I’m on an eastern caribbean cruise right now. I have a complimentary 5GB gigsky plan from my Visa card. I’ve been trying to use my gigsky esim for the last hour but I found out my plan doesn’t work in the Virgin Islands. Not that I need it here but just testing. I will try it again when we get to a non US Territory. Glad you are back!
@@TheWeekendCruiser I finally got to try GigSky in St. Kitts. It works well. Unfortunately the free version from VISA doesn’t seem to support Cellular at Sea. 😐
@@Johnny-wo7rc No, you can activate it wherever you happen to be as long as it is an approved country. You would be smart to ensure it works on land prior to boarding incase you need to make adjustments.
Wow! Great to know as I was a bit worried about not being able to keep in contact with our house/pet sitters about our senior pets as well as updates about my Alzheimer Dementia mother. We have an 8-day RC Cruise coming up - since we have T-Mo, we have port days covered still want access on our four sea days and CoCo Cay. If I understand correctly, when in Aruba and Curacao, my phone will automatically switch over to use land towers?? Thanks for the info!!
This will depend on the amount of data they use. Though, if your job depends on it, having ship wifi and GigSky as a back-up option, might be well worth the money.
I've been using esims for data for the past year or so. It gets easier and less scary after the first time. Most of the guides are well thought out and detailed. This could be interesting on a longish cruise. I paid ~$300 on my last cruise for onboard Wifi and did like you, switched SIMs for the port days. I won't get into it much here as YMMV and there some small setup but Wifi calling and SMS may be possible depending on the carrier/device(I have Fi and a Pixel 7). On my cruise earlier this month, I was started by my phone starting to ring for an incoming call while on airplane mode in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. [It was mom. And nothing serious.]
Love Google Fi and my Pixel 8! I decided to skip the 9 this year. Yes, if you don't need tons of data, this is a great option! Wi-Fi on long sailings especially, can get very pricy!
It could be! Doesn't sound like something you would want to watch for long periods of time, just when the camera dings you. This is normally, the perfect fit - ie: just checking in on things or being available.
You mention that with GigSky cruise passengers can stay connected at all times. Does it have a limitation of "International Waters" of 12 miles? Specifically, how would it impact a Princess Cruise around the British Isles or Iceland?
Some premium cruise lines have free basic WiFi which winds up being about 1 Mbs download speed, which is fine for checking email, receiving texts, and placing calls on WhatsApp. Would GigSky offer faster download speeds on those cruise ships? Or is their speed also throttled? What speed should I expect from GigSky while at sea?
Hey Dave, from my experience on three cruises I did with Gig Sky, I was able to connect to Cellular at Sea with about 3 Mbs of download speed. It was faster than I was anticipating but still not fast.
I think this works great for me. I want to disconnect for somedays but I’m spending my day at sea so would be nice to have the option to be in touch for the day
It sure does! Only time it might not work well is when in port and it switches you to the land cell towers. When not docked, it switches to the ship's cellular at sea and no issue anywhere on the ship.
I sure do! I run GigSky when I cannot connect to Google Fi towers on land. Interestingly, I don't know of another cell provider that resells Cellular at Sea. They complement each other amazingly well.
Great Video. And I've never been so confused in my life. Sort of. Unfortunately, most of us don't cruise as often as you. Too bad the data has a month limit. I used to use some app where I bought minutes. Can't remember the name . Left the minutes on it with my old phone. But that was for calling my UK cruise customers here on land. Then I just started using WhatsApp.
Live whattsapp. That's my primary messaging and calling via data. Sorry to leave you confused! The 30 days policy isn't amazing but understand why they do it. Just have to figure out your usage on your next cruise.
Great question and that is right. My monthly cellular plan, that I am already paying for, includes unlimited international data. I only need to use it to connect the ship's cellular plan. If I didn't have a solid international plan already, I would use it in both and not switch back and forth. It's easier too.
I don't know Canada cell plans but GigSky is a great solution if you are looking for a data only package to serve the US and the ports you visit. Will work while on land and on the ship, with no need to buy the ship wifi.
160 gigs?!?!!? Juan Carlo, what in the world are you doing on your connected devices to drive your data so high?? Even editing and working with 4k videos, I would be hard pressed to hit those kinds of numbers. It's also tough for cruise ship wifi to deliver that kind of data quickly!
If you can't live without your phone for a few days DON'T cruise, our last cruise was only 7 days, and it was great, no social media no annoying emails just a relaxing cruise.
I appreciate the perspective on disconnecting, but everyone has different needs and ways of relaxing. For some, staying connected provides peace of mind, especially when it comes to family or work obligations. The beauty of a cruise is that it offers various options for all preferences. So, while some may cherish the opportunity to unplug, others may find comfort in having access to their phones. We can all enjoy the cruise in our own way!
Hey Andy, I think Talon gave a perfect response to this. GigSky is a great fit for people in-between the complete disconnect and over connected groups. I don't want to stream videos or be on social media all day (uses tons of data) but I do want my family to be able to get in-touch with me should something go wrong and unfortunately, it has while I have been on ships. So I am even more sensitive to at least being online.
JCS, a sponsored video can be helpful and informative (as I believe this one is). I am proud that I have my first two sponsored videos with companies I respect and think other cruisers would enjoy learning about - the prior 353 videos, were not sponsored. Paid sponsorships are a part of YT and if I want to go full time and continue to deliver enjoyable content, sponsored content is a must. However, I commit to bringing solid companies that are a good fit for us cruisers, fit perfectly with the channel, and viewers can appreciate. I hope everyone can understand and respect this approach.
Please use "WEEKENDCRUISER" for the 10% discount code on GigSky. I got the discount code for GigSky wrong in the video! Sorry for the amateur move!
I’m on an eastern caribbean cruise right now. I have a complimentary 5GB gigsky plan from my Visa card. I’ve been trying to use my gigsky esim for the last hour but I found out my plan doesn’t work in the Virgin Islands. Not that I need it here but just testing. I will try it again when we get to a non US Territory. Glad you are back!
Hey Java! Glad you found the VISA discount! that is a pretty solid way to check it out! Hope you are enjoying your trip!
@@TheWeekendCruiser I finally got to try GigSky in St. Kitts. It works well. Unfortunately the free version from VISA doesn’t seem to support Cellular at Sea. 😐
@@javamon ohhh I didn't realize that and it strikes me as being off. Glad to ask my contact there but probably doesn't matter now.
I’ve used GigSky on my cruises and love it! Works great!!!
That's awesome! Thank you for sharing it was a good experience! I have def really enjoyed it!
Hi if I use gigsky while I'm in tge US before boarding the cruise , would it work on the ship,or the activation have to do on the ship ?
@@Johnny-wo7rc No, you can activate it wherever you happen to be as long as it is an approved country. You would be smart to ensure it works on land prior to boarding incase you need to make adjustments.
Wow! Great to know as I was a bit worried about not being able to keep in contact with our house/pet sitters about our senior pets as well as updates about my Alzheimer Dementia mother. We have an 8-day RC Cruise coming up - since we have T-Mo, we have port days covered still want access on our four sea days and CoCo Cay. If I understand correctly, when in Aruba and Curacao, my phone will automatically switch over to use land towers?? Thanks for the info!!
Sounds interesting for people who might need to do remote work on a cruise ship.
This will depend on the amount of data they use. Though, if your job depends on it, having ship wifi and GigSky as a back-up option, might be well worth the money.
I've been using esims for data for the past year or so. It gets easier and less scary after the first time. Most of the guides are well thought out and detailed. This could be interesting on a longish cruise. I paid ~$300 on my last cruise for onboard Wifi and did like you, switched SIMs for the port days. I won't get into it much here as YMMV and there some small setup but Wifi calling and SMS may be possible depending on the carrier/device(I have Fi and a Pixel 7). On my cruise earlier this month, I was started by my phone starting to ring for an incoming call while on airplane mode in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. [It was mom. And nothing serious.]
Love Google Fi and my Pixel 8! I decided to skip the 9 this year. Yes, if you don't need tons of data, this is a great option! Wi-Fi on long sailings especially, can get very pricy!
Thanks for the review!
Hey Alex, of course and my pleasure! Great product you all have!
I have to have high speed internet aboard the ship due to the home security system. GigSky does sound like a good thing to have in addition!
It could be! Doesn't sound like something you would want to watch for long periods of time, just when the camera dings you. This is normally, the perfect fit - ie: just checking in on things or being available.
Does it work in the middle of the ocean
Im going on my first cruise in a few months, I’m trying to find out if/how I can text back home to check in out my kids/family?
You mention that with GigSky cruise passengers can stay connected at all times. Does it have a limitation of "International Waters" of 12 miles? Specifically, how would it impact a Princess Cruise around the British Isles or Iceland?
Some premium cruise lines have free basic WiFi which winds up being about 1 Mbs download speed, which is fine for checking email, receiving texts, and placing calls on WhatsApp. Would GigSky offer faster download speeds on those cruise ships? Or is their speed also throttled? What speed should I expect from GigSky while at sea?
Hey Dave, from my experience on three cruises I did with Gig Sky, I was able to connect to Cellular at Sea with about 3 Mbs of download speed. It was faster than I was anticipating but still not fast.
I think this works great for me. I want to disconnect for somedays but I’m spending my day at sea so would be nice to have the option to be in touch for the day
Same! This is the ideal situation with GigSky!
Does it work in an interior room in the middle of the ocean?
It sure does! Only time it might not work well is when in port and it switches you to the land cell towers. When not docked, it switches to the ship's cellular at sea and no issue anywhere on the ship.
Not quite. In a second floor ocean view cabin on Celebrity Infinity, we had to open the door to receive a strong enough signal from Cellular at Sea.
Sadly, Cunard is not one of the lines that offers this option...
Glad you checked! I am surprised to hear this as well!
so you do gigsky and googlefi together?
I sure do! I run GigSky when I cannot connect to Google Fi towers on land. Interestingly, I don't know of another cell provider that resells Cellular at Sea. They complement each other amazingly well.
Great Video. And I've never been so confused in my life. Sort of. Unfortunately, most of us don't cruise as often as you. Too bad the data has a month limit. I used to use some app where I bought minutes. Can't remember the name . Left the minutes on it with my old phone. But that was for calling my UK cruise customers here on land. Then I just started using WhatsApp.
Live whattsapp. That's my primary messaging and calling via data. Sorry to leave you confused! The 30 days policy isn't amazing but understand why they do it. Just have to figure out your usage on your next cruise.
You said you switch back to your regular cellular plan when in port, but with GigSky you don't need to do that, do you? I'm still learning.
Probably cheaper to use your regular plan in port if it’s covered.
Great question and that is right. My monthly cellular plan, that I am already paying for, includes unlimited international data. I only need to use it to connect the ship's cellular plan. If I didn't have a solid international plan already, I would use it in both and not switch back and forth. It's easier too.
Does it work inside of the cabin?
Probably only if you have a balcony. Otherwise, you might have to go on deck.
Depends on if you are using the land towers or Cellular at Sea. Land tours are iffy but if at sea and Cellular at Sea is turned on, yes.
If the ship's wifi works in your cabin then GigSky should work also. They use the same routers while at sea
I just tried the referral code and gigsky says it's invalid
Let me message them to confirm!
Cale, I wrote down the wrong one! It is "WEEKENDCRUISER" remove the "the" and should work! Updating now
I am actually from Canada, going to Cruise in Feb 2025, so I guess Gigsky is the best solution for me without US sim, is that correct?
I don't know Canada cell plans but GigSky is a great solution if you are looking for a data only package to serve the US and the ports you visit. Will work while on land and on the ship, with no need to buy the ship wifi.
@@TheWeekendCruiser that's a great news to me!!! because it costs 220$cad for a 7nights wifi!!! which is ridiculous!
promo code doesnt work
I have it wrong in the video! Apologies. Use WEEKENDCRUISER and if that doesn't work, let me know!
Last 7 day cruise 160 gigs. Gig sky is a bad fit for me.
160 gigs?!?!!? Juan Carlo, what in the world are you doing on your connected devices to drive your data so high?? Even editing and working with 4k videos, I would be hard pressed to hit those kinds of numbers. It's also tough for cruise ship wifi to deliver that kind of data quickly!
@TheWeekendCruiser I hit that # on msc meraviglia. Gaming and streaming all night. Especially streaming sports.
If you can't live without your phone for a few days DON'T cruise, our last cruise was only 7 days, and it was great, no social media no annoying emails just a relaxing cruise.
I appreciate the perspective on disconnecting, but everyone has different needs and ways of relaxing. For some, staying connected provides peace of mind, especially when it comes to family or work obligations. The beauty of a cruise is that it offers various options for all preferences. So, while some may cherish the opportunity to unplug, others may find comfort in having access to their phones. We can all enjoy the cruise in our own way!
Hey Andy, I think Talon gave a perfect response to this. GigSky is a great fit for people in-between the complete disconnect and over connected groups. I don't want to stream videos or be on social media all day (uses tons of data) but I do want my family to be able to get in-touch with me should something go wrong and unfortunately, it has while I have been on ships. So I am even more sensitive to at least being online.
I wish this was the case being a small business owner. The month I cruise is my highest booking time. Just a 10 minute morning email check
I thought this would be useful until I realized it was another ad
JCS, a sponsored video can be helpful and informative (as I believe this one is). I am proud that I have my first two sponsored videos with companies I respect and think other cruisers would enjoy learning about - the prior 353 videos, were not sponsored. Paid sponsorships are a part of YT and if I want to go full time and continue to deliver enjoyable content, sponsored content is a must. However, I commit to bringing solid companies that are a good fit for us cruisers, fit perfectly with the channel, and viewers can appreciate. I hope everyone can understand and respect this approach.
He said it was, what's your point?
So what. So he makes a tiny fee for you possibly saving money. It's a win win.
It’s still helpful