Forgive my newbie question...

I am currently booked to go sailing with my family next March on the Wonder (curious as to what it will look like), and this is my first cruise.

I was curious... Do the ships have some kind of on-board webpage with info like location, weather, etc. like airplanes do these days? I hear there are wifi plans, but I wanted to know if there was more than that.

Good question!

They have a channel on the TV that shows your position, course heading, wind speed, ship speed etc.

I don't know if those details are available on the app, but they definitely are on the TV.

ex techie

The ships have an "intranet" system where you can get the daily Navigator, menus from the restaurants, lots of info about what is going on, etc. There is no charge to use this system, but it is somewhat painful to use the app. You will also get a paper "Navigator" delivered to your room each night, and there is a "View from the Bridge" channel on the TV which contains information about our heading, temperature, winds, distance traveled, etc.

Here is a picture of the channel:

ex techie

The ships have an "intranet" system where you can get the daily Navigator' date=' menus from the restaurants, lots of info about what is going on, etc. There is no charge to use this system, but it is somewhat painful to use the app. You will also get a paper "Navigator" delivered to your room each night, and there is a "View from the Bridge" channel on the TV which contains information about our heading, temperature, winds, distance traveled, etc.[/quote']

 

Ah, this is exactly what I was looking for!

 

And I'll have a surface in-hand for this sort of stuff. As far as the phone goes, I kinda want to "unplug" if you know what I mean, but I also want to know what all is available. (And I'm a nerd.)

 

Can the wavephones receive calls from off the ship? And how much?

If by "surface" you mean Microsoft's Surface tablet, unfortunately at the moment the app is only available for IOS or Andriod OS's.

ex techie

If by "surface" you mean Microsoft's Surface tablet, unfortunately at the moment the app is only available for IOS or Andriod OS's.

 

ex techie

The surface is a full blown windows PC in tablet form. Hence the question about a "webpage", not an "app".

The app I'm aware of.

Regarding the Wave phones, they are only for use calling on the ship and at Disney's Castaway Cay. They cannot be used to receive or make calls to shore.

You are able to use the phone in your Stateroom for calls to shore, but the rate is very expensive, and around $3-4 per minute.

If you need to make a call ashore, it is cheaper to use your cellphone, but the cost of the call is dependent on your plan.

ex techie

No, the wave phones are an onboard system only. You will have a phone in your cabin that can receive ship to shore calls. The last time I looked, this was a charge of $7 per minute. OUCH!

If you need communication from off the ship, your cell phone can use "Cellular at Sea" for a charge of $2.99 per minute + any carrier charges. For something other than a major emergency, check with your carrier. I can do text messages for 50 cents to send, 5 cents to receive. If I am going to any US ports (US Virgin Islands, Key West, etc.) my US cell package will work with no additional charges.

You can sign up on embarkation day and get a 50mb internet package at no charge. Provided you turn off all date eating apps, this is plenty to handle e-mails for the entire cruise. You might want to set up a new e-mail account and give the address to family only so that you won't get junk mail or photo stuff. It provides an easy way for the people back home to contact you if needed, but obviously isn't instantaneous unless you read it every 5 minutes! And you can do facetime, skype, or whatever floats your boat.

If you get the 50 mb. package, when it runs out you will be asked whether you wish to purchase additional time--no hidden charges.

OK, Techie, you win. THat's twice that your answer appeared right before mine!

The surface is a full blown windows PC in tablet form. Hence the question about a "webpage", not an "app".

 

The app I'm aware of.

Then no. Your windows PC will not have access to any information on the ships intranet. The intranet Guest's access is solely for the app to receive information.

ex techie

 

If you need to make a call ashore, it is cheaper to use your cellphone, but the cost of the call is dependent on your plan.

Yeah, I work for a cell company, and right now there's no "cheap" roaming on cruise ships, to the point that even the thought of having my battery in is a bit scary. ^^; I'm trying to figure out how much I can do if I pull the battery and stuff it in the safe for the trip.

Granted, the roaming rates seem to change every year, so maybe by then there will be more available.

Yeah, I work for a cell company, and right now there's no "cheap" roaming on cruise ships, to the point that even the thought of having my battery in is a bit scary. ^^; I'm trying to figure out how much I can do if I pull the battery and stuff it in the safe for the trip.

 

Granted, the roaming rates seem to change every year, so maybe by then there will be more available.

I doubt the rates for calling on the ship will change much as they are controlled by the satellite service provider.

Your Windows PC could be used with a wifi plan as Moki'smommy suggests to use Skype or other voice to landline or shore line phone. Internet speed varies throughout each day depending on the load, and will be best first thing in the morning or late at night, also during meal and show times.

Other times the speed can be too low to facilitate a high enough connection.

ex techie

My daughter used something thru skype that was not the audio or video thing--it was basically like texting but on line. I don't know the details, but it enabled her to communicate with friends worldwide during our trans-Atlantic cruise. And it used very little of her internet package.

Your Windows PC could be used with a wifi plan as Moki'smommy suggests to use Skype or other voice to landline or shore line phone. Internet speed varies throughout each day depending on the load, and will be best first thing in the morning or late at night, also during meal and show times.

Other times the speed can be too low to facilitate a high enough connection.

I'm pretty sure that'd be downright painful. While I've never been on a ship, I've done plenty of tech support for them. The cell calls and the ship calls both use satellite, and are about equally bad as far as I can tell. Adding VoIP to the mix can't be a good thing.

My main question on the ship phones is to be reachable in an emergency if I shut the cell phone down entirely. It'll give me extra reason to say "don't call me unless someone's dead".

My daughter used something thru skype that was not the audio or video thing--it was basically like texting but on line. I don't know the details' date=' but it enabled her to communicate with friends worldwide during our trans-Atlantic cruise. And it used very little of her internet package.[/quote']

 

Skype SMS. You can send plain text messages to anyone on your skype list. Generally anything that's plain text will use very little data.

 

You could technically get away with playing a video game, but I imagine the ping would be terrible. XD

I'm pretty sure that'd be downright painful. While I've never been on a ship, I've done plenty of tech support for them. The cell calls and the ship calls both use satellite, and are about equally bad as far as I can tell. Adding VoIP to the mix can't be a good thing.

 

My main question on the ship phones is to be reachable in an emergency if I shut the cell phone down entirely. It'll give me extra reason to say "don't call me unless someone's dead".

 

 

 

Skype SMS. You can send plain text messages to anyone on your skype list. Generally anything that's plain text will use very little data.

 

You could technically get away with playing a video game, but I imagine the ping would be terrible. XD

OK, I now get what you want.

DCL provide an emergency phone number to their offices which is manned 24/7.

If someone needs to contact you, they call the number

1-888-DC-AT-SEA (1-888-322-8732)

and they will be directed to pay for the call $7+ per minute, and specify which ship.

That call is transferred to the Guest Services desk on the ship who will attempt to contact you via your Stateroom and Wave phones.

If they cannot contact you they will take a message and get it to you via message left on your Stateroom phone, and a message left on the message holder outside of your Stateroom door.

ex techie

Ah, there we go. Thanks.

Ah, there we go. Thanks.

No worries.

ex techie

When you get your booklet prior to the cruise, it will contain some perforated cards which you can give to appropriate people. It will have the emergency number, name of the ship, etc. ALL the information someone would need to make and emergency shore to ship call.

They will need your name the way you booked the cruise. For most people this is not an issue, but can be with newlyweds (who may have booked under a maiden name to correspond with a passport) or people who use a name socially other than their legal name.

Be aware that if they attempt to use this service, they will need to have a credit card handy and the charges will be billed to their credit card, not to your account.

It works exactly as Techie described.

I'm horrible--I typically cruise with my daughter who is the only person I'd need to be there for. As far as my parents or siblings go, I tell them that if there is an emergency/death/whatever, to deal with it. They know when I'll be back and there is nothing I can do while on the ship. I'll enjoy my vacation and deal with it when I get back. I know--I tend to be a total realist about such things. No emotions.

Oh, and if you have specific questions in mind, it is always easiest and quicker to get the answer you want if you just ask it!

ex techie

The ships have an "intranet" system where you can get the daily Navigator' date=' menus from the restaurants, lots of info about what is going on, etc. There is no charge to use this system, but it is somewhat painful to use the app. You will also get a paper "Navigator" delivered to your room each night, and there is a "View from the Bridge" channel on the TV which contains information about our heading, temperature, winds, distance traveled, etc.[/quote']

 

The Disney Cruise Line Blog has a running feature where they publish the paper Navigator from past trips, and you can get an idea:

Personal Navigator, 10/3/16

 

Heard the Intranet app is the only wi-fi you're allowed to use on the ship, unless you want to buy the hideously overpriced wi-fi plan for your stay.

Most Disney hotels would have one for free, but they're on land.