What does it mean when my phone says cellular at sea?

Once your ship is approximately 12-miles off the coast, your signal switches to satellite or better known to us as Cellular at Sea.



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Is WhatsApp free on a cruise ship? By default, WhatsApp is not free on a cruise ship. You need to be online, and most cruise lines charge for internet access, unless you have a special fare that includes WiFi access.

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Keep a watchful eye on your airplane mode setting, ensuring it's always on when you're on board your cruise ship. If you forget, you won't be charged for incoming calls you don't accept, but some service providers will charge for unread text messages that arrive while your phone is roaming.

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Typically charges will appear on the next monthly bill, but depending on your carrier it may occasionally take up to 60 days for charges to appear on your phone bill. Please note that most cell phone carriers do not allow their unlimited rate plans to apply to cellular calls, texts or data used while onboard ships.

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Using your cell on the ship For most people, the best piece of advice is to put your phone on airplane mode before your ship sets sail out of port. This prevents your cell from trying to stay connected, thereby eliminating roaming charges.

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Traveling on cruise ships and ferries One tip to avoid higher charges: We recommend that you turn off roaming while the ship is docked in a U.S. port. Otherwise, your phone may pick up the ship's network and you'll be charged cruise ship roaming charges for any usage.

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Can You Still Text for Free in the Cruise Line's App if you Bring Your own HotSpot? Yes, of course! As long as you have the app downloaded on your phone and you're on their free wifi, you can use the app to text on a cruise ship for free.

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How to prevent roaming charges while at sea
  1. Turn off your phone. The easiest, but by no means the nicest, is to turn off your phone. ...
  2. Use airplane mode. Many of us can't go more than a few hours without our phones, so it's more likely you will opt for these other options such as using airplane mode. ...
  3. Use the ship's wifi.


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Stay Connected While At Sea On Your Cruise! Service for voice calls, texting (SMS) and data is available onboard while the ship is at sea. Once the WMS network is switched on, while roaming on our cruise ships, you will see a distinct display on your handset that differs from your home carrier.

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Carnival Cruise Line, through agreement with Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) offers an advanced roaming network onboard cruise ships allowing you to use your phone just like you do at home.

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If you're not able to wait for ports of call (or don't have international data on your phone), it might be worthwhile to pay for a Wi-Fi package. Although prices have decreased over the years, it can still be pretty costly to purchase Wi-Fi for your cruise.

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Most cruise lines these days have options for onboard internet, but you'll need to pay for access, and not all types of internet service are equal. When you book a cruise, you'll generally be given the opportunity to purchase Wi-Fi before boarding.

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