Vacation Cruising

Many people want to make phone calls back home to make sure the “real world” is going on fine without them there. Parents may want to check on their children, or business people may want to see if their office is still open for business. That’s fine, but be aware that these charges can add up quickly - and they’re pretty hefty.

Ship-to-shore telephone calls are very expensive—ranging from $6 to $10 a minute. If you don’t want to use a cell phone to keep in touch and must use the ship-to-shore service, keep it brief and be aware of what it will cost.

Cell phones won’t work on the ship unless you’re docked. However, this is the best way to keep in touch with home. Make sure your cell phone company won’t tack on extra charges for these calls. Check with the customer service department of your carrier and let them know where you’re cruising. They’ll be able to tell you what the rates will be.

You may want to have your family and friends call YOU while you’re cruising. The information packet you receive should list the ship’s satellite communications telephone number. Leave this number with someone at home so they can get in touch with you in case of an emergency.

In the event that should happen, they’d need the cruise line’s name, the ship’s name and your itinerary. You should probably reinforce the emergency part since the calls are expensive and the ship’s personnel will have to track you down.

You may want to buy a calling card before you leave and make calls while in port. You’ll probably get a better connection and you’ll have considerable savings.

Most ships are wired for Internet access these days and email is a far cheaper way to stay in contact with the office or family. Connections can run from 50 cents to a dollar a minute and often are slow. If you have a laptop with wireless connection, don’t bother to bring it for internet access - most of the time, they won’t work on board the ship.

If your cruise ship has a 'package' deal of a certain number of minutes for a set fee, you will often pay less per minute. However, if you can wait until you arrive in ports of call, shore side Internet cafes are often inexpensive and have fast connectivity.

To save money while online, set up a simple web-based email account with Yahoo. Accessing Yahoo is universally very fast and you can get web-based email anywhere in the world. Don't use the email address assigned to you on your cruise ship; it's almost always more expensive than using a web-based mail account.

In the event you run out of clothes or find yourself with unexpected spots on your favorite outfit, the ship does have an on-board laundry. It’s not always a good idea to use it, however.