DISCLOSURE: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING WE RECEIVE A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO PURCHASE THROUGH OUR LINKS, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU. FIND MORE INFO IN OUR DISCLAIMER and AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
Internet on a Cruise
The thought of buying the cruise line WiFi package on our recent Cunard cruise filled us with dread. If we had bought the streaming package for the whole 14-day cruise, the cost would have been $392 USD ($28 USD) per day. And this is for one device. We would also have to buy the WiFi package for our individual devices. Ad Hoc use would have been charged at $40 USD per day per device. Phew—that seems a bit over the top to us.
After reading all the online forums highlighting the high cost of WiFi on cruise ships, we decided to investigate a new option: we could use cellular data on your mobile phone whilst on a cruise. The good news was that we could “pair our cellphone to our iPad and MacBook using the personal hotspot from the phone.
What We Discovered – The eSIM
What we found was a new solution using something called an eSim which is downloaded to your mobile phone. So, what is an eSim? Well, basically, it is an electronic software version of the physical SIM card that you already have on your mobile phone. The eSim allows you to have additional phone lines alongside your existing mobile phone provider.
We downloaded two eSims for our cruise – one from Red Bull Mobile and the other from GigSky. Both of these companies offer maritime cellular services that can be used onboard your cruise ship. This gives you the benefits of internet on a cruise.
The reason we downloaded 2 eSims was to give us data coverage on the ship plus when we went ashore on shore excursions or simply just exploring the local towns and villages.

The two eSIM apps we used. GigSky and Red Bull Mobile
How it Works
Cellular data to provide internet on a cruise is available once a cruise ship reaches international waters and is away from land-based cellular towers.
Of course, you can use your network carrier, but you need to check your carrier’s cruise ship roaming rates before travelling. These are rarely included in your contract and can be very expensive if you do decide to choose this option.
To use an eSim, you need to download it to your phone.
The picture it shows how we have our regular carrier EE, plus downloaded eSims from Red Bull Mobile and GigSky. To use them you simply turn on the one you wish to use and turn off your main carrier Sim.
The example shows how our EE SIM is turn on and the eSims are available to use.
Price Comparison
As Cunard uses Telenor Maritime for ship-based cellular services, we used Red Bull Mobile, where we paid 15 Euros for a 1GB Telenor Maritime package, which lasted us about 10 days. We then bought a top-up 250MB for 5 Euros. So for the whole cruise, we paid 20 Euros for data connectivity. Ok, it was not as fast as the Cunard Space Ex Starlink WiFi, but it worked for us for emails, social media, news, etc.
As mentioned before, the Cunard Premium WiFi package was available at $28USD per day for the whole voyage making a total of $392USD. This was available for ad hoc daily use at $ 40 USD per day for a single device. A lesser WiFi package called the “Essential Internet Plan” was also available at $20USD per day if purchased for the entire cruise or $25USD for add hoc daily use.
Cruise lines are all keen to sell their WiFi packages, and some can be quite good value, others not so much. Most Ultra Luxury and Premium brands include WiFi in the cruise fare, so it is worth checking before you cruise. Some cruise line loyalty schemes also include free WiFi in their upper membership tiers. For example, Seabourn includes Free WiFi for Diamond Members and above. Please see our in-depth article about the Seabourn Club Loyalty Program.
Watch our YouTube Video and please consider subscribing to our channel
Othe Cellular Data Options
When travelling on cruise lines other than Cunard, you will need to check if they use Cellular at Sea or Telenor Maritime. Most cruise lines use Cellular at Sea, and to use this, you can use the eSim from GigSky. You can easily check this on the GigSky website.
Gig Sky offers both Cruise and Land option for their eSim packages , but the key thing is that they have a Cruise option which uses Cellular at Sea. The GigSky plans will cost you about $18 for day for up to 512 Megs of data and then they have a cruise plan for about $30 for 7 Days up to 1 gig of data and then lastly they have a plan for about $60 for 15 days with 3 GB of data so basically for less than $4 a day for the 7 or 15 day plan.
eSIM Money Saving Tip ★
Use the GigSky Discount Code “LUXURYCRUISING” when purchasing a GigSky plan and enjoy a 10% discount
When you Go Ashore
Once you leave the ship to go ashore on your shore excursions, the ship WiFi package, if you have one, will not work. On land, you must rely on your carrier to provide mobile data. In many cases, this is not included in your standard plan, and you will have to purchase additional add-ons or pay a premium for roaming.
The alternative is to use the land-based data packages offered by GigSky and Red Bull Mobile. These packages link to the eSims you have already downloaded on your phone and are a very cost-effective way to stay in contact while ashore.
We recently cruised Spain and Portugal and used the GigSky country packages. For Spain, we paid approximately $8USD for a 3GB 15 day data plan. For Portugal, it was slightly cheaper. Both work just fine. As a backup, we also purchased the Red Bull Mobile data package for Spain at 2 Euros for a Gb. So for us the 3GB package cost 6 Euros.
To Use eSims – 4 Key Requirements
There are 4 key requirements for using eSims.
1. Compatible Phone. To use an eSim your phone needs to be eSim compatible. Most newer mobile phones are good, so for Apple phones it’s going to be the iPhone XR, XS 11 and above and for Androids because there’s so many variations you need to check out the list in this description
2. Unlocked Phone. The second thing is that you phone needs to be unlocked otherwise you won’t be able to a SIM card or eSim from another company If you can call your cell phone provider and ask them for the status of your phone or you can do it yourself.
For for iPhone users you go into settings then General/About and then scroll about halfwayvdown to the section that says Network Provider Lock and you are looking for No SIM restrictions.
For Android users open up your phone settings app and then look for connections or network uh and internet option and then something that looks like mobile networks and then Network operators and then your phone will look for accessible networks and if there are many networks shown then your phone is unlocked and you are able to use other carriers and eims
3. If you plan to use your eSim on land then make sure that the countries you are traveling to are covered. You need to go ahead and check the eSim providers website to make sure they have broad coverage. Most countries are catered for so unless you’re going to some really obscure country more than likely theywill have it covered.
4. If you’re planning to use the cruise plan then your ship needs to support either the Cellular at Sea or telenor maritime system. Bar far the most common cellular system used by cruise lines is Cellular at Sea but you can check on the GigSky or red Bull website to see if the ship you are on is on the list.
★ eSIM Checklist
✔️ Compatible Phone. Check your cellphone is eSIM compatible. Most newer phones are.
✔️ Unlocked Phone. Your phone must be unlocked and not tied to one carrier.
✔️ Check Countries being visited for coverage. Make sure the eSIM provider has a country data plan. Most countries are available.
✔️ Check which Cruise Line Cellular Service to use. The 2 options are Cellular at Sea and Telenor Maritime. Most are Cellular at Sea.
✔️ Use the GigSky Discount Code “LUXURYCRUISING” when purchasing a GigSky plan and enjoy a 10% discount
eSIM Setup
Once you are happy your phone meets these criteria, then you can download either or both the GigSky or Redull Mobile apps from wherever you download your apps.
Once you launch the app, you’ll be asked which plan you want to purchase. You can choose from a country and or a cruise line specific package.
We did a 14-day Cruise on Cunard, visiting Spanish and Portuguese ports, so we purchased The Telenor Maritime package and country packages for the two countries we were visiting. Once you have selected and paid for your selected plans you are good to go.
Data Limitations
The big difference between eSim data packages and the cruise line WiFi packages is that they are not limited to the amount of data you use so you don’t have to watch and track usage.
As we weren’t sure how much data was being used, we found this was easy to monitor within the respective apps. This was easy to do if you needed to top up your package and Redbull Mobile actually text you when you need to top up.
The only other thing to remoember is that eSims are data packages and so no regular voice service is inluced as you dont have a phone number. However we found that voice calls with WhatsApp or Messenger were fine as was Facetime.
Can I Use an eSIM on a Cruise?
Yes, Absolutely. It is a great way to avoid having to pay for hefty cruise line Wi Fi packages
Can I use Data Roaming on a Cruise?
Yes, but be careful. Without a Cellular at Sea or Telenor Maritime eSim data plan you may connect via your main carrier and this can be very expensive so be careful and do your research beforehand
Should I buy an eSim in advance of travelling?
This is a good idea. Apps that offer data-only eSIM plans should be downloaded and activatied before you travel.
Summary
To summarize our eSim experience, we would say that this was a big win for us.
With much lower costs than paying for cruise ship WiFi, it was an experiment that worked well, and we will do the same on our next cruise.
Remember that the service will only be available when the ship is more than 12 nautical miles offshore, so if you’re within an hour or so of leaving a port or landing at a port, you will probably not get any ship-based service. However, we found that using your country-based package still worked, and it was not really an issue.
0 Comments