Cruising Cell Phone Conundrum

[gettinthere]

I have no direct experience yet, but I know people who do use their verizon phone in the bahamas...in the populated areas with good success. voice & data at decent rates.

The trick is getting a phone with quad band capability and a sim card. The problem is that the only verizon phones that do that are windows mobile phones (as of this past spring) I bought a Touch Pro 2 and it works OK but the windows mobile operating system is terrible. Maybe the new win 7 just released is a better solution.

There are also some blackberry quad band sim phones from verizon. perhaps they are a better solution. When I was shopping last winter they were panned hard. Things change fast so there may be good blackberry solutions.

So you get a verizon phone with superior coverage along the east coast. when you cross to the bahamas, you buy a prepaid sim card from batelco for the populated areas. then rely on ssb receiver for the out islands.

 

[Dan Johnson]

For what it's worth...

the latest issue of Consumer Reports had Verizon as the best service provider. While AT&T is rated the least desireable, I've had it through a corporate program for the past half dozen years without the problems others have referred to. Then again, I just use it for its cell PHONE service, not all the goodie toys everyone else seems to like.

 

[zeehag]

roger-- why not consider skype using wifi in bahamas to save dollars???? skype is free-- wifi can be if ye find it,or comes with marinas in many places.....only needs microphone and cam--doesnt even really need that-- can typo the messages a la im......

 

[RichH]

BaTelCo blocks Skype in the Bahamas ... although one can sometimes connect via skype when one can intercept a clear node. Not much in 'fiber optic' telecom lines in the Bahamas so most wifi nodes, outside of Nassau or Lucaya, that you can 'get into' are damn slow.

 

[ifmdalvey]

Tim R
Thanks for the Pinkfroot suggestion, just down loaded the free version to my i phone. Now sitting at home i can watch ships the full length of the east coast. I would also suggest marinecast for weather, a very professional weather app. US Nexrad is good for watching a weather radar.
Having in the past only wanted a phone that i could talk on, i would now not do without a smart phone, there is so much useful information available
I think i phone will become available with Verizon in the new year, so for me, its a no brainer, certainly around the Maine coast.
Ian M

 

[Buck420]

Rodger, If I might offer my 1&1/2 cents worth.
I was last in the Bahamas Jan, Feb, 2008 (Lucaya, Nassau, Andros, and Exumas).
My Verizon phone (at the time, not a "smartphone") worked after a simple software download. No roaming, just hefty per minute charge ($1.99/min, I believe), but only near Lucaya & Nassau.
I would ck w/ Verizon directly, I believe your's WILL work similarly.
As far as Verizon coverage down the East coast, I have had vertually no problem anywhere... including within ~ 10 miles of the US coast.
Re E-mail. You say ...
" It would be nice to have email on the phone so I’m not dependent on marina’s for WiFi. I’m not sure it’s worth 30 bucks a month though. Being out of touch is one of the nice things about cruising." ...
Kinda contradictory, but ...
I found that almost everywhere you tie up or anchor off, you will find a restraunt/bar ashore (and you will be going ashore) that has wi-fi ( they want to encourage cruiser patronage).
We all took our lap-tops, net-books, or whatever, ashore and did e-mail, etc. ( Or, on the boat, if the wi-fi was close enough).
Getting weather info is not a problem. You will have the internet from wifi (on your shore excursions, etc.), as well as local VHF nets. I was never without ample knowledge of what was coming.
I have an Icom SS and did not use it... It was simply easier (for me)... in the Bahamas ... to get info elsewhere.
In short, save your money... since everything in the Bahamas costs twice what it costs in the US, you'll be spending enough anyway.....
Personally, after a couple of visits to the Bahamas, I prefer to go to the Keys... better weather than the Abicos, way less costly, and the logistics are much simpler, but,
these are just the opinions of a guy who goes back and forth every year.
Have a great trip.

 

[Caboteur]

Unlocked GSM

Yup,
I have an inexpensive non-locked Motorola cellphone and a Canadian (Rodgers), American (AT&T) and now Bahamian (BaTelCo) sim card... the cards cost 15$ each and were purchased in the country where they work...
I have three cell #'s, one for each country and no roaming charges.
I buy the minutes I need and also use Skype which, by the way works very well in Freetown Bahamas.

 

[Prime Time]

I like smart phones. I have a blackberry storm2. It doesn't have the apps that the droid and the iphone have, but what I like to use it for is to get weather data. The screen is useful enough to be able to see weather radar.