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

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.

Thanks for the suggestion, but we will be on NCL. I'm guessing they don't give us complementary Disney access. :goodvibes
 
Nobody is forcing anyone to be online. If you want to leave your phone at home, good for you. Some of us have family obligations that require us to check in. Others have work obligations. I sincerely doubt people WANT to be working on their cruise, but I don't judge anyone who needs to stay connected. It's remarkable how some people can't see past their own situation. :sad2:
 
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.

When the app first came out I could swear that the messages pushed ok because I always got notifications, and then after an update on my recent cruise it didn't anymore. I thought that it was just something my daughter and I were doing wrong so I went to the IT desk. The guy there was lovely but acted like he had never heard of this problem before. It was only when I got home and read things on here that I realised that this problem had been experienced by loads of people and not just me or my specific phone being an apple!
 


I am going to out myself as whatever, but I think as a society in the US we need to quash the culture of 24-7 availability to a job that is in place and growing. It is horrible. It is a step backwards.

For those who truly feel compelled to 24-7 access, a cruise may not be the best vacation for them. And that is okay. Climbing mountains may be a poor vacation for someone with a power chair. That is also okay.
 
I'd rather people had a good chance to be connected on the ship for whatever their needs and were then able to put their phones away on shore. My DS came to the beach with us and spent most of his time on his phone because he hadn't been in touch while on the ship. If he'd been able to have his regular contacts on the ship, he would have been more 'present' on the excursion for which we'd paid good money. Yes, I could have told him to leave it on the ship, but he also uses it as a camera.
 
I am going to out myself as whatever, but I think as a society in the US we need to quash the culture of 24-7 availability to a job that is in place and growing. It is horrible. It is a step backwards.

For those who truly feel compelled to 24-7 access, a cruise may not be the best vacation for them. And that is okay. Climbing mountains may be a poor vacation for someone with a power chair. That is also okay.

I guess that is your opinion. To an extent I agree with you. I think everyone needs a break to recharge. However, many people (at least I am assuming) are not working for hours on end, but rather checking email when and if they feel the need. I do not see how someone checking their work email on their vacation impacts you. I check mine because it is easier to keep up some as I go along than return to hundreds and hundreds of emails. Plus, I enjoy my job and most of the people I work with, so sometimes some of the emails are more casual in nature too. If it truly bothered me, maybe I wouldn't check or get a different job. Being available via an occasional email allows me to leave the country a couple of times a year for two weeks at a time. Well worth it to me. I am not being exploited by my employer.

The thing is internet is available at sea. The issue is whether a particular cruise line is offering the best and latest internet service while at sea.
 


I am going to out myself as whatever, but I think as a society in the US we need to quash the culture of 24-7 availability to a job that is in place and growing. It is horrible. It is a step backwards.

For those who truly feel compelled to 24-7 access, a cruise may not be the best vacation for them. And that is okay. Climbing mountains may be a poor vacation for someone with a power chair. That is also okay.

You're 100% right. But be careful, you're making the "world revolves around me" crowd very upset.
 
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You're 100% right. But be careful, you're making the "world revolves around me" crowd very upset.
I am Danish at heart. It is why I have left the Valley, where a lack of hobbies is a point of pride for many.
 
I just don't get it. Why does it make any difference to you (not anyone specific - the royal "you") how someone chooses to spend their time, or how someone is or is not valued at their employment, or how hard someone does or does not work? You want to completely unplug? Giv'er! You need to answer a work call? Please do. You want to Snapchat with your friends? Why not. Can we not allow each other the space to vacation as we see fit without the commentary? It's so unnecessary.
 
This. I have no interest in disconnecting at all, and definitely don't think it makes for a better vacation. I don't understand why other people think we should disconnect, it's weird.

And there are people that keep going on about needing to be connected 24/7. I guess you can call it that, but I honestly do not always have my phone in my hands at all. However, I want internet when I want internet and I want a strong signal and reliable internet.

This does not mean that one is so engrossed in their electronic devices that they cannot enjoy vacation. Rather, I want the internet to work and be as efficient as possible so I am not wasting time logging on, logging off, dealing with a slow signal, etc.
 
Could you recommend a vacation that my family deserves to have? One that meets your approval?

I didn't say anything about "deserve." I do think vacations are a lot like restaurants, though. Not every eatery will work for everyone.

And that is okay.

Vacation is similar. A trip to the BWCA is not going to work for someone who cannot disconnect, but there are other places to go instead.

If Disney's lack of access is an issue for some, they do have other options.
 
Could you recommend a vacation that my family deserves to have? One that meets your approval?

Perhaps, camping out in the corner of a Starbucks so you always have that precious, must-have WiFi connection?:duck:
 
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'm the controller of a small not-for-profit (<15 people). There are plenty of people on the planet who can handle situations while I'm away, however, they don't work for us and we can't afford to have two people doing the same job at that level. I do my best to make sure that everyone has what they need before I go on vacation, to try to set things up so that someone can fill in where possible, and they very very rarely contact me when I'm away because they do respect my vacation time. But we're small, we have little wiggle room financially if there's an issue, and there are times when I may be the only one who can answer the question/resolve the issue. I don't believe that my situation is unique. There are many perfectly valid situations where people have to be on call or check in because they work for a small business, a startup firm, or a business where they have unique knowledge or skills, not because they're self-important. Ten minutes or less a day to check e-mail allows me to relax fully for the rest of the day because I know there's no emergency that can't be solved without me. I'd rather do that than feel that I can't go away at all because no one can contact me. And I also will know that my father who is in his 80's with a heart condition is OK because he sends an e-mail every day.
 
Just a reminder here everyone, lets keep this thread on track and post our thoughts to answer the question. There is no need to get personal or offended with each other because someone has a different view. Let's all play nice! Thanks!
 

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