Each cruise line has an app, however Royal Caribbean’s is by far the very best one within the business proper now.
Everytime you’re evaluating apps, it is a subjective train. However I believe Royal Caribbean’s is so a lot better due to what number of options they’ve rolled into it.
Whereas the app has existed in numerous types since 2017, a renewed focus and push to make the app actually helpful started in 2020 and has continued to immediately.
It isn’t an ideal app, however I believe a few of the options added over the past two years have actually stood out from different strains. And that is given the app separation from the pack, given how different cruise line apps lack so a lot of this performance.
Royal Caribbean’s app is free to obtain for Apple and Android customers – and it’s rapidly develop into vital for cruising.
From a streamlined onboarding course of to enhancing the onboard cruise expertise, right here’s why Royal Caribbean’s app has develop into the gold normal of cruise expertise.
1. Really easy to plan all the pieces earlier than the cruise begins
One of many key options that units Royal Caribbean’s app aside is its performance previous to even stepping onboard your cruise ship.
Earlier than your trip begins, you should utilize the Royal Caribbean app to plan excursions, buy web, reserve specialty eating and purchase drink packages. This implies you do not want to go surfing to the cruise planner, as an alternative using the app for fast purchases. This lets you plan extra conveniently out of your telephone, comparable to if you’re on the go and away out of your pc.
Compared, I discover Norwegian Cruise Line’s app nugatory earlier than you sail onboard. Even with a current refresh, many report fixed glitches and freezing with trying to pre-cruise plan.
Moreover, Carnival Cruise Line’s app solely redirects you from the app to the browser on-line for pre-boarding planning, making the app really feel much less useful.
2. A digital security drill is contained in the app
Embarkation day has significantly improved due to the eMuster with Royal Caribbean’s app.
Maybe one of many least components of cruising, all cruise passengers are required to finish a security briefing beneath regulation earlier than the ship can set sail. Gone are the times of crowding onto the promenade deck within the scorching warmth for the necessary muster drill. This painful security drill by no means felt like the easiest way to begin your trip.
Royal Caribbean revolutionized the way in which muster drills are carried out by incorporating the drill into its app. to Now, visitors watch the pre-cruise security video, hear the emergency horn sound and settle for security tips on Royal Caribbean’s app.
Friends can full the protection briefing at their comfort now, so long as all necessities are accomplished by a sure time on embarkation day (often within the late afternoon). It’s important to go to your muster station in particular person as soon as onboard, however you’ve gotten a timeframe to finish this step.
3. It will possibly get you into your cabin
A few of Royal Caribbean’s latest cruise ships enable visitors to unlock their staterooms with a digital key by way of the app. For instance, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas and Icon of the Seas, enable visitors to make use of the app to unlock their stateroom. Though this performance has been obtainable within the lodge business for some time, Royal Caribbean is among the first cruise strains to combine this expertise.
The digital key setup is simple and solely requires three steps earlier than you can begin utilizing the app to your stateroom key. This implies you don’t have to fumble round a seashore bag searching for your SeaPass card.
Additionally, some new ships enable visitors to make use of the Royal Caribbean app of their stateroom. You can too use the Royal Caribbean app to regulate the stateroom TV, together with streaming content material out of your telephone on to the TV. As well as, you’ll be able to management the room temperature, lights and curtains in some staterooms.
4. Going “curb to bar” rapidly
Boarding day will be hectic no matter which cruise line you’re crusing with. Fortunately, Royal Caribbean’s app gives easy accessibility to check-in, add safety photographs, full the well being questionnaire, scan your passport picture and generate a cell boarding go. You can too choose your arrival occasions for embarkation.
When you’re on the terminal for cruising, you’ll be able to proceed accessing your boarding go inside the app or obtain the go to your telephone’s pockets.
In contrast to Carnival Cruise Line, which nonetheless requires visitors to print their boarding passes for embarkation day, Royal Caribbean’s app is far more handy on this manner.
5. Free chatting onboard
One other main perk of Royal Caribbean’s app is with the ability to chat with different visitors throughout your cruise – at no cost! Beginning in January 2023, Royal Caribbean introduced that every one visitors might use the chat characteristic on its app as a complimentary perk shifting ahead.
This enables for simple communication onboard the ship, particularly if you’re at sea and away from cell service. In any case, web on a cruise ship remains to be very costly. Friends can chat with their journey group without having to buy web entry. On choose ships, visitors can even chat with Visitor Companies by way of the app, avoiding lengthy strains on the desk
Different cruise strains, together with each Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, cost every visitor to entry onboard chat whereas cruising. Carnival Cruise Line costs $5 per particular person to make use of their HUB app’s chat characteristic.
6. Future cruise planning
Not solely does Royal Caribbean’s app present an enhanced onboard expertise, however you may as well e-book future holidays! One of many newer options of Royal Caribbean’s app is the flexibility to plan a future cruise straight in your telephone. With a brand new search performance, potential cruisers can simply search for their subsequent cruise trip.
This characteristic makes it straightforward to plan your subsequent cruise straight out of your telephone, avoiding the necessity to navigate a browser. You possibly can even buy present playing cards within the app to your future cruise and have your new reservation booked with only a few clicks.
If you happen to’re crusing on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you may as well benefit from NextCruise offers without having to go to the workplace on the ship. There is no higher approach to recover from the post-cruise blues than reserving your subsequent crusing earlier than disembarking!
7. See your photographs with out the gang
Keep in mind when cruise strains would print out each picture taken and show them in a gallery every night? Whereas some older vessels nonetheless use conventional picture galleries, Royal Caribbean’s app integrates digital picture capabilities to your crusing. The app gives extraordinarily easy accessibility to your skilled photographs taken throughout your cruise.
Whereas onboard, you’ll present the photographer along with your stateroom quantity after photographs are taken. It will hyperlink the digital photographs on to your profile, which is accessible in your Royal Caribbean app. You possibly can view all the photographs you’ve taken, together with downloading and buying photographs on the app. Now, you don’t have to waste time combing by way of a whole lot of photographs of strangers to seek out your photos!
8. Handle your loyalty standing
Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program – the Crown and Anchor Society – can also be accessible within the cruise line’s app for all loyalty members. Contemplating Royal Caribbean has probably the greatest rewards program for loyal cruisers, it is essential to maintain monitor of what number of factors you’ve gotten and the advantages you are entitled to.
First, cruisers can now enroll within the Crown and Anchor Society although Royal Caribbean’s app. This characteristic makes enrollment fast and handy for newer cruisers. Instantly in your telephone, you may as well view your present loyalty tier and related advantages for the Crown and Anchor Society. The app additionally shows your complete cruise factors and variety of cruise nights for fast entry, so you’ll be able to keep up-to-date in your standing.
9. Guide eating places with a number of clicks
One of many greatest highlights of cruising with Royal Caribbean is having so many eating choices to select from, together with each complimentary and specialty eating places. Nevertheless, the bigger the cruise ship, the extra essential it’s to plan your eating reservations prematurely. With extra visitors vying for reservations on the eating places onboard, ready till the final minute for making specialty eating reservations isn’t an excellent technique.
The Royal Caribbean app permits you to browse onboard eating places, reserve specialty eating, and schedule My Time Eating reservations. This may be particularly useful for these eager to keep away from a protracted line for My Time Eating in the principle eating room every night time.
Those that buy a eating bundle, such because the Final Eating Bundle, can even reserve all eating places in Royal Caribbean’s app as nicely. This newest replace has been a highly-anticipated change, as many cruisers scrambled to make reservations on embarkation day.
10. Try all the pieces taking place onboard
Earlier than Royal Caribbean launched its app, the cruise line handed out every day schedules, referred to as the Cruise Compass. With the inception of the app, Royal Caribbean has primarily ditched the bodily Cruise Compass (until visitors request one particularly) for its digital platform. The app permits you to browse every day actions, headliner showtimes, themed events and extra.
With Royal Caribbean’s app, visitors are empowered to handle their cruise experiences and every day onboard actions. Cruisers can bookmark sure actions to create a customized, customized schedule for every day. The app additionally sends 15-minute reminders to your bookmarked occasions, guaranteeing you gained’t miss a factor.
11. See the menus to resolve the place you wish to eat
Whereas it might appear to be a small element, I like that I can see the menu within the Predominant Eating Room for each day of the cruise prematurely.
As a substitute of getting to attend to see the menu till you present up, you’ll be able to entry every menu all through your crusing.
The benefit right here is with the ability to plan out if you wish to skip the principle eating room and e-book specialty eating places as an alternative. For example, I plan to e-book our specialty eating on the evenings when the principle eating room menus are much less interesting. However, nobody needs to overlook lobster night time within the eating room!
Though Carnival Cruise Line has the identical characteristic for his or her app, Norwegian Cruise Line does doesn’t present nightly menus for his or her foremost eating room of their app. As a substitute, the night menu is barely obtainable for viewing outdoors the restaurant, posted within the afternoon on the identical day. This isn’t an enormous concern, however it’s a nuisance!
12. Guide flights
One other characteristic that differentiates Royal Caribbean’s app from opponents is the flexibility to e-book flights to your upcoming sailings. Royal Caribbean’s app has a brand new characteristic to e-book flights straight of their app. The app additionally contains choices for exploring transportation and lodging, although these redirect customers to an internet browser.
Air2Sea permits you to e-book flights to your cruise by way of Royal Caribbean. This gives further help if points come up along with your journey, which will be useful should you encounter surprising journey challenges tying to get to and from the cruise port.
