Gsm On Princess Cruise Lines

[Yukstah]

I'm planning on going on Princess's Caribbean Princess mid March to
St Thomas
St Marteen
Princess Keys, Bahamas


To the best of my knowledge Tmobile doesn't have any data coverage in any of the above. Any idea if Verizon blackberries would work or if the boat has on-board GSM repeaters?

Yes; it's vacation but man, life without a blackberry...

[GadgetKen]

Not listed in Cingular or T-Mobile websites as having a satellite GSM microcellsite (they list vessels under international roaming). That doesn't mean they don't have one (may be worth your contacting Princess to double check). They apparently do have satellite internet access including wi-fi:

"INTERNET AND E-MAIL ACCESS*
Internet access is available on all Princess vessels through our onboard Internet Caf?s and wireless networks. Use our stateof- the-art computer systems to access your web-based e-mail account, or browse the Internet for world news, sports and stock trading. Or bring your wireless-enabled laptop and access the Internet from the comfort of our beautiful Purser's Lobby/Atrium and the surrounding lounges and bars*. Wireless network cards are also available for purchase onboard.

Passengers who subscribe to e-mail services from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) are advised to verify that their ISP has a web-mail viewing site prior to sailing. Most major ISPs have websites that allow mail access via a web browser using an e-mail address and password.

Please contact the Passenger Service/Purser's Desk onboard for information regarding the charges that apply to Internet and wireless services, the hours of operation and any other specific requirements.

* Note: Vessel Internet access and television programming are not guaranteed to be available at all times due to the nature of satellite connections, which are subject to disruption from weather and land-based obstructions. "

A small laptop and a wifi card might solve your problem.

Public satellite phone calls aboard ship (either direct or through GSM to microcellsite satellite relay) are generally expensive. Cingular is $1.69 or $2.59 US and T-Mobile roaming is $4.99/minute. Direct satellite calls are generally $7 and up and there may be a wait to be connected to a call through your stateroom. A rental satphone would be less expensive per minute.

Cheaper way out is just wait until you're in port and your blackberry should roam OK(remember you're on vacation!). St. Thomas is a US territory and roaming should not be that expensive(T-Mobile likely roams on Cingular GSM and Verizon on Sprint CDMA at 1900 Mhz; my Virgin Mobile/Sprint CDMA phone works fine there). St. Marteen and the Bahamas are both international roaming situations and will likely be billed at higher rates if there is frequency and digital standard compatibility. Or just go to an internet cafe to check your email while enjoying a cup of coffee.

[Andytel]

Originally Posted by Yukstah

Any idea if Verizon blackberries would work or if the boat has on-board GSM repeaters?

Like any other CDMA or TDMA phone, Verizon blackberries who are not GSM version will not be able to pick up GSM signal.
Can you detect T-mobile GSM network by your Verizon blackberry while at home? If the answer is no, then will be the same on the ship.
If your blackberry is Wi-Fi enabled, then you can probably connect to the ship's hotspot.
I don't know if and which Princess ships have GSM-on-ship service besides Wi-Fi.
Costa ships have it, as well as some European ferries, but using european frequency bands.

[Yukstah]

Ah - i swap back and forth. VZ bb in the states / Tmo while abroad.

I dont think Princess has GPRS

[money69]

I am leaving next month on a Princess cruise, I could not find any info about microcells on their ships, perhaps they dont have any. I guess ill find out for sure next month.

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Please contact the Passenger Service/Purser's Desk onboard for information regarding the charges that apply to Internet and wireless services, the hours of operation and any other specific requirements.

In other words, "If you have to ask...."

[Bossman]

Originally Posted by money69

I am leaving next month on a Princess cruise, I could not find any info about microcells on their ships, perhaps they dont have any. I guess ill find out for sure next month.

I was on Princess' Carribean Princess in April. My sims (UM and Virgin UK) did not pick up anything on the ship. They both worked very well in the ports/Islands though. Roaming on loacal carriers. Even up to 1 hour before and after leaving the ports, I was still getting good signal and able to complete calls.

[Stu]

My experience has been the Bahamas are a difficult country to find roaming in. Back in its AMPs days, Batelco had some problems with other carriers and this is only beginning to end. Batleco also is more interested in a fleecing tourists than in creating good bilateral roaming agreements. Bahamian prepaids are a lousy deal unless you plan on staying there. VOIP out of an internet cafe is about your only good option there.

Bossman, how did you get international roaming going on Virgin? I found Virgin the hardest company to get direct debit or roaming on unless you are a native print. They check the electoral roles as part of their check and non-citizens have a difficult time. I have a UK bank account, a UK credit card, a UK landline, and mailing address and I couldn't pass, even with a deposit. Conversely, I passed Orange's credit check without a hitch.

A good friend of mine who lives in London with indefinite leave to remain, is a licensed Solicitor, has lived ten years in the country, owns a $600,000 apartment (owned straight out) could not pass because his pay check was cut out of New York rather than London. He has a UK credit card, a personal banker at HSBC, and no debt. His wife who is a British surgeon could not guarantee the application. She had to put his mobile in her name.

[Bossman]

You are correct. I did not get any signal whatsoever in Bahamas. Our cruise stopped in Princess Cays, the Bahamas. It's a private Island owned by the cruise line.

AFAIK, all virgin UK payg sim roam out of the box. It even roams in countries that are not listed on their website. I just came back from Nigeria today. I used my Virgin sim extensively for GPRS access only. I actually had the sim in my other phone the whole time on this trip. Because virgin charges the same for GPRS access roaming or not, it makes it an okay sim to roam with for GPRS access only. BTW, Nigeria is not even listed as on of the roaming countries for virgin payg. I have bought 3 virgin payg sims on ebay for myself and family members, and they all roamed out of the box.

Originally Posted by Stu

My experience has been the Bahamas are a difficult country to find roaming in. Back in its AMPs days, Batelco had some problems with other carriers and this is only beginning to end. Batleco also is more interested in a fleecing tourists than in creating good bilateral roaming agreements. Bahamian prepaids are a lousy deal unless you plan on staying there. VOIP out of an internet cafe is about your only good option there.

Bossman, how did you get international roaming going on Virgin? I found Virgin the hardest company to get direct debit or roaming on unless you are a native print. They check the electoral roles as part of their check and non-citizens have a difficult time. I have a UK bank account, a UK credit card, a UK landline, and mailing address and I couldn't pass, even with a deposit. Conversely, I passed Orange's credit check without a hitch.

[money69]

I had an excellent connection while on the boat on Tmobile. It was connected to "Cellular At Sea". I didnt use voice at $5 a min but used txts the entire time and I didnt have any problems either way.