Disney Cruise? There's an App for That

This past weekend, a new app appeared in the iTunes app store that I quickly scooped up.
The Disney Fantasy Navigator.
Currently described as "Disney Fantasy - Navigator is available for use while aboard the Disney Fantasy only during the September 7 and September 14 sailings." I am hopeful that this will become another permanent addition to cruising.
After playing with it, the free app currently has limited use shore side, but promises to be chock full of useful information when hooked into the ship's intranet through the "DCL-Guest" Wi-Fi network.
A similar app launched for the Android as well.

Friendly mouse-keeping reminder!

Please remember to put your iPhone into airplane mode then turn on Wi-Fi. Forgetting to turn your smart phone on airplane mode can ad will result in hefty cellular data charges via the "cellular at sea" tower. Double check.  Triple check. I'm not even kidding. As it says here on the Disney Cruise Line website, "Usage rates and international roaming rates vary as you travel. Be sure to contact your cell phone provider to learn these rates before your cruise. Disney Cruise Line recommends that Guests seeking to avoid the unwanted costs associated with data downloads keep their wireless devices turned off during their cruise."

Clear on that? Okay.
For those of you who have not yet experienced a cruise, before boarding and then each evening on returning to your stateroom, you receive a newsletter called your personal navigator.

Day 1, personal navigator page 1

These helpfully feature information ranging from a schedule of "must dos" to evening attire and even a listing of hours of operation and sales on board. The app is arranged similarly. Allowing you to flag favorite activities, see upcoming events, drinks of the day and even that evenings menu (complete with photos), the app expands on the paper navigator.

Additionally, the app features a "you are here" style map of the ship, as well as character meet and greet times and movies. Unlike the Navigator, which used a TV Guide style chart to organize events, the format seems much easier to read and organize. After using the My Disney Experience app to organize our last Disney day, I have high hopes for the cruise application once it gets a wider release.

This additional information helps with everyday scheduling and I cannot wait to get my mickey mitts on it! I would still bring home the paper navigators to scrapbook and assist me in my trip reporting efforts, but I have a feeling that this app will be right up my alley.

Do you think this is something you would use or would you prefer to stick to the paper navigators? If you have gotten to try out the app, could you let me know what you thought of it?