Questions about magic Jack on a Cruise Ship....

[Bokoro]

Okay so I'm going on a cruise in two weeks, i run a company and in no way shape or form can i be away from my phone for a week. I was recommended to look into Magic jack as a solution that wont cost me 3-7 dollars a minute. but I'm not quite sure i understand how the system works if it helps I'm going to be on the newest Carnival ship the freedom. This is how i think MJ is going to work please correct me if I'm wrong.

I buy MJ and connect it to my computer (Dell xps m1710) Xp sp3 in turn my computer gets the MJ software and i now have a ready to use phone on my computer so long as MJ is plugged in...

i get on the boat pay for their wifi card which will run me $100 for the whole week and connect that too my computer aswell

and then i have no additional costs and can talk as much as i want through my computers internet?

the part im unsure of is am i still going to end up paying for the internet access it self? or is this covered under the 15 bucks i pay for the subscription to MJ?

Do i actually need to lug around a phone and a cord to use MJ? or can i simply use a headset/mic combo like i use for Ventrillo

Thank you in advance..also sorry if this is the wrong topic area this is my first post and this place seemed the best spot for it....

[single151]

We had only our MJ with us when we cruised in Feb. Another couple had their laptop and also had some business/personal need to use their cell phone at I think $2.69 per min. We offered the use of our MJ if it would install on his computer that was running Vista. It installed and worked perfectly. The only cost is the cost of your internet connection charges on the ship. The connection speed was acceptable. We tried to use the phone from the cabin, but it was wired differently than the MJ, so we used headphones.

[tony]

This is how i think MJ is going to work please correct me if I'm wrong....i get on the boat pay for their wifi card which will run me $100 for the whole week and connect that too my computer aswell
and then i have no additional costs and can talk as much as i want through my computers internet?

the part im unsure of is am i still going to end up paying for the internet access it self? or is this covered under the 15 bucks i pay for the subscription to MJ?

Hi,
THere is a similar discussion in this forum at http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/anyo ... ing.[/img]

[tony]

This is how i think MJ is going to work please correct me if I'm wrong....i get on the boat pay for their wifi card which will run me $100 for the whole week and connect that too my computer aswell
and then i have no additional costs and can talk as much as i want through my computers internet?

the part im unsure of is am i still going to end up paying for the internet access it self? or is this covered under the 15 bucks i pay for the subscription to MJ?

Hi,
THere is a similar discussion in this forum at http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/anyo ... t1470.html

Your only cost should be the $100 for the Internet connection. You would have no other costs. Your MJ subscription is good for a year.

As for talking as much as you want, search these forums for "cut off" as some people who have talked too much have been cut off. MJ offers free calls, not unlimited calls. I don't know what the limit is in hours, but if you are going to be on the phone for 8 hours/day, I'd suggest bringing 2-3 MJs and rotate through them to spread the time out. Your savings would pay for the MJs. On the other hand, if you are going to spend that much time on the phone, maybe stay home? Just kidding.[/url]

[Bokoro]

This is how i think MJ is going to work please correct me if I'm wrong....i get on the boat pay for their wifi card which will run me $100 for the whole week and connect that too my computer aswell
and then i have no additional costs and can talk as much as i want through my computers internet?

the part im unsure of is am i still going to end up paying for the internet access it self? or is this covered under the 15 bucks i pay for the subscription to MJ?

Hi,
THere is a similar discussion in this forum at http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/anyo ... t1470.html

Your only cost should be the $100 for the Internet connection. You would have no other costs. Your MJ subscription is good for a year.

As for talking as much as you want, search these forums for "cut off" as some people who have talked too much have been cut off. MJ offers free calls, not unlimited calls. I don't know what the limit is in hours, but if you are going to be on the phone for 8 hours/day, I'd suggest bringing 2-3 MJs and rotate through them to spread the time out. Your savings would pay for the MJs. On the other hand, if you are going to spend that much time on the phone, maybe stay home? Just kidding.[/url]

i would hope i dont spend 8 hours on the phone either! so from what i gather my costs will be limited strictly to what it costs to have internet and nothing more(minus MJ of course), i think that anwsers my question thank you very much!

[TransferCutter]

You can also go to Walmart and buy their cheapest phone.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... d=10603479
Small, light and has caller id for $11.88

[tony]

Do i actually need to lug around a phone and a cord to use MJ? or can i simply use a headset/mic combo like i use for Ventrillo

Right, don't count on the ship or hotel's phone working with your MJ. Throwing the WalMart phone or a GE Slimline in your luggage will guarantee you have a phone that works. Test everything out before you leave home.

Imagine the interest you'll generate, you're sitting poolside, laptop running on batteries with a wireless connection and a regular deskphone sitting there and you're talking to home. No wires, no extension cords running off the table. You could put out a cup and a little sign "$1 for 10 minutes phonecall to US & Can" and your cruise would be paid for by the 2nd day.

[Syrinx]

You can also go to Walmart and buy their cheapest phone.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... d=10603479
Small, light and has caller id for $11.88

I have one of these corded flip phones on the way. Seems pretty cool for travelling with MJ, and it comes with a headset too:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0348770008

[murphy]

Imagine the interest you'll generate, you're sitting poolside, laptop running on batteries with a wireless connection and a regular deskphone sitting there and you're talking to home. No wires, no extension cords running off the table. You could put out a cup and a little sign "$1 for 10 minutes phonecall to US & Can" and your cruise would be paid for by the 2nd day.

More likely you will be in the ship's brig for operating a business on the ship.

[hsweiss]

Also you have to realize that while MJ might work, there are two major obstacles that may cause problems. First, you will be on the ship's wireless lan subject to any and all wireless interference issues. Secondly (and the more major of the two), you will be using the ship's satellite-based internet connectivity. While it will probably be faster than dial-up, it won't be what you would call "broad-band" home or office services. And it certainly won't be available 100% of the time. The delays to/from a GEO satellite as compared with a terrestrial network are sizable. This usually implies that a performance enhancing proxy is used to make the user's web browsing experience more rewarding. But this won't help MJ services - and potentially may even make them worse.

If you're going to be taking your laptop anyway and if you're going to buy the week's worth of internet connectivity, then by all means spend the extra $40 and give it a try. But I wouldn't have high expectations.

[tony]

... I have one of these corded flip phones on the way. Seems pretty cool for travelling with MJ, and it comes with a headset too:
http://cgi.ebay.com /ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280348770008

Hi,
I have a couple of those flip phones too. I find they work when plugged into the telephone company's jack, but not when plugged into the MJ. I tried different USB ports thinking it's voltage related, but I can't get a dial tone when plugged into a MJ. Oddly, when I first bought them, one of the two worked with MJ. The 2nd one didn't on the MJ dongle, but did work in the wall jack. I brought the 2nd one back for a replacement, and the replacement doesn't work in MJ, but does work in the wall jack. Now neither work regardless of whether the MJ is plugged into a thin client or the laptop. I don't know if the internal battery in the phone plays a role in whether they work or not on MJ.

So try out your flip phone really well before relying on it. Anyone else have similar experience? I now throw a GE slimline phone in the luggage. I'm looking now for a phone without a base to regain some space in my carry-on bag.