When I went on a 2025 Princess cruise to Alaska, I got spotty connectivity on my Android phone, compared to what my iPhone-owning friends experienced. I ended up paying $100 just to send email for a day or two. But at least I was able to make phone calls throughout the voyage. 

It was whole ’nother ball game for my friend Tammy when she took an MSC cruise to the Caribbean in March of 2026. The ship offered an internet package for $35 a day that didn’t cover calls. “Too pricey,” she decided. More typically, Carnival cruises charge $23.80 a day if you buy it before the cruise, and $28 to $35 if you wait. So if I ever go on a cruise again, I’ll buy before I board.

Instead of the MSC package, Tammy paid $20 a day for Verizon’s “Cruise Daily Pass.” It was supposed to work well on land and at sea, but she never got a signal when the ship was far from shore, due to a lack of cell towers. She asked me to Google stuff for her and was bummed when she couldn’t share photos. 

My Consumer Cellular plan doesn’t offer anything like a cruise pass. But I could purchase a local SIM card for use on land. The problem is finding a reputable dealer, which can be difficult in some areas. What’s more, if I didn’t have a dual SIM phone, or an extra phone to use, I would lose my number temporarily when I swapped my usual SIM card for a local one.

Another option, if your phone supports eSIM, is called “OneRoam.” Their land-based plans are around $5.00 a day for unlimited data. They also offer a partnership with Cellular at Sea to bring you a combined land and maritime connection, starting at around $13 a day. In either case, your connection will be deprioritized compared to local carriers. Speeds may dip when lots of users are competing for bandwidth, when you’re streaming movies or when you’re downloading large files. Also, you may need to manually select a local carrier network in your phone’s settings at port if the switch doesn’t happen automatically. That could trip up less tech-savvy travelers unless they ask cruise personnel for help.

Increasing Your Energy

By improving your “Maximal Oxygen Consumption,” or “VO₂ max,” you can increase your energy, reduce your stress level and get sick less often. 

One way to test yours is with an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch or Google Pixel watch. To check it on an iPhone, record an outdoor walk, run or hike, then tap the Health app and do a search on “VO₂ max.” On a Samsung Galaxy watch, you’ll see your VO₂ max measurement on your watch face immediately after your excursion, or you can check the Health app.

App Happy

If you like taking pictures of Nature, you might enjoy the iNaturalist app from iNaturalist.org. It’s a great way to share your findings with scientists who want to find out the habitats of as many organisms as they can. The app also allows you to chat with other naturalists. According to CBS News, iNaturalist fans have recorded 300 million sightings in all 195 countries, providing data on hundreds of thousands of species a year.

AI Yes Men

AI tends to agree with you even when you’re wrong, according to a Stanford University study. What’s more, nearly everyone is swayed by AI’s flattering opinion, the data shows. 

For example, AI convinced a man he was right to lie to his partner about his employment status, according to Ars Technica. In another case, when AI told people that it was OK to leave trash in a public park if you don’t see a trash can, they felt justified. Similarly, when a guy’s girlfriend objected to his continued communication with his ex, the man felt convinced he should break up with her rather than stop talking to his ex. The study involved 2405 participants across all walks of life.

But I don’t think AI’s sycophancy is always bad. It can boost your confidence, assure you you’re on the right path and give you courage to move ahead. If in doubt, just ask it for constructive criticism and other points of view.

Scam City

When a reader got a text message saying that his credit card was used for a $214 splurge in Atlanta, he knew he’d been had. So later, when he got a phone call offering to take over his computer remotely to fix the problem, he hung up.

I once fell for this kind of scam years ago, and my computer was a mess until I reset it. Now I know that if a request to control your computer arrives unexpectedly, it’s a scam. It’s not like when you call Apple tech support and they offer to start a remote troubleshooting session. That’s safe.

Internut

Go to Cronometer.com to find out whether you’re deficient in any nutrient just by listing everything you ate for the day. That’s how I and my health enthusiast friends found that we were deficient in Vitamin E. But we’ll get it from fruits and veggies, seeds and nuts, not supplements. For Vitamin E and Vitamin A, supplements are dangerous, according to best-selling author, Joel Furhman, M.D. and others.

Filed under: AI, apps, Internuts, security, spyware, wearables