If you like the free iMessage, note it on your survey!

[cvjw]

Chatting with the connect at sea cast member last week while on the fantasy 8 night southern cruise. I was telling her how nice it was to be able to keep in contact with family members at home thru the free iMessage. It was priceless to us because our son had a medical emergency while we were on the ship and iMessage helped us to guide him with insurance and treatment while we were so far away.

She said to make sure I noted this on the survey - that I needed to let Disney know how being able to stay in touch with family thru iMessage made the cruise better. She said that if enough people let Disney know how much they loved this feature, they might make it permanent!

 

[kdogfister]

I definitely agree. My one concern is that if so many people mention that it made the cruise better, they might decide to charge for it.

 

[n2mm]

I definitely agree. My one concern is that if so many people mention that it made the cruise better, they might decide to charge for it.

I'm sure it’s coming. We liked it also.

 

[ArielRae]

They are officially offering it to their crew members now.
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2019/10/disney-cruise-line-to-provide-free-texting-to-crew-members/

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sadly, iMessage is only good on iPhone to iPhone. Android phones = no go.

 

[greensombrero]

You can iMessage to iPads, iPods, and Apple computers not just iPhones. I wonder if for crew they may extend it to a couple other apps that run on Android. Delta offers free messaging on their onboard Wifi and it covers iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsUp. Maybe DCL will expand in time.

 

[mareed]

I chatted with the CM on the same cruise who said that something is definitely also in the works for Android phones, and that it should be coming very soon, so there's real hope for that! She also confirmed that iMessage is working for free on all 4 ships now.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I had been surprised when I got text messages from friends while I was onboard. This thread has explained Why!

 

[cvjw]

I definitely agree. My one concern is that if so many people mention that it made the cruise better, they might decide to charge for it.

We would pay for it. It was so easy to check iMessages without having to open connect at sea every time. We usually buy a small internet package so we can check messages, so paying for iMessage would be ok with us. Of course, free is always better

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

We would pay for it. It was so easy to check iMessages without having to open connect at sea every time. We usually buy a small internet package so we can check messages, so paying for iMessage would be ok with us. Of course, free is always better

Shhhhhhhh....don't give DCL any ideas.

 

[n2mm]

It was great on our cruise in September. My kids and grandkids were on an excursion in cozumel. They were out on a catamaran. They texted us to say they forgot cash and had no tip money. Could we meet them on the dock when they get back. They had a great time and wanted to make sure to tip the crew. Get the money out of our safe. Unfortunately our room host closed the connecting doors so I brought down cash for them, plus beer money to go to Mega store. They texted us as they were getting in and it all worked out. Without the iMessage it would not have worked out for them.

 

[Andrew96]

I was on my 5th Disney Cruise in early September on the Dream and noticed that my iMessage was working the entire trip, even though I did not buy an internet package thru Connect At Sea, besides the free 50MB package on the first day. While I seldom use my phone when cruising, it was nice to keep in contact with some family back home rather than have to pay for internet and message through Facebook, etc. I was afraid the whole time that somehow I was going to get charged for my usage, but was relieved when I received my final bill!

 

[KashasMom]

Sadly, iMessage is only good on iPhone to iPhone. Android phones = no go.

How to Send and Receive iMessage on Android Phone

1. Download SMS for iMessage App. SMS for iMessage is an Android application that routes text messages from Mac iMessage client to android phones. ...
2. Install weServer. ...
3. Give Permissions. ...
4. Setup iMessage Account. ...
5. Install weMessage. ...
6. Login, Sync and Start iMessaging with your Android Phone.

I'll probably skip all that and pay the 50 cents to send a text. Free wifi is available in port anyway so I can connect that way as well.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

How to Send and Receive iMessage on Android Phone

1. Download SMS for iMessage App. SMS for iMessage is an Android application that routes text messages from Mac iMessage client to android phones. ...
2. Install weServer. ...
3. Give Permissions. ...
4. Setup iMessage Account. ...
5. Install weMessage. ...
6. Login, Sync and Start iMessaging with your Android Phone.

I'll probably skip all that and pay the 50 cents to send a text. Free wifi is available in port anyway so I can connect that way as well.

Sounds good. Actually, I don't need to immediately message/text anyone while on vacations, so I'm good without it.

 

[MomOTwins]

Sounds good. Actually, I don't need to immediately message/text anyone while on vacations, so I'm good without it.

We didn't see a need either, but boy do I wish we had had it last year before they it was available. Our petsitter managed to lock himself out of our house. He sent us dozens of texts and voicemails, none of which we got. We'd used him tons of times before and never had an issue so it never occurred to us we'd need our phones and had them on airplane mode the whole cruise. Boy did we feel like hell going through all those messages when we got back to port Canaveral thinking our pet had died horribly until we finally got to the message where he said our neighbor came out and used her extra key that we had given her for emergencies to let him in. I'm sure glad we will have it on our upcoming cruise!

 

[Dug720]

They are officially offering it to their crew members now.
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2019/10/disney-cruise-line-to-provide-free-texting-to-crew-members/

What is funny is my sister has been using it as long as people have been reporting being able to use it here. I wonder if they just didn't tell the crew and waited until enough of them figured it out and then decided to "announce" it.

 

[kdogfister]

What is funny is my sister has been using it as long as people have been reporting being able to use it here. I wonder if they just didn't tell the crew and waited until enough of them figured it out and then decided to "announce" it.

That's an interesting point. There really wouldn't be a way to limit it from crewmembers short of asking them not to use it, but it's not like DCL is going to lock down only specific devices. Sounds like maybe they finally formally ok'd the activity.

 

[FigmentSpark]

How to Send and Receive iMessage on Android Phone

1. Download SMS for iMessage App. SMS for iMessage is an Android application that routes text messages from Mac iMessage client to android phones. ...
2. Install weServer. ...
3. Give Permissions. ...
4. Setup iMessage Account. ...
5. Install weMessage. ...
6. Login, Sync and Start iMessaging with your Android Phone.

I'll probably skip all that and pay the 50 cents to send a text. Free wifi is available in port anyway so I can connect that way as well.

My sister couldn't find that app in the Google Play store.

 

[brentm77]

They need to add whatsapp for android users!

 

[GingerPilot]

At least on the Galaxy series of phones you can send texts over WiFi without needing WhatsApp or anything. I use it all the time on airlines and used it successfully on the ship when logged into Connect at Sea. It uses almost no mb, so it was a very efficient way of communication. It's just a matter of the service provider allowing that application (Samsung messages?) permission to use the WiFi just like iMessage.