Avoid Data Roaming Fees Cruising - iPhone Edition
Key Moments
Editorial Summary
The creator provides guidance for cruise passengers on how to prevent unexpected smartphone data roaming charges. The video explains that cruise ships do not offer unlimited data or minutes like many land based hotels, which can lead to expensive bills if settings are not adjusted. The creator recommends contacting cellular carriers before departure to discuss international plans and to obtain international numbers for voicemail and customer support. To avoid fees, the creator suggests turning off data roaming in the iPhone settings menu. For those seeking absolute certainty, the video also demonstrates how to disable cellular data entirely, which limits internet access to Wi-Fi only. The creator mentions using airplane mode as an option but notes personal concerns regarding phones occasionally exiting that mode automatically. Finally, the video addresses what to do if a large bill is already incurred, suggesting that passengers contact their carrier to explain the situation or research ways to contest the charges.
Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
You cannot just leave your phone on with regular settings when you go on your cruise.
The first thing we recommend is to call your carrier before you cruise.
The best way to make sure you don't incur data roaming fees is to turn data roaming off on your phone.
I've had firsthand experience with this, and while it wasn't fun sorting it out, in the end, my carrier did agree to roll back the fees.
Creator's Tips & Advice
🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:
Questions This Creator Answers
Topics Covered
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyVideo content sourced from the creator's original upload. Watch on YouTube