Do cell phones work on cruises

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If you are planning a cruise, you must be curious about whether you can use your cell phone on a cruise ship. In the current times, the use of smartphones has become a necessity. Travellers need to use cell phones for multiple reasons, including getting directions, setting alarms, and capturing photographs, besides basic calls and texts.

Find out all about using cell phones on cruises here.

Do cell phones work on cruises?

Yes, cell phones work on cruise ships. Travelers can connect to the Wi-Fi facilities available onboard or use their cellular data on cruise ships. Therefore, you can make calls and texts from cruise ships. You can also make video calls from a cruise ship. For this, you either need a satellite connection or pay for the ship's Wi-Fi.

While travelling in the sea, bandwidth and internet speed might be slower. Commonly, you might experience lag time on calls or a slow connection. In addition, when passing across remote areas, your phone might not work temporarily for calls or Wi-Fi access. However, in ports, you can connect to the local roaming networks.

Can I avoid cell phone charges on a cruise?

Your phone will likely go into roaming mode when your ship drifts away from the nearest land-based cell tower. During this time, you may incur roaming charges or international roaming charges. Irrespective of incoming or outgoing, calls and texts will have premium charges.

Without the cruise Wi-Fi, internet charges will also be premium. In addition, activities like surfing social media, checking emails, or the weather will accrue such charges. Therefore, keeping your phone in airplane mode is advisable until the ship sails. In this situation, you can enjoy cruise Wi-Fi for checking your phone without using cellular data.

Cellular services vs Wi-Fi facilities

Most cruise ships use modern facilities like "Cellular at Sea" or "Wireless Maritime Services." These plans are international roaming plans, charging more than usual for calls and texts. Therefore, it is recommended to use the cruise Wi-Fi facilities. Using the internet to make phone calls and texts will help you save a fortune.

While spending time in the ports, your phone may charge international roaming charges depending on your cellular plans. Phone connection companies offer a range of affordable international roaming plans. You can purchase one of these to avoid the additional charges while getting or making calls in the port during off-shore excursions. Otherwise, you can also find chargeable Wi-Fi centres in different ports.

Cruise-specific phone plans

Phone service providers sometimes offer cruise-specific plans keeping cruises in mind. Additionally, these plans might be expensive, as they use the ship’s satellite connection. Nevertheless, it will be a good option when you are on a cruise ship.  MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines provide telephone privileges to their customers. However, when you are in the port, check if your phone is connected via the ship to the local cell tower.

Land-based roaming charges differ from cruise-based charges, while land-based reception is much less expensive. Therefore, such plans will be better than relying on roaming charges. However, keeping track of the charges will not be easy if your phone starts charging international roaming charges.

Some tips for using your cell-phone on a cruise

First-time cruisers might benefit from knowing more about the proper use of cell phones on a cruise journey. This will help them avoid paying the extra charges for getting and making phone calls. Here are some additional tips to help them out.

• The best option is to purchase a cruise package with Wi-Fi facilities. In addition, you can make free calls and texts from various social media platforms with free Wi-Fi.
• You can also consider purchasing cruise-specific phone plans to avoid paying the heavy international roaming charges.
• If you are using cruise Wi-Fi, make sure to keep your phone in airplane mode first and then toggle the option of Wi-Fi. This way, there will not be any possibility of roaming charges.
• Try to look for chargeable Wi-Fi centres on the ports and use these for your calls, texts, and other online activities.

Final word

Thus, you can use your cell phone on a cruise. However, you must be careful to refrain from paying hefty roaming charges by taking the right measures. It will be advisable to focus on Wi-Fi rather than on cellular data. Apart from calls, text and internet surfing, you can freely use your phone to capture photos and videos during your holiday.

If you are looking for details regarding various cruise ships then head towards CruiseBooking.com and make the best choice.