E-sim for use in Asia

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OnceBitten

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#325132 14-Jul-2026 09:25

Ok so I'm totally new to e-sims and don't know how they work or anything

In Feb 2027 Wife and I will be doing a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, and on the ship we will have a basic wi-fi plan that will allow us to check e-mails / messages etc....

For about 3 of the port stops we are looking at booking our own excursions through a 3rd party provider like Shore Excursion group or get your guide.

This means we may have to contact / communicate via phone or internet (whats app / e-mail) with these 3rd party tour providers once we get to port and off the ship - we both have iPhones / iPad

We will also need to be contactable by phone in case something happens to one of our elderly parents

can someone please let me know how an e-sim works and if they include data in case we need to message someone once we are off the ship and not within the ships wi-fi range?

thanks in advance

darylblake

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#3511184 14-Jul-2026 09:29

Theres a few options here.

You can talk to your provider. Or you can look at services like Saily.

Other members might have other suggestions/recommendations.

wellygary

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#3511187 14-Jul-2026 09:49

TBH for just 3 stops (3 days?) i'd look at Roaming with your existing NZ plan and just keep your phone in flight mode on the boat to allow for tings like whatsapp etc,

What countries are you stopping in?

Linux

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#3511190 14-Jul-2026 09:54

OnceBitten:

can someone please let me know how an e-sim works and if they include data in case we need to message someone once we are off the ship and not within the ships wi-fi range?

@OnceBitten Many eSIM providers only include data and no Voice calling, When you say message someone what type of message SMS or Whatsapp, iMessage, Facebook messenger etc..

OnceBitten

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#3511191 14-Jul-2026 09:56

wellygary:

TBH for just 3 stops (3 days?) i'd look at Roaming with your existing NZ plan and just keep your phone in flight mode on the boat to allow for tings like whatsapp etc,

What countries are you stopping in?

thanks, it could be up to 4 stops - as we've not really looked deep into the excursions offered yet, except that for some of the port stops, 3rd party tour providers are way cheaper than the ship offered excursions

the cruise goes to Ko Samui, Laem Chabang (for Bangkok) Ho Chi Minh, Hue / Danang, Hanoi to Hong Kong

I will ask one.nz about it and get afvice from them.... and compare that with the cost of an e-sim

Handle9

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#3511195 14-Jul-2026 10:26

If your first stop is Singapore have a look at Singtel tourist sims. They come with heaps of local data and significant amounts of roaming data in Asia for SG12-15.

You can buy online with an esim and have it working when you hit the ground or do it at the Singtel shop at the airport on arrival.

Jase2985

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#3511209 14-Jul-2026 11:22

Handle9:

If your first stop is Singapore have a look at Singtel tourist sims. They come with heaps of local data and significant amounts of roaming data in Asia for SG12-15.

You can buy online with an esim and have it working when you hit the ground or do it at the Singtel shop at the airport on arrival.

Make sure you do this well in advance as it took nearly 48 hours for them to activate my ESim last year. There support was also horrible in chasing it up.

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noroad

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#3511210 14-Jul-2026 11:33

OnceBitten:

Ok so I'm totally new to e-sims and don't know how they work or anything

In Feb 2027 Wife and I will be doing a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, and on the ship we will have a basic wi-fi plan that will allow us to check e-mails / messages etc....

For about 3 of the port stops we are looking at booking our own excursions through a 3rd party provider like Shore Excursion group or get your guide.

This means we may have to contact / communicate via phone or internet (whats app / e-mail) with these 3rd party tour providers once we get to port and off the ship - we both have iPhones / iPad

We will also need to be contactable by phone in case something happens to one of our elderly parents

can someone please let me know how an e-sim works and if they include data in case we need to message someone once we are off the ship and not within the ships wi-fi range?

thanks in advance

As suggested by others If you need calls etc then just buy whatever the weekly package is off your current provider like this - https://www.skinny.co.nz/pricing/overseas-roaming

These however normally only come with a small data allowance, so using an app like this -

https://www.airalo.com/asia-esim

To give you an e-sim for your data gives you the best of both worlds. (set your phone to use your Telco for calls/texts and the e-sim for data) So this gives you 1 week with 200 minutes of calls and texts with unlimited data for $23 + $47 = $70

Use my referral code for an Airalo discount should you so desire - "TONY4571"