NEW DCL Navigator App - Texting Feature!

[Zandy595]

The Onboard Chat feature is only available on the Disney Dream starting on October 16, 2014, and Disney Fantasy beginning with the October 25, 2014 sailing.

We are excited you will be sailing with us soon.

As you may have heard, we have recently unveiled the "Disney Cruise Line Navigator App" for Guests with an iOS or Android smartphone to experience during their cruise vacation. This free app offers the convenience of having the Personal Navigator - our shipboard daily newsletter detailing all there is to see and do - from dinner menus, entertainment offerings and deck plans in an electronic version right at their fingertips once onboard.

Recent enhancements to the App include the ability to allow for chat among family members or other Guests aboard the ship. Since you are one of the first to experience this new feature, we want to share the addendum to the Cruise Contract/Conditions of Carriage that will be in effect during your sailing as it contains important information on setting permissions.

If available on your Vessel, each Guest will have the opportunity to use Onboard Chat, a text messaging feature in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator mobile application (the “Mobile App”). The primary Guest on each reservation has the ability to allow children under 13 years of age in the primary Guest’s stateroom to use Onboard Chat by providing the Activation PIN to such children to enable access. Children under 13 in your stateroom will not have access to Onboard Chat unless you, the primary Guest, provide them with the Activation PIN. You may withdraw your consent at any time through the child’s contact details page in the Onboard Chat section of the Mobile App, even if you have already provided a child with the Activation PIN. You understand and agree that, by providing such Activation PIN to your children under 13, you are giving the child permission to send and receive Onboard Chat messages with other Guests within the DCL-GUEST on-ship network. While children will only need to disclose their assigned Onboard Chat Number and Chat name to other Guests in order to send and receive Onboard Chats with those Guests, it is possible that children may reveal personal information about themselves in the Onboard Chat messages. Because Onboard Chat will enable children to freely chat with other Guests, we encourage you to monitor and supervise children's Onboard Chat conversations. You may, for example, want to set rules for children about whom they can connect with, what general discussion topics are allowed, and what personal information, if any, is appropriate to share. For more information about our privacy practices, you may view our privacy policy at disneyprivacycenter.com.

While the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App is available on all of our ships, at this time, the Onboard Chat feature is only available on the Disney Dream starting on October 16, 2014, and Disney Fantasy beginning with the October 25, 2014 sailing.

Again, we are glad you will be joining us and look forward to providing you an exceptional voyage.

Sincerely,

The Cast and Crew
Disney Cruise Line

 

[serenitynow]

Rats, you beat me to the official announcement. So happy to say goodbye to those wave phones- we can text each other on our own smartphones, plus have the Navigator app on the same device. Hurray, I hope it works!

 

[Meredisney]

Just got the email! This is so cool. DH and I will not have to rely on the wave phones!

 

[wilkeliza]

Can't wait to use this feature in February!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thank you, dcl!!!!!!!

 

[xlxo]

How about putting the App on the Amazon Android store for Blackberry users?

 

[kevkrug]

What are the chances of them rolling this feature out to the Magic by January?

 

[RRBB]

Still waiting for the ability to communicate with ship crew - club, lab, guest services, etc. - through the app though. With kids still aged to go to club/lab we will have to carry the wave phone, too.

 

[eeyore'swife]

I'm excited to try this out in a couple of weeks! I love the idea of the navigators on our phones and having the ability to text on a normal keyboard will be great!

 

[samily]

This is great news!!! I hope the kids club can utilize it too instead of having to use those awful wave phones!

 

[RRBB]

This is great news!!! I hope the kids club can utilize it too instead of having to use those awful wave phones!

Sadly, I don't believe they can. When we were on the Fantasy in August I had the chance to speak with one of the VP's (sorry can't remember his name.) He said that ship services will not be communicating through the app. So we're stuck with the Wave Phone if anyone in the club/lab, spa, guest services, etc. needs to contact us outside of stateroom. The app only allows communication between guests' devices.

Still, I'm hopeful that down the road we'll only be tied to one device while on vacation.

 

[js]

Rats, you beat me to the official announcement. So happy to say goodbye to those wave phones- we can text each other on our own smartphones, plus have the Navigator app on the same device. Hurray, I hope it works!

We pay $9 or so for this feature of calling and texting each other on the NCL app. Will the text feature be free on the Dream? Im sailing in December.

Thank you.

 

[wilkeliza]

We pay $9 or so for this feature of calling and texting each other on the NCL app. Will the text feature be free on the Dream? Im sailing in December. Thank you.

From what has been released it appears it will be free. The app is free and the wifi for the app is free. There is no incentive to pay for this service as the waves phones are free to use so I can't imagine they will charge for it.

 

[Bear3412]

Does this mean texting may/will occur across/between Android and Apple products aboard, using said App?
Including Ipods?

Our family shares platforms. Kids are Apple, parents are Android.

If so that would be sweet.

I too am waiting to hear if the Club CM's can use said app.
If not, I also see this as a major limitation.
I'm sure they are aware of this dilemma and have planned it out.
After all, it's DCL. lol. I will bet on DCL.

IOW, I have confidence DCL's CM's can, and will, communicate thru the same path as the pax can, therefore utilizing the same wifi system pax are utilizing. Therefore it will be compatible with the Kids Club CM"s .

IOW, Club CM's will be able to notify pax thru said new app, w/o Wave Phones.

I will be aboard the first Fantasy sailing where this app applies. 10/25/15.
I will test it, among other things , and report back 11/6/14.

 

[momof2n2]

Will it work for iPods iPads?

 

[wajones2]

Will it work for iPods iPads?

I would guess that as long as they have app and wifi then yes.

 

[bigtony777]

I don't see how it wouldn't work with any device that has the app and is connected to the wifi.

 

[TAK]

Do you have to be connected to the paid wifi? The app uses the intranet (free) now, so I was hoping it would continue to do so with the chat function.

 

[su_A_ve]

I remember reading at one point that iMessage was somehow working via the ship's wifi without paying. Because of how the iOS devices allow wifi connections to work, it could theoretically work if the connection to Apple's server was left open.

But haven't read much since so I wonder if that was a fluke or big when it launched with the new pricing plans.

 

[Bear3412]

I don't see how it wouldn't work with any device that has the app and is connected to the wifi.

Thanks