Cell Phones

[fredo]

Originally posted by terrydp:
Will my cell phone work when I lose my husband on the ship?

... are you sure that your husband wants to be found and will keep his cell phone on once he realizes he's "lost" ?

[waterart]

The answer is definitely no. we were just there and tried.

But, they have walkie talkies available at the purser's desk, which many families used. nice option.

[mickeyd]

On ms Statendam last week I asked our cruise director about cell phone use. Was advised on the QT, that the charges are very high because you have to go thru the HAL ship's system and they charge a bunch.

Best to wait until you get ashore and can use a tower on land like the rest of the world does.

Also, was advised that it is best to wait until getting ashore to use internet. Library at Haines and Juneau (right at dock) are great and FREE (30 min limit) though Haines was kinda slow. Juneau library opens @ 11AM.

[Greyson]

I used my cellphone from the ship and never had any extra charges. Of course I couldn't use it when we were in Glacier Bay or College Fjord but used it in every other port or even between some of the ports.

[CRUISING PHOTOGRAPHER]

I know that a number of ships are adding cell phone service, but figure $2.50-$4.00 per minute for service. You probably will get "free" service when close to shore where you may pick up a land tower. A couple of years my wife talked from Ft. Lauderdale to Key Largo on her cell as we traveled just off the coast.
For staying in touch on the ship, my wife & I use walkie talkies. They work great in most locations on the ship and around town, allowing me to wonder off while she shops.

[CanCanCase]

Most of the major lines have the own towers now, but as stated above, expect to pay fairly large roaming charges as you're on a private tower, owned by the cruise line. They make money when you talk from their ships! (I don't care what your contract says, "Nationwide Free Roaming" usually doesn't cover private or foreign countries' towers.)

Now for the good news: Most of the Inside Passage (SouthEast Alaska) is in the process of being covered. There are new towers in Angoon and Elfin Cove that weren't there summer-'08.
I'm picking up service better than ever in Frederick Sound. I used to have to stand on the heli-pad at 5-Finger Light to get 2 bars of service, now I can call almost anywhere in Frederick Sound. There are dead spots near Tracy Arm and between Cape Fanshaw and Petersburg, but I'm sure with the new cruise ship development at Hobart Bay that will change soon as well.

AT&T just bought out our local Cellular One franchise, and the crews are coming to the area NOW to change service over and add - you guessed it - MORE TOWERS!

Anyone on Cingular or AT&T should be in good shape for 75%+ of your cruise in '08/'09 and beyond. Anyone with another carrier that has a roaming agreement with AT&T should be okay as well.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering, my iPhone (with AT&T service) works brilliantly within hundreds of miles of Juneau.

Having said all that, get a pair of the FRS (Family Radio Service) walkie-talkies. Pick a channel besides #1, and agree to leave them on. When I want to lose my DW and just hang out in the bar, I just turn mine off for an hour or two and suffer the consequences when I come back to our stateroom! ;-)

-Case