Cell Phones on Royal Caribbean Ships?

Question

I am going on a cruise with Royal Caribbean and was wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of cell phones work on the ships. I contacted Royal Caribbean and they stated that they have an advanced roaming network onboard all ships and they advised that I contact my carrier for further information. I was wondering if anyone had recently been on a ROYAL CARIBBEAN cruise and had cell service and how good the service was and how bad the roaming charges were? Thanks for any information

Answer 1

I did not consult my carrier.  I assumed that my carriers network would be substantially cheaper than the cruise lines.  Guess what?  The ship charges 9.99 a min.  My carrier (verizon) charged me 6.99 a min.  I would just stay off the phone unless it is a must that you call home.  It would be cheaper to purchase a pre-paid long distance card and use it when you get to one of the ports. Unless its ok with you to spend 30 bucks for 3 minuites of talk.  Have fun!!

Answer 2

They sure do have an advanced roaming network!!!!!

It grabs your signal and double charges you for a call where you had free roaming to begin with!!!!

Stand on the land side of the ship when in ports and you will avoid their antenna.  Make sure you are on a lower deck to p/u the local tower or you may pay them XTRA to get to that tower.

I have free roaming in the Caribbean and they swatted me good but I had the charges taken from my bill..

Good Luck

Answer 3

I think it depends on where you are cruising.  We cruise Royal Caribbean and use AT&T cell service.  We went on a cruise out of Miami to the Bahamas in October and I didn't even call to find out about the charges.  I don't remember any unusually high charges on my bill.  Could be because we were less than 100 miles from land and my home service is in West Palm.  

On the other hand, in 2006 we cruised in the Mediterranean - I did call Cingular (at the time, now AT&T) first and they signed me up for international roaming for like $10.00 for a month - we cancelled it when we came back.  We made only a few calls home, but the maybe $25 we spent total was worth it for the peace of mind to be able to call.  The service/quality was fine although depending on exactly where you are "positioned" you might not get service.  Wait a little while and try again.

Something else you could try is using the internet on board and sending eMails.  I usually receive a coupon book when I board that gives me like $5.00 of credit toward the internet.

If you have AT&T, I would call them and explain what you are doing and looking for on your trip.

Have a great time - cruising is the best!!

Answer 4

First you have to turn on international roaming.  Just call your carrier and they can do that.

I've done it on RCI's Freedom of the Seas. Service was great.  You'll be on RCI's network while your at sea, then the local one when you're in port.

Most carriers charge $2.50 a minute unless you have a special roaming deal with your carrier.  Except T-Mobile, which charged me $6 a minute.  (Part of why I left!)

Tip: Turn off your phone when you're not using it.  Even if you don't answer your phone, most carriers will charge you for the time it takes for someone to leave a voicemail.

If you want to use data, that's also charged at international roaming rates.  And you'll also need to be on a GSM network.

Answer 5

We just got back last week.  We called our carrier beforehand & were told $0.99/minute.  The reception was great.  No complaints & no extra charges from Royal Caribbean.

Answer 6

Yes, I just went on a Royal Caribbean cruise recently and I must say its great...but anyway in regards to using a cell phone I wouldn't do it. It is very expensive...your best bet is to just pay for a calling card (which is what I did) and call from one of your ports. They have phones available on the islands to call from. Hope this helps! Have fun!!