I’ve used this one at sea
I used Maya’s Global + Cruise eSIM — here’s what worked, what didn’t, and whether I’d buy it again.
What is Maya Mobile? It’s one of the two eSIM providers recommended on this site for cruise connectivity, alongside GigSky. Rather than buying a fixed amount of data, Maya sells time-based plans with unlimited data for the duration purchased — a flat rate for three days, a week, two weeks, or a month, rather than a data allowance to track. This page covers what Maya actually sells, what it costs, and where it’s the right choice.
This page contains affiliate links for Maya.
What Is Maya Mobile?
Here’s everything worth knowing before you buy — coverage, pricing, refund policy, and who it actually suits.
At a Glance
| Positioning | Budget-friendly, flexible, unlimited-by-duration eSIM provider |
| Coverage | 165+ countries |
| Cruise coverage | 20+ cruise lines, via a separate add-on (not included by default) |
| Installation | App-free — QR code, emailed instantly after purchase |
| Plan types | Global Unlimited (3/7/14/30-day) and Global + Cruise (same durations, higher price) |
| Hotspot/tethering | Included on all plans, no extra fee |
| Refund policy | Multiple scenarios covered — see below |
Coverage
Maya provides mobile data across 165+ countries and territories through a single eSIM, connecting automatically to local networks in each destination without needing a new eSIM per country. Cruise coverage is handled separately: the Global Cruise Connectivity add-on covers 20+ major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC, Princess, Celebrity, Disney, and Holland America, delivered via satellite and maritime networks and subject to the ship and route actually supporting it. For background on how eSIM technology works generally, see the GSMA’s eSIM overview.
This distinction matters. The base Global Unlimited plan covers land only — it does not include connectivity at sea. A cruise traveller needs the cruise add-on specifically, not just the standard plan, to be covered on sea days.
How the eSIM Works
Maya’s eSIM is installed once and stays on the device permanently — there’s no need to delete or reinstall it between trips. When a plan expires, the eSIM simply goes inactive until a new plan is purchased and enabled, at which point it reconnects to the best available local network automatically.
Installation is app-free: the eSIM is delivered as a QR code by email immediately after purchase, and set up through the device’s own settings menu rather than a dedicated Maya app. This is a different approach to GigSky, which relies on its own app for both installation and top-ups.
What Maya Sells
Global Unlimited plans. The base product — unlimited data across 165+ countries for a fixed number of days. Available in 3, 7, 14, and 30-day durations. This covers land only.
Global + Cruise plans. The same duration options, with the cruise connectivity add-on included, covering both land and the 20+ supported cruise lines. This is the relevant product for a cruise traveller, and the one priced below.
On both plan types, “unlimited” means data is never cut off entirely, but each day includes a high-speed data quota; once that’s used, speed drops to a reduced rate rather than stopping, resetting again after 24 hours. This is a standard fair-use approach across the industry, not something specific to Maya, but worth knowing rather than assuming full speed applies without limit all day.
Pricing
Global + Cruise plans (GBP, the plans relevant for cruise use):
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 3 days | £36.49 |
| 7 days | £80.29 |
| 14 days | £117.52 |
| 30 days | £218.99 |
Prices are set in USD by Maya and shown here as an approximate GBP conversion — treat these as a guide and confirm current pricing before buying.
Hotspot and Tethering
Hotspot and tethering are included on all Maya plans at no extra charge, useful for sharing a single eSIM’s connection with a laptop or tablet, or across a family group via one device.
Refund Policy
Maya’s refund terms cover several distinct situations rather than a single blanket guarantee:
- Full refund if no data has been used and the request is made within 30 days of purchase, or if the plan was activated but never worked due to an error on Maya’s side that couldn’t be fixed within 10 days.
- Full refund if the eSIM can’t be installed because the device turns out to be incompatible or carrier-locked, provided no data was used and the request is made within 30 days.
- 14-day cooling-off right for consumers, standard under UK/EU consumer law, up until the eSIM is actually activated.
- Partial refund, proportionate to unused data, if the plan was partially used but stopped working properly due to a fault on Maya’s network.
Outside of these, no refund is given — including if a trip is cancelled after the plan has already been activated and data used.
What to Watch Out For
Auto Top-Up is available but off by default. If enabled, it automatically repurchases the same plan at expiry using the saved payment method. Worth checking this setting isn’t accidentally left on if a one-off purchase was intended.
The cruise add-on has to be selected specifically. Buying the standard Global Unlimited plan without adding cruise connectivity leaves a cruiser without coverage at sea — worth double-checking at checkout.
“Unlimited” is subject to a daily fair-use quota, as above — genuinely useful for most cruise use (messaging, maps, browsing, moderate streaming), but not a guarantee of unrestricted speed all day, every day.
Who Maya Suits Best
- Anyone who doesn’t want to think about a data allowance at all — one price covers the full trip length, with no tracking required. This matches my own experience using Maya: no need to monitor a data counter at any point during the cruise.
- Multi-country itineraries — since coverage spans 165+ countries under one eSIM, this suits cruises that call at several countries in a single week without needing separate local SIMs.
- Groups sharing one connection — hotspot and tethering are included at no extra cost.
- Anyone prioritising simplicity over the lowest possible price — Maya’s flat-rate model generally costs more than GigSky’s fixed-data plans for a comparable trip, in exchange for not having to estimate usage in advance.
Ready to buy? See Maya’s current plans.
Curious what Maya is actually like to use? I put the Global + Cruise eSIM through its paces on Legend of the Seas — here’s my honest verdict.
For a traveller who’d rather buy a known amount of data and control cost precisely, GigSky’s fixed-bucket approach may suit better — see the GigSky vs Maya comparison for the direct trade-off.
Last updated August 2026. This page contains affiliate links for Maya. Get Maya here — a small commission is earned if a purchase is made through it, at no extra cost to you. More on how that works →
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