Cruise ships are basically floating roaming traps: The moment you hit 12 nautical miles from the coast, your regular eSIM becomes useless and the ship’s own satellite network takes over, and nobody warns you about this (you find out when the bill arrives). Saily, the eSIM international travel app from the NordVPN people, just launched plans that actually deal with this, and for now, none of their competitors have anything close.
Holafly, Airalo, and most of the other eSIM providers out there simply don’t cover maritime networks. Saily is the first to go there with coverage across more than 200 ships from the lines most people actually sail on: Royal Caribbean Group, the full Carnival Corporation fleet, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, P&O Cruises and Cunard Line.
The whole thing lives in a new Cruise tab in the app (screenshot below), you pick your plan before you board, done.
Saily’s New Cruise eSIM Plan © Gizmodo
Matas Cenys, Saily’s Head of Product, says it plainly: “Many travelers are surprised to learn that mobile connectivity works differently once a ship leaves port. Standard roaming plans often do not cover maritime networks, and connecting to a ship’s onboard cellular network can result in significant roaming charges. With dedicated cruise plans, travelers can prepare before departure and enjoy connectivity at sea without worrying about unexpectedly high bills.”
