My wife and I are going on our first cruise in June. Doing the Alaska Cruise/Tour. We will be on the Zaandam and I have a couple of "rookie" questions. Is there cell phone service onboard or do we have to have to be in port? The second is wifi service. I think I have read that there are wifi locations on board but what about in cabins?
Thanks,
Russ
My wife and I are going on our first cruise in June. Doing the Alaska Cruise/Tour. We will be on the Zaandam and I have a couple of "rookie" questions. Is there cell phone service onboard or do we have to have to be in port? The second is wifi service. I think I have read that there are wifi locations on board but what about in cabins?
Thanks,
Russ
When we did the Alaska Cruise/Tour we brought phone cards with us . The ones from Israel sold in the US are a penny a minute .
We love cruising to Alaska. You will have a great time!
Many ships offer cell phone service aboard, at prices ranging from very high to oh my god! Your Travel Agent should be able to tell you whether yours does or not. Service ashore, of course, depends on your carrier. Alaska IS in the US ...
Almost all ships offer internet cafes, and usually in that location and some others around the ship wifi is available. More and more ships are implementing wifi in all cabins. Again, your Travel Agent can get the most up to date information on your ship. Most ships charge the same for wifi as they do for the internet cafe and it is expensive, usually around 75 cents a minute depending on which plan you buy.
My suggestion is to tell everybody that you are going on vacation to relax and you won't be in touch for a week!!
Cell service when out of range of land cell towers is very costly. Signals are carried by Cellular At Sea, and rates are very high for roaming using the ship's satellite.
You won't want to have your cell phone turned on in the drawer, because it will connect automatically to the "cellular at sea" and roaming costs accrue.
READ THIS http://www.cruisemates.com/blog/2011...asily-rip-sea/
Internet service onboard will vary between 35 cents and 75 cents per minute depending on the size of the package you choose. if you're going to use it get a package not the normal pay as you go plan.
You can save minutes by downloading your email, logging off, and reading your email offline. Then if you have to respond to one, write your reply offline, sign on, and send it.
Kuki- I read that article, and it made me think of a few questions...
Is Airplane Mode a good way for most phones to turn off the services they could be charged for? That way you could play downloaded games, use the camera, etc.
If you pay to use the Wi-Fi, can you use you cell phone to access it? My Android is capable of picking up Wi-Fi, but does that mean I can use only the Wi-Fi through the ship, or does this still use data minutes?
When docked in a port (Alaska Specifically), can you use your cell phone from your room if you are getting a signal? How would you know which signal you were using?
Thanks for the info!!
__________________
*Krista*
Golden Princess 9/8/2012
Carnival Elation 11/02/2009
Carnival Pride 04/24/2006
Carnival Pride 05/23/2004
Carnival Elation (I think) 1999
The signal from the ship's satellite will say ( Cellular at Sea ). If you don't see that on your phone you are using the signal from land.
I usually make calls on my cell phone from the ship. I keep them short and the charges are not that bad.
TM
__________________
CRUISES
Century 4/1998
Mercury 4/2000+4/2006+7/2007
Sensation 4/2002
Infinity 4/2003
Summit 4/2004+4/2005
Carnival Liberty New Year's Eve 2007
Liberty of the Seas 5/2008+11/2009
Solstice 4/2009
Oasis 4/2010+4/13/2013
Allure 1/16/ 2011
Equinox 4/11/2011
Kuki- I read that article, and it made me think of a few questions...
Is Airplane Mode a good way for most phones to turn off the services they could be charged for? That way you could play downloaded games, use the camera, etc.
If you pay to use the Wi-Fi, can you use you cell phone to access it? My Android is capable of picking up Wi-Fi, but does that mean I can use only the Wi-Fi through the ship, or does this still use data minutes?
When docked in a port (Alaska Specifically), can you use your cell phone from your room if you are getting a signal? How would you know which signal you were using?
Thanks for the info!!
Airplane mode will turn off the cellular radio on your phone, allowing you to continue to use its features without attaching to Cellular at Sea.
WiFi does not use "data minutes" from your carrier, but it does use your plan minutes if you purchase a package from the ship. Important to note that even if you're not surfing, Android phones often do a lot of things in the background that can access data. Most devices have a simple way to turn off WiFi.
Just turn off roaming. Most phones have some way to do this. Either called Home Only or no Roam or whatever. Contact your carrier for additional information on how your device works. If you have roaming off and see a signal, then you're on your carrier's home network and it will be just like at home and count against whatever access your plan includes.
__________________
Past cruises:
Disney Dream - Dec 2012 4n Bahamas
Carnival Imagination - Dec 2011 4n Western
Carnival Imagination - Nov 2010 4n Western
Costa Atlantica - Dec 2009 7n Eastern
My opinions are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the opinions of The Walt Disney Company nor any of its subsidiaries.
I personally never communicate with anyone back home when cruising ,nor do I post on CM .
Of course everyone is missing you while you are at sea.
TM
__________________
CRUISES
Century 4/1998
Mercury 4/2000+4/2006+7/2007
Sensation 4/2002
Infinity 4/2003
Summit 4/2004+4/2005
Carnival Liberty New Year's Eve 2007
Liberty of the Seas 5/2008+11/2009
Solstice 4/2009
Oasis 4/2010+4/13/2013
Allure 1/16/ 2011
Equinox 4/11/2011
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A couple of questions
Alaska
Linear Mode
