Keeping in touch.

[clarets]

We are on the Britannia this w/e on a Caribbean cruise, through family problems I need to stay in

touch with my relatives. What is the best and cheapest way to use a mobile whilst out there and

due to the refurbishment of the ship have they took this into consideration?

                                                                                                                Thanks for any answers in advance.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, clarets said:

We are on the Britannia this w/e on a Caribbean cruise, through family problems I need to stay in

touch with my relatives. What is the best and cheapest way to use a mobile whilst out there and

due to the refurbishment of the ship have they took this into consideration?

                                                                                                                Thanks for any answers in advance.

I would find a wifi connection when in port, and Skype or email my relatives. If you absolutely need to be in touch every day, buy a 24 hour internet connection on sea days. I'm assuming you can access the internet through your phone.

Edited January 14, 2020 by wowzz

[lindyloo22]

You can usually get free WiFi in most of the port terminals that you dock in.  A few years back I did use my mobile in the Caribbean for calls and it was quite expensive, probably best with a pay as you go phone at least you no how much you are spending.

Lyn

[CarlaMarie]

Alternatively, if you need to you can purchase 24hrs of wifi connection on the ship as and when you need it. We have done this when we needed to be in touch back home on sea days. 

 

The connect package costs £7.75 for a full 24hrs from when you log on and will count down from that point. This package will give you access to What's App, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

 

There are other packages also, but this we have found to be the best option if only on certain days you need to check in with home (and if your family use what's app). 

 

I've included the link below for you:

https://www.pocruises.com/moments/staying-connected-at-sea

[swaddy]

If you buy individual day packages at perhaps 1.p.m. On one day, you can use it the next morning so getting 2 separate days with useage. You would need to take the time difference into account to work out the best timeings. If you want free Wi-Fi ashore, follow the crew, they use it. 

[terrierjohn]

12 hours ago, CarlaMarie said:

Alternatively, if you need to you can purchase 24hrs of wifi connection on the ship as and when you need it. We have done this when we needed to be in touch back home on sea days. 

 

The connect package costs £7.75 for a full 24hrs from when you log on and will count down from that point. This package will give you access to What's App, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

 

There are other packages also, but this we have found to be the best option if only on certain days you need to check in with home (and if your family use what's app). 

 

I've included the link below for you:

https://www.pocruises.com/moments/staying-connected-at-sea

Can you make video calls on whatsapp, or are these excluded, or is the wifi too slow?

Edited January 15, 2020 by terrierjohn

[CarlaMarie]

You cannot make video or voice calls on either What's app or Instagram, but you can send photos and messages via them like normal and the service works quickly. 

 

The only thing you do have to remember to do is after a period of inactivity your wifi will be logged out. So you simply have to sign back in again via your internet browser (very simple to do) and it will tell you how long you have left. 

 

Like swaddy has said above, choosing when you purchase the package is key to getting the most out of the 24hrs. 

 

I know it may seem expensive to some, but for us being able to be in touch with home on certain days (which we have needed on some cruises) it has been much cheaper than calling or texting. 

[beachmad123]

We were recently on the Ventura and bought the £12 internet when we needed it so not everyday but I can say we were really pleased with the speed and connection and we used it all over the ship

[jeanlyon]

A text is only 50p.  We do that if we need to and then use wifi in every port.

[AlanCruise]

If you leave your phone on (with Data Roaming disabled!) then it will always receive texts free of charge, even if connected to the ships satellite system. We have used this as a method for someone to contact us if needed. And as the previous reply says sending a text is quite cheap.

 

In some caribbean islands your home package may be available - depending on your network.

 

But be aware that if you answer a call the charge may be significant and some networks charge you if someone leaves a message.

 

Also be aware that if the phone connects to the satellite system it may reset to GMT time - makes a mess of any alarms you have set for the morning.

Edited January 15, 2020 by AlanCruise

[beachmad123]

5 hours ago, AlanCruise said:

If you leave your phone on (with Data Roaming disabled!) then it will always receive texts free of charge, even if connected to the ships satellite system. We have used this as a method for someone to contact us if needed. And as the previous reply says sending a text is quite cheap.

 

In some caribbean islands your home package may be available - depending on your network.

 

But be aware that if you answer a call the charge may be significant and some networks charge you if someone leaves a message.

 

Also be aware that if the phone connects to the satellite system it may reset to GMT time - makes a mess of any alarms you have set for the morning.

Well thankyou I didn't realize that I would  not be charged to receive text messages that's really useful to know 

[AlanCruise]

As your phone connects to each network/country you normally get a text giving you all the prices. I was there last week.

[beachmad123]

But when you are at sea it isn't connected to any network I've never seen a network on my phone not even the ship's,  am I wrong ?

[the english lady]

We are with 3 and calls were going to cost £2 per minute, so we didnt bother. The half dutch/half french island you may be able to use as you would in europe, if you can get a signal.  As we were sailing there back and round..we bit the bullit and used some of our OBS to purchase wifi for the whole trip on board. This was the mid price package (you couldn't use streaming on that..i think for that and video calls you would need to get the top price package). if we ever did similar i would purchase again.