Royal Caribbean passenger’s $1,300 mistake every cruiser must know

MIAMI — A passenger enjoying a relaxing vacation onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was quickly brought back to reality when they received an enormous cellphone bill because of one particularly costly mistake.

What started as a week of sun-soaked memories ended with a staggering $1,300 cell phone bill, leaving the cruiser furious and demanding answers from the cruise line. The passenger, who has not been named, thought they were covered for all cellphone use after purchasing Royal Caribbean’s WiFi package, but they returned home to find the eye-watering bill. While they had been sipping cocktails and soaking up the ocean breeze, their phone was silently racking up roaming charges, downloading updates and background data like it was on a high-seas spending spree all because of a simple mistake. Despite the WiFi plan, their phone had not been set to ‘Airplane Mode.’

It meant that during the course of the cruise, the phone had continued to rack up massive roaming charges as it continuously downloaded data in the background. To make matters worse, their child had also unknowingly added to the charges, using the phone to constantly stream videos throughout the trip. When the furious passenger called Royal Caribbean demanding answers, the cruise line quickly washed its hands of the matter, citing their clear policy that it is the responsibility of the passenger to activate Airplane Mode on their own device.