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

[HappilyEverAfter80]

875 staterooms on both Wonder and Magic. 1250 staterooms on Dream and Fantasy. 4250 staterooms total.
For the sake of easy math, lets just say each ship spends 350 days at sea per year. 4250 x 350 = 1,487,500 Navigators per year.
The outer page of the Navigator is actually 11"x17" (the equivalent of two 8.5"x11" pieces of paper). 1,487,500 x 2 = 2,975,000

So by doing this, they are saving almost three million pieces of paper (almost six thousand 500-page reams) PLUS the associated operating expense to print on that paper (ink, electricity, assembly, etc.). It might be just a drop in the bucket, but I am happy to move to an app to help DCL inch toward being more "green".

I think a fair compromise would be NOT to place ANY Navigator in the staterooms (as much as I like it that way) and just make the full Navigator available at guest services - I bet they would only have to print 1/4 to 1/2 of what they print now. Also, make recycling bins available. Printing one page Navigator for EVERYONE is still printing a lot of paper where clearly a lot of people can do away with paper period.

 

[m3owbox]

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.

 

[mmackeymouse]

I think a fair compromise would be NOT to place any Navigator in the staterooms (as much as I like it that way) and just make the full Navigator available at guest services - I bet they would only have to print 1/4 to 1/2 of what they print now. Also, make recycling bins available. Printing one page Navigator for EVERYONE is still printing a lot of paper where clearly a lot of people can do away with paper period.

Great compromise. The people on apps, can use the app. Cuts back on paper waste. But, leaves the full version available for those who are willing to make the effort to go to Guest Services to get it.

Are you listening, DCL? We have reasonable, doable suggestions! Please, listen.

 

[RedSox68]

With my cruise now 29 days away, I sent the following comment to DCL and got the following response...

"i just learned that DCL has changed from the full printed Navigator we
enjoys on past cruises to now a heavy reliance on an app and just a 1
page printed chart. I am VERY disappointed in this change. Neither I nor
my wife have a smartphone, so when we spend our two weeks on the Fantasy
(also reservation XXXXXXX), how are we supposed to get all the
information we would have previously gotten in the Navigator? Will full
printouts be available at the front desk or am I resigned to missing out
on opportunities and information during my $7000+ vacation simply
because I don't have a smartphone?

Please come up with a fix before my October 22 sailing..."

Their response was...

"Dear XXXXXXXX,

Thank you for contacting Disney Cruise Line.

I would be happy to assist you.

A test is taking place onboard the ships with the Personal Navigators.
On the day of embarkation, Guests will receive the four page Personal
Navigator that has always been provided. All the other days of the
cruise, Guests will receive a one page information list specific for
that day.

At this time, no definite decision has been made on whether the changes
will be implemented on a continuous basis.

We look forward to sailing again with you!

Have a Wonderful Day.

Wilma
Email Guest Services
Disney Cruise Line"

So, it is just currently a test. While I could understand DCL wanting to save money by minimizing the printing, I know that sitting at home looking at our old Navigators definitely influenced our decision to do our upcoming cruise instead of going to Hawaii. Having that tangible souvenir as a reminder of the fun times we had pays dividends for Disney by way of returning customers. Put that paper in my hand... or at least make it an option for people to pick up at guest services.

That's the exact same email I just received in response to my inquiry.

 

[Flossbolna]

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.

They might miss out because the short description does not tell them anything about the activity. And I have had experiences where certain activities that were in the booklet did not appear in the on page grid. This is the case when multiple events go on at the same time for example.

 

[2Bnºoºt2B]

I think a lot of people would resent being required to either bring or rent a device just to find out what the daily activities onboard are! With what they charge, I do not believe it is a lot to ask for a lousy sheet of paper once a day for those of us who are "technologically impaired" (so to speak) and are perfectly fine that way.

Love the "technologically impaired" comment ... have you ever seen a senior try using a "smartphone" nowadays ... that was my father ...

875 staterooms on both Wonder and Magic. 1250 staterooms on Dream and Fantasy. 4250 staterooms total.
For the sake of easy math, lets just say each ship spends 350 days at sea per year. 4250 x 350 = 1,487,500 Navigators per year.
The outer page of the Navigator is actually 11"x17" (the equivalent of two 8.5"x11" pieces of paper). 1,487,500 x 2 = 2,975,000

So by doing this, they are saving almost three million pieces of paper (almost six thousand 500-page reams) PLUS the associated operating expense to print on that paper (ink, electricity, assembly, etc.). It might be just a drop in the bucket, but I am happy to move to an app to help DCL inch toward being more "green".

DW loves her Kindle ... and we both love the Texture (magazine) app (on our iPads) - am so glad not to receive all those glossy magazines in the mail and lugging them to the local recycling centre. If Disney was able to provide low cost tablets in each stateroom (Kindle Fire perhaps - not sure as I'm an iPad fella) ... then that would provide a great way to get a more immersive interactive means of providing information to their passengers ... and help save our trees ...

 

[MUN]

Great, more people tied a stupid phone!!!!

Yes I know you can put a ton of information on there, but don't turn our "Wonderful Magical Fantasy Dream World" into the reality we are paying way too much to get away from.

This is what I love about cruising, until recently nothing on them worked so they did not need to get out of anyone's safe.

Not everyone is trying to get away from reality with their DCL cruise.

 

[squirk]

Not everyone is trying to get away from reality with their DCL cruise.

Agreed. Not everyone wants to lock their phone/tablet in the safe. Like it or not, there is a generation of passengers who prefer (or at least are accustomed to) receiving information like this electronically.

People using a phone/tablet instead of a paper Navigator does nothing to detract from my cruise experience, so more power to them.

 

[jahber]

I think a fair compromise would be NOT to place ANY Navigator in the staterooms (as much as I like it that way) and just make the full Navigator available at guest services - I bet they would only have to print 1/4 to 1/2 of what they print now. Also, make recycling bins available. Printing one page Navigator for EVERYONE is still printing a lot of paper where clearly a lot of people can do away with paper period.

In terms of recycling, the last few cruises I was on, the trash can was separated into trash and paper recycling. So, at least they are making an attempt to encourage recycling all that paper. Whether people use it or the stewards actually recycle the paper is anyone's guess.

FWIW, I'm a holdout for paper in almost every area of life. I think most book lovers born prior to the 1990s are. I love my iphone--it's one of the best inventions in my life, period--but I also like the idea of the old full navigators. Hopefully they will stick around for those who want/need them.

 

[TestingH2O]

875 staterooms on both Wonder and Magic. 1250 staterooms on Dream and Fantasy. 4250 staterooms total.
For the sake of easy math, lets just say each ship spends 350 days at sea per year. 4250 x 350 = 1,487,500 Navigators per year.
The outer page of the Navigator is actually 11"x17" (the equivalent of two 8.5"x11" pieces of paper). 1,487,500 x 2 = 2,975,000

So by doing this, they are saving almost three million pieces of paper (almost six thousand 500-page reams) PLUS the associated operating expense to print on that paper (ink, electricity, assembly, etc.). It might be just a drop in the bucket, but I am happy to move to an app to help DCL inch toward being more "green".

And that's just assuming one copy per room. I know I saw stacks of back up copies at GS and in the Concierge Lounge on our last cruises. I bet they were printing a 25% overage just in case.

I very much like the idea of having full Navigators available at Guest Services for those who want them. For us, the grid would be enough to go over as a family and then using the app to supplement.

 

[RedSox68]

Love the "technologically impaired" comment ... have you ever seen a senior try using a "smartphone" nowadays ... that was my father ...


...

For me it's not so much the technology as I work with computers all day, but it's my ability to see and read the small screens -- they don't work for me. Even on the computer I have to print out articles to read them.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I just had a thought, about a compromise. Let me know what you think, but be gentle please!

Some people say they love the "booklet" style Navigator. Others say that all they need is the grid with the information specific to this cruise and that everything else is just ads or repeat info.

Now some, including myself, have suggested a compromise where a limited number of the "regular" booklet Navigators are available on request from your cabin steward, or Guest Services. But the problem with that is that someone still has to design and produce these booklets, every day, for every cruise. Even though many less people will be getting them, the effort to do the layout and design and paste in all the relevant info for this cruise into the existing template will be as much as ever.

So how about this:

Make a booklet that doesn't have information specific to this cruise (like times and places) but has all of the information about the port, History of the ship, descriptions of activities such as Bingo or Midship Detective Agency, Spa Treatments, etc. This would be great for first timers and people who want souvenirs, but wouldn't have to be modified for each day of each cruise, just updated occasionally. One booklet for each Port of Call, for instance, could be used week after week for quite a while.

All of the info specific to your exact cruise would then be in the 1 page grid that they are currently giving out. (Maybe with the drink of the day added back in. That seems to be an ommision some people care about.)

In this way, people could still get everything they used to have if they want that, but people who didn't want as much info (either because they have cruised a dozen times or get the info from the App) wouldn't have all that extra paper that they don't want. Plus it will save Disney a lot of time designing those 6 page custom booklets for each day of each cruise.

Thoughts?
<Ducks and hides>

 

[Geomom]

I just had a thought, about a compromise. Let me know what you think, but be gentle please!

Some people say they love the "booklet" style Navigator. Others say that all they need is the grid with the information specific to this cruise and that everything else is just ads or repeat info.

Now some, including myself, have suggested a compromise where a limited number of the "regular" booklet Navigators are available on request from your cabin steward, or Guest Services. But the problem with that is that someone still has to design and produce these booklets, every day, for every cruise. Even though many less people will be getting them, the effort to do the layout and design and paste in all the relevant info for this cruise into the existing template will be as much as ever.

So how about this:

Make a booklet that doesn't have information specific to this cruise (like times and places) but has all of the information about the port, History of the ship, descriptions of activities such as Bingo or Midship Detective Agency, Spa Treatments, etc. This would be great for first timers and people who want souvenirs, but wouldn't have to be modified for each day of each cruise, just updated occasionally. One booklet for each Port of Call, for instance, could be used week after week for quite a while.

All of the info specific to your exact cruise would then be in the 1 page grid that they are currently giving out. (Maybe with the drink of the day added back in. That seems to be an ommision some people care about.)

In this way, people could still get everything they used to have if they want that, but people who didn't want as much info (either because they have cruised a dozen times or get the info from the App) wouldn't have all that extra paper that they don't want. Plus it will save Disney a lot of time designing those 6 page custom booklets for each day of each cruise.

Thoughts?
<Ducks and hides>

I think that's a good option. The grid needs to add both the drink of the day and the menu theme, then it'll be good! I also like that they still have the full paper navigator for embarkation day as it highlights the movies and theater entertainment for the whole week--so they should keep that!

(Of course, I'm one of the ones who LOVED the app--and I'm not one that uses her phone much at home, just to keep in touch with my kids and now I've started using my calendar app.)

 

[kathi]

This makes me sad - I love getting in bed every night with the Navigator and reading everything (even stuff I'm not going to do). The overview of the port the next day, the drink of the day, highlights on kids and adult activities. The app is so sterile - useful, but not really an experience.

 

[Starwind]

And we don't want the added costs of adding one of those phones to our monthly bill. I don't feel the need to own one - still have my old flip phone.

EDITED TO ADD: I hope as PrincessShmoo mentioned earlier, that all those who loved the old Navigator write Disney a quick email expressing their feelings and opinions. It cannot hurt, but will certainly make them aware of how unique (compared to the run of the mill flyers on other ships) their Navigator was!

As an aside: the iphone DCL app will run on any IOS device (iphone, ipad, itouch) running at least IOS 7.0. So, for example, it will run on an iphone 4 running IOS 7.0.

If one had a relative or friend with an "old" iphone or itouch they were not using, you might be able to convince them to let you borrow or acquire it. The device does NOT have to be on a cellular plan to work. For the DCL app it only needs to connect to wi-fi. If one wishes to do this, I do suggest trying it at home, to make sure you can connect to wi-fi etc.

SW

 

[gismo1554]

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.

There is also additional info about some of the activities. Sometimes just a name doesn't give you all the information or an idea of what is going on. Things like "Anyone can cook" could be anything and if you have an allergy or dietary thing not knowing what is being cooked might put you off (doesn't me personally but others might). Also some of the shows just have a title. I like the additional information about the show and what it is in order to decide whether to go or not.

 

[squirk]

Times like this, I am grateful (and a little embarrassed) that my life allows me to spend time whining about the number of pages in the daily itinerary of my super-expensive cruise vacation.

 

[TestingH2O]

Times like this, I am grateful (and a little embarrassed) that my life allows me to spend time whining about the number of pages in the daily itinerary of my super-expensive cruise vacation.

Relating to other stuff, but I needed that this morning. Thanks.

 

[rhinodadz]

Times like this, I am grateful (and a little embarrassed) that my life allows me to spend time whining about the number of pages in the daily itinerary of my super-expensive cruise vacation.

Indeed! First world problems.....

 

[hanscarlet]

Times like this, I am grateful (and a little embarrassed) that my life allows me to spend time whining about the number of pages in the daily itinerary of my super-expensive cruise vacation.

Thanks for this, good reminder

Canyoncam - thanks for for posting those old navigators, i really enjoyed looking at them

After reading through this thread and realizing that this move saves over 3 million pages of paper, I applaud Disney for being more environmental friendly because that's just a waste, between the ink and the paper, yikes

Also I really prefer reading about the drink of the day on the app, they always have a pretty photo of the drink

side note - is anyone else having a problem posting on this thread? it keeps constantly refreshing for me and causing a lot of typ errors because it can't keep up with the typing