I find myself constantly looking for ways to save money when I’m cruising. Lord knows that international data and text plans are handy, but they add up. Especially when you’re in Europe.
Recently while searching in the app store I came across WhatsApp. This free text app is perfect for texting when you’re cruising at sea or internationally. When you install the app on your device it asks you for your phone number and name, finds everyone in your address book that has WhatsApp and then puts them on your favorite list. Very simple.
Here are the reasons I love WhatsApp:
- It works on 3/4G and wifi, so you aren’t just limited to waiting until you get to a wifi connection
- Data consumption for text-only messages is minimal (if you’re gonna send photos I’d wait til your on wifi unless you have an unlimited data plan) See screen shot below.
- It shows you when someone reads or is typing a message
- You can create a profile and add a picture
- Change your status so people know not to call you but only message you
- The company has a strict privacy policy and will never sell your information or phone number
Minimal data usage.
How it helped me:
As I write this I am on a 10-night Canada/New England sailing aboard Holland America Line’s ms Eurodam. The cruise started in New York City and will eventually terminate in Quebec City, Canada.
The problem I faced is that I have to be in contact with my social media and production assistant, from non-US destinations and at sea. I downloaded WhatsApp and it solved that issue. You can buy the minimal internet package on the cruise ship, log on, text and log off. It’s pretty quick and lets you know when your messages have been delivered.
You don’t have to buy internet minutes on a cruise ship to use WhatsApp. WhatsApp is also handy at wifi hotspots anywhere in the world or if you have an international data plan. As I mentioned above, the data consumption is minimal, so you can literally send 100s of texts and still be under a megabyte. I went 10-days on this trip and never exceeded one megabyte of data for text-only messages. Pictures eat up a little more space.
For more information on WhatsApp you can check out their website here.
Do you have any favorite cruise apps for communication?
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Post link: WhatsApp Saves Cruisers Money on Texting