Dining Room Menus Electronically?

[DoggyDaddy]

On our last trip on the Princendam to Norway, the daily Dining Room Menu was posted on the electronic “Navigator” site which was accessible  via my iPhone or iPad. Is this the case for all ships? It also had the detailed schedule of all future events. I thought this was a very useful tool!

 

DD

Edited July 19, 2019 by DoggyDaddy
Mis spelling

[richwmn]

Yes, Navigator is now available on all ships. Very handy!

 

[crystalspin]

Yes, since at least August 2018 on the Zaandam and April this year on the Zuiderdam.

Turns out I love to see the menu earlier in the day -- I usually get excited making my choice then!

Occasionally I will be disappointed for a minute then go back to my Pain Killer (foo foo drink with nutmeg).

Sometimes it helped with a decision to go to Lido instead of MDR, or vice versa.

 

Most of my travelling companions seemed to prefer to wait and be surprised by the menu. TETO.

[DoggyDaddy]

Also, if you don’t like what’s on the Dining Room menu, you can consider the Canaletto.

 

DD

 

[shudie]

Can this app be downloaded prior to the cruise or only once onboard? 

[TAD2005]

Only available onboard.

On the Eurodam in March, we loved checking out the MDR menus on the Navigator.  They are also available on the cabin TV's on the Vista Class ships and larger.   Something that is missing is the Lido lunch menu.  It is posted on the TV screens as you enter the Lido, so obviously it is in the proper format for posting.  But they never have that on the Navigator.   Seems like a simple fix.  The menu is properly formatted for display on the TV monitors in the Lido, so why not take that one more step and post it on the Navigator ?

[HAL4NOW]

I just downloaded 'Navigator' at home on my iPhone from the iPhone app store. Many of the features will not be available until you're on board.

[crystalspin]

It's not really an app -- it is a website tweaked for the ship you are on. Web-app? 

 

Onboard you put your phone in Airplane Mode, then turn WiFi back on, navigate to the Navigator. DNK about downloading it from App Store(s) as it's not an app but a website. Maybe you download the "pointer" to it?

[HAL4NOW]

5 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

It's not really an app -- it is a website tweaked for the ship you are on. Web-app? 

 

Onboard you put your phone in Airplane Mode, then turn WiFi back on, navigate to the Navigator. DNK about downloading it from App Store(s) as it's not an app but a website. Maybe you download the "pointer" to it?

From the Hal site! They call it an app, you can call it whatever you choose.

 

[HAL4NOW]

Seattle, Wash., May 2, 2019 — Leveraging technology to further personalize the cruise experience, Holland America Line is expanding the functionality of its popular browser-based Navigator tool into a user-friendly, free app for mobile phones and tablets that can be used on board. iPhone and Android users can download the Navigator app from the iTunes App and Google Play stores, respectively. 

 

The app I downloaded looks just like the one my DW used on board during our last cruise. I didn't have a smartphone at the time.

[crystalspin]

Yeah I don't know why they have you "download" it in advance; nothing should be resident on your phone. But the press release from May (when it went fleetwide) says: 

"Guests who forget to download the Navigator app prior to embarking can download it once on board free of charge without using internet minutes.

"In the coming months, Holland America Line will extend the app offerings for both mobile phones and tablets -- currently only available to use during a guest's cruise -- to offer pre-voyage access so guests can review available services and check out the interactive fleet map at any time before boarding the ship."

 

ETA: Maybe it's slightly different now that it's fleetwide, than when I used it on Zaandam last August or Zuiderdam in April?

 

ETAA: So I found it in Google Play Store and ta-da now it IS an app, with an icon etc. And no URL at the top of the screen (i.e. not open in browser like it was on the above mentioned two cruises). I stand corrected!

Edited July 20, 2019 by crystalspin
Sometimes wrong, but never in doubt!

[richwmn]

26 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Yeah I don't know why they have you "download" it in advance; nothing should be resident on your phone. But the press release from May (when it went fleetwide) says: 

"Guests who forget to download the Navigator app prior to embarking can download it once on board free of charge without using internet minutes.

"In the coming months, Holland America Line will extend the app offerings for both mobile phones and tablets -- currently only available to use during a guest's cruise -- to offer pre-voyage access so guests can review available services and check out the interactive fleet map at any time before boarding the ship."

 

ETA: Maybe it's slightly different now that it's fleetwide, than when I used it on Zaandam last August or Zuiderdam in April?

 

ETAA: So I found it in Google Play Store and ta-da now it IS an app, with an icon etc. And no URL at the top of the screen (i.e. not open in browser like it was on the above mentioned two cruises). I stand corrected!

As of a few months ago it is both an app and a local web site. Both offer about the same functionality. The app can be downloaded prior to your cruise, but it doesn't really work until you are on the ship's network.

[MouseBerry]

Hi,

maybe a bit off topic, but on our last cruise I didn‘t find the MDR breakfast menu in the navigator app. Well I know the menu is the same all days of the cruise, but I could not remember all the items and sometimes felt rushed by the waiters when sitting at the table.

 

I solved the problem by just taking some pictures with my smartphone.

 

What I missed more was the daily When and Where. Did I overlook this in the navigator? Some of the infos were in the app, but opening hours by example I couldn‘t find. Why not just make a navigator option for that. Maybe a When&Where button?

 

Not a real problem I know, but the Navigator app is all about information, thus why not put all available infos there. 

 

regards

MBerry