New one sheet Personal Navigators - Update: Mixed reports currently, what is your recent experience?

[squirk]

Thanks for this, good reminder

I apologize. I was only speaking for myself; was not trying to be preachy.

 

[hanscarlet]

it didn't come off preachy to me, just put it into perspective for me

 

[JanBlessed]

awwwww! Im sure that DH and I will use and enjoy the app, BUT, my parents and in-laws are FINALLY joining us on a DISNEY CRUISE and I was really, really looking fwd to them enjoying the navigators. I actually had used this (I still have a navigation from my last cruise) as another selling point! They liked them so much better than the other cruise lines. So....this is sad news for me.

 

[hanscarlet]

Now that you mention it, do other cruise lines have navigators as well? If so are they as many pages as DCL's? Just curios if other CLs are doing something similar

 

[Bishoparc]

I don't understand how anyone would be missing out on anything even if they don't have a smart phone. The one page navigators have all the activities listed. The Navigator booklets are basically just a bunch adds.

Someone already mentioned this but for me it was the description of the activities that was missing. There was something called the "Mickey 200", no clue what it was. It had a checkered flag on the block of time so I assume it was something racing related but no clue from looking at the single page navigator.

Being in IT, I try very hard on the cruises to just leave the phone alone because the cruises are my break from technology that the wife and I can focus on each other but found myself having to refer to the app often to try to figure out what something was because the single page paper navigator didn't have enough info. (I like the suggestion someone made earlier of having the option to "opt" into the larger navigator but for those that want to use the app they can "opt" out of the paper navigator all together prior to their cruise to save the paper. I'm all about saving resources but definitely think people should have a choice).

For those of us that cruise often, we probably know what most of the activities are but for some of the first timers I could imagine that single page navigator would be very frustrating if they aren't planning on using the app.

But to add to this conversation, on our cruise we just got off of yesterday on the Dream they were pushing the app a lot. It was mentioned on a lot of the announcements, at the shows, etc "Check your navigator on the DCL app for more information".

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Now that you mention it, do other cruise lines have navigators as well? If so are they as many pages as DCL's? Just curios if other CLs are doing something similar

On Carnival they have the Fun Times. It's pretty much like the full Navigator with at least 3 pages of what's going on and a sort of list-type (by time) schedule of the day. But each time only list one thing at that time, even if there are others things.

On Princess it's the Patter and it's the same.

Holland America it called the Explorer and it's the basic 11 X 17 page folded (so four pages). Again, with only a single list by time of when things are happening.

 

[Keyser]

You know, while "3 million pieces of paper" sounds like a lot - it's really not (it's only 15 pallets of paper - for a whole year). This is going to have basically no environmental effect.

However, I expect it will save some work on the part of Disney - both in the daily layout of the full navigator and the process of printing/folding/collating the larger navigators. And, that's part of why I don't think they'll do the whole "print them for those who ask" thing - by the time they've gone to the trouble of writing and laying out and printing some up, the difference between printing 250 and printing 1250 is not very significant. I imagine they have a machine to do the folding/collating, and if they can do that on land (for the first day) rather than using ship space, that also gives them a little bit more space, and some more employee time, that can be used on other things. They'll still create and print up the 1-pagers, so they don't totally eliminate the time and equipment, but it'll be far more significant than the paper itself.

For me, I can't use the app on my phone (it's a Windows phone...), though my wife used the app on her phone, and we found it very useful (mainly for the menus). Like many of you, my daughter and I would love to look at the navigator each night. But the main thing we cared about was the grid, which will still be there. I do think this is clearly another example of "getting less for your $", but things will change over time, and if it turns out that very few people cared about the full navigator, it's reasonable for them to look at cutting that. If it turns out that people miss the navigator, or people encounter more problems due to not having it, they'll go back.

Plus, it's not all negative: in the "getting more for your $" category, we can add the Ghiradelli chocolates...

 

[wide awake]

Just sent my email asking for both the full Navigator and the app... are both good, but fulfill different functions. We enjoy going over the Navigator at night, as a family, and the app is nice IF I feel like using my phone or tablet...and sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. On vacation I want the option. Besides, DCL goes for a classic look, the full Navigator is consistent with that.

 

[SuperDry]

I like and want the full Navigator. I always have my phone with me, but the app is more for reference, whereas the Navigator is better for browsing.

 

[squirk]

The full Navigator makes you feel like you are visiting a little town with its own little newspaper, filled with local current events and info on the local repertory theater company.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

On Carnival they have the Fun Times. It's pretty much like the full Navigator with at least 3 pages of what's going on and a sort of list-type (by time) schedule of the day. But each time only list one thing at that time, even if there are others things.

On Princess it's the Patter and it's the same.

Holland America it called the Explorer and it's the basic 11 X 17 page folded (so four pages). Again, with only a single list by time of when things are happening.

That's not true - I just checked my most recent Carnival Fun Times (August 2016) and it shows multiple activities at the same time - at noon, it lists 3 things - Trivial Pursuit, Cooking demonstration and Spa Raffle (and there are more examples of that - it's just the first one that I noticed).

DCL's Navigator's are definitely the glossiest cruise papers around and (previously) the most colourful. Every main stream cruise line has it's own version of it. Most stick to only a few colours though (i.e. Red, Blue and White for Carnival; various shades of blue for Celebrity with small photos at the top; Orange, purple, green for Royal).

Carnival also has an app which they are rolling out to their fleet; most of the ships that have the app have also gone to a smaller, tri-fold Fun Times (though they don't just have their time listings but have maintained some descriptions).

I would expect that as "cruise ship apps" become more prevalent and popular, other cruise lines will follow suit with the reduction of the papers.

 

[ludari]

Not really happy about the change because I always keep a copy of each of the navigators for all my cruises. I understand that DCL could be doing this because of the app but I don't like walking around the ship with my phone and prefer something I can fold or don't mind losing. Well I guess I'll just roll with it since I don't have a choice.

 

[RedSox68]

Now that you mention it, do other cruise lines have navigators as well? If so are they as many pages as DCL's? Just curios if other CLs are doing something similar

We are sailing on NCL Breakaway next week. I will post when we return on what type of newsletter/flyer they provide.

 

[puffkin]

On the Dream last week and absolutely hated the one page navigator. Maybe if we were more frequent cruisers it would have been fine, but we constantly felt like we were missing things. I would find something on the grid (preferred that view) then have to find it in the app to see what it was and get a description. It was very cumbersome. I did prefer the grid, but wish it was an insert in the full Navigator so I didn't have to search back and forth between the app. I really didn't like it at all and I did email them about it when I got home. I feel like we missed out on a lot of things simply by not knowing about it!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

On the Dream last week and absolutely hated the one page navigator. Maybe if we were more frequent cruisers it would have been fine, but we constantly felt like we were missing things. I would find something on the grid (preferred that view) then have to find it in the app to see what it was and get a description. It was very cumbersome. I did prefer the grid, but wish it was an insert in the full Navigator so I didn't have to search back and forth between the app. I really didn't like it at all and I did email them about it when I got home. I feel like we missed out on a lot of things simply by not knowing about it!

Did you let Guest Services know that you didn't like it? If not, it's not too late - just contact DCL and tell them. It's apparently in a test situation currently. This sort of input is necessary.

 

[jrabbit]

...
Also, turndown chocolates are now DCL branded Ghirardelli milk chocolate instead of the generic milk in the Sleepy wrap.

So glad to hear this!!! and hopefully they taste a LOT better now!!!

DCL cheaply discontinued the nighttime chocolates many, many years ago and didn't anticipate the uproar that it caused in its customer base, so they brought them back, as crappy tasting waxy / plastic chocolates - so they were still cheaping out on us (premium cruise prices for more and more ordinary cruise experience). This move won't change their bottom line - even if they were paying Ghirardelli "full price" for them.

 

[puffkin]

Did you let Guest Services know that you didn't like it? If not, it's not too late - just contact DCL and tell them. It's apparently in a test situation currently. This sort of input is necessary.

Being that this was my first DCL cruise in 12 years, I didn't realize this was something new until I got home and saw these posts. But I did send and email this morning when I found out that it was a test because it really was annoying!

 

[Flossbolna]

So, it appears that the 9/24 Fantasy and the DVC Member cruise on the Magic both had reverted back to the full Navigators.

Any reports from the 9/26 Dream cruise???

 

[CurtisB]

I was told that the 10/1 Fantasy currently underway also is back to the full Navigators.

 

[Dug720]

Now if we could just get the strawberry soup back at Palo brunch...