Hello Renee!
Welcome back to planDisney, thanks for sailing by!
One of my favorite moments of a Disney Cruise is when I switch my phone into "airplane mode" which means I'm off the grid! But I totally understand wanting to be able to
communicate with kiddos in your party. Guests do currently have access to free messaging through WhatsApp and iMessage while on board Disney Cruise Line ships, so an Apple Watch may still receive messages. I will say that service at sea can be a bit rough, so it's nice to have some alternate methods for keeping tabs on each other.
On past cruises, we've always chosen to walk our kids over to
Disney's Oceaneer Club and check them in ourselves. We have also opted not to grant them the ability to
check out themselves, so counselors in the club let us know when the kids are ready to leave and we come to get them. Alternatively, I have many friends who keep sticky notes in their room or a dry-erase board so that their kids can leave a note about where they are heading next!
I love using the
Disney Cruise Line Navigator App at breakfast each morning to talk with my kids about what activities they want to do that day. By having a rough plan, it's easier to keep track of where everyone is. You might decide to have some free time after breakfast, but set alarms to all meet up at a trivia event, a movie, or the pool! Then everyone gets a little freedom, but you know when you'll reconnect again.
Happy sailing, Renee! I hope you have an incredible voyage!
Keep moving forward!
Amanda