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Hi all. First time question. Be nice to me please😁. We are going on a cruise to Norway,  I know I can use my data on land but can I use it on board in the middle of the ocean?? Or will I be charged to use it?? Thanks everyone. 

Best answer by MZone

When you’re at sea, we strongly recommend you don’t use your phone, and put it into flight mode until you get to shore. We’re advising this because roaming charges at sea can be very expensive.

If you’re going on a cruise, or taking a ferry on a journey like Dover to Calais, roaming charges could apply, even if you’re travelling between any of our ‘Inclusive Roaming’ countries.

The reason for this is because ferry and cruise operators often use their own phone network that’s operated via satellite. Connecting to a satellite network is much more expensive then connecting to a land operated network, so that’s why your usage at sea isn’t included as part of your Inclusive Roaming allowance.

Here’s a table showing the costs of roaming at sea:

Roaming Pay monthly Pay-as-you-go****
Calls to UK* £6.00 £6.00
Calls to Ships, Ferries, Cruise Liners* £6.00 £6.00
Calls received* £1.50 £1.50
Texts to Ships, Ferries, Cruise Liners** £1.20 £1.20
Texts to UK** £1.20 £1.20
Picture message (MMS) sent** £0.60 £0.60
Internet and Data (per MB)*** £9.60 £9.60

* Price per minute

** Please note: MMS charges vary. For further information, refer to Terms & Conditions. If you joined or upgraded on or before 20th June 2023 the MMS cost is £0.30 per message for Roaming within EU Bands 1 and 2.

*** Data is charged or deducted in one kilobyte (KB) increments and any part KB used will be rounded up to the nearest KB

**** The charges below will apply to all Pay-as-you-go customers starting from 1st October 2024. Find out more about the current charges here.

Prices shown include VAT where applicable.

To avoid these high charges, we’d advise you not to use your phone when at sea. Just pop it in flight mode until you reach land.

Some ferry and cruise operators offer Wi-Fi on board, and you can still connect to Wi-Fi when in flight-mode. Simply go into your settings and manually turn on Wi-Fi.

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4 replies

MZone
Platinum 
Contributor
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  • Platinum 
Contributor
  • 1213 replies
  • Answer
  • May 20, 2025

When you’re at sea, we strongly recommend you don’t use your phone, and put it into flight mode until you get to shore. We’re advising this because roaming charges at sea can be very expensive.

If you’re going on a cruise, or taking a ferry on a journey like Dover to Calais, roaming charges could apply, even if you’re travelling between any of our ‘Inclusive Roaming’ countries.

The reason for this is because ferry and cruise operators often use their own phone network that’s operated via satellite. Connecting to a satellite network is much more expensive then connecting to a land operated network, so that’s why your usage at sea isn’t included as part of your Inclusive Roaming allowance.

Here’s a table showing the costs of roaming at sea:

Roaming Pay monthly Pay-as-you-go****
Calls to UK* £6.00 £6.00
Calls to Ships, Ferries, Cruise Liners* £6.00 £6.00
Calls received* £1.50 £1.50
Texts to Ships, Ferries, Cruise Liners** £1.20 £1.20
Texts to UK** £1.20 £1.20
Picture message (MMS) sent** £0.60 £0.60
Internet and Data (per MB)*** £9.60 £9.60

* Price per minute

** Please note: MMS charges vary. For further information, refer to Terms & Conditions. If you joined or upgraded on or before 20th June 2023 the MMS cost is £0.30 per message for Roaming within EU Bands 1 and 2.

*** Data is charged or deducted in one kilobyte (KB) increments and any part KB used will be rounded up to the nearest KB

**** The charges below will apply to all Pay-as-you-go customers starting from 1st October 2024. Find out more about the current charges here.

Prices shown include VAT where applicable.

To avoid these high charges, we’d advise you not to use your phone when at sea. Just pop it in flight mode until you reach land.

Some ferry and cruise operators offer Wi-Fi on board, and you can still connect to Wi-Fi when in flight-mode. Simply go into your settings and manually turn on Wi-Fi.


Siân W
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • 1376 replies
  • May 21, 2025

Hi ​@Tank511973  welcome to the iD community!

As ​@MZone  has kindly shared, we would advise against roaming at sea as the charges are very high. We would advise to switch roaming off while you’re on board to avoid any accidental charges.

Hope you have a great trip!

Thanks!


  • Author
  • New
 Contributor
  • 2 replies
  • May 21, 2025

Thanks all. Much appreciated. 👍👍


Tyler C
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • 4541 replies
  • May 22, 2025

Our pleasure ​@Tank511973!

 

Thanks,

Tyler