Going on cruise with my droid.

[paul07ss]

Hey all I am going on a cruise to st thomas and st martin... I do have google voice and wondering can I use it to receive calls and make calls from my cruise or the islands with it? any idea how much it would cost? any other tips to keep the cost down would be great!

[iDroid]

I don't see where Google Voice is going to do anything for you, but maybe I'm missing something.

Your cruise ship might support Verizon (CDMA) wireless service but if so, your phone will be roaming while onboard. The same is true in St. Thomas and St. Maarten, where CDMA service is available. It is the roaming call charges and data charges that could surprise (shock?) you a month or two after you return and receive your Verizon bill. At one time you had to actually call Verizon to enable international roaming; I don't know if that's still the case.

You should probably disable "Data Roaming" on your phone once you board, unless you're willing to spend a lot for onboard CDMA data service, assuming the ship supports it. If you find any free WiFi hotspots while on shore, you can use them to collect and send messages. For good measure, I would put the phone in "airplane" mode then only enable its WiFi.

Whether or not your phone will even work on the ship depends on the cruise line. Some support Verizon (CDMA) and some don't. Look here for your cruise line and ship and to see if Verizon is supported and the talk/message/data rates while using the onboard roaming service: Cruise Ship Coverage

And look here to see the roaming rates at your destinations: International Roaming

Your ship will probably have WiFi service onboard... at a price, of course. I don't think you'll be able to connect to it without following special procedures, however, so it isn't like you're going to incur onboard WiFi charges unknowingly. On the other hand, I think that roaming data charges could be incurred through the onboard CDMA system and on shore without your knowledge unless you take steps to prevent it.

Have a good time!

[takeshi]

I don't see where Google Voice is going to do anything for you, but maybe I'm missing something.

It won't as it isn't VOIP and would still use (expensive as you're roaming on a cruise ship) minutes. That's assuming that the ship is capable of supporting CDMA at sea.

[Milehighjc]

Just my .02 - enjoy the vacation, and turn off the phone

Having said that, I agree with idroid, you can/should look at the international roaming rates for the countries you will be in, but I suspect they may be pretty high.

I recently went to the UK, and there is no CDMA service available there at all. Thinking I would be able to find WIFI service, I researched a bit, and decided to try Fring to be able to do text and VOIP calls. I tested it here, and I was able to send IM (fring, MSN messenger, etc, not SMS by the way) and call other Fring users free using VOIP.

Fring supports Skype out, so you should be able to call other Skype users for free, and assuming you have Skype credit, you should be able to call any number relatively cheaply (I think for most places its $0.021/min). I did not test this.

In practice, it didnt work out too well. I could not find free WIFI hotspots. When I did get connected, IM worked, but as soon as I tried to make VOIP calls, they just dropped. Im not sure if it was user error, or if the wifi provider had somehow blocked VOIP.

My experience with the WIFI on a cruise ship (Princess) would indicate that it might not be a viable choice either - it was QUITE slow (like SLOW dial up effective speeds). The net result was that I gave up being connected, and just enjoyed my cruise, and I was a lot happier anyway.

BTW : if you do try, you can avoid chancing the roaming charges by putting your phone in Airplane mode, then turning WIFI on. That way the phone radio and data is shut off, and the only connection active is WIFI.

Good luck, have fun!

jc

[smcdo123]

Hey all I am going on a cruise to st thomas and st martin... I do have google voice and wondering can I use it to receive calls and make calls from my cruise or the islands with it? any idea how much it would cost? any other tips to keep the cost down would be great!

if i were you and you wanted to call overseas use an old phone no smartphone. It charges you mass money even if your phone doesnt go on the internet because apps get data all the time you know. Also call customer service have them add international calling code to your plan its free just allows you to call overseas. have fun im going on one as well not bringing the droid though

[Corinacakes]

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/45655-going-cruise-make-sure-turn-your-phone-off.html <<<< or when you see your bill lol

[pepperworks]

I have an umlimited International data package will I still have to buy an internet package while on the ship?

[mcatdtDroid]

this has OOMED: written all over it

I look forward to the thread at the end of the month, complaining how Verizon should credit him the $1000 he owes because he's been a "loyal customer for xx years"

I've been a loyal electric company user for decades now, so should I expect them to credit my account this month because I don't want to pay the fees I used?

[droidnotberry2]

I wasn't on a cruise but was recently in Grand Cayman with my Droid. I kept it turned on while there because I wanted to use the apps etc on the phone. I had gotten a text message when we got there saying that international roaming rates would apply (I sent out 3 or 4 text messages, and received about the same number). My wife has a blackberry and did the same thing. When we got our bill my Droid had accumulated about $950 worth of data roaming and my wifes phone about $60. I figured it had to be wrong and called Verizon to ask them. The bill also had listed the roaming for Jamaica, even though I was in Grand Cayman so I figured maybe it was wrong.

Verizon cut my charges in half when I asked how the fees could be so much when I hadnt done any "web surfing" etc or made any calls, and my wifes phone was soo much lower. I'm apparently one of the dummies here because I never expected the phone to acquire that much usage on its own, just with updates, weather etc etc. I had full well planned on paying the entire bill because it was obviously my responsibility to know better but Verizon cut it in half without even asking (I have 13 lines for my business).

Point is, turn off the data roaming on the phone unless you are 100% sure you are not going to get killed on the bill. It is VERY easy for these phones to rack up $150 a day in the islands with next to zero active use. I learned the hard way (was a relative noob with the droid phone and should have read more about it before my trip).

[hookbill]

Put your phone in airplane mode and you won't have to worry about data charges. You won't be able to call but if you are in a wifi area you can use the internet.