<p>Our son is on sea duty in the Middle East. we agreed we were going to communicate by email but he has asked for international phone service to be added to his cell phone so he can call us. Is it worth the cost? Are phone cars better?</p>
<p>I think it’s woprth the cost but the international roaming charges can be brutal so even if you add it, use it judiciously is my advice…</p>
<p>Thanks! Verizon Wireless told me it would cost an additional $64.99/month for service plus $2.89/minute! Ouchhhhhhh! I think we will stick to emailing from the ship.</p>
<p>My daughter told me that Skype is the way to go. There several plans that allow you to call from your computer to a cell phone for a low monthly fee. The website is</p>
<p>[Skype</a> ? Make free calls and great value calls on the internet](<a href=“http://www.skype.com%5DSkype”>http://www.skype.com)</p>
<p>You can check it out…it sounds alot better than $64.99/mo+</p>
<p>My Son is at sea for the first time in the Middle East as well. (Egypt, Dubai, Pakistan, India, Oman)</p>
<p>So far he has used emails, has IM’d on Facebook quite a bit and has even made phone calls over the ships computer. Calls are not good and get dropped a lot, but the price is right $0. I am not sure what they are using.</p>
<p>It is amazing the technology today.</p>
<p>Hoping for safe travel for one and all!!</p>
<p>GO KINGS POINT BEAT COAST GUARD!!!</p>
<p>Our son is on a West Coast US to China via HI and Guam run. We have a plan for ATT that isn’t as price as nmlcfp, however he usually sends email on the ships computer (short messages only); we have nationwide coverage so Calls from Honolulu are like calls from KP… the first time out we though GUam would be DOMESTIC roaming, it wasn’t so we had a big bill from two long calls, that said they were worth it. He called twice in China - both calls for literally 2 minutes and not too big a bill. The total nuber of calls over the 35 day voyage was 4 or 5 and I considered/consider that really great, though I do miss the short texts I got accustomed to getting from him with more frequencey during his plebe year, I had told my wife we’d probably get a couple (2) of calls one each time he was in Long Beach and Honolulu each trip, the cell phone is great in that regard, especiually since this trip he is without a sailing partner.</p>
<p>However he usually sends email/facebook/or skype from a computer at the Seamans Club when he wants to talk now after our huge ($120.00 bill that first time in Guam) and that is per our last discussion this past week while he was back in Long Beach the way he intends to do it except for his stopover in Honolulu.</p>
<p>As noted this is a far cry from when I did my sea years in 1979 and 1980, I didn’t call my parents for months until we got back to our first US Port of Call…all they go were a couple of post cards over each of my two 6 month sea years…</p>
<p>Now that our son has finished his first full voyage and we and he feel comfortable, I expect even less communication then last voyage.</p>
<p>Many of the ports (I know for a fact in china) sell sim cards for the phones. The mids can buy them very cheap and call home. My son called from China and had over 2 hours of talk time for less than $30. Tell your mids to check out this. I believe other countries sell them as well.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on the SIM card! I will mention it to him the next time he is on-line.</p>
<p>As Suzanne says the Sim Card option is great, for some companies to be able to do that you have to make sure the “phone is unlocked” - they can do that here in the US at a phone store for your service provider… our DS just did that his last port call in Long Beach so he can use a purchased Sim Card the next time he gets to China…</p>