I have cingular, they have towers there so my cell works great. But don't know about Verizon, can't believe they don't know if you can get service there.

I've been to STT/STJ several times using VZN...in past years when I had a tri-mode phone (i.e., includes analog capability) I had no problems - no roaming charges. In April 2006, with a digital-only phone I had no problems with service, but I was roaming almost all the time...69 cents per minute...some coverage gaps on the north shore beaches of STJ. With three phones spread between the family members over 9 days it cost about $120 bucks in roaming charges to keep in touch with one another and a few calls back home.

FWIW

understanding the roaming thing...unless you have sprint nationwide plan (which has no roaming charges) most companies will allow you to change your coverage plan for a single month..Your whole month may be around $100 but certainly better than $120 for 9 days.

FYI- Sprint plan costs $90 per month for no long distance no roaming for two phones...most phones are tri mode and they pick up other services well.

For a well thought-out article concerning cellphone service here on the islands, check out Jason Ackley's aricle on St Thomas Source as follows:

http://new.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=Commentary:Op-ed&p=1147234682

Visitors GENERALLY don't have a problem as they're usually calling off-island. Residents calling other residents have much bigger problems. If you log onto St Thomas Source and go to the open forum (Jason's article as listed here is in the Op-Ed forum) you'll find a bunch of letters pertaining to cell phone service here. The Daily News rarely (if ever) prints any opinions on local cellphone coverage because they're owned by Innovative which also now owns local Cable TV and the Island Trader. Monopoly rules!

I have Verizon and it works in the Virgin Islands, however you are roaming the whole time. There are no charges for using it in Puerto Rico. Go figure?

With Verizon it is not an issue of the coverage plan that you have. I have a nationwide, full coverage, no roaming, no long distance plan. The issue is that Verizon does not provide its own coverage in STT/STJ. So while Verizon customers (at least digital - as I indicated earlier with analog capabilities I had no problems on earlier trips) will have "service coverage" whilst on STT/STJ they are not in a Verizon local coverage area thus are roaming and will pay a roaming charge. There is no other Verizon plan you can switch to to gain coverage.

FWIW...

To protect yourself against "overcharges", anyone visiting the Virgin Islands should have a NATIONS OR NATIONAL PLAN. This will ensure that you will not be charged EXTRA for roaming or long distance anywhere on the USVI. I know Cingular and Verizon offer these plans. I can't speak for others. I have always had Cingular(or old at&t) and have never had a serious coverage problem.

I'm sorry, I will repeat myself...I researched this with Verizon extensively earlier this year and have first hand experience. There is NO PLAN available from Verizon that will provide you with coverage that will prevent roaming charges on STT/STJ (unless possibly you have a tri-mode phone with analog support). STT/STJ are NOT local service areas for Verizon (at least for digital phones).

You can visit http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/roaming/rates/US%20Virgin%20Islands.html and http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/roaming/us_virgin_islands.html to verify.

Verizon customers will pay 69 cents per minute roaming charges.

Not the worst thing in the world, at least you will have coverage.

FWIW

Thanks for the info, again, appreciated.

my biggest concern was really just not being able to place a call.
the roaming - although not the greatest of all options, isn't that big of a deal. Mostly just going to use the phone to make plans with the other people I'm going with when we are off doing our own things.

Hi, as I'm going to St. Thomas this weekend, I just called verizon this morning. You have to make sure your phone is set for International calling. Just dial 611 on your cell and tell the operator, she will set it up. I was told it will be 69 cents per minute plus any fees charge by the local carrier which could be between a few cents per minute up to $1.40 per minute charge.

"I was told it will be 69 cents per minute plus any fees charge by the local carrier which could be between a few cents per minute up to $1.40 per minute charge."

If you read the St Thomas Source article by Jason Ackley which I mentioned in my post of June 6 you'll understand not only the general inter-island communication problems we have here with cellphones but, in the second to last paragraph, why there appears to be such disparity in the information which the cellphone providers disseminate.

Don't worry about it and if you have a problem getting through to whoever you're calling the first time you dial, just keep redialing and redialing and eventually you'll connect! As far as what you'll be charged, I've not a clue.

To many suppliers on the mainland we're considered "foreign" even though we're a U.S. Territory. I've had many experiences over the years (particularly before we got KMart and Home Depot here) trying to get goods sent in when the person on the other end of the 'phone insists that they can't ship here because they don't ship to "foreign countries" ending up being completely surprised when I explain that we use the USPS, etc.

Finally, there's one scenario I've seen played out several times since cellphones became a mainstay. Young man and his wife are on a beautiful pristine beach with the kids. The kids are all excited at seeing things in the water, little fish and suchlike, and they're calling out, "Daddy, daddy, come see, come see!"

Daddy is on his cellphone yattering to his best buddy on the mainland, bragging about where he is, what they've all been doing, how great it is and how he'll tell buddy all about it when he gets back next week. "Hold on!" he yells to the kids, "Daddy's on the 'phone," and just carries on yattering away.

That's not a vacation and it's a missed chance to just for once get away from what's at home. It's all going to be there when you get back all too soon and unless there's a real emergency, shut the darned thing off!

All of you enjoy your vacation, leave with wonderful warm memories and glowing suntans, get into island time and relaxation and just chill. Bon voyage and bon aventure!

PS: We do have landlines here...

STT Resident......

AMEN!!!!!

My two simple rules for vacation:
Cell phone OFF
Lap Top at home

OK Three

RELAX... 🙂

Except the laptop can be great for watching DVDs on the plane, and downloading photos from your digital camera to free up your memory card...

Good point about the laptop, but...there's always a but, huh 🙂 IMHO I'd rather pay the $5 for the airline head phones and watch thier movie than lug a laptop through the airport. I'll even listen to the airline music (ACK) but usually fall asleep with "visions of palm trees dancing in my head".

forget the laptop
there are so many computers at the hotels and cybercafes if you need them
and for dvd's get one of those cheap(under 100 or even less) small dvd portables with connecting cables....two of you can watch on a plane and also plug into the hotel room tv to watch movies or play your digital vacation pix etc...we just got one for 89 dollars it is great and so lightweight fits in your tote bag...
enjoy!