Each cruise line has an app, however Royal Caribbean’s is by far the perfect one within the trade 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 varied types since 2017, a renewed focus and push to make the app actually helpful started in 2020 and has continued to right this moment.
It isn’t an ideal app, however I believe among the options added during the last two years have actually stood out from different traces. 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 turn out to be vital for cruising.
From a streamlined onboarding course of to enhancing the onboard cruise expertise, right here’s why Royal Caribbean’s app has turn out to be the gold commonplace of cruise expertise.
1. Really easy to plan every thing 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 use 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, resembling while you’re on the go and away out of your laptop.
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 making an attempt 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 purposeful.
2. A digital security drill is contained in the app
Embarkation day has tremendously 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 below legislation earlier than the ship can set sail. Gone are the times of crowding onto the promenade deck within the scorching warmth for the obligatory muster drill. This painful security drill by no means felt like one of the simplest ways to begin your trip.
Royal Caribbean revolutionized the best way muster drills are carried out by incorporating the drill into its app. to Now, friends 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 security briefing at their comfort now, so long as all necessities are accomplished by a sure time on embarkation day (normally within the late afternoon). It’s important to go to your muster station in particular person as soon as onboard, however you have got a timeframe to finish this step.
3. It may get you into your cabin
A few of Royal Caribbean’s latest cruise ships permit friends to unlock their staterooms with a digital key via the app. For instance, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas and Icon of the Seas, permit friends to make use of the app to unlock their stateroom. Though this performance has been accessible within the lodge trade for some time, Royal Caribbean is without doubt one of the first cruise traces to combine this expertise.
The digital key setup is easy and solely requires three steps earlier than you can begin utilizing the app in your stateroom key. This implies you don’t must fumble round a seashore bag searching for your SeaPass card.
Additionally, some new ships permit friends to make use of the Royal Caribbean app of their stateroom. You too can use the Royal Caribbean app to manage 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 might be hectic no matter which cruise line you’re crusing with. Fortunately, Royal Caribbean’s app supplies easy accessibility to check-in, add safety photographs, full the well being questionnaire, scan your passport photograph and generate a cellular boarding move. You too can choose your arrival instances for embarkation.
When you’re on the terminal for cruising, you’ll be able to proceed accessing your boarding move inside the app or obtain the move to your telephone’s pockets.
In contrast to Carnival Cruise Line, which nonetheless requires friends to print their boarding passes for embarkation day, Royal Caribbean’s app is rather more handy on this method.
5. Free chatting onboard
One other main perk of Royal Caribbean’s app is having the ability to chat with different friends throughout your cruise – without spending a dime! Beginning in January 2023, Royal Caribbean introduced that each one friends might use the chat function on its app as a complimentary perk transferring ahead.
This permits for simple communication onboard the ship, particularly while 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, friends also can chat with Visitor Providers via the app, avoiding lengthy traces on the desk
Different cruise traces, 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 function.
6. Future cruise planning
Not solely does Royal Caribbean’s app present an enhanced onboard expertise, however you can even e book future holidays! One of many newer options of Royal Caribbean’s app is the power to plan a future cruise instantly in your telephone. With a brand new search performance, potential cruisers can simply search for their subsequent cruise trip.
This function makes it simple to plan your subsequent cruise instantly out of your telephone, avoiding the necessity to navigate a browser. You’ll be able to even buy reward playing cards within the app in your future cruise and have your new reservation booked with only a few clicks.
Should you’re crusing on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you can even benefit from NextCruise offers without having to go to the workplace on the ship. There is not any higher method to recover from the post-cruise blues than reserving your subsequent crusing earlier than disembarking!
7. See your photographs with out the group
Keep in mind when cruise traces would print out each photograph taken and show them in a gallery every night? Whereas some older vessels nonetheless use conventional photograph galleries, Royal Caribbean’s app integrates digital photograph capabilities in your crusing. The app supplies 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. This may hyperlink the digital photographs on to your profile, which is accessible in your Royal Caribbean app. You’ll be able to view all the photographs you’ve taken, together with downloading and buying photographs on the app. Now, you don’t must waste time combing via a whole bunch of photographs of strangers to seek out your footage!
8. Handle your loyalty standing
Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program – the Crown and Anchor Society – can be accessible within the cruise line’s app for all loyalty members. Contemplating Royal Caribbean has top-of-the-line rewards program for loyal cruisers, it is essential to maintain observe of what number of factors you have got and the advantages you are entitled to.
First, cruisers can now enroll within the Crown and Anchor Society although Royal Caribbean’s app. This function makes enrollment fast and handy for newer cruisers. Straight in your telephone, you can even 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 couple of clicks
One of many largest 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 friends 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 lets you 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 an extended line for My Time Eating in the principle eating room every night time.
Those that buy a eating package deal, such because the Final Eating Package deal, also can reserve all eating places in Royal Caribbean’s app as effectively. This newest replace has been a highly-anticipated change, as many cruisers scrambled to make reservations on embarkation day.
10. Take a look at every thing taking place onboard
Earlier than Royal Caribbean launched its app, the cruise line handed out each day schedules, often called the Cruise Compass. With the inception of the app, Royal Caribbean has basically ditched the bodily Cruise Compass (until friends request one particularly) for its digital platform. The app lets you browse each day actions, headliner showtimes, themed events and extra.
With Royal Caribbean’s app, friends are empowered to handle their cruise experiences and each day onboard actions. Cruisers can bookmark sure actions to create a customized, customized schedule for every day. The app additionally sends 15-minute reminders in your bookmarked occasions, making certain you gained’t miss a factor.
11. See the menus to resolve the place you need to eat
Whereas it might seem to be a small element, I like that I can see the menu within the Most important Eating Room for every single day of the cruise prematurely.
As an alternative of getting to attend to see the menu till you present up, you’ll be able to entry every menu at some point of your crusing.
The benefit right here is having the ability to plan out while you need to skip the principle eating room and e book specialty eating places as an alternative. As an illustration, I plan to e book our specialty eating on the evenings when the principle eating room menus are much less interesting. However, nobody desires to overlook lobster night time within the eating room!
Though Carnival Cruise Line has the identical function for his or her app, Norwegian Cruise Line does doesn’t present nightly menus for his or her predominant eating room of their app. As an alternative, the night menu is simply accessible for viewing outdoors the restaurant, posted within the afternoon on the identical day. This isn’t an enormous difficulty, however it’s a nuisance!
12. Guide flights
One other function that differentiates Royal Caribbean’s app from rivals is the power to e book flights in your upcoming sailings. Royal Caribbean’s app has a brand new function to e book flights instantly of their app. The app additionally contains choices for exploring transportation and lodging, although these redirect customers to a web-based browser.
Air2Sea lets you e book flights in your cruise via Royal Caribbean. This supplies further help if points come up along with your journey, which might be useful in case you encounter sudden journey challenges tying to get to and from the cruise port.
