Five Ways We Used Cellular at Sea Cruise+ on Our Canada and New England Cruise

Cellular at Sea kept us connected throughout our seven-day Norwegian Getaway cruise through Canada and New England showing us that it is possible to have a great cruise without paying for the ship's WiFi packages unless you really need an unlimited high-speed connection. 

Cellular at Sea works by creating a cellular network aboard participating cruise ships using satellite technology to connect to land-based networks. The service activates approximately 12-16 miles offshore - typically about an hour after leaving port - and seamlessly transitions to land-based towers when ships dock. This distance requirement prevents conflicts with land-based cellular networks and ensures proper maritime network operation. On our recent cruise, Cellular at Sea hosted us to test their service capabilities. While we had access to Verizon's Cruise Daily Pass and AT&T's International Day Pass, we primarily used a Cellular at Sea Cruise+ eSIM offered through GigSky on a T-Mobile phone to evaluate how the service performed across different connectivity options.

If you're going on a cruise soon, Cellylar at Sea Cruise+ has provided a great deal for you to save some cash ...on the Cruise+ eSIM. Use coupon code CRUISEPLUSHILLS at checkout to save 10% on your Cellular at Sea Cruise+ eSIM plan through GigSky.

Here's how the three primary options compare:

• Verizon Cruise Daily Pass - $20 per day per line, includes 500MB high-speed data then unlimited at 3G speeds, unlimited talk and text to US
• AT&T International Day Pass - $20 per day per device for at-sea use, includes 500MB daily high-speed data with no overages, unlimited talk and text, seamless land and sea coverage
• Cellular at Sea Cruise+ eSIM offered through GigSky - Data-only plans with pricing based on data amount (512MB to 10GB) and duration (1 to 30 days), works both at sea and on land in covered countries, no voice/text through traditional cellular (requires VoIP apps)

Pricing details and service offerings are generally accurate as of 2025 but may change. Contact your carrier directly or use the links above to confirm current rates, coverage areas, and specific plan features before your cruise.

Five Ways Cellular at Sea Enhanced Our Canada and New England Cruise Experience

I’m addicted to unlimited data and constant connectivity so this was an interesting test to see if I could still have a great time while saving money. To do this, we used Cellular at Sea daily across seven days … at sea and in port, from checking work emails in our stateroom to staying connected during shore excursions at craft breweries and maple sugar farms.

One very important caveat here is that as it suggests, Cellular at Sea is best used on your phone. Some laptops such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro X and other ultra-portables also have eSim capability too. However, if you are looking to do work on your laptop during the cruise … a wifi package may be your best bet.

For those looking to kick back and relax, while still staying connected, Cellular at Sea is a great option, and here’s how Sujeet from GuysGab.com and I used it on our cruise.

Secure Banking and Email Access Through Enhanced Data Encryption

NCL's basic WiFi package does not support VPN connections. This creates security vulnerabilities when accessing banking apps or sensitive work communications. Even without VPN, cellular connections provide significantly better encryption than shared WiFi networks whether on land or at sea so this is a big advantage for Cellular at Sea since the service operates independently from the ship's WiFi infrastructure, meaning your financial transactions and confidential emails travel through properly secured cellular channels rather than potentially vulnerable public WiFi. 

This peace of mind proved essential when checking account balances, making travel bookings, and accessing work systems that require secure authentication protocols.

Staying Current with Sports and News Without Always Having The TV On

We sailed during the World Series semifinals, and checking in on how the Blue Jays were performing became part of my daily routine without being glued to the television every evening. 

Pulling up scores, highlights, and game analysis during breakfast or while relaxing on deck integrated sports updates naturally into the cruise experience rather than planning activities around broadcast schedules. The ability to check breaking news, weather updates for upcoming ports, and stay informed about world events enhanced the cruise rather than detaching completely from current events.

International Roaming Solution Across Multiple Countries

T-Mobile recently changed its plans, eliminating free voice and data in Canada for grandfathered plans like the one I’ve enjoyed for the past 10 years. This would have created connectivity challenges throughout our Canada guys trips itinerary. Thankfully, I was able to stay connected whether on the ship, in port, or exploring on land during shore excursions. We used the AT&T day pass when exploring craft breweries and other sites in Halifax and during a maple sugar farm tour in Saint John, New Brunswick, seamlessly transitioning between maritime and land-based networks without manual configuration.

Voice Access for Work and Personal Connections

Whether for work requirements or personal situations like making it easy for my wife Heather to reach me with questions, staying accessible on a guys trip cruise proved more important than expected. 

Even with the data-only Cruise+ eSIM plan, voice access remained possible via Voice over IP solutions. Facebook Messenger's voice chat and Quo (voice over IP service) enabled receiving calls without consuming excessive data allotments. With Verizon and AT&T day pass plans, traditional voice calls are included, eliminating concerns about data consumption from voice calls and providing seamless connectivity for both personal and professional needs.

Social Media Sharing and Photo Updates

The 500MB of data included in the day passes and the data allotment purchased through GigSky extended much farther than anticipated with proper data management techniques. Traveling with your crew creates memorable moments worth sharing, and cellular connectivity at sea makes real-time updates practical without the expense of purchasing expensive unlimited ship WiFi packages. The key to maximizing data efficiency involves enabling data saver mode on your device, disabling automatic app updates and background refresh, and selectively enabling only specific applications you intend to use actively.

These optimization techniques extracted an extra few megabytes daily and provided more than sufficient data to update Facebook, check Instagram stories, and share photos with friends following our social media channels. If you plan extensive video updates, live streaming, or 4K movie watching, none of these cellular options provides adequate bandwidth - ship WiFi remains the appropriate choice for heavy multimedia consumption. However, for typical social media engagement, photo sharing, and staying connected with friends and followers, cellular data at sea proves remarkably efficient and cost-effective compared to premium unlimited WiFi packages.

Cellular at Sea Delivers Impressive Performance With Some Minor Trade-Offs

The service performance genuinely impressed us throughout the voyage. This proved especially valuable one morning when AWS (Amazon Web Services - a major cloud service that hosts thousands of websites and other online services) experienced an outage that appeared to affect NCL's WiFi infrastructure - yet we maintained full data and voice access through Cellular at Sea because that system operates on entirely different infrastructure without cruise line-dependent layers between users and connectivity.

Signal strength exceeded expectations regardless of location aboard the Norwegian Getaway. While wireless signal strength naturally varies depending on where you are on a ship - just as it does in your home - at no point during our cruise did I experience low signal strength. This held true everywhere from the top deck to the aft dining rooms during our dinners at Cagney's Steakhouse and Moderno Churrascaria, proving the satellite-based network provides consistent coverage throughout the vessel.

One consideration that some cruisers might not “get” initially when using Cellular at Sea is that it requires switching between the ship's WiFi and your cellular connection. 

Different cruise lines require their app for various services including making dining reservations or accessing excursion tickets, and these apps typically only function when connected to the ship's WiFi network. You'll need to toggle between ship WiFi and your data plan to allow both services to work properly. This became very easy after the first day - simply switching WiFi on or off depending on what we needed to accomplish - but it's worth knowing upfront rather than discovering mid-cruise when trying to book a shore excursion.

While Cellular at Sea Cruise+ plans offer a very welcome option for those seeking a middle ground when it comes to staying connected on a cruise - it isn't the perfect solution for every cruiser's needs. Especially for folks that want to stream or upload large video files to their friends and family back home.

People requiring always-on, high-speed internet access with unlimited data should still purchase cruise line WiFi packages designed for heavy consumption. However, for travelers who need periodic data access between ports or who value staying connected to work or family via voice calls, the day passes and Cellular at Sea Cruise+ eSIM plans offer excellent alternatives to paying premium prices for unlimited high-speed WiFi at sea. 

The combination of enhanced security, reliable performance throughout the entire ship, and cost-effective pricing makes Cellular at Sea worth serious consideration for your next cruise adventure - just remember to toggle that WiFi switch when you need to access the cruise line's app.