I hope it's just a rumor...

[Why-wait-to-retire]

I've heard that Carnival ships now have cell phone service when your out to sea??? Does that mean people are on vacation walking around with a cell phone in their ear? Please tell me it's not true! Has anyone heard about this?

I do take mine with me on vacation, but I leave it off, unless it's a real emergency.

Our last cruise on Carnival Miracle was in Oct.2005, and they didn't have cell service then. We did need to call home. (family medical emergency). We used the ship phone.

 

Looking forward to our Hawaii cruise on the Carnival Spirit May 2,2008!!!!!

 

C&K

[Cruisin Dave]

I've heard that Carnival ships now have cell phone service when your out to sea??? Does that mean people are on vacation walking around with a cell phone in their ear? Please tell me it's not true! Has anyone heard about this?

I do take mine with me on vacation, but I leave it off, unless it's a real emergency.

Our last cruise on Carnival Miracle was in Oct.2005, and they didn't have cell service then. We did need to call home. (family medical emergency). We used the ship phone.

 

Looking forward to our Hawaii cruise on the Carnival Spirit May 2,2008!!!!!

 

C&K

It's true but not cheap. Check with carnival and your cell phone provider.

[ali6879]

Mine worked in July when we were on the ship (and I have Cingular - now AT&T). I only used it to call home for 5 minutes each night to check on my daughter. I am not a fan of having that on deck but people did. I also kept mine off when it wasn't in use.

[HereIam]

Yep, it is true. We used our phone on the Glory in June to keep up with elderly relatives. I don't think I saw anyone using one though.

[JayDeeJay]

Yup, it's true!! My bill was $240 -- was just a bit surprised, to say the least! However, I'm happy to pay it ... with elderly parents in fragile health, it made our vacation ever so much more enjoyable to keep in touch rather than worry if things were okay.

[vacruizer]

Sad but true - we had a guy in the dining room on the phone all through dinner at the table next to us on the last cruise.:mad: :eek:

[bcs819]

Yup, it's true!! My bill was $240 -- was just a bit surprised, to say the least! However, I'm happy to pay it ... with elderly parents in fragile health, it made our vacation ever so much more enjoyable to keep in touch rather than worry if things were okay.

 

I hope you used it in the privacy of your cabin...

[Why-wait-to-retire]

I'm really glad it seems like the usage is just to keep in touch and not people doing work on their vacations. Thank you for all the info...

And about the cost$$$. When we used the ship phone it was only a $20.00 phone call. (now that doesn't seem like much!)

 

C&K

[*Mach*]

Yep... cell phone service is available on all the ships. The price may well be prohibitive for casual banter.

 

I'm taking mine out of necessity. It will be set to stun. If I receive a call at dinner I'll have the common courtesy to excuse myself, leave the dining room and answer it outside. I do the same thing on land. I can't stand people who use a cell phone as a status symbol or as some badge of honor.

 

Civility should dictate how one acts in any circumstance.

[Cruisetrio]

Unfortunate but true...cruising used to by my escape from the office and it was the only place they couldnt reach me- at sea! Maybe not so much now :( When we went to Hawaii, got lots of calls from the office.

[wasiii]

.....and had really lousy service on the Miracle last week. In the cabin I could not even get a signal. Out on the Lido deck it was real spotty. I'm curious to read what carriers had the best service. I was not out making calls every minute. Just wanted to say hi to the people that mattered to me a few times and also set up my return ride home.

 

:mad:

[DocF]

My Net10 prepaid phone works almost anywhere in the Caribbean which was good on our cruise in March as the guy who is now covering my accounts had a problem that he needed my help with. We had conversations most every morning about the issues he was encountering. This kept a tough and touchy account modestly happy as it indicated maximum effort was being put into the situation. Since I'm retired, I don't think of this as talking to the office, but helping a friend.

 

Doc:D

[SheriNtexas]

I have to take my cell phone with me since i drive 9 hours to get to Galveston. However, my new car does have onstar...maybe i should leave that phone at home! I honestly left mine off most of the time and was not unhappy to see that service was spotty! Using the ship phone can be very expensive. I called my daughter one time to very quickly say Hi and see how things were going, and she handed her phone to my then 2 1/2 year old grandson!! He was just talking and talking to me, and I was trying to tell him to "give the phone back to momma, zachary, give the phone back to momma!!":D :eek:

[BellaJen]

Unfortunately it is true. I had service all week although I did not use my phone. I met one guy who was trying to impress us with his unimpressive job and kept saying that his job was calling. Um sorry I know you can't be that important at age 21...

[Cruisetrio]

Unfortunately it is true. I had service all week although I did not use my phone. I met one guy who was trying to impress us with his unimpressive job and kept saying that his job was calling. Um sorry I know you can't be that important at age 21...

 

LOL!!! :D That is funny...

[samiam519]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the rate per minute to make a quick call to check on things at home. We are leaving a not so mature 19 year old at home alone to watch the house and all the pets while we are gone for a week on the Legend. Sure would make my vacation a lot more relaxing if I could just check a couple of times during the week. Don't want to get home and have a $500 phone bill though! I have checked the A T & T website and all I can find is the term "international rates apply". Well, that doesn't help a whole lot if you can't find what the international rates are! Thanks for any help.

[SheriNtexas]

Unfortunately it is true. I had service all week although I did not use my phone. I met one guy who was trying to impress us with his unimpressive job and kept saying that his job was calling. Um sorry I know you can't be that important at age 21...

 

 

How funny! YEARS ago, when those first HUGE car phones came out, my then husband had one in his truck. I left our 3 little kids at home with him to run to the store, took his truck, and called my mom to tell her that i was talking on the phone in the truck!!:eek: :D Then i drove around with the phone up to my ear, even though i wasn't talking on the phone, so that people would see that I was talking on a phone!:D :D It was SO new back then and I really thought it was impressive to be seen talking on one!! WOW, that was really a long time ago, and I would never do something like that now!!:D :o

[SheriNtexas]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the rate per minute to make a quick call to check on things at home. We are leaving a not so mature 19 year old at home alone to watch the house and all the pets while we are gone for a week on the Legend. Sure would make my vacation a lot more relaxing if I could just check a couple of times during the week. Don't want to get home and have a $500 phone bill though! I have checked the A T & T website and all I can find is the term "international rates apply". Well, that doesn't help a whole lot if you can't find what the international rates are! Thanks for any help.

 

 

Call them!! That way you will know for sure! I hate hunting for info like that on a website! We have Cingular, or AT&T as it is now, and i had to call when we went to Europe earlier this year. Just call and ask someone, that's what I would do! Good luck getting a right answer!!:)

[samiam519]

Thanks, Sheri! Why didn't I think of that?

 

:D

[SheriNtexas]

Thanks, Sheri! Why didn't I think of that?

 

:D

 

 

 

I HATE the cingular website, although i haven't looked at it lately since they switched names!! NOT looking forward to that first look, that's for sure!! I SO hate change!!:D :D

[luv2cruiseny]

Unfortunate but true...cruising used to by my escape from the office and it was the only place they couldnt reach me- at sea! Maybe not so much now :( When we went to Hawaii, got lots of calls from the office.

 

 

I carry a company cell phone, as (so far) I am the only one in the office who cruises on vacation - I just let them know that there are no cell towers in the ocean. If they want me to keep in touch they can advance me the $100.00 for internet service and I'll email them once a day - so far they haven't accepted that offer and I'd like to keep it that way (I do get the internet for myself to check up with my son (24) who is taking care of his grandparents while I'm away)

[HereIam]

When we used ours, we called AT&T and gave them the dates of our cruise and they had to set up the international calling for us. I don't remember the rates, but it was cheaper to wait until we got into the port and away from the ship. It was like 99 cents a minute in Mexico. I don't remember, I think I used it once to call my parents.

[Cruisetrio]

I carry a company cell phone, as (so far) I am the only one in the office who cruises on vacation - I just let them know that there are no cell towers in the ocean. If they want me to keep in touch they can advance me the $100.00 for internet service and I'll email them once a day - so far they haven't accepted that offer and I'd like to keep it that way (I do get the internet for myself to check up with my son (24) who is taking care of his grandparents while I'm away)

 

Me too..I am the only one who cruises in my office. So the secret is safe FOR NOW ;)

[letsgocruz1]

Cingular/At&t website shows that calls from the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are covered within the national plan, so there would be no extra charge to make calls back to the US. This sounds right as these are US territories. But can anyone verify this info?? Have you actually used your phone there and not had any additional charges? It would be great to be able to call home while in these ports and talk to the kids without rushing off the phone.

[jpmaximus]

Yes it is true...My phone had the words CELLULAR AT SEA while onboard the legend last November. The cost to use the service is very steep! I didnt notice many people at all on their phones. A vacation should be a vacation...right?:)