It’s probably no surprise to anyone that cruise lines make a little extra money by offering you cell phone service. This is because they can offer connections to land-based mobile networks.

But here’s the problem: you’re still paying international roaming rates.

Cell phones typically operate on land-based systems that work when the phone can be in contact with cell towers. On a cruise ship, your phone needs to access the satellites to reach the network instead. Some phones from various carriers don’t automatically connect to satellites either, so they use the cruise ship service which turns a cell call into satellite data, but that costs money and this is where they make a little extra off unaware cruise passengers.

It may not be clear in their brochures, but if you use your cell phone out of sight of land, you are automatically using the cruise ship’s service and you’ll be billed through your regular phone service at a cost that’s as high as $3-$5 per minute.

1. If you have a data plan in place, turn off your phone’s data roaming option so e-mail won’t be automatically downloaded at the roaming rates. Your data plan may be used if you receive text messages with image attachments as this traveler was surprised to learn.
2. If you have to make a call, wait until the ship docks so you can connected to the less expensive land-based cell towers. That is as long as your phone will work in that country; otherwise, you’ll be paying international rates.
3. Turn off your phone when you’re not using it. You’ll be charged for calls that ring through, but not those that go directly to voice mail when the phone is turned off.

The one-sided cruise passenger contracts give the cruise lines a lot of leeway in how they can respond to the threat of a hurricane. That leeway can leave passengers stranded without even the option of a refund.Of course cruise lines seldom cancel a trip outright, but they can skip scheduled ports, substitute other ports, depart early or late from a port and generally adapt to the threat.

Generally, a cruise line will volunteer vouchers for passengers to take a future cruise or earn on-board credits, but there are no regulations obliging them to any particular reimbursement. In addition, and according to Ed Perkins of Smarter Travel, the cruise lines are generally pretty stiff on what they offer passengers.

When Hurricane Irene pounded toward Puerto Rico this summer, Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise ships stranded hundreds of travelers in San Juan. These two cruise lines treated those passengers very differently – Carnival paid for hotel rooms and flew them to their next port of call to rejoin the cruise (earning them a Hero rating by Cruise Critic), but Royal made that offer only to the small number of passengers who booked their air through Royal Caribbean (earning them a Zero rating by Cruise Critic). The remaining passengers were left to arrange their own accommodations and return flights.

We contacted a couple of travel insurance companies to find out whether travel insurance would have helped these passengers, and unfortunately, it would not. Being abandoned by the cruise ship isn’t the same as missing a connection to get to the departure or a trip cancellation. This situation appears to be one of those where the cruise ships are responsible for the passengers and if they let you down, you don’t have travel insurance to fall back upon.

See our traveler notes on what to do in the aftermath of a hurricane, and to protect yourself while traveling during hurricane season, take a look at our Hurricane Center: The Traveler’s Guide to Hurricane Season and remember hurricane season in the Atlantic isn’t over until November 1st!

At times, when you’re on a cruise, you may need to make contact with folks back home – or those at your destination. Of course, just like the old long-distance calling, making a call from somewhere as remote as the middle of the ocean can be pricey.

Calling from your cellphone

Major cell phone providers offer cruise coverage options that charge a higher-than-normal per minute cost for a voice call from a cruise ship.  Of course, every company and plan is different, so you’ll need to check with your service provider. Often, they’ll have an option that is pro-rated for only those days you plan to be at sea, so you can save money by not adding the service for an entire billing cycle for example.

One caution: stories abound about travelers who’ve been slapped with unexpected roaming charges even when they aren’t using their phones. Be sure you understand how to use the features on your phone to prevent high data charges.

Direct dial from the ship

The cruise ships themselves often have direct dialing options via satellite and many include phones right in your room. Of course, the per-minute charges can range from $6.99 per minute up to a horrifying $15.99 per minute!

Internet access and voice

An alternative – especially on ships where there are pre-paid Internet access options – using Skype’s VoIP service may very well be your cheapest option. Again, it’s important to understand what options your ship offers and ask lots of questions about what charges you will accrue if you do make contact.

Cruise calling tips

USA today recently ran a list of tips for keeping in touch while on a cruise. They include:

• Calling from the port instead of the ship – it’s cheaper
• Establish guidelines with those back home – including pesky business partners – on how often you’ll be available
• Consider establishing rules with your teenager too – especially if you’re still paying their phone bill
• Remember that in an emergency, contact can always be established, so relax