Navigator App and texting?

[Quellman]

It worked for us when we had just gotten off the ship (apparently we were still within the ship's wifi range), but stopped working after we went through the security check point. We asked a CM and she said that only the Wave phones work on CC.

The website also says it doesn't work on CC.
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/featured/navigator-app/

It could be you happened to be near the ship or maybe it didn't actually send until you were near the ship? Or maybe something changed (I mean if they can have the Wave phones work, why not the app??). We sailed this past November on the Magic. Or could be some ships have a stronger wifi signal.

It was on the Dream in February. The palm tower is largely for the wave phones, but a wifi network has a much shorter range, so they need repeaters, new routers, whatever to have the signal blanket all guest areas. My speculation is that the island wifi that connects to the ship may not have been active on the full island yet, being that the runners are some of the first off the ship.

I sent it from near Buy the Sea Shore, and it apparently didn't go. When I got back I went to the bathroom, and then over closer to Pelican plunge and the message sent:

"About to start"
It auto sent, and then I sent
"all done"
My wife replied.
"That was quick"
I then got on pelican plunge (the enclosed slide because it is wicked fast) and then walked to the ship.

 

[Jkpark]

I couldn't get our app texting to work on CC in January. And we didn't think to bring the wave phones. Good thing we were together most of the day.

To the PP - I found something before my cruise about how to turn everything off. I knew I was going with the small wifi package to check work emails, but I didn't want everything auto-updating and pushing notifications, etc. to me once it hit the paid wi-fi. I can't remember where I found it, but pretty sure it was here.

The other great thing about the app is the kids could text on their ipods - which was so fun for them as I don't let them text normally. They loved texting each other and a few friends we made. They were pretty bummed when we arrived back at Port Canaveral and it was done.

 

[bumbershoot]

My speculation is that the island wifi that connects to the ship may not have been active on the full island yet, being that the runners are some of the first off the ship.

In all the times I've done the free island 5K, I've never been among the first. And I'm slow, like 45 minutes (and that's after the 20 minutes walking to the start), so the island was totally up and running by the time I'm done.

 

[Sparkie]

Thank you all for helping me understand the technology of my phone. I think I FINALY understand it now. I am not letting the family know about the free 50 MB because for 1 week I want to unplug.

 

[MamaBear58]

Did you contact the internet people onboard to let them know you weren't getting service?

You bought the package so you could text each other? Like, using imessage or whatever? But you could have just texted each other for free, no package of any kind needed, with the Navigator app. I don't understand.

Wave phones are crazy, and that's why we love the app. I was able to use them on our first DCL cruise in early 2013. Apparently my memory was still holding onto *how to use that sort of phone* then, but by October of that same year I had lost the info. I haven't even been able to make a CALL successfully using those things since Feb 2013. And texting OMG. How did we survive in the later 90s/early 00s with that sort of nonsense?

Kids club will call your stateroom and the Wave phone.

We send DS to the kid's club with his no-SIM phone, with the app downloaded. When he wants to go (we have yet to give him free-range abilities) he texts us. We all know texts can be delayed, so we check often and he knows to be patient.




We told them several times, to no avail. Guest Services wasn't at all helpful about the stateroom phone not working either. Even after I explained that I was on a waiting list for something and that I had a voice mail but no way to retrieve it, so how did I know whether my name had come up or whether I was going to lose my place because I wasn't responding? It resulted in several trips to Port Excursions to say "checking in...did you try to reach us/

We bought an international package from Verizon so we could text one another...I had read that the Navigator app was so slow that you could not rely on it for texts (e.g. arrives 2 hours later...only arrives if app open. etc.).

Because our stateroom phone didn't work and we had no instructions for (or desire to carry) the Wave phone, the kid's club calling us on them was useless. Plus it's not like they told us that is how they would try to reach us. We had excellent service on that ship, but the staff at the kid's club wasn't part of it. Always rushed, a bit of an attitude. Security was tight, but God forbid you ask a question or not understand the process. No attempt to integrate those for whom it was their first time at the rodeo. I wasn't impressed.

 

[cyclenut]

One thing I always do is turn off data roaming. With an international calling plan and data roaming off, you can actually turn on your phone while off the ship and not have to pay anything unless you receive or place a phone call. Depending on your plan, you may have free international text messaging like I do on Verizon. The big costs you hear about are for international data. Turning data roaming off prevents that.

The ship WiFi works for the app just fine while on the ship and unless you pay for and log into the WiFi, you will only use the free WiFi. Log out every time after use to avoid using additional time if you do choose to buy a WiFi package.

We like to have our phone on in case of emergencies. I don't get many calls so there is little risk of unexpected phone calls unless they are an emergency.

 

[bumbershoot]

Because our stateroom phone didn't work and we had no instructions for (or desire to carry) the Wave phone, the kid's club calling us on them was useless. Plus it's not like they told us that is how they would try to reach us. We had excellent service on that ship, but the staff at the kid's club wasn't part of it. Always rushed, a bit of an attitude. Security was tight, but God forbid you ask a question or not understand the process. No attempt to integrate those for whom it was their first time at the rodeo. I wasn't impressed.

It's too bad no one was listening to you.

The staff at the kid's clubs constantly does not impress me.

We will go and get in line and drop the kiddo off. Inevitably and invariably, when we go back to teh same spot to get him, they will tell us (like we should have known, like it's obvious, etc) that we have to go to the other spot. Or each time we dropoff they have the line going a different direction. And they will act like it's always been that way, there's never been a different way for the line to go. There is no understanding that we don't know what we are doing, that THEY do, and THEY should be telling us how to do things.

No there are no directions for the wave phones. I think they just assume that we remember the early 2000s. But I thought there was something telling guests that that is how the CMs will get ahold of us.

 

[Starwind]

There are instructions for the wave phone (not sure how good they are since we din't read them all the way becasue we don't use them):

Inside the hardbound book about all the various services and such that is in the stateroom.

To be honest the first few pages look more like an advertisement for DCL, so we almost did not both going further in the book. Glad we did though because there is lots of info about the ship one won't easily learn elsewhere. Including Wave phone instructions.

SW

 

[bumbershoot]

Inside the hardbound book about all the various services and such that is in the stateroom.

Ugh, yes, you're right. That book... Drives me crazy. So much info is in there, and it LOOKS like an advertisement. I want them to have a cover that says "read this now!" and attach cookies to the last page or something to get people to do it.

I still have not read all the way through it.

 

[Starwind]

Ugh, yes, you're right. That book... Drives me crazy. So much info is in there, and it LOOKS like an advertisement. I want them to have a cover that says "read this now!" and attach cookies to the last page or something to get people to do it.

I still have not read all the way through it.

Yep, that book !

We also have not made our way entirely through it. Since our next cruise might be a B2B 7+7 night, we should have time

I like your idea of a good cover and cookies

SW

 

[MamaBear58]

Yep, that book !

We also have not made our way entirely through it. Since our next cruise might be a B2B 7+7 night, we should have time

I like your idea of a good cover and cookies

SW

I too thought it was an ad and never thought to look in there. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they phased out the wave phones. We didn't even find ours until day 2 or 3 because of where it was on the desk...pushed to the side sort of under the shelves. And it isn't like the room attendant asked us why we, with kids, weren't carrying it. It's like one of those things that is there but they don't make an effort to advertise or promote it. I get it before the app...years ago we would pack walkies talkies. But if makes no sense now to have to carry another device, especially on vacation.