Any advice on whether we shoul rent a cell phone for the wk we are there? We plan to take our own for emergencies(verizon) but don't plan to use it unless we have to. I'm thinking a rental phon would be just 1 more thing to keep up with. Are dining reservations at midrange restaurants necessary during off season (next week)?

For many years we never bothered with a cell phone. Of course, the time finally came when we got a call from home where we then had to stay in touch due to a family member's illness. So we started renting then.

But if you don't have that situation and have an emergency phone, I would not bother, in all honesty.

We've NEVER made a dining reservation. If one restaurant does not have room, there's another just down the street.

I agree with Elaine, and we have never rented a cell phone either. We also have Verizon. However, last year our Verizon phone, a global phone with international service, didn't work in many locations, which lead us to be concerned that it wouldn't be reliable in an emergency. Because of that concern we're considering renting this year. We plan on waiting until we get there, and testing our phone; if it's still unreliable, then we'll rent.

To the OP,

I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but here goes - I would rent a local phone just to be on the safe side. As others have said, you may not need it at all (and I honestly hope you don't) But Sharon Harris, QueenSXM, makes the whole process such an easy thing to do, that I just can't imagine being without one now and sadly, you just never know when the 'need' might occur. The price is minimal to begin with but if the occasion ever arose that you actually needed it, believe me, the phone would be priceless.

Georgia and Elaine,

No surprise to either of you, I'm sure, but we never bothered with a cell phone on the island and never really felt the need to over all our years of visiting.

People at home knew where we were and how to reach us if they needed to and the hotel phones were there in a true emergency so we just never saw the necessity for us.

A year or so ago our rental car was vandalized at the beach and we were unable to open the doors - any of them - because of the damage done. Would you believe, this was the first time I'd ever had a cell phone on the island?! What a lifesaver it might have been.

If, that is, we had it with us. Being the true and natural blonde I once was, I'd left it in the hotel suite - my reasonable thought process being what could I possibly need with a phone at the beach?

After a hot walk back to The Towers along the roadway with cars streaming at us in both directions, we called our rental company who immediately came and picked us up and took us back to the beach to check out the car.

After that experience I've decided even if I never use it, I do enjoy the security of having a cell phone and from that trip on, I actually do keep it WITH ME - even on the beach. Now that's not to say it will be turned on....

And Elaine, we don't usually make dinner reservations either.....so many options and who wants to be tied to a schedule on vacation? Life's too short and you really need to sieze the moment and enjoy each one of them and being tied to commitments and reservations sure does take some of the fun and spontaneity away. But there have been a few occasions - like Easter Sunday dinner for a family of eleven....

Respectfully,

pat




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2010 07:56PM by pat.

We also never used to bother with a phone while on vacation but two years ago there was an emergency at home & they could not reach us through the resort phone system. They were put on hold & then thrown out over & over. They finally got a call through after two days but by then we could not change our flight. Ever since that trip (we go twice a year) we get a phone from Sharon. We only put $5.00 in time on it so between the rental & the time it costs us $25.00 for peace of mind which in turn lets us enjoy our vacation that much more.

Thomas