Hello and welcome to Byte Size Cruises! If this is your first time joining us, we are glad to have you along for the journey. We are a travel agency out of Philadelphia, PA and we specialize in ALL things cruising! If you enjoy cruise vacations or if you are interested in learning more about cruising, you're in the right place. Our goal is to share the best and most up to date information here so you can plan and go on an amazing cruise. We fell in love with cruising years ago, and we hope you will too!
Now, we all spend most of our time with our cell phones glued to our hands when we are on land, but what can we do at sea? While most people opt to simply turn their phone off during a cruise, for some people this might not be an option. If you are someone who needs to have cell phone service while you're away, this post is for you. Today we are going to get into the nitty gritty of using your cell phone while on a cruise and which services we think are the best.
Let's break this down. First off, our recommendation is that the moment you step onto the ship (after you've sent all those last minute text messages) put your phone into airplane mode. If you don't do it right then, the chances of you forgetting go up immensely as well as your likelihood of racking up a ton of extra charges on your cell phone plan.
Now, Carnival recently is adding AT&T service to their cruises for an extra charge. What we have found is that this service is only on a few select ships and the actual service you will be getting isn't as good as being connected to the ship's Wi-Fi system. In our opinion, there really isn't any reason to leave your cell phone on regular cell service on a cruise. This will leave WiFi open and working on your phone.
We recommend downloading the cruise app for updates and scheduling during your cruise and you will be able to use the app on your phone without the WiFi package, so don't fret about that.
Let's get into the different options for cell services while you are away.
There are a lot of options out there and some lesser known companies will want to sell you SIM card packages under the belief that you can use this while away at sea. Remember, most of us have smart phones now (and most of us carry them around ALL the time). Smart phones run on data far more than they run on SIM cards. Most SIM card packages only come with a few gigs of data which any regular phone user will go through in a matter of hours. For most of us, these deals that advertise a SIM card with 5 or 10 gigs of data (even 5 gigs of data per day) will not be enough for active cell phone use during a cruise.
If you have the funds in your budget, another obvious option (besides a plan with your cell phone company) is to buy into the cruise line's WiFi program. There are usually a few different tiers at different prices. After all of our years of cruising, we do not recommend trying to stream live television or movies while on your cruise (most likely, it will be spotty and not work well.) But if you're just looking to check email, make a few calls, or connect with friends via text message, this is a good option.
Cell Phone Providers and Plans!
If you need cell phone service, we believe this is the way to go. Once you get off the ship in port you'll be able to use these plans to connect with friends and family, work (if you're on a work trip or need to check in with the office) or stream your favorite TV shows and movies. Let's look at the different plans available.
Google Fi
We have used this service ourselves and it works well. It's $65 per line, $0.20 per minute on calls, and provides service in 200 different countries abroad. After you use your first 50 gigs of data, the data does slow down a bit and the plan will automatically shut off after 90 days (it's designed to be temporary, not long term.) Our experience is that Google Fi works very well but we do recommend double checking the locations to make sure that where you are traveling and the ports you are stopping at are covered.
Verizon Unlimited Ultimate Talk and Text
This service by Verizon is $90 per month, per line, and provides unlimited talk and text in 210 countries. This is very similar to most of plans here in America and there is no extra charge for calls or texts. Your data will be slowed after 10 gigs.
AT&T Day Pass
AT&T doesn't have a big monthly plan like Google or Verizon. Right now they have a $12 day pass that is unlimited talk, text and data (very similar to most plans in the USA.) We have used this service ourselves and it worked well.
T Mobile
T Mobile offers a plan that's $90 per month per line. You get unlimited text and 5 gigs of data in over 200 countries. Calls are $0.25 per minute. One of the unique features of T Mobile is that included in this plan is free WiFi while flying to or from your departure port. This is a really great extra feature if you're working while away or have a longer flight to get to your port.
Those are all of the different options, including pricing, for phone services while traveling! Our biggest piece of advice - just make sure that whatever you do, put your phone on airplane mode while on the ship. The last thing you want is to get home from your vacation to a massive cell phone bill.
Do you use your phone while away? What services do you use? We would love to hear from you!