cell phone service while on a cruise

A cell phone is a cell phone. Talking is talking if it's a smart phone or a regular cell phone... right? The only difference might be using the internet to Skype or something, if you have a smart phone. Really you should call the cell phone provider and see if your options are any different with an iPhone. 

When we were at sea I just knew that I wasn't going to be in contact with anyone, but I don't have kids so it wasn't a big deal to me. 

If you check with your cruise line they can tell you what will work.

I've cruised on Carnival and they use Wireless Maritime Service (WMS), which is part of ATT.  If you're more than 12 miles at sea they charge you based on international roaming charges billed directly to your phone account.

It's usually best to leave your phone off most of the time, because you can get billed for incoming messages and texts.  Plus a lot of phones will automatically try to find networks to synch to if they're left on which can also incur unwanted charges.

Probably the most cost-efffective thing is to pre-arrange times that you plan to call your family  so you can leave your phone off the rest of the time.

Cruise lines also will have a number that families can call to reach folks on a ship in case of an emergency.

I usually go on cruises to get away from my cell phone and computer and just take my phone in case of emergencies.

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

Mark

I looked into this a bit when we took a Carnival cruise and needed to be able to contact the office at home. There was no good option for phone calls when I looked into it 2 years ago. The boat had wifi but it is epically slow so Skype could be difficult. Email was about the only way to get any communication out. The wifi is cheaper if you buy a bundle of it, say 15 or 30 mins. If you had a tablet or a smart phone you could write your email with the wifi off, then turn it on just long enough to send and receive. Worked out okay for us. 

Or you can just leave all the tech at home and be even more excited to see your family when you get back

Cell phone on the ship will not work and internet is very expensive.  Presumably you will be going ashore a good many days.  We just stopped for a glass of wine and snack and used the restaurant's wifi.  This worked better than anything else and it was free.

We cruised around Italy last summer and had our cell phones set up with a so-called "international calling plan".  It was worthless.  We did not get a roaming Verizon signal anywhere.

TW

Are you concerned entrusting your offspring in the care of their father while you're gone?    He should be able to manage, and you can check with the cruise line to see what they do in the event of a true "emergency."  If something happens on the ship, you or your mother can work with ship personnel to get the message back to the family (and in that emergency, $8.95 for a 60-second phone call isn't a big problem.)  Similarly, have your husband look up the process for the ship to find you with an emergency message. 

Now neither of these really addresses emergencies like "I can't find my favorite blue socks" so enjoy the time away. 

Would your husband's phone work for calls when you are in port?  If so, can the two of you swap phones and he keeps the tracphone for the week? 

T-Mobile plans include international text/roaming, but would only work if you're close enough to port to receive a signal AND the phone is compatible with the network.  (Most phones are multi-mode now.)  It's not going to be cheap to buy a phone and a month-long plan. 

This is exactly why my ex always wanted to take cruise vacations. it kept me from checking email, calling, the office, and doing everything but spending time with the family.

My son was in Europe last year and I think it was a $30 for 30 minutes prepaid plan. It give him enough time to check in and ask me to put more money on his prepaid credit card. If you're going to hit ports, a quick check in should be possible and a lot cheaper than $8.95 a minute.

Yeah, the best thing to do is wait until you're in port.   The benefit of having a smartphone is you can then use the internet at places with Wifi.  Where are you going?   Also, with an iPhone  - or any phone with a removable Sim card - you could buy a sim card when you arrive that basically gives you a local plan for the area.    This depends on where you going.

I'd generally recommend the upgrade to the iPhone - your life will change!

Then, just turn off cell data and use the phone as a computer when you're in port.    I did this in the fall in Europe and even the little ice cream shops in Croatia had wifi.  Understanding the password through thick accents can be hard

Of course there are options to call if it's an emergency, but I personally never make phone calls on trips. 

If I were in your shoes, I would muster up the straightest face I could manage and tell my wife "I'm so sorry, but I won't be able to be in contact with you and the kids during the trip.  I'll miss you guys so much, okthenbyegottagobeforeImisstheplane" as I run out the door.  Then I would spend the week with my feet up, sipping on frozen cocktails, blissfully ignorant of my wife's efforts to get the boys to brush their teeth or dressed for school on time. 

My wife traveled for work a lot when our boys were younger.  Your husband will manage just fine, relax and enjoy the trip.  The house and the kids won't be as clean as you left them, but everyone will still be there and in one piece.  Just make sure you show your husband how much you appreciate the difficult week he had, and it'll all be good.

Thanks for the suggestions. I can get on the internet with my phone but it does not have a mobile hot spot. DH's phone is a work phone so we really can't trade.

Hubby already has a golf trip planned for April so he will get his pay back!

We are traveling to Nassau & Grand Turks. I will LET IT GO and enjoy my time away. I have never left my family for more than 1 night so I just feel a little uneasy about it I guess. My son is 7 and he is having some little fears that the ship will get caught in the waves or a storm or something like that .

He he SEEN how BIG these ships are? 

I really like this pictorial comparison of a cruise ship from 1912 vs. 2013... http://www.pinterest.com/pin/329818372682736634/