Don’t Get Ripped off Roaming!

Being on a cruise ship and having the time of your life doesn’t mean you have to be cut off from the rest of the world.

I had an email today from an MSC passenger saying ”The only disappointment was the sneaky Maritime Phone Network that your phones lock on to when you board the ship… I think the Cruise Lines should point out more robustly that this is chargeable… we are in a world now where within Europe roaming charges have gone thanks to EU rules… it doesn’t apply when on water so I got caught for the kids phones … £100.00  !!”

Everybody has some kind of need to stay connected while on a cruise ship but if you plan to use your mobile phone on a cruise ship it is important to know that once you sail away your phone will go into roaming mode, which means you get higher rates and extra fees

Data roaming is using the internet on your phone when you’re abroad, whether it’s browsing the web or sending an email. Smartphones are permanently connected to the internet so you could use data without realising it.

The European Union has scrapped roaming charges, meaning that British mobile phone users can make phone calls, send text messages and use data in other EU countries without charge – HOWEVER … a call on a cruise ship often uses a maritime network that will be registered in a country rather than your location at sea but some ships may have their very own phone network operated via satellite, if your phone can’t connect to 2, 3 or 4G network it may seek out the satellite connection, which is much more expensive

When you’re in port your mobile signal will typically switch to a carrier from the country or island you’re visiting. Roaming charges in these areas vary and can also be expensive

Apart from turning off data roaming, there are many other ways to reduce international roaming costs such as turning off your data roaming.  While it’s impossible to avoid roaming charges altogether, here are the main cheapest ways to use your mobile phone while you are away at sea in order to avoid high roaming costs:

One way to avoid headaches such as hefty cruise ship Wi-Fi costs or forgetting to switch on airplane mode when going on a cruise would be to get a pre paid international sim card.

If you only need the Internet for your smartphone, another option would be to turn off the phone’s data usage and roaming so that your phone will only connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi. But you would have to be careful when traveling via ship as automatic data syncing and third party apps running in the background can boost up enormous data roaming.

Most wireless providers have a cruise ship plan with lower rates than regular roaming rates. Some may even include cheap international calls. You can contact your provider to sign up for the plan before you depart.

Wireless carriers offer data, messaging, and calling plans for cruise ships that are similar to on-land packages, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs. You may also want to check your carrier’s website to ensure that you can even use your smartphone overseas.