I*Concierge to phone home??

[bb2]

Hi there,

 

Can anyone share their experiences if they have used I* Concierge app to make and receive calls from home while on board.

 

I would like to be able to stay in contact with family at home and while ATT offers Passport savings while on land, they do not have an NCL phone package which would be a reasonable alternative.

 

I appreciate any insight on this -- Thank you BB2

[abe3]

You can’t make and receive calls from home with the app. You are only able to use it with other people that have the app on the ship.

 

 

 

 

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[PelicanBill]

There is an option for calling home and receiving calls. A temporary phone number is assigned to you when you register, so you must give your family/friends the new number to reach you.

 

Info: https://www.ncl.com/apps

Here are the instructions: https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/iCONCIERGE_062714.pdf

I cannot find pricing, only that it says "Phone Calling with Family and Friends Back Home (Nominal Per Minute Fee During Cruise)"

[bb2]

Thank you, I have read that you "can" make calls with I-Concierge. I believe its approximately 75 cents per minute - way better than the ship to shore rate. However, I'm wondering what call quality is like, dropped calls, reception etc...

 

If anyone has used iconcierge for this purpose would they recommend it?

 

Also with an Iphone any suggestions for txting home?

 

Thanx again

[mking8288]

OP, which ship are you sailing on with plans to use the iConcierge App for calls ?

 

The App worked somewhat on the BA but that was in mid 2016, our friends used it to call home a few times ... results were mixed ... they had trouble hearing on the other end. Hopefully, it's been improved since as the App itself has been updated recently, long overdue. This is supported now, according to published info, on compatible iOS and Android devices.

 

Outbound charges, ship to shore/landland/mobile was 79 cents a minute, relatively "inexpensive" vs. calling direct from the stateroom @ $5 a minute ($4.99) whereas it used to be like $8 a minute. However, calls to the ship's exclusive 8 digits mobile # assigned by the system to the registered/activated stateroom's devices would still be at a higher rate @ $8 a minute - billed to the caller's credit card when they dialed.

 

Those prices remained unchanged this April/May when we're on the Gem - newest/current data hasn't been posted here lately.

 

Others had reported "reasonable" success using ship's paid WiFi plans to call VoIP (WiFi) on their smartphone with Apps like Skype, FaceTime (audio is better as minimal bandwidth is needed), Messenger or Google Hangouts/Voice, etc.

 

P.S. Give it a try ... but, always have a plan B and Plan C if staying in touch is a top priority.

Edited October 13, 2017 by mking8288

[JerseyMom]

Thank you, I have read that you "can" make calls with I-Concierge. I believe its approximately 75 cents per minute - way better than the ship to shore rate. However, I'm wondering what call quality is like, dropped calls, reception etc...

 

If anyone has used iconcierge for this purpose would they recommend it?

 

Also with an Iphone any suggestions for txting home?

 

Thanx again

 

Earlier this year I tried using it on NCL Escape and the very first time I used it it worked well after that I frequently had either dropped calls or got messages that the call could not be completed at this time. Finally I gave up using it and found checking in via email worked better.

[LrgPizza]

Yes, we used it once when there was an emergency. It was $.79/minute, which is much cheaper than the ship's rates. It dropped the call a couple times, and the connection wasn't very good, but it worked for our purpose. We would not use it for just general "staying in touch". Be advised that the recipient of the call at home sees a random number and not your phone number, since your actual cell phone isn't making the call - the app is.

[Rhea98]

I used it once on Epic in the Caribbean--pretty much as reported: took a few tries but clear sound on both ends when connected. Short calls, no drops. I only called out so I can't say about receiving calls.

 

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