cantw82sail Posted August 30, 2006 #1 Share Posted August 30, 2006 DH just got a blackberry and I am thinking of taking it on the ship to check email. We are leaving our 1 yr old son with family. It is his first time away from both of us and we want to be able to check in to see how he is doing. I barely know how to use blackberry so I am not really sure if ship has the ability to communicate with blacrry like it is a laptop. or is blackberry more like a cell phone. what about in port? will we need to have international service like cell phone? if it work like laptop are the cost to access wireless internet same as if you use internet cafe? where on ship can you use wireless internet? DH is the techy type but he is too busy playing video game and never been on a cruise either. I don't want to bring it if it won't help. Just one more thing to keep track of. But it is much smaller than the laptop I was planning on bringing so I hope it works so laptop can stay home. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughvh Posted August 30, 2006 #2 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Which carrier is the BlackBerry with? (That's important.) Do you know its model number? (Not important, just my curiosity.) Also, which ship are you sailing on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiHo Posted August 30, 2006 #3 Share Posted August 30, 2006 My husband has a blackberry and all I know is he received one message while on the cruise and he was able to reply. I don't know who the carrier is and I think we were near or in a port (maybe Cozumel) at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scejas Posted August 30, 2006 #4 Share Posted August 30, 2006 If you have a blackberry with Cingular (like i do) just upgrade your service plan for the month that your sailing they offer unlimited data internationally for about $10 bucks more... this will allow you to send and receive unlimited emails while in port... obviously won't work out at sea... as for your cell minutes depends on your provider... some offer "discounted" rates but your looking atleast a $1 per minute up to $2.50 per minute Here are two links for cingular users... http://www.cingular.com/media/roaming_gen http://www.cingular.com/media/AffordablePackagesfortheWorld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick52 Posted August 30, 2006 #5 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Here's a news item from Carnival that might be worth reading. http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/fleetwide_wireless.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanMachine Posted August 30, 2006 #6 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Blackberry's will not work like a laptop, they work just like a cell phone and are not capable of picking up any form of laptop related wireless signall(i.e. 802.11x) You will just need to check with the cell company to see if you will be able to receive messages while in port. I doubt that there will be any signal at all regardless of carrier in the middle of that ocean. SAT phones are all that I am aware of that have that capability. Though I believe Carnival has or is going to setup some type of station on some of their ships that will give out cell signals. Probably what one of the articles above mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanMachine Posted August 30, 2006 #7 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I actually just got off the phone with Cingular, their International Care Line is 1-800-335-4685. I am not sure where you are going but since I am going to the Bahammas in a week I checked for there in particular and the signals are not equipped to transfer data (E-mail) at all, only phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughvh Posted August 30, 2006 #8 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I actually just got off the phone with Cingular, their International Care Line is 1-800-335-4685. I am not sure where you are going but since I am going to the Bahammas in a week I checked for there in particular and the signals are not equipped to transfer data (E-mail) at all, only phone. When it comes to BlackBerry Customer Service, Cingular is not the best unless you call their BlackBerry help desk directly. You can reach BB support by calling 611 and pressing 1 for BlackBerry support. I believe their direct line is 800-304-3044. Which BlackBerry do you have? According to Cingular World's web site, the Bahamas does have GPRS data coverage at $.0195/KB. As long is your BB is GPRS capable, you should be fine. (Don't forget to enable international roaming for voice AND data on you account.) What's you BB's model number? I can tell you if its GPRS capable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughvh Posted August 30, 2006 #9 Share Posted August 30, 2006 According to Cingular World's web site, the Bahamas does have GPRS data coverage at $.0195/KB. EDIT: I stand corrected. I miss read the fine print on Cingular World. The Bahamas does not have data GPRS converage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantw82sail Posted August 30, 2006 Author #10 Share Posted August 30, 2006 thanks for the info. it is cingular service. i have no idea the model. it is assigned to him thru work so i don't think we can adjust the plans etc. and we are going to bahamas and grand turk on fantasy this weekend so if bahamas dosn't have email on blackberry doesn't sound like any point to take it. appreciate the quick responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty30907 Posted August 31, 2006 #11 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Not to sound weird, but why would anyone want to bring a blackberry, laptop, or cell phone on a cruise ship?:confused: That is the main reason we sail, we do not want anyone to get ahold of us! If you need to check e-mail, every ship has an INTERNET café. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STiVo Posted August 31, 2006 #12 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Not to sound weird, but why would anyone want to bring a blackberry, laptop, or cell phone on a cruise ship?:confused: That is the main reason we sail, we do not want anyone to get ahold of us! And some people like to say hi to the kids midway thru the vacation. What's the big deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantw82sail Posted August 31, 2006 Author #13 Share Posted August 31, 2006 i am sure everyone has their own reasons but we are leaving our 1 yr old son home (first time). i would like to spend 10 minutes or less each day to check on him via email (MIL is to long winded to do phone calls and they are too expensive) so that the rest of the day i can relax and know everything is fine back home. i set up a new hotamil address and only gave it to family watching my boy. that way i know i wont have to sift thru other email etc. i wanted to bring our own laptop or blackberry so that i wont have to wait for a pc in the ships cafe or waste time in port looking for internet cafe. are the wait times long??? for me it allows me to enjoy my cruise by keeping in touch just a little so i dont worry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare EngIceDave Posted August 31, 2006 #14 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Not to sound weird, but why would anyone want to bring a blackberry, laptop, or cell phone on a cruise ship?:confused: That is the main reason we sail, we do not want anyone to get ahold of us! If you need to check e-mail, every ship has an INTERNET café. Some of us have our own businesses that we've invested our lives into and just ditching it cold is not something some people would be comfortable with. We also have kids (13/11/7) and would like to let them know the ship didn't sink and mommy was not eaten by a shark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petro772 Posted August 31, 2006 #15 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Not to sound weird, but why would anyone want to bring a blackberry, laptop, or cell phone on a cruise ship?:confused: That is the main reason we sail, we do not want anyone to get ahold of us! If you need to check e-mail, every ship has an INTERNET café. You can also just turn off your phone. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty30907 Posted August 31, 2006 #16 Share Posted August 31, 2006 You can also just turn off your phone. :D We do not bring them on board. I knew some people would get upset with my post, but now that cells can be used on the ship, I envision laying on the Lido with people talking on their cell phones. Don't get me wrong, it is their right, but it is also my right not to be force to hear other people conversions. Allot of people raise the level of their voice when talking on a cell phone for some reason. And people are not considerate when talking on their phones in the stores which leads me to believe they will not be considerate on the ship. That is my point. Also, that is why I brought up the Internet Café on the ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanMachine Posted August 31, 2006 #17 Share Posted August 31, 2006 EDIT: I stand corrected. I miss read the fine print on Cingular World. The Bahamas does not have data GPRS converage. The number I listed before is actually very good service. I would suggest anyone traveling out of the country to give it a call if you have any questions about whether or not you will be able to make calls. They also offer an international plan for about $6 a month that will decrease the per minute charges. Blackberry customer service is good to tell you what the device is capable of, but not as far as what you can receive at what location. My BB is company issued as well, but I also happen to be the person that supports them for everyone else as well, most if not all of the BBs made within the last couple of years are GPRS capable. If anyone else wonders, you can typically tell by looking at your signal, it will usually say GPRS by the signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlily Posted May 18, 2007 #18 Share Posted May 18, 2007 I have used T.Mobile in the Bahamas fine but it seem to be the only carrier working there, but you do have to have a compatible phone or blackberry that actually has a sim card and can travel outside the US to work with a Tri band or Quad band phone. I have T. mobile cell and a cingular/AT&T blackberry I plan to take them both just in case they are needed. You never know what can happen these days and its my communication with the outside world - Off ship.......:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnarkyPants Posted May 18, 2007 #19 Share Posted May 18, 2007 DH just got a blackberry and I am thinking of taking it on the ship to check email. We are leaving our 1 yr old son with family. It is his first time away from both of us and we want to be able to check in to see how he is doing. I barely know how to use blackberry so I am not really sure if ship has the ability to communicate with blacrry like it is a laptop. or is blackberry more like a cell phone. what about in port? will we need to have international service like cell phone? if it work like laptop are the cost to access wireless internet same as if you use internet cafe? where on ship can you use wireless internet? DH is the techy type but he is too busy playing video game and never been on a cruise either. I don't want to bring it if it won't help. Just one more thing to keep track of. But it is much smaller than the laptop I was planning on bringing so I hope it works so laptop can stay home. thanks! A Blackberry operates much like a cell phone. You will pay roaming charges to use it abroad, provided that your wireless carrier uses GSM (ATT & T-Mobile). If you're using Verizon or Sprint/Nextel, the chances of it working outside the US are slim. There is an internet cafe on board, so you can always use that for e-mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonniemari Posted May 18, 2007 #20 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Nassau is my DH favorite place to do land vacations and I used my Cingular cellphone there many times to call our business and they have even been brave enough to call us a couple of times. It didn't work everywhere but I never had trouble finding a spot that it would work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluejlly Posted May 19, 2007 #21 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Just a couple of quick notes...All Verizon Wireless cell phones will work onboard Carnival ships. You may need to call and have international dialing added to your account but there is no cost for this feature. On board the base rate for voice calls 2.49 min. The Blackberry originally carried was CDMA only however a new device was just released that can work CDMA, GSM, and GPRS. They now have plans that will cover global data and voice use. Data transmission onboard shouldn't work. The rates in port will actually vary by location and coverage. Do not purchase a Long Distance Value Pack even if you are offered. This only covers international long distance calls from the US. There is no reduced rate package for roaming. Verizon offers decent coverage while travelling outside of the US. I know these things...it's my job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse & Bear's Mom Posted May 19, 2007 #22 Share Posted May 19, 2007 We just got back from Alaska on the Spirit and our Cingular Blackberry email and phone worked out at sea with no problems. It is a company Blackberry and I had them activate International Roaming before we left. While at port the Blackberry picked the local service, usally Cingular or Rogers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfagent Posted May 21, 2007 #23 Share Posted May 21, 2007 My wife and I just returned from our second cruise this year (in fact we were on the Miracle in October also the very first week that ship got cell phone coverage) My Blackberry (service provider Verizon) has not worked on either cruise this year or any last year. Her Cingular Account however has worked both times this year. She does activate the worldwild calling for that month and then turns it off so I don't know if that makes a difference or not. It's a tremendous advantage as far as cost goes versus the internet cafe (.25 a minute at their largest package of $100 for 250 minutes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciship Posted June 13, 2007 #24 Share Posted June 13, 2007 We will have our cell phones with us. All Cingular. Can we use them to communicate with our kids ON BOARD?? Like, if our teen is leaving the pool to go eat, can he call us on our cellphone to tell us where he is going? I'd rather do that than use walkie talkies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdood Posted June 13, 2007 #25 Share Posted June 13, 2007 We will have our cell phones with us. All Cingular. Can we use them to communicate with our kids ON BOARD?? Like, if our teen is leaving the pool to go eat, can he call us on our cellphone to tell us where he is going? I'd rather do that than use walkie talkies. You sure can! At $1.99/minute rounded up to the nearest minute, you will have flawless communication. There were people doing this on the Imagination last September when it was first activated, I am sure there were some angry people when they got the bill.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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