Hi Marilyn!
The
Wave Phones aboard Disney Cruise Line are wonderful tools to use to keep in contact with other members of your party on the ship. Calling and texting are available and the service works on the ship and at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.
Guests can not forward their cell phone numbers to the wave phones, no. These are strictly for communication on the ship and don't have a real phone number associated with them. The numbers are assigned with your stateroom number and either a 1 or 2 after it, as each stateroom includes two Wave Phones for guest use. Counselors in the Oceaneer's Club and Lab can also use these to contact parents if their children are ready to leave the clubs.
Should someone back home need to reach you in the event of an emergency, they can call Disney Cruise Line's ship contact number which you will be provided with in your reservation packet. We give this number to our family back home to have just in case before we set sail. Luckily we've never had to use it, but it's nice to know someone at home has a way to reach us if they needed to.
Stop back with other questions as you continue to plan, Marilyn!