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Consigue tu eSIM de viaje en minutos
Entrega instantánea por correo. Escanea un código QR y estarás en línea en cuanto llegues: más de 140 países, sin tienda, sin cambiar de SIM, sin facturas de roaming.
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Última actualización: 2026-09-29
The short answer
An eSIM gives cruise crew fast mobile data in port and near the coast, where your phone can reach land networks — typically within 10–20 km of shore. It does not work at sea. On sea days you're on the ship's Wi-Fi. So the best setup is:
- Port days: your eSIM, for calls home, maps, banking and social media.
- Sea days: crew Wi-Fi.
- Joining, sign-off and the trip home: your eSIM again, from the airport onward.
Install the eSIM once, over Wi-Fi, before your contract starts. Its validity begins when it first connects to a network, not when you buy it.
Why crew use an eSIM instead of ship Wi-Fi for port days
Crew internet on most big ships is still paid and metered, even on ships with Starlink. Packages are commonly sold by the minute or by small data bundles — Royal Caribbean's crew plans, for example, have been reported at around $60 for 900 minutes over 30 days, and MSC's at around $80 for 6GB. When you're alongside, a few GB of mobile data is usually faster and better value than the ship's connection, and you're not queuing for bandwidth with 1,000 other crew.
The other big win is time. Crew shore time is short — a few hours between shifts. With an eSIM you're online the moment you step off the gangway, instead of hunting for café or terminal Wi-Fi.
Which plan fits your contract?
Your itinerary decides the plan. Most contracts run 6–9 months and many ships reposition mid-contract, so think about the whole season, not just the next port.
| Deployment | What we recommend | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska (Seattle / Vancouver homeports) | USA & Canada or Global | Our USA eSIM runs on Verizon and AT&T. Expect gaps between ports in the remote Inside Passage. |
| Mediterranean & Northern Europe | Europe | Covers 40+ countries — Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Norway, the Baltics and more — on one eSIM. |
| Asia (Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea) | Asia or Global | |
| Mexican Riviera & Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatán) | Global | Global covers Mexico, Honduras, Puerto Rico and the US homeports. |
| Repositioning or mixed seasons | Global | One eSIM for 117 countries — Europe, Americas, Asia and your home country if it's covered. |
| Bahamas & Eastern Caribbean | A country eSIM per island — see below |
A straight answer about the Caribbean
No single eSIM from us covers a full Caribbean loop yet. Our Global plan covers Mexico, Honduras, Puerto Rico and the US, but not the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic or Aruba — each of those needs its own country eSIM (for example Bahamas, which runs on BTC). We don't currently sell plans for the US Virgin Islands (St Thomas) or the Dutch side of Sint Maarten. If your ship does short Bahamas runs from Florida, a Bahamas eSIM plus your US plan covers most of your port days.
Keep your home number — use the eSIM for data
Our eSIMs are data-only: no phone number, no calls or SMS. That's exactly how most crew set up their phones:
- Line 1 — your home SIM (Globe, Smart, Telkomsel, Jio, Airtel…): keep it for bank OTP codes, e-wallet codes and texts from your agency. Turn off data roaming on this line so it never uses expensive roaming data.
- Line 2 — your eSIM: set it as your mobile data line.
Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram and FaceTime all work over the eSIM's data, using your normal number or account. Video calls use a lot more data than messaging — roughly several hundred MB per hour — so save long video calls for Wi-Fi if your plan is small.
Switch mobile data off at sea
Many cruise ships run their own onboard mobile network, connected by satellite, which switches on once the ship is out at sea. A phone that's roaming can connect to it — and that kind of maritime roaming can be very expensive on a home SIM. The simple rule for sea days: turn off mobile data (or turn on airplane mode and re-enable Wi-Fi), and use crew Wi-Fi. Turn mobile data back on when you're alongside.
Setting it up before you join
- Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked. Phones bought on a carrier contract may be locked. See our eSIM-compatible phones list.
- Buy and install on Wi-Fi — at home, at the crew hotel, or on ship Wi-Fi. Scan the QR code; don't delete the eSIM afterwards.
- At your first port: switch mobile data to the eSIM line and turn Data Roaming on for the eSIM line. It can take a few minutes to register on a local network.
- Running low? Global and regional eSIMs can be topped up from your account. A top-up adds data, not extra days — so for a long contract, start on a plan with enough validity.
No signal in your cabin? That's normal — steel decks block signal below the waterline. It's the ship, not the eSIM. Try an open deck or the gangway area in port.
Paying
You can pay by card — any Visa or Mastercard that allows international online purchases. Filipino crew often use a GCash Visa card or Maya virtual card (the GCash card needs one PIN transaction at an ATM or store before it works online). Indian cards usually need international online transactions switched on in your banking app first — it's the most common reason a card is declined.
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