Yes, WhatsApp works on cruise ships.

But you have to buy an internet package from the cruise line to send text messages.

For video chat or sending files buy a streaming data plan.

Table of Contents

Using WhatsApp on Different Cruise Lines

On Royal Caribbean buy the Voom Surf + Stream Internet Package.
On Disney Cruise, you can receive text messages for free. But sending messages requires an internet package.
On NCL, you can use WhatsApp for free by selecting “Free Wi-Fi” as one of the perks in the Free At Sea promotional deal. This deal is available when booking the cruise.

How to use WhatsApp on a cruise ship?

Although using WhatsApp is always free, it needs an internet connection to work.

You will be able to send text messages on WhatsApp only if your cell phone has an internet connection.

You have two options to buy an internet connection:

As the internet is costly on cruise ships, I follow certain principles.

Here are my methods to keep the costs down:

I never use my cell phone network’s roaming data plan as it is very costly on cruise ships.
If I get an onboard credit, I use it to buy a Wi-Fi package on the cruise. I get such onboard credits if I book another cruise from the cruise ship. Or as a part of the loyalty programs of some cruise lines.
On my NCL cruise to the Bahamas, I got free Wi-Fi as a Free At Sea deal. So, I connected to the internet and used WhatsApp for free.
I have found that WhatsApp video chat does not work as fast on cruise ships compared to land.

To text on a cruise ship for free, the best option is to use the cruise line’s app.

But you can send text messages only to the people onboard through the cruise line’s app.

The app may or may not be free of cost depending on the cruise line.

Some cruise lines offer free Wi-Fi to promote booking.

You May Also Like: