Royal Caribbean announced technological innovations which aim to make things simpler for passengers going on a cruise.
A new smartphone app is at the heart of the technology overhaul. It will be rolled out to every ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet over the next 2 years.
The app is expected to eliminate check-in lines at cruise ports, equip crew to anticipate passengers’ needs, and enable large cruise ships to sail through water on fuel-saving curtain of air.
The most important features of the new RCI app include:
- Allowing passengers to quickly board ships, skipping check-in lines due to facial recognition technology which knows who they are on arrival.
- Indulge in VR & AR experiences which transform ship spaces into interactive games and virtual environments, where stateroom ceilings are replaced by starry skies, restaurant's walls transform into sights and sounds of outdoor cafe, and digital signs challenge guests to play arcade games.
- Sign up for shore trips, order drinks and make reservations without leaving their chairs by the pool due to an intuitive app on their smartphones.
The new technology will be available on 13% of cruise ships by the end of this year, 50% by the end of next year, and fleetwide by the end of 2019.