Text Messages

[Candycane83]

I understand WDW uses texts a bit to inform you about random things like your room number and when restaurants are ready to take you in... I know this is international texting and might be a hefty charge from Canadian carriers... How would you all handle this? Do you get a US sim card? Or buy a plan with your mobile carriers ahead of time? I'm with Rogers so I'll have to check out how much it would be to get a plan for travelling to the US. Thanks!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We used Roam Mobility for a trip once, which worked well for us calling out and texting home, but not so well for those at home when contacting us because its a US number.

Now, we pay $7 a day and add on a travel plan with Telus. We get unlimited texting and calling (US to US, Canada to Canada, or US to Canada) and access to the data on our plan the same as if we were still on Canadian soil. For a trip longer than 10 days, we add on the $70 package.

 

[Candycane83]

We used Roam Mobility for a trip once, which worked well for us calling out and texting home, but not so well for those at home when contacting us because its a US number.

Now, we pay $7 a day and add on a travel plan with Telus. We get unlimited texting and calling (US to US, Canada to Canada, or US to Canada) and access to the data on our plan the same as if we were still on Canadian soil. For a trip longer than 10 days, we add on the $70 package.

Thanks @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina ! I'm not quite sure how much Rogers would charge but I'm thinking it'll probably be close to the same price as Telus.

 

[mjhtvchick]

I always shell out for the US talk and text package so that my family members and I can keep in touch while we are there. Really helps if not everyone wants to do the same thing all the time!

 

[mjhtvchick]

I always shell out for the US talk and text package so that my family members and I can keep in touch while we are there. Really helps if not everyone wants to do the same thing all the time!

I should add that I am with Bell and I can just add it from the app on my phone.

 

[starvenger]

I like using a SIM card like Gina did the one time. Mostly because I'm on Virgin and their travel packages are... let's go with suboptimal. But I'm grandfathered in on a pretty good phone/data plan, so I go with the SIM card route.

(I actually wanted to switch to WIND, but I apparently live just outside of their "city" area, so would get hit with roaming charges when at home. Again... suboptimal)

If people need to reach me I give them the mobile number, but I also have Skype and Whatsapp which also works fine since I don't mind burning through the SIM data plan using those, plus WDW has free wifi.

 

[dis_guy]

I'm with Rogers and with their "Roam Like You're at Home" plan you just pay your regular bill and when in the US it's $5 a day more. Cheaper than their travel plans were before.

 

[Sue M]

We are with Telus so I get their $70/month roaming pkg since we go away in August for 3.5 weeks.

Glad I'm not Rogers, $5/day would be very expensive for 3weeks.

I don't like the U.S. SIM card route for me, because I have friends, and family, in Florida, including the medical personnel at my moms nursing home who all know my cell phone number. So it's just easier to keep my cell number.
My daughters who go with me just get the unlimited texting roaming pkg. then if we seperate at the parks it's easy to find each other. One daughter won't do ToT or RCnR at DHS so she shops while we go on!

 

[mort1331]

And unless I am the only one, WDW has told me they dont text your room ready to international phones, need a US number. So we only get a talk and text package add on for our Koodo. Use the wifi at hotel and parks, no issues for us.

 

[CindyV]

I am with rogers and purchased a text message plan only, for 25 texts it was $4

 

[Debbie]

And unless I am the only one, WDW has told me they dont text your room ready to international phones, need a US number. So we only get a talk and text package add on for our Koodo. Use the wifi at hotel and parks, no issues for us.

No you aren't alone. I tried to put my number in when I was doing online checkin. It claimed "Only US and Canadian phone numbers are accepted" HUH?? When I gave them my cell phone (2 different trips) number at checkin, they accepted it, but I never did get that text. Always means a second stop at reception to get my room number. And I do the same. Talk and text-$20 for a month-, and use wifi for everything else.

 

[hardis5]

We use our ROAM sims when in the US (and that number for the room txt and notification) for data while roaming away from the resorts, but with free WiFi now everywhere in the resorts and parks, we can now receive calls from our home numbers (VOIP) on our cells for free (well actually at 0.9 cents a minute) virtually everywhere while on-site. For the first time our last trip, we communicated out for family to call our home phone and just received on our cells any ICE calls. Actually have a 407 area code VOIP number as well set-up on our phones and if we could get a cheap enough data alone plan, that would be the way we'd eventually go.

 

[mommymanda]

We plan to use the Rogers roam like home. Not what I'd like to pay, and have to call to see what exactly it covers...Our last trip we used the rogers rewards to get a text package. They no longer offer rewards so I'm out of luck.

And unless I am the only one, WDW has told me they dont text your room ready to international phones, need a US number. So we only get a talk and text package add on for our Koodo. Use the wifi at hotel and parks, no issues for us.

I remember it working for us (2years ago now) only because we did check in at the front and were told to grab dinner they would text when our room was ready. We had not even sat down and I received the text.

 

[dancin Disney style]

And unless I am the only one, WDW has told me they dont text your room ready to international phones, need a US number.

This is correct. They do not text any international numbers.

As far as text messaging goes we are all IPhone users and just use the IMessage. Since there is free Wifi all over WDW and in nearly ever restaurant and mall it works very well for us. I also have the TextMe app which is a free app and also Wifi dependant. This I have for anyone that is not on an IPhone. I just make sure to tell anyone that is likely to message me that I'm Wifi dependant while on vacay so I might not answer immediately. We've been using this for a few years now and it works really well for us.

 

[Starwind]

We plan to use the Rogers roam like home. Not what I'd like to pay, and have to call to see what exactly it covers...Our last trip we used the rogers rewards to get a text package. They no longer offer rewards so I'm out of luck.

FYI, if you have existing rewards points theey can be redeemed until the end of June.

For Rogers Roam Like Home, they have a maximum charge per month: "Pay up to a max of 10 days per monthly bill" per Rogers website: http://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/travel?ecid=ps|aorcwrlsaq|omdrg0101163

SW

 

[Debbie]

FYI, if you have existing rewards points theey can be redeemed until the end of June.

For Rogers Roam Like Home, they have a maximum charge per month: "Pay up to a max of 10 days per monthly bill" per Rogers website: http://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/travel?ecid=ps|aorcwrlsaq|omdrg0101163

SW

I didn't know that the rewards program was ending. Thanks.

 

[Starwind]

I didn't know that the rewards program was ending. Thanks.

Accumulation of rewards ended a few months ago (sorry don't remember when -- maybe December?).

See

https://www.rogers.com/web/support/account/first-rewards/387

"You will continue to earn points until December 1, 2015 and will be able to redeem your points until June 30, 2016 after which time they will expire."

SW

 

[Sue M]

Forgot to add, Wdw does not text non US phones. But if you give them email they will send you a room ready email. For some reason it's really slow. Last year we were in our room 3 hrs before we got our room ready email.

Also, if you've been a long time customer, phone customer retention, some companies have special unadvertised roaming plans or a discount for long time clients.

 

[Mortlives]

For clarification, Rogers would only charge you for made texts, they charge nothing for you to receive texts. I seem to recall getting a text before? I thought as long as the international dialling was 1 + number they were fine.

 

[Fellowship9798]

With WIND Mobile, I pay an upcharge of $10 for a month of unlimited minutes and text messages, plus 1.0 GB of data. And the charge is somewhat prorated to when you activate and deactivate the feature.

I know WIND is not for everyone, but for where I live and the areas I'm typically in, the service is good enough for the price I pay monthly.