2025-08-04
eSIM for travels and cruises

Above image was generated by ChatGPT

Requirement:
- Your phone must be carrier unlocked. Check with your
carrier.
- Your phone must be eSIM capable:
Dial *#06#
if the phone displays a 32-digit long EID number, then it is
eSIM capable.
With data-only eSIM, you can use WhatsApp, WeChat, Rakuten Viber,
fongo, Facebook Messenger, YouTube, iMessage, Facetime, Uber,
Google email, Google Chat, Google Maps, etc. You can make VoIP
"phone calls" with data-only:
e.g. use "Rakuten Viber Out" to call landlines/mobile phones. It
costs a few cents/minute.
e.g. For Canadians, use "fongo" to make free calls to Canadian
landlines/mobile and toll free numbers.
Super important setup
Settings...Cellular....
Cellular Data Options : Roaming Off

if you have more than 1 SIM profile:
Settings...Cellular...
check in the SIMs section
Primary.... Data Roaming... Off
(slider switch is grey out)

There are many eSIM providers, here is a small selected list.
At home, install the Airalo/Saily/aloSIM app (or whatever eSIM
provider app that you prefer)

Extensive global coverage

Built-in VPN included; minimal
Caribbean footprint

My impression only: aloSIM uses Tier 1 carrier at destination
The FLEX plan does not expire, top up when you need more data.
Able to do VoIP calls.
The FIX plan is like other plans, and suitable for high data
usage.
https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-esim-for-travel/
Land-based travels
A few days before travel or at the departure airport with WiFi,
purchase
a destination
eSIM from your app (e.g. Spain, 3GB, 30
days)
Open the eSIM app, tap "
My eSIMS", select the eSIM you
purchased,
Install the eSIM (you need WiFi or cellular data to
purchase and install eSIM).
For iPhone, everything is called "activate" even if it is just
"install".
After the "install" phase, your iPhone may give you a chance to
stop and "activate" later.
If you choose stop, you continue to active when you arrive in
Spain,
If you choose continue, your phone will continue, but due to
missing Spain signal, the secondary line will show "activating"
until it sees a Spain signal.
Your signal bar shows two signals.
If that looks weird, turn on another SIM profile and turn off the
Spain profile. This is possible only if you already have a third
profile.
If not, just leave it in the "activating" state until it sees a
signal from Spain.
During activation, you will be asked these two questions:
Default Line ? tap
primary
iMessage ? tap
primary
You will be asked to choose which line for
"Cellular Data".
If you are at home, tap
Primary.
Instead of calling the eSIM "Secondary", you can give it a more
meaningful name such as Saily, aloSIM, Spain, Airalo, etc.
At your destination, check 2 things:
Settings...Cellular...
Cellular
Data....
If it shows
Primary, change it to
Secondary or Saily or Airalo or aloSIM or
Spain, etc
Settings...Cellular
tap the Secondary or Saily or aloSIM
Spain line
toggle Data Roaming to ON
Sometimes your eSIM will not connect or shows no Internet
connection, the following procedure will typically fix the
problem.
-Turn ON Airplane mode then turn OFF
Airplane mode (this forces the phone to reconnect
to the destination wireless environment)
Cruise-ship travels
Some cruise lines (and their frequent cruisers) include free
ship-WiFi, in that case, GigSky is not for you.
GigSky eSIM is specifically designed for use on cruise
ships in open water (>12 nautical miles from shore), but it can
also be used on land based cellular infrastructure.
GigSky's price is lower than cruise-ship-WiFi, but higher than
land only eSIM.
Click on the GigSky logo above (and scroll down) to check the
ship/cruise line of your next cruise.
If you can use GigSky, download and install the GigSky app from
your Apple App store or Android Play store,
Here is what the GigSky configuration looks like in open water
(and also on land)
Usually on the ship's pool deck or Internet Cafe or the atrium,
GigSky "cellular signal" is the strongest.
Note: with satellite communications, expect there are dead spots
at sea.
Turn ON Airplane mode then turn OFF Airplane mode to force
the phone to connect to a solid cellular signal.
My experience with GigSky in June 2025 was that email attachment
did not work unless the file size of attachment is very small.
GigSky, despite it works with land-based cellular infrastructure,
is not as robust and costs more than land-based eSIM such as
Airalo or Saily or aloSIM
When the ship is at dock or when you are on land excursion, switch
over to Airalo or Saily or aloSIM eSIM.
If the ship/cruise line (such as Cunard, P&O Cruises, Stena
Line, Viking) of your next cruise does not have GigSky, click the
"Red-Bull-Mobile" logo below to see if Red-Bull-Mobile provides
mobile data on board (scroll down) .
Note:
Leave primary line in the "OFF" position to avoid accidental
roaming charges.
Occasionally, e.g. in a hotel or at port, I turned the primary
line to "ON" for a few minutes and let all the accumulated SMS
come through and then turn primary line "OFF" again.
Note:
With
fongo, you will be given a Canadian phone number
during sign up, that number can
receive inbound SMS sent
from another cell phone.
To receive bank's verification SMS on fongo and sending SMS from
fongo require an add-on subscription ($4 per month).