Disney Cruise Line Debuts Onboard Chats

For those of you that have taken a Disney Cruise, you are no doubt familiar with the "Wave Phones".  They are a free way to communicate with other members of your party on the ship.  While at sea, cell phones are pretty non existent if you want to be able to pay for another vacation in the next ten years. The Wave Phones served their purpose.  You were able to call the kids club, restaurants and other members of your travel party.  They also served the purpose of taking you back to Y2K, when texting involved scrolling through letters one by one.  By the time the text was typed, you could have walked from one end of the ship to the other.




Now Disney has released Onboard Chat on their Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.  This app is for use during your sailing for cruise information.  Access maps of the ship and restaurant locations.  Have a list of all the events and showtimes and set up reminders to yourself so you don't miss out.  Now, you have the ability to chat with other people who are onboard and have downloaded the Navigator app.  Let's face it, we don't really want to talk to anyone...we just want to inform our other half we are on our way to the spa!

On a recent Disney Fantasy cruise my husband and I set up the Onboard Chat feature and it was so much easier to use.  Just like texting at home.  It worked flawlessly and so much better than the wave phones, which are bulky to carry and outdated.  The Disney Navigator app should be downloaded prior to leaving port to your phone and/or tablet.  It can be activated onboard using their DCL-Guest WiFi signal which is no cost to you.  Make sure you've followed the instructions from your phone service provider to avoid roaming/data costs.  Once onboard you can re-launch the app to include all the ship information and set up a chat feature with whomever you like.  As usual, Disney Cruise Line has all their bases covered.

Maria is a mom to 2 boys, travel planner and HUGE Disney Cruise Line fan.  Looking to sail with Disney Cruise Line?  Contact me at maria@snapshotgetaways.com or follow my Facebook Page for travel deals.

Friday Freebie-Customized Park Maps

NOTE:  AS of JAN 2015 Disney is no longer offering these customized maps.  We will notify you if they are available.

Little known fact.  Disney has something for free...and it's practical and can be a souvenir of your trip.  Customized Walt Disney World Maps.  This is perfect for First Timers and Disney Devotees to get a Dumbo's eye view of the four parks before traveling.  Familiarize yourself with the park layout and how far apart those rides can be.  Especially important when planning your dining reservations and FastPass Plus.

You can order your maps directly from Disney by clicking here.  Or going to your My Disney Experience Page.  You can decide to print maps of all four parks, or just one park in particular.  These maps can be customized to choose which rides you want on your "must do" list.  You can even map out your dining plans!  All you do is check a box next to the ride or attraction.   There are even tailored suggestions for travelers with little kids, big kids and no kids.

After you've customized your maps you have the option to print them at home or have them printed by Disney.  If you have them printed by Disney they will mail them to you at no cost and they are much prettier than the smaller, tri-fold maps at the parks.

Disney Devoted Tip:  If you choose not to order maps before you leave you can always print them when you get home.  By selecting the rides and attractions you did during your trip, you now have a  souvenir to put in a scrapbook.

Snapshot Getaways agents are more than happy to assist clients who book with us, on their Fastpass Plus and Dining Reservations.   You still can order the cool maps!


Maria is a Travel Planner for Snapshot Getaways and tries to order maps every trip!  Follow Maria at her Mickey Mom Facebook page.