Verizon Cell phone roaming charges while out in the Ocean

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Just received my Verizon cell phone bill from our cruise on the Noordam on 12/27-1/6/07. We only used our cell phone on New Year's Eve/Day to call at midnight to our Families. Just to let everyone know, since someone people wanted to know the cost, that while out in the middle of the beautiful ocean the roaming and call for 9 minutes was $9.21. Now I feel guilty rushing through "Happy New Year" calls. Doesn't seem as bad as we thought.

[doone]

Thanks for sharing this information. Your right, not bad at all.

[BaltimoreCruise]

I also have Verizon service. I was wondering what type of charges I would incur using the phone in St. Thomas and in San Juan (two stops on our 4/7 Zuiderdam Cruise). I am planning to contact Verizon, but if someone can give me a heads up that would be great.

 

Thanks.

BaltimoreCruise

[pcs15]

If you have an America's Choice plan, Puerto Rico is part of the plan. From scoping around the Verizon site, it looks like it is $.69 a minute from St. Thomas. If you call Verizon and learn differently, please post back. Here is the link to the Verizon page...

 

http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/rates/na_calling_plans.html

 

Pat

[u4ea]

Thanks for these posts, I may find it necessary to use my verizon phone on my upcoming voyage, so I checked into it. Pcs15’s info is correct. I am amazed at lovemyboxer’s low charge. I called Verizon and they didn’t know anything about HAL ships, only Carnival and RCCL. Their posted charge is 2.49 a minute. They also told me to activate the ability to make international calls (n/c). It’s amazing that Verizon is clueless about HAL, and you can’t find out how much a service is. It’s a big world.:confused:

Mark….

Ps. In St Thomas, you may have to dial 1 before the 10 digit #

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Shhhh! Don't tell Verizon. I was amazed too at the low charge. Thought it would be a lot more. There wasn't any roaming charge from PR since it's part of our America's choice plan. We didn't call from any of the other Islands, so I can't help you there. I've never activated international calling on my cell. However, I have called from my cell from Bermuda to US without a problem. I do remember that the charges from Bermuda were higher than what I was just charged from calling out at Sea. Maybe Verizon had not clue where I was calling from! Who knows & who cares, don't tell them!

[u4ea]

Thanks, I won't tell. Funny, maybe Verizon will pull a HAL and say "sorry, the price really isn't that low, we'll be needing some more money. Cha ching ":rolleyes:

Mark..

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

LOL. No biggie. I was expecting to pay more anyway. May others will post what they charges were to get some sort of true cost.

[nabby]

I will be on the O-dam this weekend and am taking my Verizon phone with me. When I activated the international roaming the charges from Mexico were listed as .69 per minute. I will post the actual charges once I get them.

[starysacz]

LoveMyBoxer: Thank you for the information. Wondering which specific plan you have to give the opportunity of making a phone call at sea? We have the Family Plan at this time and were able to call from Hawaii several times and also St. Thomas.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

nabby, the 69 cents per minute is correct with Verizon. I was amazed at how cheap it was as well but I need some help. I have often had problems dialing out. Right now I don't remember what it was I dialed before the area code. Maybe it was 0-0-1 but what ever it was it worked fine in Manzanillo and Acapulco but when we go to PV and Mazatlan and Cabo it did not work nor did any combination. Also my son tried to call me from home when we were in Cabo for my birthday and all he would het was a message in Spanish which we thought was strange. SO what has everyone else used for dialing out???

[innlady1]

Will be on the Noordam 2/7 to 2/17. Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Tortola and PR. We have Verizon....which service is best to get? America's Choice or International?

I thoroughly confused at this point! :confused:

[cruznon]

Thanks for sharing this info---good to know.

[mom2m&a]

We were on the Oosterdam in November and I was able to get cell service the whole trip, but couldn't dial out (even to my voice mailbox) in Mazatlan and PV. I could never figure out the magic code and the woman in the internet center was no help. She was, however, shocked that my Verizon phone worked on the ship. Apparently it wasn't supposed to.

 

I did call my voice mailbox a couple of times and called my home number once to check messages. I didn't even get charge ANY roaming charges.

 

My sister's blackberry with Verizon service did not work on the ship.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

LoveMyBoxer: Thank you for the information. Wondering which specific plan you have to give the opportunity of making a phone call at sea? We have the Family Plan at this time and were able to call from Hawaii several times and also St. Thomas.

 

We also have the Family Plan. I never asked Verizon to activate international calling. But when I used my cell from Bermuda 2 years ago it work, and I have been using it ever since. As I said, I remember the calls from Bermuda to US being a lot more money than the call we made from out in the ocean.

 

I didn't have to dial any internal numbers, not while in Bermuda, out in the ocean or in PR. I just dialed 1 + area code + number. Like I said, I only used it on New Year's Eve while out in the ocean and once while in PR. But PR is part of the Freedom plan. The only thing that did not work was trying to send text and pictures back to US. We tried sending a picture I took with my cell, but it did not go through. I know that while we were in St. Thomas my son's school called to see why he was absent (LOL, I forgot to call the school!), and I can't imagine them dialing an international number.

[pcs15]

Has anyone else used a Blackberry with any luck? I was wondering if my Verizon data plan would work on board the Zuiderdam. Thought that maybe I can communicate via e-mail instead of phone...

[Makris]

Hi LoveMyBoxer,

you said your verizon phone worked while out to sea, but could you also use your cell phone while in ports or just out to sea?