Is Yesim any use on a cruise ship?
Short answer
Yesim is a Swiss eSIM app run by Genesis Group AG. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Zug, Switzerland. Its Global Plus Package covers 145 countries, and the wider catalogue reaches more than 200 destinations. Yesim also runs a dedicated “Cruise” landing page. Its own FAQ admits the connection “depends on the partner’s network coverage” once you’re at sea. That’s a land eSIM sold under cruise branding, not a genuine at-sea product.
Prices last confirmed
Overview
Dmitri Verbovski and Max Pankratov founded Yesim in 2019. Genesis Group AG runs the app from its base in Zug, Switzerland. Yesim says it has more than 4 million users worldwide. It also reports a 4.7 rating from tens of thousands of ratings. That adds up to seven-plus years in the market, by its own count.
The core product is a marketplace eSIM. It connects to local partner networks in more than 200 destinations. You can buy it as a country plan or a regional bundle. Or you can buy the 145-country Global Plus Package instead. It switches automatically between whichever partner network is available where you are.
Yesim runs a dedicated cruise-branded landing page, plus blog content aimed at cruise passengers. It points you toward its existing Global Plan for a sailing. Or it offers a pay-as-you-go option called “Pay & Fly”. The cruise page’s own FAQ is honest about what that actually covers. You get a stable connection in ports and coastal areas. Once you’re far offshore, it depends on whatever partner network happens to reach that far. That’s the same qualified promise as any land eSIM, not a maritime product.
Coverage on a cruise
Yesim sells no ship-based or satellite maritime product. Its FAQ says the eSIM “works on most routes, in ports and coastal areas with mobile coverage from our partner networks”. The same FAQ adds that “out at sea it depends on the partner’s network coverage”. That’s ordinary shore-network language, not a dedicated at-sea system. It falls well short of the maritime coverage that GigSky, Saily and Maya sell. On a cruise, Yesim works purely as a port-day eSIM. You’ll get a reliable connection at the dock and near the coast. Once the ship is genuinely out at sea, that connection turns unreliable, then disappears. The cruise branding on the page doesn’t change that.
Plans and pricing
Checked on yesim.app in September 2026, the Global Plus Package covers 145 countries. It comes as fixed-data tiers or unlimited tiers. On the fixed side, 5GB for 30 days costs $28.80. 10GB for 90 days costs $46.80, which is 19% off the usual $57.60. 20GB for 180 days costs $70.80, a 39% discount from $115.20, and it’s marked Most Popular. 40GB for 365 days costs $130.80, discounted 43% from $230.40.
Unlimited pricing on the same package runs $78 for 7 days. That works out at $11.15 a day. Or get 15 days for $118.80, which is $7.92 a day. That’s a 29% discount from $167.22, and it carries its own Most Popular tag. Once you buy an eSIM, you have up to 180 days to activate it. The validity clock only starts when your phone actually connects to a partner network. Balance top-ups are available in-app. Buy two or more eSIMs on one order and you get a 10% discount.
Features
| Coverage | 145 countries on the Global Plus Package; 200+ destinations across the wider catalogue |
|---|---|
| Hotspot / tethering | Depends on the network operator in each destination |
| Data / calls / SMS | Data only |
| Validity | 30 to 365 days depending on the tier; clock starts on first network connection |
| Activation | Must be activated within 180 days of purchase |
| App | Yesim app (iOS/Android) or yesim.app, 1-click install |
| Top-ups | Balance top-up available in-app |
| Refunds | 100% refund guarantee per Yesim’s published refund policy |
| Support | 24/7; average response time cited as roughly 5 minutes |
| Payment | Card in-app; 10% off when buying 2+ eSIMs on one order |
Setup and activation
You buy and install Yesim plans through the app. It’s a one-tap “Install eSIM” flow, or you can scan a QR code instead. Yesim recommends installing before you leave home. That way the profile just sits there, ready to connect at your first port. The validity period only begins on first connection, not on purchase. So installing early doesn’t shorten a plan you bought for a specific sailing.
Strengths and limits
- One eSIM covers 145 countries on the Global Plus Package, and it’s competitively priced.
- You get up to 180 days to activate a plan you’ve bought.
- There’s a 100% refund guarantee, plus 24/7 support with a roughly five-minute response time.
- Yesim’s own documentation is upfront that it can’t guarantee sea-day coverage.
- The “Cruise” page markets a land eSIM, not a maritime plan.
- Hotspot support depends on the local network operator, so it varies by country.
- Unlimited plans get fair-use throttled, following the operator’s own policy.
- There’s no genuine at-sea coverage, so you’ll still need a separate maritime plan.
Cruise and ferry plans
The plans database on this site holds cruise, ferry and maritime products only. Yesim publishes none, so there is no plan table on this page. Its regional data plans remain the relevant purchase for port days.
Verdict
Yesim’s Global Plus Package is a solid, keenly priced land eSIM with genuinely broad coverage. Its own documentation admits as much. The cruise-branded page sells exactly that: a land eSIM, not a maritime product. On a cruise itinerary, it belongs purely as the port-day plan. Pair it with a genuine at-sea seller for the time between ports. The one mistake to avoid: buying it expecting sea-day coverage because the landing page says “cruise”.
What to pair this with for sea days
Whatever you buy here, something on this list has to handle the crossings:
Frequently asked questions
01Does Yesim work on a cruise ship?+
Only alongside. Yesim runs on land networks, so it connects when the ship is docked or hugging a coastline and shows no service the rest of the time. It is half a cruise setup — buy it for the ports and buy something maritime for the crossings.
02Does Yesim’s cruise eSIM really work once the ship is at sea?+
Yesim’s own cruise FAQ says it works in ports and coastal areas with mobile coverage from its partner networks. Performance out at sea depends on that same partner coverage, not a dedicated maritime network. In practice, that means reliable data at the dock. Once the ship is genuinely offshore, expect that data to turn unreliable, then vanish.
03How long can a Yesim eSIM sit unactivated after purchase?+
Up to 180 days from the date you buy it. The plan’s validity period doesn’t start counting down until your phone connects to a partner network. So you can buy well ahead of a cruise without using up any of the plan’s days.
04What is Yesim’s “Pay & Fly” option, and does it suit an uncertain cruise schedule?+
It’s a pay-as-you-go plan that bills you only for the data you actually use, not a fixed bucket. Yesim markets it specifically at travellers worried their cruise itinerary might change. There’s nothing to pause or extend if a port gets added or dropped.
05Does hotspot work on a Yesim eSIM in port?+
It depends on the network operator in that destination, rather than being guaranteed everywhere. Yesim’s own plan details list hotspot as operator-dependent, not universally supported. It’s worth checking for your specific country or region before you rely on it.
Compare Yesim with
- Simbye — A budget eSIM retailer with an open catalog feed and a standing 15% code. Regional land plans for port days.
- Surfroam — A global roaming SIM and eSIM provider with pay-as-you-go style flexibility across many countries. Useful ashore on multi-country itineraries.
- Truely — A comparison-led eSIM seller with transparent per-GB pricing. Land plans only; no cruise or ferry products.
- Wiiline — A referral-driven eSIM store with regional packs and a permanent code. Port-day coverage.