We purchased a Mobal phone last year and it worked great in Europe. Will it be out-of-range on a cruise ship? Mexican Riviera.

Sue

It differs by ship and line. HAL, RCI and Celebrity all support cell calls on the ship. I was charged about $2 in roaming by Cingular for usage.

I have been hearing a lot this month of several cell phone companies that are selling "cruise time" packages. Check into the local companies in your area to see who offers what.
Most ships now offer email service for 2.00 an email..in or out. Might that work for you?

What's a 'Mobal' phone?
What's it for?
Where can I get one too?

Many cruises now have their own cell phone towers and they charge up to $3 per minute on special/roaming charges.
I suggest you rent a satellite phone, which would save you some money and you can receive incoming calls at no charge.

Martin

My T-mobile worked on RCCL cruise to Mexico (west coast).

Did not work this year on Princess to Alaska

Your mobal phone should work. Almost all cruise lines now have their own tower on-board. Unfortunately, princess is one of the cruise lines that has not equiped most of their ships (only 3 have it) with a tower. They just signed a contract to do so in January.

You will have to contact Mobal to check on the cost to use it on the cruise line. AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint charges $2.49/min. Tmobile charges a whopping $4.99. I usually just wait till I get to port to use my phone.

We sailed in November along the Mexican Riviera and our phones worked off the land based system in most locations.

You are never that far from land and the range over water is many times better than on land. We have ATT and have used it on land in Mexico, also.

I have a SAT phone and I don't think that would be an affordable option for a short crusie.

All of NCL's ships have 'Wireless Maritime Services'. If your cell phone company has them, you can make calls. (Suncom, Verizon, Sprint, Altell, Cingular, etc. provide this service.) Don't know if NCL charges you but you will pay your company's roaming charges- sometimes it can take up to 60 days to see it on your bill. Check to see if your phone company and ship have this service. If they do, regular cell phones will work.

Are Mobal and Mobile 2 different phone companies?

I will be at Baltic ports in August and will have the use of a global phone. Has anyone had experience in this situation. I do know the cost is different depending where it is used, and minutes will be prepaid.

Mobal is a phone that you buy for $49(or there is a $99 version) that works in foreign countries.There are no monthly fees, and you are billed for the minutes you use.I forget the exact rate, but it is about $1.50/minute. We really like ours, and just use it for really quick calls home. http://www.mobalrental.com/

"Mobal is a phone that you buy for $49(or there is a $99 version) that works in foreign countries.There are no monthly fees, and you are billed for the minutes you use.I forget the exact rate, but it is about $1.50/minute. "

those rates seem very high. I would recommend you simply find a prepaid phone for the country you visit.

do they still teach 'spelling' in school? Mobal?? What the heck is that?

Mobal is the name of the company that sells the phone.

http://www.mobalrental.com/

We've had a Mobal for years. It works in Mexico, and it works great. No hassles, no baloney, no contract. Now that Central and South America have been added, it's even better. Avoid the cheaper unit that doesn't work in the USA, since you should keep your account active by using the phone at least once a year, preferably every six months.

My AT&T worked fine in Alaska and Vancouver. I never called while we were at sea, only when we were in port so the calls were cheap.