. I always have a game plan before my international trips but that is from experience. Many don't travel that often.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Charles4515

[Loonbeam]

I looked through the EU regs and couldn't find anything on point.... For future reference, where did you find this?

 

I looked it up. Don't rely on what someone told you. It has to be off at 12 nautical miles except in the European Union where it has to be off at 2 nautical miles. It can't be on otherwise. It will go off before the ship is docked. Either 12 miles out or 2 miles in most of Europe.

[Charles4515]

I looked through the EU regs and couldn't find anything on point.... For future reference, where did you find this?

 

 

 

Several places. For example from Cellular at Seas FAQ. See #1.

 

http://www.wmsatsea.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html

 

The whole web site is interesting. Cellular at Sea is a subsidiary of AT&T.

[ar1950]

Several places. For example from Cellular at Seas FAQ. See #1.

 

http://www.wmsatsea.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html

 

The whole web site is interesting. Cellular at Sea is a subsidiary of AT&T.

 

Thanks for the link. Good information.

[Loonbeam]

Bookmarked for reference thanks..

 

I think I found the confusing issue - the EU rules seem to basically just require that the ship signal does not interfere with or overcome land towers, but no specific distances is set that I could find. The carriers themselves have set procedures to avoid violating the various non-interference standards and avoid fines from what I can tell. WMS being the biggest carrier by far would probably be considered definitive in terms of a ruleset since it seems to handle all the big lines except MSC and Costa.

 

The systems are supposed to turn of automatically, but the ship crew is supposed to verify same and manually shut off if needed, which probably explains what I saw.

 

I couldn't find anything on point in US law either other than standard non-interference language.

[rockdoctor]

Can you clarify "Around Ports"? Was that coming in or with the lines tied to the dock?

 

Coming in I have seen it switch but never when fully docked.

 

In AK. Not fully docked. I was surprised since we were getting closer to port not farther.

[suzyed]

In AK. Not fully docked. I was surprised since we were getting closer to port not farther.

I think it's hit or miss. You just have to check your phone before you use it.

[pablo222]

Of course, CC posters also insist that they know more than the cruise lines and the carriers.

 

If only the posters here were right...

 

I read here a few weeks ago that you might as well turn your phone off, as there is no

cell service on ships, no roaming.

 

Knowing this could have saved the original poster a lot of money. :)

 

With regard to dropping the ship based service -- I thought they had equipment to sniff for land based

service, and it automatically turned off the shipboard service.

 

But, I probably read it on the internet...

[leck57]

If only the posters here were right...

 

I read here a few weeks ago that you might as well turn your phone off, as there is no

cell service on ships, no roaming.

 

Knowing this could have saved the original poster a lot of money. :)

 

With regard to dropping the ship based service -- I thought they had equipment to sniff for land based

service, and it automatically turned off the shipboard service.

 

But, I probably read it on the internet...

 

For the hundredth time.....all you have to do is turn off data roaming. You don't have to put your phone in to flight mode which effectively renders it useless. Data usage is what racks up the bills or chews credit if you are prepaid.

[RocketMan275]

For the hundredth time.....all you have to do is turn off data roaming. You don't have to put your phone in to flight mode which effectively renders it useless. Data usage is what racks up the bills or chews credit if you are prepaid.

 

Airplane mode plus WiFi is by far the most popular suggestion on cruise critic even though Turning Off Data is simpler and is a better solution which just goes to show how relying upon Cruise Critic for advice can result in non-optimal results. Verizon recommends turning off data.

 

I prefer turning data off because I can still get Text messages which are very cheap. I can still make/receive calls in an emergency. I am not reliant upon WiFi availability. I still avoid horrendous data bills.

[Charles4515]

Airplane mode plus WiFi is by far the most popular suggestion on cruise critic even though Turning Off Data is simpler and is a better solution which just goes to show how relying upon Cruise Critic for advice can result in non-optimal results. Verizon recommends turning off data.

 

 

 

I prefer turning data off because I can still get Text messages which are very cheap. I can still make/receive calls in an emergency. I am not reliant upon WiFi availability. I still avoid horrendous data bills.

 

 

 

For those with iPhones the new iOS update, iOS 11 makes it easier than before to turn off data. Don’t have to go to settings app. There is a toggle in the control center. The green button. You can swipe up and do it from the lock screen.

 

[Meanee]

Some carriers will confirm stuff with you. For example, T-Mobile will send a text, asking you if you REALLY want to use internet on cruise ship. If you don't respond, even if your roaming is set to On, T-Mobile won't pass any data.

 

I honestly wish Princess climbs out of stone age sooner than later. RCCL did the internet right. Looks like Carnival caught up to it as well. And on Princess, we have slower-than-dialup at extortion rates.

[PescadoAmarillo]

For the hundredth time.....all you have to do is turn off data roaming. You don't have to put your phone in to flight mode which effectively renders it useless. Data usage is what racks up the bills or chews credit if you are prepaid.

This is true, but be prepared to pay for any extra text charges. They may be cheap but unless they are free they will cost something. In past years, we would have received countless one word or emoji texts from young people who were excited to share news of games and sports or school successes. Sadly, they are now teens and those kinds of texts have slowed to a trickle. But that is why we chose to use Airplane Mode over simply turning Data Roaming off. These two settings are not the same.

 

It really comes down to fully understanding these incredible devices to use them wisely and maximize their potential, and the point mentioned by several on this thread is well made. Don’t rely on Cruise Critic to teach you. Get to an Apple Store and take free classes and ask questions, or to a carrier store if you have a non-Apple device. Or decide it’s just not that important to you to learn and then truly do shut the phone down and put it in the safe for the duration of the cruise (some of us have trouble understanding that sentiment but I’m sure the feeling is mutual).

 

I have had many conversations and impromptu training classes with fellow cruisers who vehemently warned me that using my iPhone on a ship or in foreign ports was going to cost me a LOT of money. One of these people came up to me four different times while I was using my iPhone to pay bills and check accounts while I was on the ship in Fort Lauderdale. She was extremely upset that this was going to cause me to mortgage my house. Too bad she wasn’t on the OP’s cruise, or it could have saved him over $2000.

[RocketMan275]

For those with iPhones the new iOS update, iOS 11 makes it easier than before to turn off data. Don’t have to go to settings app. There is a toggle in the control center. The green button. You can swipe up and do it from the lock screen.

 

I've suspected for a long time that the Airplane Mode/Wifi popularity was due to a quirk in the Apple operating system.

[RocketMan275]

This is true, but be prepared to pay for any extra text charges. They may be cheap but unless they are free they will cost something. In past years, we would have received countless one word or emoji texts from young people who were excited to share news of games and sports or school successes. Sadly, they are now teens and those kinds of texts have slowed to a trickle. But that is why we chose to use Airplane Mode over simply turning Data Roaming off. These two settings are not the same.

 

It really comes down to fully understanding these incredible devices to use them wisely and maximize their potential, and the point mentioned by several on this thread is well made. Don’t rely on Cruise Critic to teach you. Get to an Apple Store and take free classes and ask questions, or to a carrier store if you have a non-Apple device. Or decide it’s just not that important to you to learn and then truly do shut the phone down and put it in the safe for the duration of the cruise (some of us have trouble understanding that sentiment but I’m sure the feeling is mutual).

 

I have had many conversations and impromptu training classes with fellow cruisers who vehemently warned me that using my iPhone on a ship or in foreign ports was going to cost me a LOT of money. One of these people came up to me four different times while I was using my iPhone to pay bills and check accounts while I was on the ship in Fort Lauderdale. She was extremely upset that this was going to cause me to mortgage my house. Too bad she wasn’t on the OP’s cruise, or it could have saved him over $2000.

 

Any one who needs to contact us knows to use inexpensive Text Messages. That means we can be contacted in an emergency. They also know that anything other than a house fire is not an emergency.

[Charles4515]

I've suspected for a long time that the Airplane Mode/Wifi popularity was due to a quirk in the Apple operating system.

 

 

 

It has nothing to do with Apple's operating system. It has to do with peoples fears and media stories of people getting socked with huge bills. Even with data on they won’t be get unexpected charges if data roaming is off. To turn data roaming on you have purposely to go into settings and change the default setting which is off.

 

People feel safe in Airplane Mode on a cruise or abroad because they don’t have to think. Also you know some people don’t want phone calls or text on a cruise. In many discussions Cruise Critic nannies tell me they disconnect on vacation and that I should too. Airplane mode does make sense for those who want to disconnect.

[broberts]

For the hundredth time.....all you have to do is turn off data roaming. You don't have to put your phone in to flight mode which effectively renders it useless. Data usage is what racks up the bills or chews credit if you are prepaid.

 

There is no single best solution.

1. If your cell carrier offers reasonable cost call, text, and data on ships, enable/turn on roaming
   
2. If your cell carrier offers call & text roaming on ships at a reasonable cost, enable roaming but turn off roaming data
   
3. If you cell carrier charges an outrageous amount for call & text on cruise ships (like mine, $7/min), use Airplane mode or disable roaming
   
4. If you are using Airplane mode, but have purchased a shipboard internet package, turn on WiFi.
   

[billco]

For those with iPhones the new iOS update, iOS 11 makes it easier than before to turn off data. Don’t have to go to settings app. There is a toggle in the control center. The green button. You can swipe up and do it from the lock screen.

 

 

 

 

In IOS11 Control Center, clicking on WIFI or Bluetooth does not turn them off, it simply disconnects them from access points and devices. Turning them off still has to be done in Settings.

[RocketMan275]

It has nothing to do with Apple's operating system. It has to do with peoples fears and media stories of people getting socked with huge bills. Even with data on they won’t be get unexpected charges if data roaming is off. To turn data roaming on you have purposely to go into settings and change the default setting which is off.

 

People feel safe in Airplane Mode on a cruise or abroad because they don’t have to think. Also you know some people don’t want phone calls or text on a cruise. In many discussions Cruise Critic nannies tell me they disconnect on vacation and that I should too. Airplane mode does make sense for those who want to disconnect.

 

True but the primary response to had to avoid large data charges is Airplane Mode. Few also inform others that if the engage Airplane Mode, they are giving up phone calls (which you don't have to answer) and Text. I know it sounds good to disconnect on a cruise but some do need to have a way to be contacted in an emergency. Text works for that.

 

We explain to friends and family that we will be on a cruise and we really do not need to be informed about anything less than an emergency, ie, we don't need an update on your latest shopping trip to Target.

[Charles4515]

In IOS11 Control Center, clicking on WIFI or Bluetooth does not turn them off, it simply disconnects them from access points and devices. Turning them off still has to be done in Settings.

 

The reason for that is logical. You can still use airdrop, airplay personal hotspot, Apple Pencil, the Apple Watch by only disconnecting from access pionts and devices. I use all those. You can't if they are completly off. You can still turn them off in settings but usually there is no real reason to have them completely off. The control center is a shortcut widget to quickly access some things. Settings is still where you have to go for deep changes. The only problem with the new implementation is that most people are not going to understand there is a difference between disconnect and off when toggling those buttons.

[pablo222]

For the hundredth time.....all you have to do is turn off data roaming. You don't have to put your phone in to flight mode which effectively renders it useless. Data usage is what racks up the bills or chews credit if you are prepaid.

 

To what in my post are you replying?

[leck57]

To what in my post are you replying?

 

You questioned my reply a few days back and I responded that I was actually backing you up i.e. in that there was so much misinformation on this thread. For some reason your post and my reply disappeared, I assume a mod had removed them even though I didn't think either were rude/disrespectful compared to others I see here.

[pablo222]

You questioned my reply a few days back and I responded that I was actually backing you up i.e. in that there was so much misinformation on this thread. For some reason your post and my reply disappeared, I assume a mod had removed them even though I didn't think either were rude/disrespectful compared to others I see here.

 

Thanks. I didn't really understand what was going on.