Phone on cruise ship?

[Tree_skier]

On 5/26/2023 at 9:27 AM, latebuyer said:

I’m on brilliance of the seas and i’m wondering if they’d have phones to use? I know you have to pay. Its alaska. I’m canadian so all i’ll have is data on the phone.

If you plan on getting wifi onboard wifi calling is your best bet.  It works well and when you have a decent internet connection.  Don't bother messing with any of the other apps they will just make things more complicated.  Setup wifi calling at home before you leave and test it out to make sure it works. Put your phone in airplane mode with wifi on and connect to your home internet.  Call and receive a call to be sure it is working properly. If you aren't planning on getting Royal's internet service you should be able to find wifi in most ports (just follow staff as they debark the ship) and use wifi calling then.  

Edited May 27, 2023 by Tree_skier

[njkruzer]

Tap airplane mode first then wifi.

[Another_Critic]

17 hours ago, LilBlackDress said:

It is no longer $1.99 a minute!! 

How can I communicate on a cruise with friends at home or ashore ...

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-phone-call-services

A. You can make ship-to-shore calls from your stateroom, 24 hours a day. The cost is $7.95 USD per minute and will be automatically charged to your SeaPass account. Your friends and family can contact the ship by calling (888) 724-7447. Or from outside the U.S. they can call (321) 953-9003.

$2/minute for Diamond and above.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf

[latebuyer]

My brother in law says google meet will work. Its installed on samsung phones.

[LilBlackDress]

17 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

$2/minute for Diamond and above.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf

I didn't see where the OP was Diamond or above... Did I miss it?

[jean87510]

17 hours ago, latebuyer said:

My brother in law says google meet will work. Its installed on samsung phones.

this is correct.  I've used this and snap chat with my kids who have iPhones.

[Another_Critic]

On 5/26/2023 at 12:31 PM, firefly333 said:

The phone in your cabin for usa is 1.99 per minute. Idk about calling Canada. 

 

On 5/27/2023 at 7:26 PM, LilBlackDress said:

It is no longer $1.99 a minute!! 

How can I communicate on a cruise with friends at home or ashore ...

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-phone-call-services

A. You can make ship-to-shore calls from your stateroom, 24 hours a day. The cost is $7.95 USD per minute and will be automatically charged to your SeaPass account. Your friends and family can contact the ship by calling (888) 724-7447. Or from outside the U.S. they can call (321) 953-9003.

 

21 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

$2/minute for Diamond and above.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf

 

3 hours ago, LilBlackDress said:

I didn't see where the OP was Diamond or above... Did I miss it?

I was clarifying your post, not responding to the OP.

[sandy toes]

On 5/27/2023 at 11:25 AM, orville99 said:

We use skype via Wi Fi from our iPads if we have to make an outbound phone call. Our phones are turned off and stored in the safe for the entire cruise.

I just read this and am still giggling. With a tween and a 20 yr old, oh my! Their phones are like an extra appendage that came about via evolution. It would be death if either of them went 10 days without their phones. I do NOT even get a WiFi plan. I use airplane mode and take pics and videos with my phone. 

[orville99]

1 minute ago, sandy toes said:

It would be death if either of them went 10 days without their phones.

And it would bankrupt you (or them) if they did that while on board a ship without a Wi Fi plan and a phone capable of Wi Fi calling while in airplane mode. There have been threads about people coming back from a cruise to find phone bills in the  hundreds to thousands of dollars in addition to the on board "cellular at sea" charges to your stateroom.😱

[orville99]

22 hours ago, latebuyer said:

My brother in law says google meet will work. Its installed on samsung phones.

It is also available in the Apple app store, and works quite well on our iPads when we call our grandchildren (their parents have Android phones). We use Skype for everything else.

Edited May 29, 2023 by orville99

[dannysporea]

Related question... We have T-Mobile with free cellular data all around the world. We are planning on using this in ports to access the Internet, maps, etc. Is there a way we can make sure we are NOT using the ship cellular service and we are using only the free international data roaming in ports? Do we need to wait to turn on our data until we are a certain distance away from the ship? Thank you

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, dannysporea said:

Related question... We have T-Mobile with free cellular data all around the world. We are planning on using this in ports to access the Internet, maps, etc. Is there a way we can make sure we are NOT using the ship cellular service and we are using only the free international data roaming in ports? Do we need to wait to turn on our data until we are a certain distance away from the ship? Thank you

Cellular at Sea is turned off in ports.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, dannysporea said:

Is there a way we can make sure we are NOT using the ship cellular service and we are using only the free international data roaming in ports?

Turn off airplane mode as you walk off the ship in port.

[sandy toes]

6 hours ago, orville99 said:

And it would bankrupt you (or them) if they did that while on board a ship without a Wi Fi plan and a phone capable of Wi Fi calling while in airplane mode. There have been threads about people coming back from a cruise to find phone bills in the  hundreds to thousands of dollars in addition to the on board "cellular at sea" charges to your stateroom.😱

The youngest has had text-only plans since she was 10. The oldest gets a full package and I don't even get one. I have one day that is in port about midway where I play catch up with family, friends and work. No one is bankrupt when we all don't have full plans. Plus AT&T has very reasonable plans we can get of in port days.