New RCL app allows you to walk onto cruise

[xiphoid76]

Love this idea, wonder if Disney will follow them?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...n-app-let-you-walk-right-onto-ship/855130001/

 

[jdb in AZ]

Love this idea, wonder if Disney will follow them?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...n-app-let-you-walk-right-onto-ship/855130001/

The link goes to a shopping ad.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The link goes to a shopping ad.

Well, it didn't when first posted.

Try this one:
http://www.ksdk.com/article/news/na...ship/465-0860f7cf-d979-42c1-8046-abae0e9a3158

 

[fredandkell]

Very cool! I like the "order drinks via the app" feature! No chasing down a server on the pool deck!

 

[SteveMP]

Meh...i'd rather get a plastic card. At least as backup. I recently stayed at a recently renovated hotel in chicago that had that new room key app and it kept having issues. Then the "help" button stopped working, i then had to go back down to the lobby and find someone who could help with it. Not fun at 11pm when you are tired and just want to get back in your room.

 

[Bonnie1222]

First thing I do when I get on ship is turn my phone off and lock it in the safe. A cruise is my way of "disconnecting" and relaxing. This wouldn't be a big selling point for me.

I also don't like the idea of the room door opening when you get near. I can see that causing all kinds of problems.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

First thing I do when I get on ship is turn my phone off and lock it in the safe. A cruise is my way of "disconnecting" and relaxing. This wouldn't be a big selling point for me.

I also don't like the idea of the room door opening when you get near. I can see that causing all kinds of problems.

Yeah, a vacation is to get away from everyone - phone is off, and locked away until we return to port.

Princess has a new program where you get a medallion and it recognizes when you go into a bar/lounge and what you usually order to drink, so they can just set your drink in front of you as soon as you sit down.

 

[sunshinemelody]

This is pretty cool! Since it fully rolls out to all ships until 2019 they may be able to address that door aspect. If you tap the phone to the door and it opens, then fine, but as you're walking toward it? What if you're just passing the room and don't actually want to go in there and don't notice?

 

[SteveMP]

This is pretty cool! Since it fully rolls out to all ships until 2019 they may be able to address that door aspect. If you tap the phone to the door and it opens, then fine, but as you're walking toward it? What if you're just passing the room and don't actually want to go in there and don't notice?

The way the hotel I was in worked is you launched the app and there was a button on the screen that was "greyed out" and you then walked towards the door. When you got within range(bluetooth) about 6-10 feet away the button on the app would light up green. If you pushed the button on the app then you would see the door sensor light up green and you could open it. So you had to specifically want to get in. If you were within range when you launched the app the button would be green already and pushable(if thats a word)

Also there was no watch app when I went, hopefully they get that going too, where when you get within tange the watch buzzes you and shows a button you can push.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I like this idea! I travel a lot for work and stay at Hilton properties; I love their app-based check in and digital key. No waiting at the front desk, no key card to deal with and remember to drop on the last day. I would love to have that on a ship as well!

 

[Dug720]

Having been lined up for Guest Services (or even hanging out in the seating area nearby) and witnessed the issues where people changed cabins (either by RCCL-induced upgrade or for other reasons) where excursion tickets, OBC, and even dining reservations got assigned to the original cabin) on a couple of RCCL cruises, I foresee big time issues with this - people's phones opening the wrong cabin, etc.

Not to mention not everyone has or wants a smartphone. There is no mention of what happens to those people.

And when on a cruise did you have to "remember to drop your card" on the last day? You don't. That is a non-issue since you have to have it to check-out.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, it didn't when first posted.

Try this one:
http://www.ksdk.com/article/news/na...ship/465-0860f7cf-d979-42c1-8046-abae0e9a3158

FYI those viglink pages do have the link to the page intended to be linked. On this one just click the usatoday link.




The article does say that people don’t have to use the app.

Fain said passengers who don't own a smartphone or similar device or don't want to carry one while aboard a ship still will be able to do everything from checking in to ordering a drink the old-fashioned way. Traditional key cards for opening doors still will be available, for instance.

"This is in addition to what we do, not instead of it," he noted. "If you want to do (the check-in process) on paper, we'll do it on paper."

 

[cyclenut]

I love the idea. A smartphone has so many capabilities these days. I turn off WiFi and Cellular service on mine when we leave port but I still use my phone for a lot of things. It's a convenient camera, clock, gaming, kindle reader, cruiseline app with events and such, ship map, vacation notes (I store notes in OneNote leading up to the vacation on things I want to do or have planned) and now it could even be my room key.

I'd love to bypass the lines and get to my room. If even 10-15 percent of people took advantage, it would drop the lines for everyone else too. I'd be surprised if they are using bluetooth technology as that usually requires some sort of pairing and you don't want to have to do that. They are probably using NFC, which most smartphones now have. It's how the payment apps work. NFC is Near Field Communications. It allows devices to "talk" to each other when in very close proximity.

If you have a newer car, you might have one of those keys that you can just leave in your pocket or purse. The car has sensors and when it notices it's key, it will light up. When you touch the door handle, it will unlock. If the key is in the car, you push the button to start the car. My car doesn't even have a keyhole on the exterior.

Point being, this technology is maturing very rapidly with many uses all around us. The point was made earlier that it has been in several hotels already. I'm sure cards will still be issued on request and they will likely need to have a backup plan for guests who lose their phones or have the battery die on them while on shore. It's possible for there to be a malfunction of some sort as well. I've had that happen with the card room keys too though, so I don't think the frequency would be much higher. All they are really doing is transferring the programming that is in those cards to the smartphone.

The can of worms that does get opened is the various ways that smartphones are configured and the wide range of knowledge people have about their smartphones. For example, when you set your phone to airplane mode when on the ship, it may disable the NFC function as well. Many smartphones disable bluetooth in airplane mode as well. Depending on what technology is being used (and I'm assuming NFC), a passenger could inadvertently disable the communication function and now Guest Services is becoming a help desk for your smartphone, or just issuing you a key anyway.

 

[jdb in AZ]

FYI those viglink pages do have the link to the page intended to be linked. On this one just click the usatoday link.

Google is my friend.

Assuming the app works as planned, it would be nice to just walk right onto the ship instead of waiting in line(s).

 

[cmph]

I thought I liked the idea of Hilton's version... until last month when the entire system shut down. The front desk person had to walk everyone to their rooms to let them in with some master key bracelet thing. You can imagine that this took a while in a multi-floor hotel. If you left the room at all for any reason and didn't want to leave someone behind or prop your door, you had to stand in line at the front desk to be let back into your room. It was special. They had to bring in back-up the next morning for the breakfast hours. He literally went up and down the elevator with people over and over again all morning. I'm envisioning this scenario on a cruise ship and yikes. Even if people have backup key cards, they're not going to carry them if they think the app will get them back in their rooms.

Getting to walk right on board immediately sounds awesome though!

 

[jdb in AZ]

I thought I liked the idea of Hilton's version... until last month when the entire system shut down. The front desk person had to walk everyone to their rooms to let them in with some master key bracelet thing. You can imagine that this took a while in a multi-floor hotel. If you left the room at all for any reason and didn't want to leave someone behind or prop your door, you had to stand in line at the front desk to be let back into your room. It was special. They had to bring in back-up the next morning for the breakfast hours. He literally went up and down the elevator with people over and over again all morning. I'm envisioning this scenario on a cruise ship and yikes. Even if people have backup key cards, they're not going to carry them if they think the app will get them back in their rooms.

Getting to walk right on board immediately sounds awesome though!

Technology -- can't live with it; can't live without it.

I'm wondering how the automatic system would work for children who are too young to have their own smart phone. It wouldn't do much good for the parents to walk on board if their kids still have to check-in the old-fashioned way. Watch for magic bands coming soon to a mailbox near you?

 

[cmph]

Technology -- can't live with it; can't live without it.

I'm wondering how the automatic system would work for children who are too young to have their own smart phone. It wouldn't do much good for the parents to walk on board if their kids still have to check-in the old-fashioned way. Watch for magic bands coming soon to a mailbox near you?

They get them on-board for the kids' clubs anyway, so why not, LOL! It is pretty funny how tech has helped make things so much more efficient... but any break-downs are disastrous. We stayed at a hotel over the summer that still had real keys in the half that hadn't been reno-d recently. Actual metal keys! Can't remember the last time we saw that. It seemed so antiquated. But then, if the system wigged out, everyone with metal keys could get in their rooms, no problem!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

They get them on-board for the kids' clubs anyway, so why not, LOL! It is pretty funny how tech has helped make things so much more efficient... but any break-downs are disastrous. We stayed at a hotel over the summer that still had real keys in the half that hadn't been reno-d recently. Actual metal keys! Can't remember the last time we saw that. It seemed so antiquated. But then, if the system wigged out, everyone with metal keys could get in their rooms, no problem!

Well, actually, the bands at Oceaneer's LOOK like magic bands but are not actual magic bands. They are only programmed to check kids in and out of the club, and help locate what room they are in inside the club.

Not open room doors, charge stuff, use to get on/off the ship.

 

[cmph]

Well, actually, the bands at Oceaneer's LOOK like magic bands but are not actual magic bands. They are only programmed to check kids in and out of the club, and help locate what room they are in inside the club.

Not open room doors, charge stuff, use to get on/off the ship.

yes yes, of course they aren't literal magic bands. That's why I said "for the kids' club". They aren't FP+ing anyone onto the Aquaduck either. But hey, that would be a nice perk, ha!

They can upgrade the bands to do whatever they want, though, so if they're going to implement an electronic system that extends to children - certainly makes sense to use the bands. Not that anyone is saying they are planning any of this... it's all just theoretical conversation in response to the article about Royal's new system.

 

[SteveMP]

I love the idea. A smartphone has so many capabilities these days. I turn off WiFi and Cellular service on mine when we leave port but I still use my phone for a lot of things. It's a convenient camera, clock, gaming, kindle reader, cruiseline app with events and such, ship map, vacation notes (I store notes in OneNote leading up to the vacation on things I want to do or have planned) and now it could even be my room key.

I'd love to bypass the lines and get to my room. If even 10-15 percent of people took advantage, it would drop the lines for everyone else too. I'd be surprised if they are using bluetooth technology as that usually requires some sort of pairing and you don't want to have to do that. They are probably using NFC, which most smartphones now have. It's how the payment apps work. NFC is Near Field Communications. It allows devices to "talk" to each other when in very close proximity.

If you have a newer car, you might have one of those keys that you can just leave in your pocket or purse. The car has sensors and when it notices it's key, it will light up. When you touch the door handle, it will unlock. If the key is in the car, you push the button to start the car. My car doesn't even have a keyhole on the exterior.

Point being, this technology is maturing very rapidly with many uses all around us. The point was made earlier that it has been in several hotels already. I'm sure cards will still be issued on request and they will likely need to have a backup plan for guests who lose their phones or have the battery die on them while on shore. It's possible for there to be a malfunction of some sort as well. I've had that happen with the card room keys too though, so I don't think the frequency would be much higher. All they are really doing is transferring the programming that is in those cards to the smartphone.

The can of worms that does get opened is the various ways that smartphones are configured and the wide range of knowledge people have about their smartphones. For example, when you set your phone to airplane mode when on the ship, it may disable the NFC function as well. Many smartphones disable bluetooth in airplane mode as well. Depending on what technology is being used (and I'm assuming NFC), a passenger could inadvertently disable the communication function and now Guest Services is becoming a help desk for your smartphone, or just issuing you a key anyway.

No way NFC would work the distances that the hotel room keys work.