cell phones

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dancemom

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Can you use a Verizon cell phone from St. Thomas, San Juan, and/or St. Maarten?
What is the cheapest way to stay in touch with home?...Thanks....we will be cruising on the Triumph.........and have never cruised before......any help would be great.....
 
I am going to San Juan next month (not on a cruise) and I called the hotel and they told me they do have Verizon cell service (and Sprint). My mom just got back from St. Thomas and I know she used Sprint service so they probably have a Verizon tower also. Hope this helps. Happy Cruising!

Jen
 
I have Verizon and was on the New Years sailing of the Glory and my Cell phone worked fine in St. Thomas but not at all in St. Maarten.......when I tried to use it another system came in and wanted me to subscribe to their service for $39.95......obviously I didn't do it. Think I'll buy a Phone card to use in their Pay Phones when I visit there again this December on the Legend.
Since my Verizon worked fine in Nassau, then it must be okay in San Juan, in fact I think my statement showed me calls on the day in Nassau as being from San Juan.
Might just use it also in Barbados and Martinique too.
Hope this helps.
Lorna
 
Call Verizon and ask.....

When we got our Verizon phone they did mention that the US Virgin Islands do have access...and San Juan also. Not sure about the other places though.
 
Please be VERY careful about statements that a certain carrier works or does not work in different locations. Verizon, Cingular and ATT have multiple types of phones and network compatibility. A person standing next to you may have his ATT phone work, and the guy next to him does not. TDMA, CDMA, GSM are the types of protocol that these systems use.

Then they have to have a roaming agreement with the phone company where you are.
 
Thanks for all the info........I did call Verizon already before posting .....they said that the cell phone would not be able to be used at all...........when I started reading the messageboards, I noticed some people who had actually cruised used their Verizon cell phone.............guess we'll bring it in case and buy phone cards for places where it doesn't work.....thanks for the info.......
Beth
 
I had no trouble using my Verizon cell phone from San Juan. It is a CDMA and worked perfectly. I also have an 800 number which I have used occ.
 
Last August I used my verizon cell in San Juan and St Thomas with no problems. I have the America plan and I didn't incur any extra charges. Came in handy at the airport, my sister and I came in on 2 different airlines, I came from TX and she came from VT.
 
I have the Verizon America plan, my phone won't even work in Miami:( Took it back for a new one hope it works in tampa when we go in Sept.
 
I have the Veizon Nationwide Family Share 400 plan, with a Kyocera KWC-2325 phone, and my calls did both go out and come into Nassau and St. Thomas plus there was no roaming charge since those areas were considered as part of my "local" area. Only had the minutes counted on my bill...........surprised me but it was a nice surprise.
Yes definetly check with your Verizon provider, I especially changed my plan since I also visit relatives in Florida and on the East Coast, so far no roaming from any of them.
 
Many cell phones will work in ports like St. Thomas and San Juan that are US territories, but will not work in ports like St. Maarten, Cayman, Cozumel, etc., that are not. Best to call your cell phone company and refer to your particular plan. I think you can buy some kind of an "international" plan for a month, but I've heard that pretty much nothing works in St. Maarten or Mexico. Mexico just loves to sell you their Telmex card!
 
I dont have verizon, but my cellphone worked fine in San Juan, and St Thomas, but like
the previous posts say, it did not work on St Marten. Not sure why it didnt work in St
Martin. Maybe something to do with "towers" or lack of them. There are phones on the
pier in St Martin, but they are not the easiest to use.
Helen
 
It's because St. Maarten is Dutch/French, and does not recognize US cell phones. The towers are out there, but foreign (non-US) islands prohibit US cell phone plans because they do not make any money from them. The only US island/territories in the Caribbean are: St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix (US Virgin Islands), and Puerto Rico (San Juan being the capitol). And th-th-th-that's it, folks! That's why the cell phone you purchased in the US, with a US plan, will work in those places, but nowhere else. ..usually. Here's a breakdown:
St. Maarten/St. Martin......Dutch/French
Grand Cayman.......independent, but formerly British
Bahamas...........independent, but formerly British (Nassau, private islands)
Aruba/Bonaire/Curacao...........Dutch (the ABC islands)
Cozumel/Calica/Progresso/Costa Maya..........Mexican (think Telmex card)
Jamaica...........independent, but formerly British
St. Lucia..........British (formerly French)
Martinique.........French
Barbados...........British
Dominican Republic.......independent, but formerly Spanish
Antigua........British
Domenica.......British
Grenada..........British
St. Vincent/Kitts/Nevis.........British
Guadeloupe.........French
Haiti.........(who goes there now?) independent, but formerly French
Belize.....independent, but formerly Spanish
Costa Rica (A+ in my book)........independent, but formerly Spanish
Anguilla........British
Isla Margarita.......Venezuelan
BVI (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke)....pretty much British
If you'll be stopping at any of these ports, call your cell phone company ahead of time. It really depends on the US plan you purchased.
 
I have an ATT Wireless international cell phone. Works ANY where...:). The model number is NEC 515
 
Don't forget when you're in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, they are US territories. I think that has something to do with the service. Any other country would be considered international service I think.
 
i for one, am not taking my cell phone; i don't want to talk to home; i don't want to deal with work; if its a true emergency, they know what ship i am on and ONLY then will anyone contact me! :) i NEED THIS GETAWAY lol
 
I never take my cell phone either, Sophie. Not worth the risk of losing it, and like you say...I'm on vacation!
 

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