Can you sail with Disney Cruise Line WITHOUT a Smart Phone???

[Girl of the South]

The mention of having to possibly buy a "Magic Band" got me thinking about people without a smart phone. Can you possibly sail without one? Would be sad if you couldn't. I understand it's hard to believe that some people don't have one or don't WANT one or are older and have one of those Jitterbug phones. I personally would LOVE not to have one on vacation. So, assuming you did manage to check in on your home computer, can you print out a boarding pass? Request paper menus? Find a board with Navigator information? Could you get by, somehow, without a "smart" phone? And for those who have sailed on other cruise lines, is this now the ONLY way you can cruise?? Thanks!

 

[stkgator]

A smartphone will make it much easier - but it is not required to have one.

When they were doing in-port COVID testing, you needed one to check the status of your test prior to checking-in. You can print your Porat Arrival Form to check your bags, make it through security, and board the ship. When you board, you use your smartphone to complete the life-boat drill - but you can just go to your assigned station and check-in with the cast member posted at that station.

Once on board, you can use your smartphone to check the schedule of events, scheduled activities, and menus - some of this information is available on the stateroom TV. You can also use it to communicate with customer service while on board as well as send messages to other members in your part.

It is much more convenient with a smartphone, but it is not required.

 

[Kwami]

When they were doing in-port COVID testing, you needed one to check the status of your test prior to checking-in.

Even then, you could see your test results on the TVs that they had in each tent, so you didn't really need your phone.

If you don't have your phone, how will you know which restaurant to go to on the first night? I guess you'll have to go and ask Guest Services for your dining schedule.

 

[Doingitagain]

The biggest issue is that paper navigators don't exist any more. The best way to get the schedule is on a smart phone, since it isn't easy to run back to your stateroom to check the TV. I didn't see boards showing the schedule any where on the ship.
We used regular physical menus for dining, that was great.

 

[Cheburashka]

You can but they're making it as hard as possible.

 

[cruiserx]

On the magic this summer, one of us forgot to download the DCL app before setting sail. We were able to borrow an iPod from guest services to use that only had the app available.

 

[disneylandlocal]

Not easily, the schedules, menus at dinner, etc will be on the smartphone. I think you can ask for a hard copy menu. My kids don’t have phones so we had them message us on an iPad when they got to the room.

 

[Cheburashka]

On the magic this summer, one of us forgot to download the DCL app before setting sail. We were able to borrow an iPod from guest services to use that only had the app available.

I was wondering what they'd do about guests with no working smart phone.

 

[Cheburashka]

I like to put my cell phone in the safe during cruises because I like to unplug and get away from the real world. Here are the specifics that I found to be true during my October and March cruises:

1. You can request a hard copy menu at any restaurant, including the specialty restaurants. If you can't remember your MDR table number, the person at the host stand will look it up for you.

2. You can do the muster drill without a phone. Just tell the person at your muster station that you don't have one and they'll check you off their list.

3. The daily activities are listed on your stateroom TV.

4. When I was cruising they had a virtual queue for getting off at ports (not sure if this is still ongoing), but I never bothered with it as I never wanted to be one of the first off the ship. Within an hour or so the virtual queue was no longer needed.

5. Once I did a ship excursion, and no app was needed for that.

6. You can drop in to talk to Guest Services in person or call them via your stateroom telephone 24/7.

7. You can make last-minute dining reservations for Palo and Remy via stateroom telephone.

8. You can stop by Guest Services to get a hard copy of your folio at any time.

9. When you get pictures taken, you tell them your stateroom number. You don't need your phone for that. You purchase pictures at the picture kiosks on deck 4.

10. You can go to Guest Services to book a placeholder cruise instead of via the app.

 

[EddieK76]

I like to put my cell phone in the safe during cruises because I like to unplug and get away from the real world. Here are the specifics that I found to be true during my October and March cruises:

1. You can request a hard copy menu at any restaurant, including the specialty restaurants. If you can't remember your MDR table number, the person at the host stand will look it up for you.

2. You can do the muster drill without a phone. Just tell the person at your muster station that you don't have one and they'll check you off their list.

3. The daily activities are listed on your stateroom TV.

4. When I was cruising they had a virtual queue for getting off at ports (not sure if this is still ongoing), but I never bothered with it as I never wanted to be one of the first off the ship. Within an hour or so the virtual queue was no longer needed.

5. Once I did a ship excursion, and no app was needed for that.

6. You can drop in to talk to Guest Services in person or call them via your stateroom telephone 24/7.

7. You can make last-minute dining reservations for Palo and Remy via stateroom telephone.

8. You can stop by Guest Services to get a hard copy of your folio at any time.

9. When you get pictures taken, you tell them your stateroom number. You don't need your phone for that. You purchase pictures at the picture kiosks on deck 4.

If you want to book a placeholder cruise, currently you must do that through the app. As an other poster indicated, though, you can apparently borrow an iPad from DCL for that purpose. (I haven't done that myself so I can only go from what the other poster said.)

Thanks for all these tips. I've been trying to decide how much I want to unplug albeit I do have some adult teenagers I'm leaving behind that I'm sure will need to be checked up on

I guess the only reason why I would want to bring my phone to dinner would be for pictures/video.

 

[Kwami]

If you want to book a placeholder cruise, currently you must do that through the app.

You can make placeholder reservations at Guest Services. The app didn't work for me, so that's what I did.

 

[CM Dad]

If you want to book a placeholder cruise, currently you must do that through the app. As another poster indicated, though, you can apparently borrow an iPad from DCL for that purpose. (I haven't done that myself so I can only go from what the other poster said.)

You might be able to book using the app. On the Wish MV, my app did not show any option to actually purchase a placeholder. I ended up making an appointment with Guest Services, and they booked the placeholders for me. No iPad was borrowed.

I also found out what it is like if an individual does not have a smart phone. At Castaway Cay on the MV, my phone accidently went in the snorkel lagoon, and hasn't worked since. My wife and I share her smartphone for the rest of the cruise (and for the whole DVC cruise, since we were doing a B2B)

 

[Girl of the South]

Thanks Cheburashka!

I figured there had to be a way. And I am stubborn enough to give it a try. I want to disconnect when on vacation, particularly on a cruise.

 

[Doingitagain]

If you want to book a placeholder cruise, currently you must do that through the app. As another poster indicated, though, you can apparently borrow an iPad from DCL for that purpose. (I haven't done that myself so I can only go from what the other poster said.)

You can do it at guest services, we did. If you do it on the app it goes through right away and you get an email confirmation. If you do it through guest services, it is processed after the cruise by the shoreside team and you anxiously wait to make sure they didn't mess up. It does bring an interesting situation, though. The 24 months to use the placeholder starts when it is confirmed -- so you get more time to book the placeholder cruise if you go through guest services. There is a week difference between the placeholder deadline for the ones booked on the app vs those booked with guest services. For sure on the next cruise if I do a placeholder on the app, I will do it at the end of the cruise. We tend to go every other year around the same time, so that one week may make a difference.

 

[Cheburashka]

You can do it at guest services, we did. If you do it on the app it goes through right away and you get an email confirmation. If you do it through guest services, it is processed after the cruise by the shoreside team and you anxiously wait to make sure they didn't mess up.

I did it via the app and had to deal with the post-cruise ordeal you described. It wasn't automatic. Hopefully it's more seamless now than when I last sailed in March.

 

[koala1966]

The biggest issue is that paper navigators don't exist any more. The best way to get the schedule is on a smart phone, since it isn't easy to run back to your stateroom to check the TV. I didn't see boards showing the schedule any where on the ship.
We used regular physical menus for dining, that was great.

We did see a digital board on the Dream, I think on Deck 3. Also outside each of the clubs, but just for that club. The schedule is the biggest problem, with or without a smart phone (I do not care for the way they present it on the app, lots of scrolling required).