Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Princess LTE fee is a rip off

sachielles

By sachielles,
in Princess Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

GRAYTech

GRAYTech

Posted
Posted
Watching movies or TV shows on Netflix uses about 1 GB of data per hour for eachstream of standard definition video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each stream of HD video, the Op was billed $2K. Roughly 225 GB.

 

that would make it 225 hours of SD video, or 75 hours of HD video (unlikely) on the cruise. It is not possible to use that much data.

 

 

I thought this too because the OP posted 8/GB but the ATT charge is actually $8 / MB (Megabyte). That makes 225 MB worth of data which is more likely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
M4dC0w

M4dC0w

Posted
Posted

Here's an interesting read taken from the AT&T site.

 

AT&T International Day Pass

 

$10/day

Take your talk, text, and data plan to over 100 countries for a low daily fee. Pay the daily fee only for the days you use abroad.

Get unlimited calls within International Day pass countries and back to the U.S. and unlimited texts to the world at no additional charge.

 

Now staying connected while abroad is simpler than ever. Add to each device once and it’s available whenever you travel in included international countries.

 

Just a heads-up. If you have apps running in the background that use data, you’ll be charged the daily fee. All you need to get started is a Mobile Share plan or an AT&T Unlimited plan.

Ready to plan your trip? We'll recommend an international travel option for your situation.

 

Usage Restriction: If international voice, text, or data usage exceeds 50% of total voice, text, or data usage for two consecutive months, this feature may be removed. Stream Saver: If your domestic plan includes Stream Saver, it will apply to your international package or feature.

 

 

I think the restriction kicked in from AT&T not Princess, as most people don't use 225 GB of data on their phones in regular use in 2 months.

 

From my experience dealing with CS agents in the past, one company will always blame the other when the customer is on the phone with them complaining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cr8tiv1 Holiday Sharing Rare

cr8tiv1

Posted
Posted
Maybe someone here would know, if you are Platinum and you travel solo do you get your free internet time doubled as well?

I couldn't find the answer in the threads

 

The answer is no. I do not remember what the allotted minutes are, but I am sure someone will post it for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
Maybe someone here would know, if you are Platinum and you travel solo do you get your free internet time doubled as well?

 

I couldn't find the answer in the threads

 

 

 

No, it is not doubled.

 

It was terribly slow on Crown Princess a couple of weeks ago. One sea day the server was down and because of the slow speed I only managed to use 90 of the 150 minutes combined with me using the AT&T day passes at the ports. There were four ports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GRAYTech

GRAYTech

Posted
Posted

The day pass is really the way to go. Use it in one port, go back to airplane mode until the next port. If it's two port days in a row and less than 24 hours later you are still using your initial $10 day pass.

 

The day pass allowed me to catch up on voicemail / make calls / send texts etc. The ships internet while slow, was usually good enough to send/receive Email.

 

For the OP to be correct the ships Cell Tower would have be left on in port which is a big no-no. As noted, locals would be connecting to it and raking up unexpected charges.

 

The takeaway from all of this is look at your phone and read the texts you get to verify you are using the TravelPass. I also put my phone into airplane mode when I'm not "using it" even with the TravelPass activated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
carma7007

carma7007

Posted
Posted
No, it is not doubled.

 

It was terribly slow on Crown Princess a couple of weeks ago. One sea day the server was down and because of the slow speed I only managed to use 90 of the 150 minutes combined with me using the AT&T day passes at the ports. There were four ports.

 

I didn't think so but I wanted to be sure before I gave someone and answer. Thanks to All!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

Posted
Posted
Actually, I've heard different things depending upon the carrier. Verizon doesn't charge you for calls you don't answer. According to some on this board, ATT will charge you for connection while your phone rings, minimum one minute charge.

 

We mostly ignore all incoming calls except from select individuals, ie, son in law. SIL knows to text unless it's a house on fire emergency.

 

 

Incorrect. I get many calls onboard that I don't answer and have never been charged.

Now if your VM is enabled and someone leaves a message then yes there are charges.

I just turn data off while onboard. I still get calls and text.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

Posted
Posted
Here's an interesting read taken from the AT&T site.

 

AT&T International Day Pass

 

$10/day

Take your talk, text, and data plan to over 100 countries for a low daily fee. Pay the daily fee only for the days you use abroad.

Get unlimited calls within International Day pass countries and back to the U.S. and unlimited texts to the world at no additional charge.

 

Now staying connected while abroad is simpler than ever. Add to each device once and it’s available whenever you travel in included international countries.

 

Just a heads-up. If you have apps running in the background that use data, you’ll be charged the daily fee. All you need to get started is a Mobile Share plan or an AT&T Unlimited plan.

Ready to plan your trip? We'll recommend an international travel option for your situation.

 

Usage Restriction: If international voice, text, or data usage exceeds 50% of total voice, text, or data usage for two consecutive months, this feature may be removed. Stream Saver: If your domestic plan includes Stream Saver, it will apply to your international package or feature.

 

 

I think the restriction kicked in from AT&T not Princess, as most people don't use 225 GB of data on their phones in regular use in 2 months.

 

From my experience dealing with CS agents in the past, one company will always blame the other when the customer is on the phone with them complaining.

 

 

I don't think thats the case. I think he just used it while onboard through MCP and ran up a crazy bill for everything. It does not take long. The $10 per day plan listed in your post does not apply onboard Princess period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
M4dC0w

M4dC0w

Posted
Posted
I don't think thats the case. I think he just used it while onboard through MCP and ran up a crazy bill for everything. It does not take long. The $10 per day plan listed in your post does not apply onboard Princess period.

 

 

I don't think the case either, but the OP mentioned that cellphone use was at ports. I think the OP had a free for all using the phone onboard, and is blaming someone else for their indiscretion, or just embarrassed for the mistake.

 

Like I said 225 GB is a LOT of data to use at ports where you are in port for 10-12 hours, and most Northern Europe cruises have 5-9 ports per cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
IECalCruiser

IECalCruiser

Posted
Posted
We are Elite with Princess and have never spent a dime on internet over our free time[emoji2]the OP is nuts!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

OP is not nuts. If you accidentally connect to the ship's cell tower and don't have cellular data roaming turned off, you can ring up high charges very quickly. You don't need to sign on to the ship's wifi and you don't necessarily need to do much on your phone. There is a lot of use of data in the background depending upon the apps that are open and if they are set to use cellular data if WiFi is not available. Our daughter was with us on a recent cruise and did this without really knowing it happened. We had a $90 bill from AT&T for this one overnight occurrence.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
goldenrod

goldenrod

Posted
Posted
OP is not nuts. If you accidentally connect to the ship's cell tower and don't have cellular data roaming turned off, you can ring up high charges very quickly. You don't need to sign on to the ship's wifi and you don't necessarily need to do much on your phone. There is a lot of use of data in the background depending upon the apps that are open and if they are set to use cellular data if WiFi is not available. Our daughter was with us on a recent cruise and did this without really knowing it happened. We had a $90 bill from AT&T for this one overnight occurrence.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

Anyone who would run up a $2000 phone bill on a cruise is either nuts or stupid, take your pick!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
leck57 Holiday Sharing Rare

leck57

Posted
Posted
Incorrect. I get many calls onboard that I don't answer and have never been charged.

Now if your VM is enabled and someone leaves a message then yes there are charges.

I just turn data off while onboard. I still get calls and text.

 

Thanks Keith, at least someone gets it. I just wish the people that are still saying switch your phone to flight mode would read earlier posts to get the right story.

This thread is a classic case of seniors over reaction. I'll wait for the howls of abuse on that but I am one as well. Maybe having youngish kids helps with topics such as this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PescadoAmarillo "Live from...." Rare

PescadoAmarillo

Posted
Posted

Speaking to the seniors reading this thread (I am one, too), T-Mobile has a 55+ unlimited voice, text and data plan available right now for $60 per couple ($55 for one) that also provides free unlimited text and data in over 140 countries and calls for $.20 a minute back to the US, Canada and Mexico from those 140 countries (though with unlimited data, you can just call using VOIP, or internet calling, for free). We just switched from AT&T to T-Mobile and our monthly cost dropped by over $75 a month. If you need tethering (as I do, for my iPad), it adds $10 more a month.

 

In our area, T-Mobile coverage is better than what we had with AT&T, and our download speed over LTE is around 75 Mb/s. YMMV.

 

The ability to use our phones freely in other countries is a huge plus. Using Uber, confirming excursion pick ups, checking local bus schedules and maps...these things will all be available to us now.

 

Of course, this will not include calls made and data used while on Cellular At Sea. As always, our phones will remain in Airplane Mode with Data Roaming OFF until the ships docks. But, honestly, unless you truly want to disconnect, don't feel you can't use your phones while cruising. We've done so extensively for years and never incurred a penny in extra charges. Just be smart about using Settings and get to an Apple Store or carrier store before you leave if you are unsure about how to use your phone abroad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Loonbeam

Loonbeam

Posted
Posted

As noted above AT+T non plan rates can be as high as $8 per MB + tax, so it could be 250 MB. https://www.att.com/offers/international-plans/compare-options.html

 

 

If you leave your phone on all the time without paying attention and have app auto updates via wifi on, background mail checks etc, you could cover that without touching the phone itself on a seven day cruise.

 

And its up to the account holder to know the terms of their account.

 

Watching movies or TV shows on Netflix uses about 1 GB of data per hour for eachstream of standard definition video, and up to 3 GB per hour for each stream of HD video, the Op was billed $2K. Roughly 225 GB.

 

that would make it 225 hours of SD video, or 75 hours of HD video (unlikely) on the cruise. It is not possible to use that much data.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
suzyed

suzyed

Posted
Posted
Speaking to the seniors reading this thread (I am one, too), T-Mobile has a 55+ unlimited voice, text and data plan available right now for $60 per couple ($55 for one) that also provides free unlimited text and data in over 140 countries and calls for $.20 a minute back to the US, Canada and Mexico from those 140 countries (though with unlimited data, you can just call using VOIP, or internet calling, for free). We just switched from AT&T to T-Mobile and our monthly cost dropped by over $75 a month. If you need tethering (as I do, for my iPad), it adds $10 more a month.

 

In our area, T-Mobile coverage is better than what we had with AT&T, and our download speed over LTE is around 75 Mb/s. YMMV.

 

The ability to use our phones freely in other countries is a huge plus. Using Uber, confirming excursion pick ups, checking local bus schedules and maps...these things will all be available to us now.

 

Of course, this will not include calls made and data used while on Cellular At Sea. As always, our phones will remain in Airplane Mode with Data Roaming OFF until the ships docks. But, honestly, unless you truly want to disconnect, don't feel you can't use your phones while cruising. We've done so extensively for years and never incurred a penny in extra charges. Just be smart about using Settings and get to an Apple Store or carrier store before you leave if you are unsure about how to use your phone abroad.

Ditto! We have T Mobile too! Much better than ATT

Link to comment
Share on other sites
getting older slowly

getting older slowly

Posted
Posted
Or just say home, and enjoy a virtual cruise

 

Or go off line for your cruise...... I am a sort of an internet junkie... but a 13 night cruise with no internet and no phone turned on... just proved we can do without it..... so what if the world ended.. we were having a great time

 

Look around and enjoy the world... and talk to the other half... and appreciate the fact that you can go on a cruise..

 

cheers Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...