How much cruise data do you need?
Sea days and port days are priced completely differently — maritime data runs roughly $10–35 per GB, land data a few dollars. Split them and you almost always pay less.
Short answer
On a 7-day trip with 3 sea days and 4 port days at medium — social, email, photos usage, expect to need about 1.2 GB at sea and 1.6 GB in port. The cheapest at-sea plan that covers it is GigSky Cruise & Middle East Unlimited 7-day at $31.99 ($6.85/GB).
Prices last confirmed
Your estimate
| Days | Estimated data | What covers it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Sea days | 3 | 1.2 GB | A maritime eSIM, ship Wi-Fi, or carrier day pass |
| 🟡 Port days | 4 | 1.6 GB | Any regional eSIM — a few dollars per GB |
Estimates assume 400 MB per day at this usage level. They are deliberately conservative — running out mid-cruise costs far more than buying a size up.
Cheapest plan that covers your sea days
GigSky — Cruise & Middle East Unlimited 7-day🟢 Works at seaUnlimitedOur #1 pickBest valueCode ESIMDUDE⚠️ Switches between the ship’s maritime network at sea and local networks in port — one eSIM covers both.
Get deal →$31.99≈ $4.57/day- GigSky — Cruise & Middle East 3GB🟢 Works at seaOur #1 pickCode ESIMDUDE
⚠️ Switches between the ship’s maritime network at sea and local networks in port — one eSIM covers both.
Get deal →$39.99≈ $2.67/day - GigSky — Cruise + Americas/Caribbean Unlimited 7-day🟢 Works at seaUnlimitedOur #1 pickCode ESIMDUDE
⚠️ Switches between the ship’s maritime network at sea and local networks in port — one eSIM covers both.
Get deal →$44.49≈ $6.36/day - GigSky — Cruise + Asia Pacific Unlimited 7-day🟢 Works at seaUnlimitedOur #1 pickCode ESIMDUDE
⚠️ Switches between the ship’s maritime network at sea and local networks in port — one eSIM covers both.
Get deal →$44.49≈ $6.36/day
And for the 4 port days
Lowest per-GB Caribbean regional data we track, and the DUDEADVICE5 code stacks on top.
Code DUDEADVICE5The safest default — its Caribbean regional pack covers nearly every island a ship calls at.
Frequently asked questions
01How much data do I actually need on a cruise?+
For messaging and maps in port, 1–3 GB covers a seven-night sailing comfortably. Add 5 GB or more if you plan to upload photos or video-call home from sea days. Unlimited plans are rarely worth it at sea — they are throttled under fair-use policies far more aggressively than the marketing suggests.
02Does data on sea days cost more than in port?+
Effectively yes. Port-day data comes from ordinary land networks and costs a few dollars per GB. Sea-day data comes over the ship’s satellite-backhauled maritime network and runs roughly $10–35 per GB. That is why splitting the two — a small at-sea plan plus a cheap regional eSIM — usually beats one big plan.
03Should I count sea days or total days?+
Count them separately, which is what this calculator does. Sea days need maritime coverage; port days need an ordinary regional eSIM. Buying one plan sized for the whole trip means paying maritime rates for data you could have bought at land rates.