Wifi and the Navigator App?

[gagirldawg95]

Our family is looking forward to our first cruise ever, which will be on the Dream over July 4. Our 13yo son can drain a data allowance like a vampire on steroids. I think we can let him use his phone for the Navigator App only without using our data allowance.
Is that right? And are there restrictions through DCL that we can place to prevent him from "accidentally" using data?
Thanks!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Yes, you can use the navigator app on the DCL Guest Wi-Fi. You cannot access any other data. In fact, your device has to be on airplane mode in order to use the app.

 

[bumbershoot]

Our 13yo son can drain a data allowance like a vampire on steroids.

So the big issue IMO is trust. CAN you trust him to stay on the free wifi and the app, or will he want to go to other sites and agree to the paid wifi without thinking?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

So the big issue IMO is trust. CAN you trust him to stay on the free wifi and the app, or will he want to go to other sites and agree to the paid wifi without thinking?

Good point.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

He wouldn't be able to access the paid wi-fi unless you/he creates an account and purchases a package. It's not really something that could happen just accidentally. If you sign up for the free wi-fi the first day and/or purchase a package, don't give him the password.
He could take his phone out of airplane mode and rack up roaming cellular charges. Tell him if he does that, or if he purchases a data package, he'll lose his phone until he pays you back for the charges.

 

[gagirldawg95]

He wouldn't be able to access the paid wi-fi unless you/he creates an account and purchases a package. If you sign up for the free wi-fi the first day and/or purchase a package, don't give him the password.
He could take his phone out of airplane mode and rack up roaming cellular charges. Tell him if he does that, or if he purchases a data package, he'll lose his phone until he pays you back for the charges.

This is very helpful. While generally a trustworthy kid, he has a history of using more data than he thought he would. It totally makes sense that we just withhold the password from him.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

This is very helpful. While generally a trustworthy kid, he has a history of using more data than he thought he would. It totally makes sense that we just withhold the password from him.

Thanks for all the advice!

I did edit my post to make it clearer that he could go and purchase a package, but it would have to be a deliberate act, not something he could do without realizing it.

 

[gagirldawg95]

I need to buy the data package so I can stay in touch with work, and I was concerned that having it would benefit everyone in my cabin. But it makes sense that we will have a password so I can limit access.

Thanks again!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I need to buy the data package so I can stay in touch with work, and I was concerned that having it would benefit everyone in my cabin. But it makes sense that we will have a password so I can limit access.

Thanks again!

Stop by the Connect@Sea desk to have them check your devices to make sure you have everything turned off that might use up data in the background, e.g. auto-updates. Those can suck up data in no time. I log out of the account whenever I'm not using it to lessen the risk of the data accidentally being used.

 

[lbus42]

He wouldn't be able to access the paid wi-fi unless you/he creates an account and purchases a package. It's not really something that could happen just accidentally. If you sign up for the free wi-fi the first day and/or purchase a package, don't give him the password.
He could take his phone out of airplane mode and rack up roaming cellular charges. Tell him if he does that, or if he purchases a data package, he'll lose his phone until he pays you back for the charges.

He will not be able to rack up roaming charges unless you are at a port. There are no cellular towers at sea.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

He will not be able to rack up roaming charges unless you are at a port. There are no cellular towers at sea.

No, but there is Cellular@Sea and the charges are quite high.

 

[bumbershoot]

I did edit my post to make it clearer that he could go and purchase a package, but it would have to be a deliberate act, not something he could do without realizing it.

And to clarify by "not thinking" I didn't mean "easily" but just setting it up without thinking it all through. I have an almost 12 year old, and while he hasn't done anything awful on a phone yet, several of his friends have. They are tech savvy and smart, but they just don't think. One girl used over 5gigs of data in less than a month, which was over the family limit, and they had to pay quite a bit. (And then the family let her take her cell on a group trip to Asia! Which is not a choice I would have made lol)