iPhone G3 and Princess

[HKM]

Has anyone used a new iPhone G3 to access/send their e-mail via Princess wifi? If so, did you experience any problems?

[BigGuy25]

A cautionary note that I don't really understand ... but you will! People have said that you need to be careful to turn off your iPhone browser when traveling out of the country because you will occasionally be "roaming" in high-cost areas using tons of minutes (as it checks for email) and racking up huge bills ... and not even know it! In July we were traveling with a fellow who is a huge user of his iPhone. He just used it in ports where he knew he had service included in his plan. Other times he used the ship's computers for email. This may not be a problem with some cell plans.

[chipmaster]

Has anyone used a new iPhone G3 to access/send their e-mail via Princess wifi? If so, did you experience any problems?

 

 

WIFI mode should work similar to your laptop WIFI, 3g or not should not impact the performance. As long as you setup the connection settings correctly.

 

Personally, I have found that my son's itouch isn't as versatile nor successfuly on connnecting to many wifi sites as my laptop. I wouldn't be surprised that the iPhone have similar difference compared to my laptop as they are similar in design and formfactor. WIFI is a extremely shortrange communication and is very sensitive to attenna location, orientation, etc. I would expect that in a crammed phone that the attenna could sometimes be suboptimal ( only my guess )

 

Like the OP mentioned be SURE to disable your phone, or you could get a nasty surprise from ATT. If you got bars, they probably will be charging you :eek:

[espo56]

I have a friend who brought his on a cruise and didn't know that it was rooming everytime it downloaded his e-mails. When he got home, he received a bill for $1,200. If I take mine, I am leaving it off the whole time.

[h3rjp]

just echoing what the other posters have said, make sure data roaming is turned off. I wouldn't have thought you would have any problems connecting to the ship's wifi network and would get the same performance as if you were using a laptop.

 

I also downloaded a free application to mine which allows me to make calls via wifi broadband (obviously not on the ship) so I can make cheaper calls back home without paying international voice roaming rates.

[HKM]

Thanks, everyone. I was aware of the need to turn off the phone. However, since Princess recently announced that WiFi would be included as a Captain's Circle benefit, I wondered if anyone had actually used their iPhone or IPod Touch on Princess to send or receive e-mail or access the internet.

[cruiserjanet]

Just curious if this information is similar when using a Blackberry where if an e-mail comes, it automatically notifies you and you will get the charge as mentioned above like for the iPhone. My BFF has a Blackberry with this feature turned on constantly. I'm thinking about getting either a Blackberry or an iPhone.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Just curious if this information is similar when using a Blackberry where if an e-mail comes, it automatically notifies you and you will get the charge as mentioned above like for the iPhone. My BFF has a Blackberry with this feature turned on constantly. I'm thinking about getting either a Blackberry or an iPhone.

Blackberrys do NOT have wiFi capability. SO, if you are looking for WiFi, it's not the phone for you, you need to be near a cell tower for it to work - i.e. -have bars. I do not know about the roaming issue with the BlackBerry though -haven't taken it out of the country yet. If you are looking for more internet surfing than email, I would not recommend the Blackberry - IMO. I feel that it is more useful for email than anything else. The screen is too small and the web pages it can get are very compressed and not easy to use, IMO.

[DeltaOne]

Thanks, everyone. I was aware of the need to turn off the phone. However, since Princess recently announced that WiFi would be included as a Captain's Circle benefit, I wondered if anyone had actually used their iPhone or IPod Touch on Princess to send or receive e-mail or access the internet.

We just cruised with our iPhone 3G's. I turned off roaming and set the email to manual check. No problems.

 

The "gotcha" with the iPhone (or any Mac) and shipboard WiFi is that sometimes the sign-on page is written in such a way to require the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer (MIE). We Mac (and iPhone) owners don't have MIE. (Which is a good thing!)

[Host CJSKIDS]

As others have said, just make sure to turn off your roaming or you'll be faced with huge fees. I used 2G I phone in the spring but haven't brought my 3G with me yet. I did turn off the roaming and had no issues with huge bills.

[Colo Cruiser]

I have a friend who brought his on a cruise and didn't know that it was rooming everytime it downloaded his e-mails. When he got home, he received a bill for $1,200. If I take mine, I am leaving it off the whole time.

 

I have heard it does not matter whether it is off or not. :eek:

[WolfpackFan]

As far as turning off roaming - couldn't you just put it into airplane mode but enable WiFi. Wouldn't that do the same thing? I have an iPhone that I will be taking with us next year.

[gambit57]

Just curious if this information is similar when using a Blackberry where if an e-mail comes, it automatically notifies you and you will get the charge as mentioned above like for the iPhone. My BFF has a Blackberry with this feature turned on constantly. I'm thinking about getting either a Blackberry or an iPhone.

 

Err, sort of. Basically, the people here are reminding iPhone users to turn off the cell phone part of the phone. You don't want to be connecting to cell towers and racking up huge bills. The iPhone is sort of unique in that it's constantly sending and receiving info. That's without you telling it to. It just does it on its own.

 

A Blackberry is unique in that while you have a contract with a company like Verizon, most of the BB functions are still run through the RIM servers. I'm not a BB expert or anything, but since a (normal) BB is always getting stuff sent from the servers (like when you receive an e-mail), you're at risk of incurring charges there.

 

So, if you're going someplace with int'l roaming and don't have a plan to deal with it, I'd turn off your BB just like they're saying with the iPhone.

[Hope to Cruise]

AT&T says to "turn data roaming off' and also 'turn off the auto-check function for email'. Then you can check email manually when you are able to use a Wi-Fi area. AT&T has an international data package but it looks like it is more appropriate to people who travel internationally all the time.

 

Looking at the international rates for data (about 2 cents per KB) I think I will check my email using the cheapest available internet package offered by the cruise line. Since I use MSN I have to go to the web to get the email anyway.

 

Phone rates are pretty hefty too but I have no need to use the phone while traveling.

[TorontoTL]

It is easy, turn Airplane mode on. That deactivates the data roaming. Then just check Wifi on. I have found that my iPhone 3G can connect easily to any network as well as my Mac Book Pro. I haven't been on a cruise since getting my iPhone, but I'm planning on bringing it and using it instead of the internet cafe on my next cruise. There is no reason it should not work. Wifi is Wifi.

[Host CJSKIDS]

It is easy, turn Airplane mode on. That deactivates the data roaming. Then just check Wifi on. I have found that my iPhone 3G can connect easily to any network as well as my Mac Book Pro. I haven't been on a cruise since getting my iPhone, but I'm planning on bringing it and using it instead of the internet cafe on my next cruise. There is no reason it should not work. Wifi is Wifi.

 

Turning the airplane mode on also makes it that you can't use it as a phone. I simply turned off the Data roaming off and didn't turn on my email and had no problems with large bills either while on our cruise or in Cancun with my old iphone. I did connect on wifi while in Cancun and had no issues. I have yet to travel with the 3G but assume that it will work the same way.

[born2cruize]

We just cruised with our iPhone 3G's. I turned off roaming and set the email to manual check. No problems.

 

The "gotcha" with the iPhone (or any Mac) and shipboard WiFi is that sometimes the sign-on page is written in such a way to require the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer (MIE). We Mac (and iPhone) owners don't have MIE. (Which is a good thing!)

 

Actually the problem is some log-in pages are designed using "Flash" that has been re-written for IE or is not compatible with the "Flash" built into the iPhone.

 

On our recent cruise on the Island Princess Wi-Fi was painfully slow on my laptop. Even more painful on my iPhone 2.5G.

 

If you do decide to use Wi-Fi with either "roaming data" off or Airplane mode "on" be aware that with Software 2.0 and push technology it will compete for the ships bandwidth once you log in. I'd also recommend turning "Push" off.

[DeltaOne]

As far as turning off roaming - couldn't you just put it into airplane mode but enable WiFi. Wouldn't that do the same thing? I have an iPhone that I will be taking with us next year.

Yes -- turning Airplane Mode on is the easiest way. As others have mentioned, it also disables the phone.

 

You can also turn Airplane Mode on and then turn WiFi back on -- that'll work.

 

You can also call AT&T and get an international plan for the time you'll be traveling -- they're not that expensive.

[cherylandtk]

You can also call AT&T and get an international plan for the time you'll be traveling -- they're not that expensive.

The plans may not be that expensive ($5.99 per month for World Traveler) but the voice minutes are $2.49 each in the 'country' of Cruise Ships.

[MaryPoppinz]

I'm getting an iPhone tomorrow, and I really wish this thread made sense to me. :)

 

The next "My $1200 iPhone bill on Princess" thread might be mine.

[WolfpackFan]

I'm getting an iPhone tomorrow, and I really wish this thread made sense to me. :)

 

The next "My $1200 iPhone bill on Princess" thread might be mine.

 

Well to put it simply, your iPhone may be doing things that you don't know even if you're not making a phone call (like checking your email, etc.). If you are in a foreign country when this happens you will be charged for the data usage and the rates are high. The easiest way to make sure this doesn't happen is to just power down your iPhone (hold down the top button until you get the slider that asks if you wish to power down) when you know that you're not in an AT&T area or you can put it into airplane mode and this turns off the phone part of the iPhone.

[gambit57]

Go to the Apple store and ask people there. Employees first, and on the rare chance none are helpful, ask a customer who looks knowledgeable. AT&T reps, as a whole, tend to be pretty useless. Apple Stores don't deal with the billing and stuff. That's AT&T's deal. So, the Apple employees are going to give you the real scoop. Plus, they all tend to be quite knowledgeable about all things Apple.

[-Lew-]

Blackberrys do NOT have wiFi capability. SO, if you are looking for WiFi, it's not the phone for you...

I'm not a Blackberry expert, but I do know at least one model, the 8820, has Wi-Fi capability.

 

Lew

 

[Host CJSKIDS]

This is from At&T

 

 

iPhone Tips for International Roamers

 

iPhone Tips for International Roamers

When using your service outside the U.S., Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands (for either voice or data), international roaming rates apply. International roaming and data usage are not included in your existing U.S. data plan. Your iPhone provides access to email, Visual Voicemail, Web browsing and other applications that can use a significant amount of data, so remember-international data roaming can get expensive quickly.

How iPhone Users Can Minimize International Data Charges:

Turn Data Roaming "OFF": Be sure to download and install the latest version of iPhone software (version 2.0) from iTunes. By default, this setting for international data roaming will be in the "OFF" position.

To turn data roaming "ON/OFF" tap on: Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming

Utilize Wi-Fi instead of GPRS/EDGE/3G: Wi-Fi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants to browse the web or check email.

Turn Off Your Phone's "Auto-Check" Function for Email: Data usage from email can accrue quickly. Check email manually using Wi-Fi instead of having email downloaded automatically to your iPhone. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone.

To turn off the Auto-Check functionality tap on: Settings>Fetch New Data and select manually

Consider Purchasing an International Data Package: Purchasing an international data package can significantly reduce the cost of using data abroad. AT&T now offers two discount international data packages.The 20 MB package is $24.99 per month; the 50 MB package is $59.99 per month. See att.com/wirelessinternational for details and international roaming rates.

Reset the Usage Tracker to Zero: When you arrive overseas access the usage tracker in the general settings menu & select reset statistics. This will enable you to track your estimated data usage.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Here is some info about their data plans for the iphone:

 

Data Global Add-Ons for Smartphones, PDAs and iPhone

 

Keep up with email and browse the web with your Smartphone, PDA or iPhone++ when you travel abroad. AT&T has created two Data Global Add-Ons for Smartphones, PDA's and iPhone with lower rates in over 65 countries. Discounted Countries are subject to change. For a complete list of discounted countries visit att.com/dataconnectglobal for current information.

There are two packages available:

 

$24.99/month: 20MB Data Global Add-On gives you 20MB** of usage within over 65 countries

$59.99/month: 50MB Data Global Add-On gives you 50MB*** of usage within over 65 countries

**20MB Data Global Add-On

Overage rate is $.005/KB within the over 65 discounted countries.

Rate outside these over 65 countries is $.0195/KB

Does not include data usage within the U.S. Qualified domestic plan required.

 

***50MB Data Global Add-On

Overage rate is $.005/KB within the over 65 discounted countries.

Does not include data usage within the U.S. Qualified domestic plan required.

 

Rate outside the over 65 countries is $.010/KB except in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Brunei, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Macau, Macedonia (former Yugoslavia), Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Venezuela where the rate is $.0195/KB.

 

Other restrictions and terms and conditions apply for data.

 

++ While using data on iPhone is unlimited within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, international data roaming can get expensive quickly as international roaming rates apply. Voice and data usage, including data usage incurred from delivery of Visual Voicemail messages, will be charged at international rates. For a complete list of countries and rates visit att.com/wirelessinternational. AT&T offers these iPhone International traveling tips to help you keep control of data usage.

 

Please Note:

1MB = 1024KB

$.0195/KB = about $20/MB

$.010/KB = about $10/MB

$.005/KB = about $5/MB