Do you ever think Disney will adjust its thinking on WiFi on board?

[BartmanLA]

Another aspect of this issue is that DCL is still pushing the Navigator app and they want their guests to use it all the time to be aware of all the happenings on the ship, UNFORTUNATELY, the app is woefully lacking, one of their "fun" features they claim is their ability to chat with other guests via the app, well unless you keep the app open constantly (battery drain) and refreshing it constantly (even more battery drain) it won't "push" chats through from/to you, it's really not functional or practical because you never know when you get a notification unless you take your phone out, open the apps and then check the chat feature. Having unlimited internet on board would let guests use all their favorite chat functions to communicate with family members, friends on board and even family off the ship! But that would make too much sense, as long as they can score that $80 for the big package from people willing to pay it just to stay connected they won't be motivated to upgrade the service on board, and keep hawking the Navigator app as the end all be all for online access.

 

[RAD]

My simple answer is yes they will, at some point.

There are two sides to changing the way they handle internet, Technology and guest experience.

Technology - That is simple and just a money issue. During dry dock and/or especially as the new ships roll out expect enhancements in some way.

IIRC when RCL was rolling out Voom service they did it without having to be in dry dock. I would expect that the dish/LNB would stay the same, just need to swap out the radio equipment and billing system.

 

[Macprincess]

We experienced Voom on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas in May of this year. I agree with the other posters Voom was remarkable and it would be nice if DCL was able to offer such a product. I admit my preference is not to be plug into anything while cruising and this is the main reason I like to cruise. However, my husband has a job that requires him to stay in touch frequently while we travel. Also, we have two college students and a high school student. On our Allure cruise two of the three were enrolled in classes where they needed to turn in assignments while we sailed as well as having access to internet to do research. Voom made this so much easier and much more affordable.

I was not a fan of our Royal Caribbean cruise, but this is one area that I really think Royal has it figured out better than DCL, in my opinion. I would love it if DCL would take a lesson from Royal Caribbean in this area.

 

[sabrecmc]

The nice thing about having good, free Wi-Fi is that for those of us with jobs where we need to stay connected, we can take longer cruises. I'd happily spend a couple of weeks onboard if I could still get some work done without all the crazy charges. I do think eventually they will have to include it b/c that's the direction the world is going and being without free Wi-Fi is getting more and more of an outlier, but it is going to take them a while. They could start by giving Platinum free wi-fi or something (says the platinum cruiser)!

 

[cmwade77]

Honestly, I hope they get rid of WiFi completely on board. But I am probably a minority here who likes being able to go and be completely disconnected from the world, it provides a much needed break that we all too often don't get. Ultimately they will probably follow something like Hilton's model where every one gets free "basic" wifi that is up to around 1 Mbps, then you can either pay for faster WiFi (discounted at Gold level) or get it free at Platinum level at speeds of up to say 1 Gbps.

I still maintain that it would be shame to see this happen, as you would see so many people constantly on their phones and not enjoying the ships and hopefully WiFi would only be available in cabins and maybe a designated "Business Center" space if they did do something like this.

 

[carlbarry]

Many years ago, one had to insert coins into the room radio in the motel. When I was a little kid and we were traveling, often we would encounter the necessity to pay for the use of the (black and white) TV. Eventually, the TV became free, as more and more people took it as necessary as indoor plumbing. Then the black and white TVs were replaced with color (when my parents stayed at the Contemporary in 1978, the in room color TV impressed as indicative of a luxury resort). Then cable TV was introduced.
When I joined DVC, wifi was free for DVC members at WDW, and regular guests had to pay.
My point is, as technology marches on, and more people come to accept it as a necessity, this will have to be reflected in Disney's outfitting of their cruise line ships.

 

[mike314]

I do wish they did away with the tiered system and just offered WiFi but obviously more people would use it thus slowing it down more. In this day and age as much as I would love to just disconnect, I still need to be connected for a bit not that I want to but for necessity (work mainly). That said this past 3 night cruise I was able to only check in sparingly vs more if WiFi was more plentiful. So it almost forced the issue

 

[lilsonicfan]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I don't quite understand the ones who say I'm glad the wifi is slow/expensive/terrible or the ones who say they wish there was no wifi at all. If your family doesn't need the wifi, you don't have to use it (or pay for it). If you need it (for work/being reachable by family/etc) then it's really beneficial to have a reliable system that doesn't break the bank. If you just want it, it's also nice to have a fast system. Why in the world would anyone want the wifi to be terrible or to go away forever? It literally makes no difference to me how anyone outside of my family chooses to use their phone.

 

[Numtini]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I don't quite understand the ones who say I'm glad the wifi is slow/expensive/terrible or the ones who say they wish there was no wifi at all. If your family doesn't need the wifi, you don't have to use it (or pay for it). If you need it (for work/being reachable by family/etc) then it's really beneficial to have a reliable system that doesn't break the bank. If you just want it, it's also nice to have a fast system.

Without wifi availability I would simply not be able to go on a cruise. It really is that simple. Trust me. I'd love to just disconnect. But I don't have that option. Lots of people don't. People have work commitments. They have family commitments.

And even if they just want to post pictures to Facebook. Who cares. Run your own race. I've even seen people go so far as to say tough luck, if you have these commitments then you don't deserve to cruise. It's incredible to me.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Without wifi availability I would simply not be able to go on a cruise. It really is that simple. Trust me. I'd love to just disconnect. But I don't have that option. Lots of people don't. People have work commitments. They have family commitments.

And even if they just want to post pictures to Facebook. Who cares. Run your own race. I've even seen people go so far as to say tough luck, if you have these commitments then you don't deserve to cruise. It's incredible to me.

You quoted my post but I'm sure you realize I agree with you!

 

[gatordoc]

As long as they keep the free 50mb then I don't care what else they do. My wife and I sign up for that on the first day, and it's plenty to keep up with what we need to with work email for a 7-night cruise.

 

[mcd2745]

Personally, I'd rather that they didn't offer free WiFi or an unlimited WiFi package. Otherwise my kids (and wife) would be in their phones way too much. I'd rather everyone disconnect as much as possible. I get work commitments and all. However, in my observation, most (not all...there are a select few exceptions) people who make that claim are over-inflating their self-importance to their jobs. It may be slightly morose, but I tell my team before I go on vacation "if I weren't on vacation, but rather got run over by a bus on my way in to the office that morning...what would your course of action be then? Simply take that same course of action when I'm on vacation."

All that said, if they are going to offer WiFi at all, however packaged and at whatever cost, it should absolutely be fast and reliable and the quality commensurate with the premium pricing structure they have for their cruises.

 

[Pens Fan]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I don't quite understand the ones who say I'm glad the wifi is slow/expensive/terrible or the ones who say they wish there was no wifi at all. If your family doesn't need the wifi, you don't have to use it (or pay for it). If you need it (for work/being reachable by family/etc) then it's really beneficial to have a reliable system that doesn't break the bank. If you just want it, it's also nice to have a fast system. Why in the world would anyone want the wifi to be terrible or to go away forever? It literally makes no difference to me how anyone outside of my family chooses to use their phone.

Thank you! I totally agree with you. It's great if someone can take a cruise and completely disconnect, but they shouldn't wear it like some badge of honor. Some of us have elderly parents that we need to stay in touch with, kids in college that while they may be adults are still our kids and we want to stay in touch. Those responsibilities don't just magically go away on vacation. Heck, my poor old dog at the kennel may need checking up on from time to time - but that shouldn't impact anyone else's vacation. Why would anyone hope the wifi stays slow and ineffective just because they don't choose to use it??

Weird responses on this thread.

Though considering the audience on these boards, here's a reason those poo-pooing using your phone on a cruise might actually appreciate. The Fastpass window for upcoming WDW trip opens while we will be on a cruise next month. So, yes, I will be using the ship's wifi and (probably searching for cell coverage as well) to make Fastpass reservations! (and probably cursing up and down - we will be on NCL and their wifi is only marginally better than DCL's in our limited experience with them)

 

[lilsonicfan]

However, in my observation, most (not all...there are a select few exceptions) people who make that claim are over-inflating their self-importance to their jobs. It may be slightly morose, but I tell my team before I go on vacation "if I weren't on vacation, but rather got run over by a bus on my way in to the office that morning...what would your course of action be then? Simply take that same course of action when I'm on vacation."

Look, maybe that's true. And what I might say to you is that even with unlimited wifi my family would not be constantly on phones b/c we as parents wouldn't allow it. But just as family dynamics differ for everyone, so do work dynamics. For many of us, work isn't simply a "job". Any emergency plan that might be put into place were I suddenly medically incapable would be entirely inappropriate if I was alive and well. I won't get into what I do, but I can say that it is extremely difficult to be away AND incommunicado in my line of work. Of course, that isn't true for everyone, and if that's your situation, I think that's awesome. But my point was that the fact that any one person doesn't need the wifi doesn't justify that person saying no one should have it.

 

[Numtini]

However, in my observation, most (not all...there are a select few exceptions) people who make that claim are over-inflating their self-importance to their jobs.

I spent 11 hours on my day off last Wednesday getting a fire department's phones back online. If you think I wanted to do this on my day off, you're daft.

Any questions?

NOT YOUR BUSINESS. RUN YOUR OWN RACE.

 

[mcd2745]

I spent 11 hours on my day off last Wednesday getting a fire department's phones back online. If you think I wanted to do this on my day off, you're daft.

Any questions?

NOT YOUR BUSINESS. RUN YOUR OWN RACE.

I knew my comments would have people defending their supposed need to be "on call" at all times. First off, I admitted there a few exceptions. Of course having a fire department's communications capabilities restored is a very high priority and a true potential life-or-death situation. And believe me, I'm not looking to diminish yours or anyone else's work. That's not my point. I just have a hard time believing that, in most (again, not all) cases, that there is no one else on the planet that can handle these situations if the person who normally handles these things is not available.

 

[Numtini]

I knew my comments would have people defending their supposed need to be "on call" at all times.

Can you really not see how hurtful you're being to others with comments like this? Mind Your Own Bees Wax.

 

[morgan98]

I knew my comments would have people defending their supposed need to be "on call" at all times. First off, I admitted there a few exceptions. Of course having a fire department's communications capabilities restored is a very high priority and a true potential life-or-death situation. And believe me, I'm not looking to diminish yours or anyone else's work. That's not my point. I just have a hard time believing that, in most (again, not all) cases, that there is no one else on the planet that can handle these situations if the person who normally handles these things is not available.

I don't see how it matters to YOU if someone else wants to check into work on their vacation. Will people die or the world stop spinning if I do not? No, but for my own peace of mind, I do like to check email every day or so or read something on the internet or do whatever I want to do. I just don't understand people who feel that being disconnected automatically provides a better vacation experience. For the record (with a few exceptions) I would rather stay home than be 100% disconnected for more than a couple of days.

For the record, I follow no social media, do not have a Facebook account or anything like that. We all use technology differently.

 

[Sanchez]

I knew my comments would have people defending their supposed need to be "on call" at all times. First off, I admitted there a few exceptions. Of course having a fire department's communications capabilities restored is a very high priority and a true potential life-or-death situation. And believe me, I'm not looking to diminish yours or anyone else's work. That's not my point. I just have a hard time believing that, in most (again, not all) cases, that there is no one else on the planet that can handle these situations if the person who normally handles these things is not available.

Doubling down on your smugness is not the best move here. My guess: 1) You are likely not a professional with a license that carries certain client/patient responsibilities and ethical obligations; 2) You are not a business owner and therefore not responsible for the existence of your business or the well-being of your employees and their families; 3) You are, in all likelihood, entirely replaceable at your place of work.

All of this is fine and you are welcome to turn off your phone. However, because you seem to be given very little responsibility at your place of employment it doesn’t mean that others, with real responsibilities that you cannot comprehend, shouldn’t have the option of having a dependable connection. It isn’t all about life and death situations.

 

[CM Dad]

Though considering the audience on these boards, here's a reason those poo-pooing using your phone on a cruise might actually appreciate. The Fastpass window for upcoming WDW trip opens while we will be on a cruise next month. So, yes, I will be using the ship's wifi and (probably searching for cell coverage as well) to make Fastpass reservations! (and probably cursing up and down - we will be on NCL and their wifi is only marginally better than DCL's in our limited experience with them)

Not sure if it is still true, but I'm pretty sure I could access the WDW site without having to pay for internet on the ship. I'm more sure that you can access the DCL site for free.