Internet plan just for Apple iMessages?

[Angeliki19]

Hi! This is our first 7 night cruise so I am looking into whether we need to budget for an internet package. On our previous 3-night cruises, we were able to get by with the "loophole" where our iPhones allowed us to message family at home without paying for wifi. But I have read that is hit or miss and never a guarantee. I am all for unplugging on vacation and do not care about googling, posting on social media, etc. But I would like to be able to check in with family (all have iPhones.)

I am not clear if the Stay Connected plan includes this ability? What does everyone recommend?

Thanks!

 

[NAB]

I always used this too but with my new IPhone 14 Pro wouldn’t let me do it last time. Not sure why when I could with my older phone before.

 

[Calantha]

Hi! This is our first 7 night cruise so I am looking into whether we need to budget for an internet package. On our previous 3-night cruises, we were able to get by with the "loophole" where our iPhones allowed us to message family at home without paying for wifi. But I have read that is hit or miss and never a guarantee. I am all for unplugging on vacation and do not care about googling, posting on social media, etc. But I would like to be able to check in with family (all have iPhones.)

I am not clear if the Stay Connected plan includes this ability? What does everyone recommend?

Thanks!

I have an iphone 12, and the last two cruises (October on the Fantasy and January on the Dream), I didn't need a package for iMessage. Historically, I have had some issues though.

Also, if you have a good international plan (e.g., T-Mobile), you'll have full internet (minus calling) on Castaway, among other islands.

 

[Mommb]

I have an iphone 12, and the last two cruises (October on the Fantasy and January on the Dream), I didn't need a package for iMessage. Historically, I have had some issues though.

Also, if you have a good international plan (e.g., T-Mobile), you'll have full internet (minus calling) on Castaway, among other islands.

This was my experience too -- iMessages mostly worked last January (Fantasy) and September (Dream) with my iPhone SE. I could send and recieve texts, though I couldn't access any images. Whenever we were in port, I had internet access through T-Mobile after turning off Airplane Mode.

I would see whether iMessage is working for you onboard before buying an internet plan.

 

[Aby]

Your other option is to use WhatsApp - it works excellently on the free ship Wifi and doesn’t have the same connection issues as iMessage. Still can’t send or receive photos though.

 

[auntlynne]

I use my SE model. Haven’t bought a Disney internet plan on years - or ever? We also use it for communicating among us while on the ship.

I would also load WhatsApp before you go. And figure out how to use it beforehand.

If you do need to purchase internet, look for a by the minute plan.

 

[esta1701]

We were on the Fantasy in January and had one of our phones stop working with iMessage. Basically, the phone logged out and could not re-establish its connection with Apple to verify the Apple ID. We went to customer service and they gave us a free code valid for 45 minutes to use the internet to reconnect. Took 15 seconds to fix and we surfed the web for the other 44 3/4 minutes.

 

[Girl of the South]

Sailed in December 2023. My iPhone SE (2nd gen) stopped working for iMessage on the 5th day. Brought my old iPhone 7 (no SIM card) and it worked for the rest of the cruise. Used Verizon $10 a day on Port days. If you have any old iPhones, I’d bring one just in case?

I got rid of What’s App after Meta Facebook bought it.

 

[cvjw]

We cruise a lot on the fantasy and have only had iMessage not work once. Try to see if it works for you before buying internet.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We were on the Fantasy in January and had one of our phones stop working with iMessage. Basically, the phone logged out and could not re-establish its connection with Apple to verify the Apple ID. We went to customer service and they gave us a free code valid for 45 minutes to use the internet to reconnect. Took 15 seconds to fix and we surfed the web for the other 44 3/4 minutes.

Yes, that seems to happen somewhat randomly. Once a device is logged out of the Apple network, you need an internet connection to reconnect to your Apple ID account on that device. On a recent Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy, I was able to reconnect to my Apple ID account when we were in St. Thomas, since our AT&T cell plan worked there without an extra charge.

 

[randumb0]

I've never had an issue with WhatsApp