How Can Cruise Ship Technology Help Us Connect With Fellow Passengers?
By Michael Yessis, Cruise Critic contributor
Sponsored by Carnival Corporation
It can take some ingenuity for family, friends and folks-you-just-met-but-really-want-to-spend-more-time-with to effectively communicate and connect with each other during cruises on large, contemporary ships.
Those who don't spend every waking shipboard minute with their companions may have tried the Post-it note stuck on the cabin door approach, letting their friends know they've had a change of heart and are waiting for them at the Lido pool. Or tried walkie-talkies, lugging battery-operated handsets around the ship so they can talk to their rose-sipping spouse in Crooners Lounge while tanning on the Sun Deck (and letting everyone within a 15-foot radius eavesdrop on their revised dinner plans). Or the trick where they dictate a message on the cabin's voicemail, hoping their new friends will remember to dial in and hear the request to change the kids' playdate to 10:30 a.m.
So, passengers have certainly been persistent in their efforts to connect with each other. Creative, too. But has that communication been efficient? Effective? Empowering? Try frustrating and alienating. Or, as one passenger posted in the Cruise Critic forums, some on-ship communications can seem "prehistoric."
Poor communication -- and the suboptimal travel experience that can accompany it -- is a well-known problem among passengers and cruise lines. It's also one that perfectly aligns passengers and cruise executives. They both want the issue addressed and cruise lines are turning to new technologies for answers.
Cruise Lines Make Progress
"What we see, not only with cruises but many places people travel, is a big transition between worlds that were traditionally 'technology off' to being technology-first environments," says Mark McSpadden, Vice President, Emerging Products & Technologies for Sabre, and a TEDx speaker on the future of travel. "So, what cruises are hoping to do through the use of technology is create better guest experiences and guest engagement throughout the whole cruise."
In recent years, in addition to attempting to beef up onboard Wi-Fi networks and other parts of their tech infrastructure, cruise lines have improved information flow and onboard communications by rolling out free mobile apps that passengers can download to their phones. Apps like Carnival's Hub and Norwegian's iConcierge digitize core ship information such as maps, daily activities and restaurant menus so it's always at passengers' fingertips, making planning easier. Perhaps more significant for the overall cruise experience, however, these apps also feature communications packages that enable passengers to text or call one another aboard the ship for a small fee. For instance, the cost of the chat option on Carnival's Hub: $5 for the trip's duration.
In theory, no more Post-its, walkie-talkies or voice mails. In their place, more on-ship connections, unbroken plans and delighted passengers. In short, a more human cruise experience.
In practice, the full story hasn't yet been written. McSpadden reports initial feedback around these apps has been positive. "[There's] excitement around having the technology be part of the experience instead of something you have to lock down and put away," he says. Reviews online have been mixed. Many passengers rave at being able to communicate using their smartphones. Others post on the Cruise Critic forums that they've been hindered by the hit-and-miss onboard connectivity. Some have concerns about Big Brother, wondering whether the cruise line will know when they're in the bathroom, or whether they'll know it's been an hour since they've ordered a drink and will send someone over to try encourage them to order another jalapeno martini. And another group actually wants to lock their phones away and have a tech-free vacation.
Cruise lines are studying this feedback and actual passenger usage will inform future iterations because tech developments on cruise ships are only in the early stages. Assuming passengers continue to adopt technology in sufficient numbers, cruise lines will continue taking the next steps to try to enhance passengers' trips even more.
What's the Next Wave?
Look for wearable technology, like Princess Cruises' Ocean Medallion to make a big wave. Debuting in November 2017 on Princess' Regal Princess, passengers will be able to wear this technology (or similar technologies) -- or just carry the quarter-sized objects in their pockets. The wearable interacts with sensors placed throughout a ship. The high-level goal: Provide a better, simpler, more-personalized travel experience. The technology aims to track passengers' movements and learn their preferences and habits, and then potentially anticipate their needs. In the process, it's possible that these technologies will also serve to bring people together and foster communities. Ocean Medallion Class cruises will, beginning in 2018, roll-out to other ships, such as Princess' Royal, Caribbean, Island, Golden, Crown and Ruby.
Consider if everyone wears the technology and opts-in to be "findable" on the cruise ship. On one level, it provides peace of mind to passengers knowing their kids are in the game lounge, just where they said they'd be. On another level, it could plant the seeds for serendipitous encounters. Say that a passenger is interested in wines, which she's revealed when she set up her technology. The technology could potentially alert her -- and all other people on the ship also interested in that activity -- to a wine-themed meetup, or just another nearby wine aficionado.
Other possibilities for technology to bring people together on cruises are just being dreamed up. "We've talked to at least one supplier about concepts of strengthening those serendipitous encounters," McSpadden says. "For example, oftentimes you'll meet another couple or another family, and you'll hit things off." The hope is technology can facilitate moving that kind of encounter from being serendipitous to being more structured.
The cruise lines aren't the only tech providers working to bring people together, either. The Cruise Critic forum's Roll Calls, for instance, have for years connected people on specific ships before sailings. With dozens or even hundreds of people in individual ship forums, Roll Calls are effective for coordinating initial onboard meetups and planning shore excursions, and for simply making basic social connections.
"It makes a difference," says Laura Sterling, Cruise Critic's Senior Manager of Community, aka the person who facilitates the Roll Calls. "A lot of times when you're on a ship, you tend to see people over and over again. So, you stop and you chat for a minute. It definitely adds to the overall sociality of the cruise by participating in a Roll Call. And listen, you don't have to make a best friend. You're not inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner. But a couple of minutes here and there makes all the difference in the world."
Using New Tech on Your Next Cruise
McSpadden has some suggestions when it comes to preparing for your next cruise. First, passengers should familiarize themselves with available onboard technology before they travel. Download apps or just learn the basics before embarkation, so the limitations and possibilities of the technology are better understood. Second, passengers shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't go 100 percent right. Onboard technology is still a work in progress.
Still, the upside is huge. "People think that introducing technology cuts off the humanity," says McSpadden, "when in actuality it has the opportunity to connect people in ways that they couldn't before."
Travel editor and writer Michael Yessis has contributed stories to Smithsonian magazine, USA Today, Aol Travel and other publications.
