Satellite phone or cell phone?

[kwlegs]

My husband and I are doing a cruisetour in Alaska on Princess in July. He thinks there will not be good cell phone coverage there and wonders about getting a satellite phone for the trip? Has anyone done this?

[old grump]

we used our cell phone on the Radisson and used it just like we were at home. no problem at all. we usually waited until we were in sight of land when we used the phone standing on our balcony.:)

 

Old Grumps Wife

[kitty9]

I used my regular cell phone all over during my Alaska cruise. If the ship you're on has Satellite At Sea, you'll even be able to call while at sea, without needing a satellite phone.

[SelectSys]

...If the ship you're on has Satellite At Sea, you'll even be able to call while at sea, without needing a satellite phone.

 

Be careful of the rate in terms of using this service. For my mobile carrier the charge is $2.49 / minute. Even if you're within sight of land make sure your phone is not connected to the ship's network when making calls.

[c-legs]

Hi,

I personally do NOT use cell phones or satellite devices....I'm on cruise ship for a relaxing vacation.....not in a phone booth !!

We all understand emergencies, and this thread gives good advices on where to use a cell phone ...if one must....

Cheers

:)

[Putterdude]

I'm on vacation and the last thing I want is to talk to someone on my cel phone and the second to last thing I want is having to listen to someone else yak away on their's.

[richkinkade]

A friend of mine bought a sat phone along on a dive trip to the Bahamas. He never got it to work. In the Bahamas, his cell worked. It turned out he didn't have the sat phone antenna all the way unfolded.

[greatam]

My husband and I are doing a cruisetour in Alaska on Princess in July. He thinks there will not be good cell phone coverage there and wonders about getting a satellite phone for the trip? Has anyone done this?

 

You will have fairly decent coverage in Alaska with all US cell providers EXCEPT T-mobile and Sprint/Nextel. If you have Verizon, AT & T, Altel or most of the others, you will have coverage EXCEPT inside Denali National Park (if you cruise tour goes there). I spend about 3-4 weeks per year in Alaska for business and use my Verizon cell almost everywhere. My laptop aircard, which is also Verizon, works most everyplace in Alaska.

 

I have two Iridium sat phones. I need them for business and one goes everywhere I go. But to actually rent/buy one for a vacation would seem to be overkill. If you ABSOLUTELY have to keep in touch (business owner emergencies or elderly, ailing parents) and are worried about the 8-10 hours you MAY be out of touch INSIDE Denali National Park, you will have to rent/buy the sat phone. Neither is cheap and talk time is AT LEAST $1.99 per minute.

[FritzG]

I'm on vacation and the last thing I want is to talk to someone on my cel phone and the second to last thing I want is having to listen to someone else yak away on their's.

 

How lucky for you to be totally free of responsibilities. I for one, have very elderly parents who I want to keep in contact with. In addition, they love to hear about our adventures since they're unable to travel like they did when they were only young seniors like us. A cell phone is invaluable for us when we travel.

 

For the OP, we call a good friend in Alaska using our Verizon service, and we've always had good connections and no dropped calls. He lives out on the Kenai peninsula, not in a major town.

[Putterdude]

How lucky for you to be totally free of responsibilities. I for one, have very elderly parents who I want to keep in contact with. In addition, they love to hear about our adventures since they're unable to travel like they did when they were only young seniors like us. A cell phone is invaluable for us when we travel.

quote]

 

Then please extend your fellow passengers courtesy of using it in the privacy of your cabin. Most of us don't want to hear about the weather in Idaho or have to listen to a detailed account of what you had for dinner.

[kitty9]

I, too, have family members who are elderly and a dear cousin who's at the end stage after a five year battle with ovarian cancer. Some of us have absolutely no choice but to keep in touch with people back home. We DON'T call to talk about the weather in Arizona or discuss the daily menu. And at times, we have no choice but to use the cell out on deck to get a clear signal. I promise I won't disturb you if you don't disturb anyone either.

[sk8teacher]

Email works just fine and most often better than a cell phone. You certainly do not have to worry about whether your carrier works on board or not. And it's cheaper. That is what we did when my wife's mother was nearing the end of life. She had to have someone checking on her, and we set up a computer there with an email account. Talked with them daily.

 

It really doesn't matter if you are at sea and find out something has happened at home, if you found out via a phone call or email. You still have to wait until you reach the next port to do anything about it.

 

Personally, I would rather spend 25 cents a minute (if you buy a 250 minute package on Holland America ships) than $3.00 or more per minute for a phone.

 

But then I am also the person who turns off their cell phone as soon as they turn into their driveway, and it doesn't go back on until I leave in the morning. And when on vacation, it stays home. Period.

 

Cheers,

[kitty9]

Email works fine for those who know how to use it and have computers. My elderly parents don't have a clue on computer use, so that's not an option for a lot of folks who have elderly family members.

[Philip217]

You already have a satellite telephone - it's sitting on the table next to the bed in your stateroom.

 

In case the ship is out of range for your mobile telephone, you can make the satellite call from the comfort of your cabin. The rates for calling from your cabin by satellite are about the same as the rates for a hand-held satellite telephone. But in this case - you needn't buy or rent one.

[greatam]

The rates for calling from your cabin by satellite are about the same as the rates for a hand-held satellite telephone. But in this case - you needn't buy or rent one.

 

Iridium rates on a monthly contract are as low as $.99 per minute. I pay $1.29 per minute with the package my company has + $34.95 per month. It has now become cheaper to use my sat phone than any of my three different cell phones for international calls.

 

Even a rental sat phone is MUCH cheaper per minute than the phone in the cabin.

 

http://www.travelcomm.us/content/satellite-airtime-rates-1036.cfm

[Philip217]

The handheld satellite telephone rates may be lower - but you don't have to pay a monthly or rental charge for the telephone in your cabin.

 

Unless you plan to tell you life story on a satellite call, the stateroom telephone is still a bargain - and you don't have the hassle of renting or buying a satellite telephone.

 

If you had a Japanese or Chinese mobile telephone you wouldn't have a worry.

My Japanese mobile roams everywhere in the world for 06 cents per minute.

 

Even better, if the ship has one of those American Cell towers, my Japanese mobile telephone roams to it with no extra roaming charge.

[sk8teacher]

Email works fine for those who know how to use it and have computers. My elderly parents don't have a clue on computer use, so that's not an option for a lot of folks who have elderly family members.

 

I agree. What I said was we had someone come in daily to check on her, and stay with her as necessary. That person was shown how to use the computer for email purposes. It's my personal opinion that if the parent requires that much care, then someone should be there or available 24/7 which is what we did. Heck, my mother-in-law had enough problems changing channels on her TV with a remote :eek: , I could imagine what she would have done with a computer.

 

I was just saying that it is an option, that can be worked around if the parent doesn't understand computers. And definitely cheaper than phoning.

 

Cheers,