Cellphone users dial, and some cruise lines are picking up

IMAGINE cuddling with your cutie on the bow of a cruise ship, canoodling under a star-studded Caribbean night. The only sounds are the swish of the water as it sweeps under the ship and the sweet nothings whispered in your sweetheart’s ears.

And then a cellphone rings.

Sure romance killers, cellphones are becoming ubiquitous on cruise ships as lines sign up to bring service to their floating resorts. Some are taking a calculated approach to the service, taking care not to offend while providing what the lines say customers are demanding.

Cellphone service, which seems to be available in even the most remote parts of the planet, isn’t available at sea because most cellphone reception towers are land-based. But thanks to satellites circling high above the seven seas, the service can now be piped directly to cruise ships no matter where they are.

There are two schools of thought about cellphones on cruises, said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic .com, a website of cruise reviews and news: “the camp that thinks it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread,” she said, “and then there’s the camp that thinks that the concept of a cruise is that of ultimate getaway [where you] cannot be reached, and that camp is not too happy about it.”

Trying to please both constituencies may prove problematic.

“Even though we do not currently offer cellphone service, it does not mean we are not considering this option for the future,” said Cunard Lines spokeswoman Jackie Matthews. “We are being very thoughtful about this entire process as we wish to balance the customer service benefits with any potential passenger concerns about disturbance from cellphones.”

Crystal Cruises, a line that caters to high-end passengers, launched cellphone service aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity last month using “quiet-zone” technology. That means select areas of the ship, such as dining rooms and theaters, are cellphone-free.

“Today’s luxury travelers want to stay in touch, and they want it convenient, but they don’t want to be disturbed,” said Thomas Mazloum, Crystal’s senior vice president of hotel operations.

Other lines are testing the waters as they go. Carnival Cruise Lines announced in June it would add the service to its fleet of 21 ships; 14 are already cellphone enabled, and it expects to have all outfitted by early 2007.

“Cellphones are very much an important part of people’s lives,” Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said. The line allows unregulated use of cellphones anywhere on its ships, although it recognizes that some passengers consider cellphones a nuisance.

“Of course, should any issues arise regarding cellphone usage by our guests, we would take appropriate action in terms of limiting guest usage in certain shipboard areas as necessary,” he said. “Thus far, however, we haven’t experienced any problems with guests using their cellphones in a discourteous manner.”

Some lines have instituted rules making certain areas out of bounds for cellphones and asking passengers to set their phones on vibrate, though at least one industry observer questions the viability of that strategy.

“Cruise lines levy a lot of rules, but people don’t follow them,” said Brown of CruiseCritic.com.

So far, more than a dozen lines are offering or are in the process of installing cellphone access for their passengers on all or part of their fleets. Besides those already mentioned, they include Celebrity, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, which was the first to offer it in 2004.

Passengers can use any GSM or CDMA cellphone in any location around the globe while onboard. (GSM is the standard technology for much of the world and is offered by Cingular. CDMA is the predominant cellphone technology in North America. If you’re not sure which kind you have, check with your service provider.)

The cost of using the service while onboard is comparable to international roaming charges and can add up. Depending on the ship and where you are sailing and how much your cellular service provider charges on top of the roaming fees, your call may cost you as much $5 per minute.

It’s still less expensive than a traditional ship-to-shore call from a cabin, said Brown, who recently spent $200 on a nine-minute phone call while on a ship in the Baltic Sea. She now carries a cellphone when cruising.

Because the service uses satellite technology, passengers can use their cellphones practically anywhere in the world -- but only when at sea. After the ship comes within 12 miles of port, land-based roaming systems take over, said Nancy Brumfield, spokeswoman for SeaMobile, one of the companies that provides the service. (Cingular is the other and both use the same satellite provider.)

In other words, in the middle of the North Atlantic, fine, but within spitting distance of land, a land-based cellular roaming provider takes over. And for unprepared passengers, that could mean the temporary end of cellphone service, depending on where you have come into port.

CDMA phones, which work fine while onboard ship, will not work in much of the world when using land-based services. For example, if your ship pulls into Barcelona, Spain, or any other European port, CDMA phones will stop working until the ship is 12 nautical miles from the coast. In U.S. and Mexican ports, CDMA and GSM phones will work fine on land if they are enabled, though in any foreign port expect to be hit with international roaming charges.

Regardless of whether you own a CDMA or a GSM phone, you must call your cellphone service provider and ask to have international roaming enabled before you leave. All charges will be billed through your regular cellphone service.

To determine whether the ship you are on has cellphone service, check with your travel agent or call the cruise line. For a list of cruise lines and phone numbers, go to latimes.com/cruiselines.

And if you see someone canoodling onboard, please put your phone on vibrate. Especially if you’re the one doing the canoodling.

james.gilden@latimes.com