COMUNICATING WITH HOME
most of us dont really want to be comunicating with home while we are on vacation, but if you have kids that are at home or need to keep your business running there are some things that will make that easier.
most ships have internet packages that would allow you to email, i message or facetime home but can be on the expensive side.
with some info i got from a cruise critic page , cruiseline.com and other sites, here is some of what you can expect.
Royal Caribbean International
Internet and Wi-Fi: Royal Caribbean offers Voom high-speed internet fleetwide. The service is very speedy (the line calls it the “fastest at sea”) and can be used for streaming movies and music via services like Netflix, Hulu and Spotify. Ships also have computers available for passenger use.
Fees: Two levels of Voom are available via tiered packages. There is “Voom Surf,” which starts at $12.99 per device, per day, and includes high-speed Wi-Fi that can be used to browse the web, check email or post on social sites. “Voom Surf and Stream” is the more expensive tier. It starts at $17.99 per device, per day, and is fast enough for streaming movies, shows and music. Family packages that include discounted rates for multiple devices are available.
Cell Phones: Mobile phone service is provided by AT&T/Cellular at Sea. Check with your home provider before sailing about compatibility and international roaming charges.
Carnival Cruise Line
Internet and Wi-Fi: Carnival offers shipwide Wi-Fi on all vessels, plus for-fee Wi-Fi access in HUB internet cafes. Additionally, the line offers an app — Carnival HUB — that is free to download and use onboard (even without a Wi-Fi package). The app offers easy access to data such as deck plans, ship schedules, dining info, and Sail & Sign shipboard account balances. For $5 per sailing, passengers ages 13 and older can access the app’s chat feature. As part of a Carnival Corp. initiative, all Carnival ships will have Wifi@Sea enhanced internet by the end of 2016.
Fees: All ships offer three internet packages: The “social” plan is $5 per day for unlimited access to social media networks, but not email or web browsing. The $16 per day “value” plan adds access to email and the internet, but restricts bandwidth-intensive activities like streaming movies and music or VoIP services (Skype and FaceTime). For heavy internet users, a $25 a day “premium” plan gives access to a faster internet speed and Skype access. All of the plans exclude Snapchat use and video streaming. Passengers can pay the daily rate or purchase a voyage-long package for a discounted price. (Discounts vary by ship.)
Cell Phones: Carnival passengers can use their phones fleetwide to make calls, text and surf the web using data or Wi-Fi; roaming charges from cell phone carriers apply.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Internet and Wi-Fi: Norwegian offers 24-hour internet cafes, and shipwide wireless internet access on all of its ships. The free Norwegian iConcierge app allows users to tap into onboard passenger information, communicate with other passengers onboard and make their own dining and excursion reservations. The app is currently available on Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Pride of America, Norwegian Star and Norwegian Sun.
Fees: There is a per-day unlimited usage rate of $29.99 for sailings up to 12 days long and $24.99 for sailings 13 days or longer. All ships except for Sky and Breakaway offer 100- and 250-minute blocks of usage time for $75 and $125, respectively. (Sky and Breakaway have slightly different pricing options.) Laptop rental is complimentary with any time-plan purchase, but it’s subject to availability. The iConcierge app is free to download, but there is a fee to make and send unlimited calls and messages to other passengers while onboard.
Cell Phones: Passengers can make and receive calls and use data on mobile devices while the ship is at sea via a satellite connection. Roaming charges apply. The iConcierge phone app allows ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship calling capabilities using VoIP (Voice over IP technology). A per-minute fee applies for this service.
Princess Cruises
Internet and Wi-Fi: Wireless hotspots are available in public areas and cabins on all ships. All Princess ships also have internet cafes. High-bandwidth activities like VoIP and streaming video might be restricted onboard ships. Download the free Princess@Sea Messenger app to chat with other passengers at sea. (You’ll need to purchase a usage package to use the app while onboard.)
Fees: Princess Cruises’ pay-as-you-go rate is 79 cents per minute. There are four time plans: 100 minutes for $69 (pre-purchase for $72.95 with 20 bonus minutes); 200 minutes for $99 (pre-purchase for $102.95 with 40 bonus minutes); 400 minutes for $159 (pre-purchase for $162.95 with 60 bonus minutes) and 600 minutes for $199 (pre-purchase for $202.95 with 80 bonus minutes). World cruisers also can buy 1,000 minutes for $249 or pre-purchase for $252.95 with 100 bonus minutes included. Passengers in the top tier of the line’s frequent cruise program gain credit toward internet package use. As part of a Carnival Corp. initiative, all Princess ships will have Wifi@Sea enhanced internet by the end of 2016.
Cell Phones: All Princess ships are cell phone operational. On Royal and Regal Princess, passengers’ phone providers must have an agreement with Maritime Communications Partner in order to get service. On all other ships, passengers’ providers must have an agreement with Wireless Maritime Services (WMS). Phones must be activated for international calling with the passenger’s home provider before sailing. Roaming fees apply and are set by your phone service provider.
Cell Phone Providers
check with your provider for the most up to date rates and coverage
AT&T
AT&T Cruise Ship Plans*
Bundle Includes
No Bundle $2.50/minute, $.50 text, $10.24/MB
$30 Talk 50 minutes, $1/minute overag, no texts, no data.
$60 Talk and Text 50 minutes, $1/minute overage, 100 texts ($0.50/message overage), no data.
$120 Talk and Text 50 minutes, $1/minute overage, 100 texts ($0.50/message overage), 100MB ($10/10MB overage).
*Standard plan rates used for texts received.
AT&T Port Plans*
Bundle Includes
No Bundle (Canada/Mexico) $1.00/minute, $0.50/text, $1.30/picture & video, $2.05/MB
No Bundle (Europe) $1.50/minute, $0.50/text, $1.30/picture & video, $2.05/MB
No Bundle (Rest of World) $2.50/minute, $0.50/text, $1.30/picture & video, $2.05/MB
$30 Passport $1.00/minute, unlimited texting, 120MB ($0.25 overage), no WiFi at hotspots
$60 Passport Silver $0.50/minute, unlimited texting, 300MB ($0.20 overage), unlimited WiFi at hotspots
$120 Passport Gold $0.35/minute, unlimited texting, 800MB ($0.15 overage), unlimited WiFi at hotspots
use your AT&T phone in US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico the same s you would in the US
With a Mobile Share Advantage plan of 10GB or higher, get unlimited talk, text, and access to your plan data in Mexico like you do in the U.S.— with no roaming charges
*Standard plan rates used for texts received.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile Cruise Ship Plan
Bundle Includes
All T-Mobile Plans* $0.50/received text, $5.99/minute, $15/MB
T-Mobile Port Plan
Bundle Includes
Simple Choice $0.50/received text, $5.99/minute, $15/MB
*Simple Choice Plan customers get these rates automatically. Customers on other plans must activate these rates by adding the World Class service to each line through My T-Mobile.
Sprint
Sprint Cruise Ship Plan
Bundle Includes
Simple Choice $0.50/received text, $5.99/minute, $15/MB
Sprint Port Plans
Bundle Includes
No Bundle $2.49/minute*, $0.50/text, $0.05/received message, $5/MB
Sprint Open World $2.49/minute*, $0.50/text, $0.05/received message, $30/GB
$15 Sprint Global Roaming 1-day $2.49/minute*, $0.50/text, $0.05/received message, 100MB
$25 Sprint Global Roaming 7-day $2.49/minute*, $0.50/text, $0.05/received message, 200MB
$50 Sprint Global Roaming 14-day $2.49/minute*, $0.50/text, $0.05/received message, 500MB
*$1.19/minute with Worldwide voice add-on for $4.99/month.
Verizon
Verizon Cruise Ship Plans
Bundle Includes
No Bundle $1.79 / minute, $0.50 sent text, $0.05 received text, $2.05/MB
$25 $1.79 / minute, $0.50 sent text, $0.05 received text, 100MB
$40 100 minutes ($0.25 overage), 100 sent messages ($0.25 overage), unlimited incoming messages, 100MB
Verizon Port Plans
Sign up for TravelPass Countries, and your normal plan will be extended for $2 per day per line in Mexico and Canada and $10 a day per line in 65 countries including most Caribbean destinations.
AS OF EARLY 2019