Verizon Wireless on Disney Fantasy?

[aznikki22]

We are taking the Disney Fantasy to St Thomas St Maarten etc and we have Verizon wireless.. Can anyone tell me if this will work for texting while at our days at sea? I know it will work just fine in St Thomas but Unk about St Maarten. Has anyone experianced this?

Thanks

 

[insureman]

Found this on the Verizon site.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/global/plans-and-pricing.html

 

[lanejudy]

As for your at-sea days, I thought everything goes through Cellular-at-Sea regardless of your regular service provider. I believe the phone rates are something like $2.50 per minute but I don't recall the texting rates.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[shandrananette]

Also curious - not about at sea, but wondering what it will cost if we turn on our cell service in St. Thomas and St. Maarten. OP, you said you know it works in St. Thomas - are you charged international rates?

 

[CarmenJames865]

My husband and I spent 4 days in St Thomas in April of this year and we both have verizon wireless.

I called home everyday to check on the kids (less than a 5 minute call each time) and sent a few text messages and had over $100.00 in roaming charges when we got home.

Keep your phone on Airplane Mode when you are in port because you are charged at a higher rate for text messages, data etc. when you are roaming or out of the country.

 

[JohnDS]

I think my phone may accidently slip down between the seats in the car before we leave.

 

[lilbuddy88]

I have Verizon and I cruise and travel internationally often. With my plan yes you can text in port and when at sea (at sea sometimes messages are not as quick). It is $0.50 to send and $0.05 to receive. As for calling it will be based on the country (look for the international chart on verizons website) some are $0.99 per minute some can be as high as $3.99 per minute (Russia ).

If you have a smart phone
MAKE SURE TO TURN OFF YOUR DATA ROAMING!!!!! I usually go to verizon the day before and let them do it so I have proof it is done.

Otherwise all the apps and data you have running in the background will also be running up you bill.

 

[lilbuddy88]

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/tripplanner/tripplannercontroller

Go here and you can put in all your cruise and country info with your phone device and it will tell you how much to call, text, and if your phone will work in each country your going to.

Verizon phones are typically CDMA and St. Maarten is a GSM country so more than likely your phone will not work in St. Maarten

 

[su_A_ve]

As for your at-sea days, I thought everything goes through Cellular-at-Sea regardless of your regular service provider. I believe the phone rates are something like $2.50 per minute but I don't recall the texting rates.

Enjoy your cruise!

Although it is handled by Cellular-at-Sea, the rates are different based on the provider. Ie Verizon has different rates than AT&T.

Also, note T-Mobiles new announcement on international roaming to many countries now included. Won't help on the ship itself, but will do when on port.

 

[jaskie]

Also, make sure you switch to the international plan before you leave. My last cruise I did it right before I left and then turned it off when I got home. With my plan it was only a couple dollars more for the month, but the cost of the calls and the data was more than cut in 1/2. I only called home once, and shut off my data plan, so didn't get those costs. And the kids phones were locked in the safe.

 

[RHSTigerMom]

Verizon will loan you a global-ready phone if yours is not compatible. You just pay shipping, which is around $20. They also have special pricing for data, etc. My daughter has traveled to Europe twice and it was a painless process both times. Call the Global Services number on the website or it may be in Contacts under Verizon.

 

[Tarabra]

It's interesting, back in the day before smartphones, there was no roaming in St. Thomas. I always made a quick call from there. But as others have mentioned, be sure to call ahead of time and get the international plan. And also be careful if you see bars on your phone. I know when we were in the Bahamas I saw a ton of people on their phones and texting, but you will still get charged the at sea rates.

 

[SuperDry]

And also be careful if you see bars on your phone. I know when we were in the Bahamas I saw a ton of people on their phones and texting, but you will still get charged the at sea rates.

You only get charged the "at sea" rates only if you are on the ship's system, which is turned on only when you are actually at sea (and over X miles from shore) - i.e. if your phone says it's registered to "cellular at SEA." When in port in the Bahamas, including Castaway Cay, the ship's system is turned off, and you'll be connected to one of two Bahamas-based carriers: BTC or BaTelCell (they may in fact be the same company, but there appear to be two networks as far as your phone goes, and not all phones may be able to see both). So, in that case, you're charged whatever your roaming cost to Bahamas is, and can take advantage of whatever discount roaming package you sign up for.