How do you make a telephone call from the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Calling Options

Making a phone call from onboard a Mediterranean cruise or from different countries of the region can be a very tricky proposition and in most cases expensive. If you are making a phone call using a cell phone with international privileges then the rates will vary based on the service provider. Cruise Lines, including Norwegian Cruise line and Carnival, with the use of high-bandwidth technology allows passengers to text and make and receive calls to and from anywhere in the world.

Rates vary between service providers, with a popular company like AT&T having international roaming rates, within the Mediterranean, from $0.99 in a country like France and up to $2.89 in Turkey. There are also more options, besides cell phone use, available to passengers wishing to make calls. One such option is the use of satellite phones provided onboard the cruise liners.
The use of satellite phones are however very expensive when compared to the rates for cell phones. On average the rates ranges between $6 to $7 for calls to the United States, Canada and the Caribbean up to 9$ for the other International regions. One can also receive calls, using the ships satellite phone, from another person at no cost to the passenger; the caller will however be charged a fee which could be as much as $10 per minute.

Another scenario is making phone calls, using a land line, from within countries that are on one’s itinerary. International calling from a land line from within one of these countries is normally done using an international calling card. The calling codes will differ depending on the country one intends to call; for example calling the United Kingdom from Italy uses the code ‘00+44+’ while calling the United States will use the code ‘00+1*’.
Whether using cell phone or land line, calling shore-to-ship or ship-to-shore is costly and is also prone to drop calls. Comparably, country-to-country calling is less expensive and more reliable and is better suited for passengers who are operating on a more limited budget. The most economical approach would therefore be to make and receive calls while in port, using a cell phone with international privileges.

Original Article Written for www.mediterraneanfuncruises.com