News

5 Tips for Cell Phones at Sea

By CruiseRadio

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<img alt="" style="width: 500px; height: 248px;" data-cke-saved-src="http://www.cruiselegend.com/News/images/EditorUploadedImages/d4ba565e-9d0b-467b-9e57-5fb0fed85d9b.jpeg" src="http://www.cruiselegend.com/News/images/EditorUploadedImages/d4ba565e-9d0b-467b-9e57-5fb0fed85d9b.jpeg"></p><p>In the 90s cruise vacations were all about being disconnected. Calling home was $9.99 per minute on the ship’s phone and internet at sea didn’t exist. Times have&nbsp;changed.</p><p>These days we can’t go anywhere without being connected. We’re like dogs on a bone when it comes to wifi and being glued to what’s going on in the world. Always afraid we’re going to miss something.</p><p>Thankfully these days it’s much more affordable to talk, text and surf the internet at sea.</p><p>But, be careful of the following.</p><p><strong>1.&nbsp;Data Roaming</strong></p><p>If you’re traveling out of the country, consider getting a data plan or just keeping your phone on airplane mode. Most smartphones are set up to retrieve your emails periodically, doing so out of the country can cost you BIG – to the tune of $19.95 per meg.</p><p>For comparisons sake, a typical iPhone 6 photo before reduced is 6 megs.</p><p><strong>2. Cellular at Sea</strong></p><p>Just because your phone has signal doesn’t mean it’s cheap to use. Don’t assume that because you can use your phone on a ship that it’s part of your voice plan – because it’s not.</p><p>Once your ship is approximately 12-miles off the coast, your signal switches to&nbsp;satellite&nbsp;or better known to us as<strong>&nbsp;Cellular at Sea.&nbsp;</strong>That will cost you&nbsp;$2.49 per minute and $.50 per text applies (fees may vary).<br><br></p><p><strong>3. International&nbsp;Plans</strong></p><p>You can get international packages for fairly cheap. If you have AT&amp;T you can get 200 international texts for $30 and 300 megs of data for $60. Along with data and text you can get reduced voice plans as well. Depending on your provider you can expect to pay at least .99 per minute.</p><p><em>If you’re uploading photos on Facebook, it’s about one meg per photo you upload.</em></p><p><strong>4. Shipboard&nbsp;Internet</strong></p><p>If you have an iMessage or a Skype app you can talk to people back home without tapping into your cell phone data. All you have to do is buy a plan from the internet café aboard the cruise ship and you’ll be able to chat.</p><p>Cruise lines are starting to wake up and offer reduced rates for people who want to be online at sea. Carnival Cruise Line just released&nbsp;unlimited wifi packages&nbsp;for as little as $5 per day.</p><p><strong>5. Billed To You</strong></p><p>The question has been asked a lot. Does using your cell phone onboard get&nbsp;billed to your sail and sign account?</p><p>The answer is no.</p><p>Your cell phone usage on the cruise ship is between the satellite company&nbsp;and your cell phone provider. The bill will come from your cellular provider.</p><p><strong><em>Additional Tips</em></strong><em>:</em></p><ul><li>Use wireless cafes like Starbucks in ports and not on the ship.</li><li>Buy a cheap international&nbsp;($29.00 on Amazon) with a pre-paid SIM card from the country you’re going to, this way you keep track of your spending.</li><li>If composing emails use the draft feature and wait to send them all at one time when you connect.</li><li>Download a&nbsp;data tracking manager, you can set your allotted data and keep track of it.</li><li>Check out&nbsp;ConnectAtSea.com&nbsp;for tips and advice on how to maximize and optimize your cell phone at sea experience.</li><li>If you have a big phone bill and want to dispute your cellular at sea charges – play dumb!</li></ul><p>Do you have a tip about cell phones at sea? Leave it in the comment box!</p>
Share this post