TMobile while docked at Great Stirrup Cay

[seasidemama]

I'm looking at t-mobile map and looks like they have coverage on the island. Can anyone tell me how good Tmobile streaming internet/data connectivity is when on the ship anchored off of GSC? (magenta/magenta+ with global roaming).

[mking8288]

Pre-Covid, I'm pretty sure that we got a solid 4G signal on the island and even on the ship facing the island and/or nearby Berry Islands.   We're there earlier this year, it seemed to vary between 4G and 3G signals (no 5G) - but it's reasonably fast & better than ship's satellite WiFi internet.  

 

Thumbs down, however, as they blocked the WiFi signal from the ship from reaching the island itself (worked in 2019 ... not this year) as I believed they beamed the signal via directed microwave ... as always, YMMV - depending on your device's hardware (WiFi 4, WiFi 5 or WiFi 6, etc.) and how it is configured.  

[seasidemama]

39 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Pre-Covid, I'm pretty sure that we got a solid 4G signal on the island and even on the ship facing the island and/or nearby Berry Islands.   We're there earlier this year, it seemed to vary between 4G and 3G signals (no 5G) - but it's reasonably fast & better than ship's satellite WiFi internet.  

 

Thumbs down, however, as they blocked the WiFi signal from the ship from reaching the island itself (worked in 2019 ... not this year) as I believed they beamed the signal via directed microwave ... as always, YMMV - depending on your device's hardware (WiFi 4, WiFi 5 or WiFi 6, etc.) and how it is configured.  

 

Thanks for the response. Not sure about my iphone's configuration but I think the iphone13 has Wifi 6 but not Wifi6E. Just so I understand as I'm not cell phone tech savvy - NCL having blocked Wifi signals from the ship affects tmobile roaming (not connected to ship's wifi)?

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by seasidemama

[mking8288]

27 minutes ago, seasidemama said:

... Not sure about my iphone's configuration but I think the iphone13 has Wifi 6 but not Wifi6E. Just so I understand - NCL having blocked Wifi signals from the ship affects tmobile roaming (not connected to ship's wifi)?

 

It should not affect T-Mobile partner carrier's roaming signal on GSC - 3G/HSPA+ and 4G/LTE (Band 17) with newer iPhones like XR or 11 and newer.

 

The island was populated with numerous SSiD ...  (as you can see from the screenshot from my Pixel 3aXL then ... ship's WiFi ("Getaway") was picked up on the island along with other WiFi, connected but not

 

Look for "BTC" as the roaming partner in the Bahamas, including GSC

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by mking8288

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, seasidemama said:

I'm looking at t-mobile map and looks like they have coverage on the island. Can anyone tell me how good Tmobile streaming internet/data connectivity is when on the ship anchored off of GSC? (magenta/magenta+ with global roaming).

You have to be able to see the island to get a phone signal. The ship will move throughout the day based on wind and currents. So, while you may see the island in the morning from your balcony, you may be facing out to sea in the afternoon if the ship turns on its anchor. 

 

Also, you will need to enable roaming so that you can connect to the Bahamian phone company tower on the island. And be very, very very careful to turn data roaming off and airplane mode on before you leave the island so that you don't accidentally connect to the cruise ship cell tower. If you connect to the ship's cell tower, you may end up with hundreds and hundreds of dollars in roaming charges. 

[smillerholmes]

11 hours ago, seasidemama said:

I'm looking at t-mobile map and looks like they have coverage on the island. Can anyone tell me how good Tmobile streaming internet/data connectivity is when on the ship anchored off of GSC? (magenta/magenta+ with global roaming).

I was on a B2B on the Getaway this month.  Neither occasion allowed me to connect to T-Mobile.  😒

[seasidemama]

5 minutes ago, smillerholmes said:

I was on a B2B on the Getaway this month.  Neither occasion allowed me to connect to T-Mobile.  😒

 

Oh wow! I wonder why. I had no issue when docked at coco cay with tmobile which right next door pretty much. Maybe the spot where they anchor is a dead zone?

[palpieha]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

Also, you will need to enable roaming so that you can connect to the Bahamian phone company tower on the island. And be very, very very careful to turn data roaming off and airplane mode on before you leave the island so that you don't accidentally connect to the cruise ship cell tower. If you connect to the ship's cell tower, you may end up with hundreds and hundreds of dollars in roaming charges. 

 

T-Mobile no longer has "data" roaming on most cruises, including NCL, just for this reason. People used to have thousands of $$ on roaming changes unknowingly.

 

If you want data on NCL, use Wi-Fi. Roaming is still possible for texting ($0.50 per text sent) and phone calls ($5.99/minute). Depends on what plan you're on:

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans/cruises

 

At GSC, if you get a signal with BTC, you'll have access. From the ship, you might not get a signal if you're facing away from the island.

[seasidemama]

54 minutes ago, palpieha said:

 

T-Mobile no longer has "data" roaming on most cruises, including NCL, just for this reason. People used to have thousands of $$ on roaming changes unknowingly.

 

If you want data on NCL, use Wi-Fi. Roaming is still possible for texting ($0.50 per text sent) and phone calls ($5.99/minute). Depends on what plan you're on:

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans/cruises

 

At GSC, if you get a signal with BTC, you'll have access. From the ship, you might not get a signal if you're facing away from the island.

 

I know there's no roaming while at sea but tmobile has the unlimited international plan included with Magenta/Magenta Max while at port for up to 5GB of "high speed" and lower speeds after that. You can also buy a daily/monthly pass if you need more. I've used it successfully while at port on RCCL itineraries. I asked specifically for GSC because I know the ships don't dock but are anchored so was wondering if the cell towers successfully reach the ship. TMobile's coverage map shows GSC available too.

[palpieha]

6 minutes ago, seasidemama said:

 

I know there's no roaming while at sea but tmobile has the unlimited international plan included with Magenta/Magenta Max while at port for up to 5GB of "high speed" and lower speeds after that. You can also buy a daily/monthly pass if you need more. I've used it successfully while at port on RCCL itineraries. I asked specifically for GSC because I know the ships don't dock but are anchored so was wondering if the cell towers successfully reach the ship. TMobile's coverage map shows GSC available too.

 

I was responding to Bird's advice to turn roaming off before going to the ship to avoid incurring charges if roaming on the ship's cellular tower. That was fantastic advice a few years ago, but since then it's no longer necessary with T-Mobile.

 

As for your specific question: yes, the BTC signal can reach where NCL anchors near GSC. However, it can be weak enough that it will not be usable if you're on the side of the ship not facing the island.

[Peachypooh]

Don't do what I did and not bring a chart of the exit codes to call the US from the port stops.

And the customer service desk had no clue.....this next cruise I am bringing a chart with me.

Most people know this for sure but I didn't!

[dbrown84]

On 9/27/2022 at 11:51 PM, mking8288 said:

It should not affect T-Mobile partner carrier's roaming signal on GSC - 3G/HSPA+ and 4G/LTE (Band 17) with newer iPhones like XR or 11 and newer.

 

The island was populated with numerous SSiD ...  (as you can see from the screenshot from my Pixel 3aXL then ... ship's WiFi ("Getaway") was picked up on the island along with other WiFi, connected but not

 

Look for "BTC" as the roaming partner in the Bahamas, including GSC

 

this is a picture of Wi-Fi availability.  You would need to know the password (and most like pay) to connect to these networks.  I believe the OP was referring to actual connecting to the T-Mobile network (via roaming).  They would have to turn off airplane mode and connect to the data network for the roaming partner.  Nothing special to do besides making sure your data connection is turned on.  Your phone will either connect or not.  You'd need to proper bands on your phone to connect to the provider

[Rob_H]

On 10/3/2022 at 3:08 AM, Peachypooh said:

Don't do what I did and not bring a chart of the exit codes to call the US from the port stops.

And the customer service desk had no clue.....this next cruise I am bringing a chart with me.

Most people know this for sure but I didn't!

 

It's best to save all numbers on your phone in international format: a + then the country code then the number.  To put it another way, the "exit code" from mobile is always a "+", no need to know 011, 00, and so on like in the old landline days, it doesn't vary depending on the port.  (to enter the +, press and hold the zero key).

 

For US and Canada numbers, save them with a +1 in front, like +1 (212) 555 1234. They'll still work fine when you're actually in the US or Canada, but will also work from mobile everywhere that you can make calls. For a UK number like 0712 345678 it'd be +44 712 345678.

 

To get back to GSC, we had minimal reception using Google Fi (uses most of the same roaming partners as T-Mobile) while anchored (in April 2022).  Had to be high up on the ship to get anything at all.  Onshore, there was even less, in a bit of high ground there was a weak signal from a nearby island.  Both anchored and onshore, mobile data was essentially unusable.