Verizon in Alaska
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
United States
August 17, 2016 10:47am CST
Just before I went to Alaska last week, I stopped by my local Verizon store and asked about coverage in Alaska. I was planning on using minutes I purchased from the cruise line to keep in touch with family while I was gone, and my Verizon plan to visit MyLot and my bank account. I was assured that the signal would be just as strong as it is at home. Not true. While in some ports there was a very weak signal, in others, there was none at all.
This made me decide to skip MyLot and other online activities for the duration of the cruise so that I could still text my sister and Skype with friends. This is worrisome, since I had planned to use both systems when cruising my retirement next spring and the years onward. I’ll need to find another way, since I no longer trust what I am told by Verizon employees.
Otherwise, the cruise showed me that spending the next twenty years or so afloat would enhance my life. I was far more social, active and walked much more when cruising than when at home. Even when the weather wasn’t very good, I was still able to be active and walk great distances while inside. The only negative caused by terrible weather (Sunday was brutal and the doors leading outside were blocked with caution tape.) was that there were far too many people in the public areas. Poor air quality and cold temperatures keeps me inside far more when at home.
I’ve planned my escape for next April. I’ll go into more details later. Have you ever traveled far away from home? What methods have you used to access your online needs (banking, MyLot, etc.)?
19 people like this
18 responses
@DianneN (246993)
• United States
18 Aug 16
Welcome home! I hope you loved Alaska. We've traveled to China twice, which to me is pretty far. I've learned not to trust or pay extra on ships. I use Whatsapp, a downloaded app for $0.99. My son was in Mexico last week and realized he could call me and I could call him. We text and share photos, all for free. When I travel in Europe or South America, I find using WiFi and FaceTime the easiest, except it's slower than Whatsapp.
6 people like this
@DianneN (246993)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace You need Wifi. It works quickly and well, but you can't use it to connect to the Internet. Even when traveling in the states using hotel WiFi, I find it so slow connecting to the Internet. No place like home. All I use is Whatsapp and Facebook. I do buy international minutes before I leave home for emergencies and FaceTime through AT&T for my iPad. Everything else is Verizon, which is awful out of the country for me.
3 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@DianneN Thanks for the info. It sounds like it won't help for my needs. The ship wifi is great when everyone is off the ship, but not when they are all onboard, unless there is a big show or something. I need to find the "sweet spot" to upload my website info and pictures.
4 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
Wait a minute. You have to be connected to something for an app to work. What source of wifi or cellular satellite did you use? Please explain. Could I use it to connect to the Internet?
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
18 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace We only got the internet actually on the shore, in cafes etc.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@jaboUK Ah. that would work for texting family, but I wonder if it would be reliable enough to run a website from?
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
You must have been close to shore during your trip. Even when we were docked, we had lousy coverage with our cellular plans. Everyone complained.
4 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
17 Aug 16
I should think that some remote areas of Alaska would have seriously limited signals. Mst places I hace visited have had decent signals.
I visited Siberia before the days of regular mobile phones, otherwise that would have been a difficult place.
3 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
20 Aug 16
@DeborahDiane This makes sense because I instinctively think of the barren waste showed in many old films, which will clearly not be the case today.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40056)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace and @Koalemos - You would be surprised at how well wired Alaska is. Even 10 years ago, we went river rafting from Talkeetna, a town that is only two blocks long. Afterwards, we went into a little tent on the banks of the river and they offered to cut us a disk of the photos they took of us, or they said they could email them to us. They had a little generator and internet access ... and we were in the middle of nowhere! Our land guide told us that the internet had changed life dramatically in Alaska, especially during the winter.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
17 Aug 16
We were in cruise ports that were fairly large by Alaskan standards. Oh, well. Had fun anyway.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458377)
• Switzerland
18 Aug 16
I hope you enjoyed your vacation. You took the right decision to skip myLot, I hope you enjoyed the cruise despite the bad weather and too many people in the public areas. We have traveled far away from home, the farthest place we visited has been the Isle of Aruba, in front of Venezuela. We used the phone to keep in touch with our family and our banker, no other online methods when we are on vacation.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (458377)
• Switzerland
19 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace Everything depends on your destination. In some European countries the wi-fi connections are very slow. I remember last year we went to the Lake Garda, that is not third world, it's in the North of Italy. I had my laptop and I have been unable to connect to the Wi-Fi during all my stay. I used Whatsapp to share some photos.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Aug 16
Gosh, I was hoping to get all sorts of great info from the group. So far, DianneN has given me the best advice. But I would love to get more.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Aug 16
@LadyDuck You can share photos on Whatsapp too? Cool.
2 people like this
@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
23 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace Probably not. It was the really small towns that we drove through that didn't have coverage.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
I find that odd, since satellites are overhead all the time, but I guess the companies don't want to spend the money unless there are lots of people around.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
23 Aug 16
@simone10 What do people who live there do, I wonder.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325877)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Aug 16
We never managed decent coverage on the cruise we were on despite assurances that it would be okay. Being overseas and travelling was also just as bad. Usually I give up trying after a few days. But not getting coverage would be a very negative point for me.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
I will be creating a website about cruising in retirement while cruising my retirement (
), so I can't give up. I have to figure it out.
), so I can't give up. I have to figure it out.1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@LoriAMoore It wasn't too slow to be effective for you? Which cruise line?
@JudyEv (325877)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace Internet on the Queen Mary II was expensive and not worth the bother. There was a couple on board who gave bridge lessons and organised bridge games? rubbers? whatever. Also a number of mature-aged men were employed to dance with all the single ladies on board. They had pretty strict guide-lines as you might imagine.
1 person likes this
@suziecat7 (3350)
• Asheville, North Carolina
18 Aug 16
It sounds like you had a great time despite Verizon's bad service. I also use Verizon. They promise me that service here in the mountains is good but it isn't the case. You have to walk around hunting a signal all the time.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Aug 16
This is the first time I've had trouble, but it doesn't bode well for my travels.
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
17 Aug 16
Cruising is the most difficult to keep in communication with home unless you pay for the plan on the ship. However, Celebrity has some great specials right now until the end of August for 2017 cruises that include Wifi. That is an over $200 benefit so I am seriously considering giving them a try for my ext cruise. Great picture by the way When I just travel abroad most hotels offer Internet or there are Internet cafes.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
17 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace We used Holland America on our last cruise and it was a little bit of a mature crowd, maybe a little too calm. I was under the impression that Celebrity was quite a calm cruise line, calmer than Royal Caribbean which we usually use. I couldn't use Verizon in Bermuda, no reception at all. Okay I missed this, are you now living on a cruise ship? We met a woman on one of our cruises who does and she was having a blast.
2 people like this
@DianneN (246993)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace What cruise line did you take? Love your photo!!!
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
17 Aug 16
My biggest concern is being able to upload articles and photos to a website while in port. It will take me only a few months to hit the loyalty level where wifi will be free for me, but until then I will have to budget carefully or use wifi in port. I will have everything ready and just need a strong signal to send everything at once. I thought I could use Verizon, but that doesn't look possible.
P.S. Celebrity would make me a little crazy. I prefer a calmer environment. Good thing there is a cruise line for every personality.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
17 Aug 16
i hope ya'd a great time, ms. elizabeth! i'd be givin' a 'what fer' to those folks't verizon. they claim to've service here 's well, but don't. e'en consumer cellular keeps blinkin' out, but they use at&t towers 'n the folks with all plans 're now havin' troubles. aint fer certain what's the deal?
i bet the views were breathtakin'! i've ne'er been'n a cruise, did drive from louisiana to alaska many years 'go. 'd planned'n takin' the ferry from anchorage to oregon when i came back down nearly 3 years later, but that fell through.
i'd not enjoyed the brutal weather, tons 'f folks, poor air quality 'n cold...brrr 'n ick. but, 'tis great that'cha were way more active whilst afloat when such t'weren't true :)
luckily when i'd the need to travel far from home, i'd good cell service 'n didn't run 'nto any hiccups. that 'twas prior to at&t buyin' out our lil po-dunk hometown carrier.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace sadly with us bein' rural, at&t towers 're all there's regardless 'f which company one goes with. april 'tis a ways off, perhaps verizon 'll 've better coverage by then?
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
Good luck now with at&t, not my favorite. I had been happy with Verizon, not I'm not sure.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
@crazyhorseladycx I won't be going to Alaska again. My next trip goes to Europe (UK, Ireland, northern Europe and southern Europe then back to the East coast of the US and Canada, then down to the Caribbean). Don't trust Verizon to have any coverage in most of these places.
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
18 Aug 16
Long time no read! I'm glad to see that you liked the cruise. As I suffer from claustrophobia and don't enjoy being close to crowds of people, this is nothing for me even if the ship is huge.
As I don't do online banking, I've never had problems when abroad. I can survive computer free holidays.
2 people like this
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
19 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace Do you intend to live on a cruise ship? I've read that some people do that.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
19 Aug 16
Me too, but my future plans are not holidays. It will be 24/7/almost 365. I will certainly need the Internet.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@MALUSE That was the plan until this Friday. I'll write a post about it, but briefly, the travel agent was not straight with me. My very first comment was that I did not want to go on a cruise at all, unless she was sure that I could cruise the next 20 years or so on the amount of money I had available each month. Turns out, it cannot be done. I'm single and live alone, so I would have to pay double. Bummer. So now I know I would enjoy the lifestyle, but need double my income.
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
19 Aug 16
I bought an Ipad in the USA It worked out around $200 cheaper there than over here. I use that to connect to the internet from a cafe in port. I never bother trying to contact my family when I am away apart from when I am in port. I am so pleased you found the cruise worthwhile and like you I don't mind a bit of a swell. These days though with the stabilisers it is so much more comfortable than say 20-30 odd years ago! I am so excited for you Elizabeth. I can't believe you are going to do it. Well done you!
2 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
21 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace Ouch what a mare! A disgrace to the travel profession and she is supposed to know! I would certainly make sure she knew my wrath. What a greedy little minx if that is what she has done to you. Well back to the drawing board eh! Never give up!
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@garymarsh6 I am choosing to believe that this episode was intended to get me to finish my book, as it gave me incentive to do so. Now that I have been convinced to publish it the traditional way, I'll need to be around to publicize it, so maybe I'll cruise next year or the year after (with the money, from my book).
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
Well, I would do it. Sigh, but the travel agent lied to me, or was just very dumb (which I do not believe is true). The single supplement makes the cruise cost double for me. She must have known this up front. I told her several times exactly how much money I have available each month, and she assured me that it was enough. Now she says the cost is double what I have. Guess her integrity was worth the cost of the commission she received for the Alaska cruise I took.
@JamesHxstatic (29253)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Aug 16
Welcome back! I am not surprised about Verizon's lack of veracity. They told Anne that we were all paid up when we canceled service and then sent a bill for $120 a few weeks later. Good luck with those plans.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
17 Aug 16
This type of thing happened to me with utilities too. I paid everyone, let them know where I was going and left the country. Years later, the electric company had sent my "unpaid" bill to collections. 
They preferred doing this to buying international stamps.
They preferred doing this to buying international stamps.1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40056)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace - That happened to us about 18 years ago with an electric bill, too. We gave them our forwarding address but, instead, they sent our unpaid final bill of only $78 to collections ... and it held up the purchase of our home in California because we had to pay it and show proof it was paid before the lender would let us close on our home!
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@DeborahDiane My bill was for $47, and when I returned and questioned it, they wouldn't even look at the proof that I had paid it already. Oh, well. That was decades ago now, and I do everything online.
@norcal (4890)
• Franklinton, North Carolina
18 Aug 16
That sounds like a really fun retirement plan. It's been a few years since we went on a cruise. We went to the Caribbean, and had no cell phone service there. The WiFi on the ship was just too much. It was nice in a way, having no communication with home. I know that's not an option for you though.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
18 Aug 16
No, it isn't. This will not be a vacation. It will be life, and I would need to stay connected to family, friends, banking and my website business.
@MissNikki (5237)
• Maple Ridge, British Columbia
20 Aug 16
I have never been on a cruise, so I don't know how the wifi access is there. I have a friend who was applying to become an employee on a cruise ship and she told me that the cruise ship would be giving her internet access to contact family, etc. I wonder if this would be an option for you next time?
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
Not interested in having a job. I'm retired. I write, but that's all I want to do. 46 years was plenty.
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@sunrisefan Nope. Ship has wifi.
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
20 Aug 16
I guess they must be using satellite phone, Ms. Nikki :)
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (134380)
• Roseburg, Oregon
27 Aug 16
I have never went anywhere without someone else being with me. I hope you have a good time when you do take that cruise.
@DeborahDiane (40056)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Aug 16
We have AT&T for our cell service and we were able to use it at all the ports and while cruising along some of the coastal areas (although not all of them.) However, that was 10 years ago, so I don't know if the AT&T service is still the same. I didn't even ask before we went ... I was so used to using our AT&T on all the Hawaiian Islands that I assumed I would be able to use it in Alaska, too. I agree that sailing would probably keep you more active, since there is so much to do on the ship and in the ports. It sounds like a fun way to spend your retirement! I'm looking forward to hearing more!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40056)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Aug 16
@ElizabethWallace - I didn't even go into the internet cafe 10 years ago when we took our Princess cruise to Alaska ... but I wasn't writing online back then. It looks lovely and I'm sure it was kept pretty busy!
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
@DeborahDiane It's much bigger than this photo shows, but it was never full.
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
17 Aug 16
This is the internet cafe on the ship, but the wifi worked everywhere with my iPad and iPhone (for a price).
1 person likes this
@paigea (35705)
• Canada
19 Aug 16
@LoriAMoore has posted quite a lot about cruising. She may have a suggestion.
I only have one friend who cruises, she seems to find the internet is expensive to use on the ships and she pretty much doesn't bother. The last time we were in Europe (2007) we didn't even take cell phones. We found most towns had places to go to use internet, free many time.
Many cafes did too for the price of a beverage. Now, I don't know what I would do.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
21 Aug 16
I think the issue has been solved, using Whatsapp to text my sister as long as there is wifi available, in order to bypass Verizon. I could use the ship wifi when people are still asleep early in the morning to do work online.
1 person likes this
