Watch out for huge mobile bills on cruises

HOLIDAYMAKERS sailing on ferries and cruise ships in Europe this summer are being warned they could face a big phone bill if they use their mobiles on board.

Normally, travellers in the EU should be charged no more than 5p a minute to make a call, 2p to send a text and 5p to download one megabyte of data — that’s enough to look at ten web pages.

But on a passenger ship, people face higher charges. This is because ferry and cruise firms, such as Carnival UK — which operates P&O Cruises — sometimes use an international firm to provide phone services once the ship is more than two miles from land.

So instead of being charged at the standard rate for EU calls, you are hit with maritime roaming fees charged by your phone firm.

Mobile firm Three charges £3 a minute for calls from a mobile at sea, 50p for a text and £6 per MB for data.

That means a ten-minute call and time spent browsing ten web pages could cost you a punishing £36.

P&O Ferries passengers sailing between Hull and Rotterdam are warned by the firm their mobiles will automatically connect to a phone firm that sends calls via Bermuda.

It means they are hit with high bills at international rates.

P&O Ferries says it offers customers a cheaper wifi deal. r.lythe@dailymail.co.uk