Using SMS for Family and Group Cruise Communication Without an Internet Package

using sms text messaging on a cruise ship

Using SMS for Family Cruise Communication Without an Internet Package

Keeping in touch with family or friends on a cruise can be surprisingly complicated. One person heads to the pool, someone else goes back to the cabin and another group decides to grab lunch.

The first option to check is your cruise line’s app. Several major cruise lines now offer onboard messaging without requiring passengers to purchase an internet package.

When that’s not available – or you want a simple backup – regular SMS text messages are another option that’s easy to overlook.

Traditional SMS can work over a cruise ship’s cellular network without purchasing the ship’s internet package. It isn’t free, but if you only need a handful of short messages each day, paying for individual texts can be an inexpensive way for a family or group to stay in touch.

Check the Cruise Line App First – Messaging May Be Free

Before paying for SMS messages, check your cruise line’s app. Several major cruise lines allow passengers to communicate with other guests onboard while connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi network without purchasing regular internet access.

You may need to connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi network, but you don’t necessarily need to buy an internet package.

  • Royal Caribbean: Guest Chat in the Royal Caribbean app is available at no charge onboard. Connect to the ship’s Guest Wi-Fi network – no internet package is required.
  • Celebrity Cruises: The Celebrity Cruises app includes Guest Chat while connected to the ship’s Guest Wi-Fi.
  • MSC Cruises: MSC for Me includes onboard chat with other passengers without an internet package. MSC currently limits the chat feature to guests age 16 and older.
  • Disney Cruise Line: The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app includes one-to-one and group onboard chat using the ship’s complimentary app connectivity.
  • Holland America Line: The Navigator app includes onboard chat with fellow guests without requiring a regular cruise internet plan.
  • Princess Cruises: The Princess Cruises app includes Shipmate messaging for communicating with members of your travel group onboard.
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Not every cruise line includes messaging for free. Carnival’s HUB App, for example, currently charges $5 per person for chat for the entire voyage. That’s still inexpensive compared with purchasing internet packages primarily for family communication. Norwegian Cruise Line also treats onboard calling and messaging as a separate service.

These app-based services are primarily for communicating with other passengers onboard. They aren’t giving you general internet access.

Everyone who wants to participate should download the cruise line’s app before sailing and connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi once onboard.

If free app messaging is available, that’s probably the best place to start. SMS becomes a useful alternative or backup when app messaging isn’t available, someone in your group isn’t using the app or you simply want another way to reach each other.

One caveat from my personal experience, sometimes notifications for new messages don’t come through as you would expect. This seems to have gotten better over time but it’s still something to consider. If this ends up being the case for your cruise line or your sailing, the workaround is to periodically manually check for new messages in the app.

SMS Doesn’t Require a Cruise Internet Package

Traditional SMS messages use the cellular network rather than an internet connection.

When a cruise ship is offshore, your phone may connect to a maritime cellular network. That network can provide cellular calling and SMS service even if you haven’t purchased the cruise line’s Wi-Fi or internet package. See Will My Phone Work on a Cruise Ship? for more on how cellular service works at sea.

That makes SMS useful for simple messages like:

  • “We’re at the pool.”
  • “Meet at the cabin at 5.”
  • “We’re heading to lunch.”
  • “Meet outside the theater.”
  • “We’re going ashore now.”

For many families, that’s all the communication that’s really needed.

How Much Does SMS Texting Cost on a Cruise?

SMS isn’t free, but it can still be very inexpensive if you only send a few messages.

Here are current published pay-per-use rates from the major US carriers:

Carrier SMS Sent SMS Received Notes
AT&T $1.00 per message Included with most unlimited domestic texting plans; otherwise domestic messaging rates apply AT&T’s current standard international pay-per-use rate also applies aboard cruise ships.
Verizon $0.50 per message $0.05 per message Verizon lists these as its current Pay As You Go rates for cruise and in-flight cellular service.
T-Mobile Varies by cruise Generally included with a domestic texting plan T-Mobile publishes cruise-specific roaming rates through its cruise coverage checker. If you do not have a domestic texting plan, received messages are currently listed at $0.20 each.

Rates checked October 2026. Carrier plans, cruise networks and roaming rates can change. Check your carrier and specific cruise before sailing.

Even at 50 cents or $1 per outgoing message, SMS can make sense if you’re only sending a few messages a day.

As one example, at Verizon’s current pay-per-use rates, 10 outgoing texts and 20 incoming texts would cost $6 total. For travelers who only need occasional “where are you?” updates, that can be far less expensive than buying internet access for several phones.

A Middle Ground: Limited Cruise Internet With GigSky

If SMS is a little too limited but you don’t want to purchase a full cruise-line internet package, a cruise eSIM can offer another option.

I’ve tested GigSky on cruise ships. GigSky is unique in that it offers cruise data plans for supported ships, allowing you to purchase a limited amount of data and use it for things like messaging, email and light internet access as needed.

For someone who wants occasional internet access rather than full-time connectivity, that can be a good fit.

Use Incoming Messages to Your Advantage

Incoming messages can be especially useful because some carriers charge very little – or effectively nothing, depending on your domestic plan – to receive a traditional SMS.

One strategy is to designate one or two people as the primary message senders.

Instead of everyone constantly texting back and forth, one person can send an update such as:

“We’re moving from the pool to the buffet. Meet us there.”

If everyone knows that replies aren’t necessary unless plans change, the number of billable outgoing messages can stay very low.

Be Careful With Group Texts, iMessage and RCS

Not every message in your phone’s Messages app is a traditional SMS.

Depending on the phones, settings and participants, a conversation may use:

  • SMS
  • MMS
  • Apple iMessage
  • RCS messaging

Traditional SMS uses the cellular network and does not require the ship’s internet package. iMessage and RCS rely on data for their enhanced messaging features, and group conversations can sometimes use MMS instead of SMS.

WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and similar apps are also internet-based.

For the most predictable pay-per-message strategy, simple one-to-one SMS messages are the safest choice. Don’t assume an existing family group chat is using ordinary SMS just because it appears in your phone’s standard Messages app.

Keep Cellular Data Off

If you’re allowing your phone to connect to the ship’s cellular network for SMS, pay particular attention to cellular data.

You want cellular service available for texting without allowing apps to consume expensive maritime data in the background.

Email, cloud photo backups, app updates, social media and other services can use data without you actively opening them.

Before sailing, check your phone settings and your carrier’s instructions for disabling cellular data or data roaming while still allowing calls and SMS.

Do not leave normal cellular data roaming enabled at sea unless you understand exactly what your carrier will charge.

A few SMS messages may cost only a few dollars. Accidental maritime data usage can be a much different situation.

Don’t Use Airplane Mode If You Want Regular SMS

Putting your phone in airplane mode is a common recommendation aboard cruise ships because it prevents accidental cellular roaming.

That’s a good strategy if you plan to use only shipboard Wi-Fi or the cruise line’s app.

But traditional SMS needs a cellular connection. If your goal is to receive ordinary SMS messages over the ship’s maritime cellular network, cellular service needs to remain turned on.

Keep cellular data off, but leave cellular service available for SMS.

If you do purchase an internet package, WiFi calling is another way to make calls and send messages while avoiding cruise-ship cellular roaming. That’s a different strategy from the SMS method covered here and generally works best with airplane mode turned on.

A Simple Family Cruise Communication Plan

Whether you’re using a free cruise line app, SMS or a combination of both, communication works best when it supplements a basic plan.

Before everyone splits up, agree on where and when you’ll meet again. Then use messaging when something changes.

A simple plan might look like this:

  • Meet back at the cabin at 5 PM.
  • Use the cruise line’s free messaging app when available.
  • If app messaging isn’t available or doesn’t work, use SMS as a backup.
  • Only reply when necessary.
  • Use one person as the primary SMS sender when practical.
  • Stick to short, plain-text SMS messages.

This can be especially useful for families with teenagers or older children carrying their own phones. You may be able to stay connected without purchasing internet access primarily for family coordination.

What Happens When the Ship Reaches Port?

The situation changes when you’re near or on land.

As the ship approaches port, your phone may connect to a normal cellular network in that country.

Once ashore, your carrier’s normal international roaming rules apply, which may be very different from maritime rates.

Pay attention to the network your phone is connected to rather than assuming the same pricing applies throughout the cruise.

Check Your Carrier Before You Sail

Carrier plans and cruise roaming rates change, so check the details before relying on SMS.

Confirm:

  • The current cost to send and receive SMS messages at sea.
  • Whether your carrier automatically activates a cruise day pass or other package when you use service.
  • How to disable cellular data without disabling cellular service entirely.
  • Whether your intended group messaging setup actually uses SMS rather than MMS, RCS or an internet-based service.

A little preparation can keep a low-cost texting strategy from turning into an unexpected roaming bill.

Bottom Line

You may not need a cruise internet package just to keep track of your family.

Start with your cruise line’s app if free messaging is available. If it isn’t, a few SMS messages can still be a cheap way to stay in touch, and GigSky is worth considering if you want occasional internet access too.

Whatever you use, set meeting times in advance and treat messaging as a backup rather than the entire plan.

Information is believed accurate at time of publishing but may change. Carrier pricing, cruise policies, and device behavior vary. Readers should independently verify all settings and costs. We are not responsible for roaming or service charges incurred. top:smstrick tag:tpr

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