Help for the Technically Challenged!

[Kindle Addict]

We are on the Fantasy in 2 weeks, cruising to the Western Caribbean. We are leaving our dogs home with a new pet sitter. My husband and I are wondering if while we are in the Caribbean if we can text our sitter to see how things are going at home. We will be purchasing a wifi package for the duration of the trip. Will texting work? Thank you!

 

[MinnesotaDisneyFan]

You should have full texting if you pay for the Wifi package. Most people are able to get text based iMessage texts (no photos) on iPhones just using the free intranet on the ship that you need for the onboard app.

We never pay for the Wifi and ask our dog sitter to send alt text descriptions of how our dog is instead of photos.

 

[Kindle Addict]

You should have full texting if you pay for the Wifi package. Most people are able to get text based iMessage texts (no photos) on iPhones just using the free intranet on the ship that you need for the onboard app.

We never pay for the Wifi and ask our dog sitter to send alt text descriptions of how our dog is instead of photos.

Thank you! This will ease my husband's mind greatly!

 

[auntlynne]

We did iPhone to iPhone messages recently. We did not have any WiFi package.

It also works great among your family and friends while on the ship - better than the app for us - as we see the notification (just like at home) when not in the Disney app.

And nothing has to be uploaded! Just use your normal texting. I assume Android has similar.

 

[happycamper47]

We did iPhone to iPhone messages recently. We did not have any WiFi package.

It also works great among your family and friends while on the ship - better than the app for us - as we see the notification (just like at home) when not in the Disney app.

And nothing has to be uploaded! Just use your normal texting. I assume Android has similar.

Android uses WhatsApp..

 

[JWelch62]

Android uses WhatsApp..

WhatsApp is great, I use it a lot when travelling. I've also found that using the google messages app works with the on-board wifi if you have wifi calling enabled.

 

[CarolynFH]

Android uses WhatsApp..

Our adult DD (who won’t be on the cruise) has Android, we have iPhones. So would WhatsApp allow us to message each other?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I was on the Transatlantic with 6 days at sea before we hit land. I have a Samsung phone. I did not load the Whatsup app. I bought the basic package which allowed me access to social media. I thought I would be able to message/text with internet from the ship, but at the time did not know I had to have WiFi calling on. So, I could not text. However, I was able to Direct Message through Instagram or Facebook with my DD back in the states.

Otherwise if you use Instagram or Facebook that might be an option for you.

 

[sjuncfan]

Our adult DD (who won’t be on the cruise) has Android, we have iPhones. So would WhatsApp allow us to message each other?

Yes, whatsapp should work.

FWIW for anyone considering whatsapp, you do need a phone number to set it up. We were on a non-disney cruise over the summer and didn't realize until we were onboard that they didn't allow kids to message in the app. My DS doesn't have his own phone yet and was using an old android phone with wifi only so it took a bit to figure out how to communicate amongst ourselves and the friends we were traveling with - 2 androids and 4 iphones. iMessage wasn't an option because of the two androids, and whatsapp wasn't an option because he didn't have a phone number. We landed on google chat which was perfect in the end after some initial issues - I was trying to get it set up and couldn't add multiple people to a google chat - apparently that's something google did to make life difficult for iphone users. I tried to set up a space but that didn't go well either. In the end, either one of the android users set up the group chat or I did it from the web interface on my ipad (can't remember) and it worked great... but it took a while to get it all figured out on the first day of the cruise.

 

[happycamper47]

Our adult DD (who won’t be on the cruise) has Android, we have iPhones. So would WhatsApp allow us to message each other?

That's the advantage of WhatsApp, it works across both platforms. Many schools and organizations use it for that reason and it is encrypted which heightens the security.

 

[JWelch62]

That's the advantage of WhatsApp, it works across both platforms. Many schools and organizations use it for that reason and it is encrypted which heightens the security.

Another benefit of WhatsApp is that images sent between iOS and Android maintain full resolution.