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App Feature Wish List


melmar02

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I love being able to look at the menus and activities on the app for current sailings which helps me get in cruise planning mode. However, there are some things that I would really like to see added. 

1. All remaining ships need to be added. I thought this was in the works pre-covid, and I'm hoping this will be done as they come online. (Specifically Radiance for our June Alaska cruise)

2. A countdown to cruise day like on the cruise planner list of my cruises.

3. A link to photos or a 360 video on the deck plans of the public spaces. 

4. Maybe some sort of capacity meter when the sailing is actually taking place - like how full is the Windjammer? Not sure that is really practical, but I'm dreaming here.

 

If you could have a feature added, what would it be?

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  1. Ordering.
    Room.
    Service!
    The TV ordering was either broken or not available on our Odyssey cruise and I've very quickly gotten used to not having to talk to people to get what I want. Lol. I wish I could have just picked the items I wanted right there in the app rather than calling and yelling over their busy kitchens.
  2. Ability to pick theater/ show seats for sky and star class/ suite guests. Something like this would definitely be farther down the road but it'd be cool to have a reservation for an exact seat. On some of the freedom class ships, we found the seats in the reserved area were occasionally more narrow or had less leg room than others but more comfortable seats were in less desirable locations. Be cool to know what seats are available without having to get there 30 minutes before showtime.
  3. I second a countdown to cruise! I find it so odd that's not in there!
  4. More information on non-booked shore excursions. I spend more time on my phone than i do a computer and it'd be great to scroll through shore excursions right there in the app pre-boarding or during the cruise. I think I could be okay with booking being a thing that needs to be done via cruise planner but it'd be cool to get some quick bits on offerings. even if its just a series of videos like I get onboard on the shore excursion channel. Lol
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While I like the app I am an old school computer user and some of the check-in features are not available via the website.  I originally uploaded photos of my wife and I several years ago but I cannot find the ability to update our photos via the computer check-in screens now.  

My real point is do not retire the website features and depend on the app totally.  I would much rather work on my computer and rely on the app as an alternative when away from home.

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53 minutes ago, rcrabb said:

While I like the app I am an old school computer user and some of the check-in features are not available via the website.  I originally uploaded photos of my wife and I several years ago but I cannot find the ability to update our photos via the computer check-in screens now.  

My real point is do not retire the website features and depend on the app totally.  I would much rather work on my computer and rely on the app as an alternative when away from home.

I agree, and it would be nice if they had duplicate capabilities. Some things are just easier with a big screen and keyboard. 

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My wish is pretty minor in the grand scheme, but I would like to have a search feature. For example, I love watching the love and marriage game show. It would be helpful if I could try to filter through a search tool to see what day/time my favorite events are being offered so I can add it on day 1 to my calendar.

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1 hour ago, rcrabb said:

While I like the app I am an old school computer user and some of the check-in features are not available via the website.  I originally uploaded photos of my wife and I several years ago but I cannot find the ability to update our photos via the computer check-in screens now.  

My real point is do not retire the website features and depend on the app totally.  I would much rather work on my computer and rely on the app as an alternative when away from home.

This.⬆️

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The smartphone app should allow real time comments/complaints so that they can be addressed ASAP.  We should be able to use the app to send a message to the appropriate department head to address most issues such as maintenance, food/beverage, etc.  This would be very helpful in addressing issues and reducing complaints and improving the passengers overall cruise experience.

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9 minutes ago, instaGator said:

The smartphone app should allow real time comments/complaints so that they can be addressed ASAP.  We should be able to use the app to send a message to the appropriate department head to address most issues such as maintenance, food/beverage, etc.  This would be very helpful in addressing issues and reducing complaints and improving the passengers overall cruise experience.

Completely agree with this.  I had an issue on my last cruise, a few issues actually, and my first thought was, "I wish I could report this on the app!"

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Live views of the various entertainment venues so you could watch production and game shows while doing other activities or hanging by the pool.  Would also be nice to have this feature on the TVs so you can have dinner and a show in your stateroom for those people that are less mobile.

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23 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

Live views of the various entertainment venues so you could watch production and game shows while doing other activities or hanging by the pool.  Would also be nice to have this feature on the TVs so you can have dinner and a show in your stateroom for those people that are less mobile.

This was actually a thing on our first cruise (they both live streamed the game shows and played them throughout the cruise) on the the TV and it was honestly great because we often missed them doing other things but could still enjoy the laughs. I wish this was done more fleetwide! I missed so many shows on previous cruises because of scheduling conflicts!

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@CrimsonCruiser I agree with your comment on room service, but also add to that they control breakfast delivery time much like boarding times when the 0600-0630 time slot fills no longer offer it.  I say that because in Nov, I ordered breakfast 0600-0630 and it didn't show up till 0715, I had even already decided to leave and go to breakfast but forgot my mask and turned around at the stairway, which was close, just as he was knocking at my door.  He said they were slammed that morning.

I might also add, allow us to place activities on the calendar that don't required reservations, that way I could live by that calendar for everything I wanted to do.  This would be an easy IT fix.(well maybe for a competent IT department)

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17 hours ago, FJ28 said:

I think it would be nice to have a "You are here" on the deck maps like they do near the elevators on the big screens with other ship info.

Most people's GPS isn't working on the cruise, either by design or by choice.  Are you suggesting they triangulate your location based on wifi routers in the area?

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On 1/7/2022 at 11:59 AM, BrianAlt said:

Most people's GPS isn't working on the cruise, either by design or by choice.  Are you suggesting they triangulate your location based on wifi routers in the area?

Don't care how or if it works. Just something that I thought would be fun to have. Didn't know I had to create the feature as well.🙄

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11 hours ago, FJ28 said:

Don't care how or if it works. Just something that I thought would be fun to have. Didn't know I had to create the feature as well.🙄

Oh. Sorry my comment bothered you so much. 🙄 I’d like it to make me a ham sandwich. I’m sure that’s possible too. 

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To throw a wrench out there on a few of these requests.  

 

Complaints on the app will not happen.  First off who would manage them?  I mean think about the number of people posting here at a time and then figure the number of mods available to handle issues.  It would take a full time team for each ship.  And then if something gets missed people are having a fit.  Not to mention the complaints that can't be handled over the app.  Sure you could have a single person in each department deal with things but then you will have the inevitable "Not my department" thing go on so it will bounce around the I don't know what to do hell that will drive people batty.  There are a ton of other things to deal with on this one but lets just say that it would be a pain to setup and likely cause more problems than it would solve.  And just think about the lines at guest services and realize that half the people who would normally be in line waiting decided to wait till later and now they are all clambering for a person in the app.  I can think of 100's of other issues some related to local abbreviations, people who are not the best spellers, and people with english as a second language dealing with the issues.

 

Locating your device in a specific location.  It sounds great but sadly is another thing that will just be a pain.  Sure you could get one phone to work.  But all phones have different drivers among other things so the app would have to be able to figure out a lot of stuff on the phone itself.  Much of that would be blocked in the apple phones because "walled garden" and android phones have so many different possibilities for hardware you just could not figure it out.  On top of that the wifi devices they use in all odds would ALL have to be changed out to something that is custom designed to do all this stuff.  Then there is the issue that wifi can be a MIMO (multi in multi out) but not all hardware supports that and often times you are only connected to one station at a time.  So that means their system would have to track every single device and where it was connected and where it is connected now and put you in the middle.  So your here would be somewhere within a 50 foot radius of where you actually are.  Not so bad for a single floor building but for a multi floored ship it ain't gonna do a ton of good.  And GPS doesn't work well below decks and lets be honest finding your dot while you are moving is a feat unto itself when you look at the tech, now find yourself on an object that is moving...  If you have the kind of cash google has you could do it, eventually.

 

And some stuff that could work but wouldn't be as nice as you want.

 

Photo viewing could work, however they will likely only show a low rez photo.  Why, so you can't just screenshot it and have it for free.  Watermarks can be removed but a crappy low rez picture with minimal detail, have at it.  So that means when you pick a photo and can't tell where the kids are looking or who is giving the camera the finger could end up as your choice.  Yes they can kinda prevent screenshotting but to be honest there is a workaround for everything.  I have harvested pictures that are supposed to be untouchable from the web browser for years when I want or need something, cellphones are not much more difficult and that includes banking apps.

 

Watching the shows on a mobile device will require IPTV equipment to be installed on the ship.  It's great but lets just say that the odds are not good for this happening soon.  Look how long its taken for chat messages to come around on the app and how they are charging for this right now.  Same thing is going to happen for watching stuff.  Older ships would need a lot for this to happen too.  Camera's in every venue that will have a show and people to man the stuff equipment and you will need a couple camera's to make things look good as a lot of shows are made to be seen from multiple angles to integrate the audience into the experience so that means 3 to 4 camera's and operators for each active show.  Then you have to mix it live just like the tv station news does so that means another couple people in a room dealing with the camera feeds.  And the few things I have seen on the TV's in the rooms is pretty low def to be honest so how good will it look on your phone screen?  So gonna have to drop a few thousand per ship for new cameras as well.  When it's all said and done complaints will begin as there will be people here and there with their phones blasted watching a show when the person next to them wants to relax and nap in a chair.  Will it eventually happen, maybe but I see more money being pumped into new ships and amplification of ships first especially with the losses had over the last couple years.  And even then any shows that have copyrighted content will not be shown so things like Saturday Night Fever.  Why you ask, they don't want it recorded.  And that could be an issue with the other shows as well, there are more than a few people who would get a tripod and setup their TV with their camera pointed right at it and allow it to record the whole show then have it posted to youtube.  They don't want to loose licensing of this stuff so they would have to constantly monitor places and submit DMCA requests.  That may be the biggest nail in that coffin.

 

Some things are realistic but others not so much.  If you have never coded an app or dealt with a bunch of the stuff though don't be upset when a killer feature just can't happen.  

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6 hours ago, MuttMutt said:

To throw a wrench out there on a few of these requests.  

 

Complaints on the app will not happen.  First off who would manage them?  I mean think about the number of people posting here at a time and then figure the number of mods available to handle issues.  It would take a full time team for each ship.  And then if something gets missed people are having a fit.  Not to mention the complaints that can't be handled over the app.  Sure you could have a single person in each department deal with things but then you will have the inevitable "Not my department" thing go on so it will bounce around the I don't know what to do hell that will drive people batty.  There are a ton of other things to deal with on this one but lets just say that it would be a pain to setup and likely cause more problems than it would solve.  And just think about the lines at guest services and realize that half the people who would normally be in line waiting decided to wait till later and now they are all clambering for a person in the app.  I can think of 100's of other issues some related to local abbreviations, people who are not the best spellers, and people with english as a second language dealing with the issues.

 

Locating your device in a specific location.  It sounds great but sadly is another thing that will just be a pain.  Sure you could get one phone to work.  But all phones have different drivers among other things so the app would have to be able to figure out a lot of stuff on the phone itself.  Much of that would be blocked in the apple phones because "walled garden" and android phones have so many different possibilities for hardware you just could not figure it out.  On top of that the wifi devices they use in all odds would ALL have to be changed out to something that is custom designed to do all this stuff.  Then there is the issue that wifi can be a MIMO (multi in multi out) but not all hardware supports that and often times you are only connected to one station at a time.  So that means their system would have to track every single device and where it was connected and where it is connected now and put you in the middle.  So your here would be somewhere within a 50 foot radius of where you actually are.  Not so bad for a single floor building but for a multi floored ship it ain't gonna do a ton of good.  And GPS doesn't work well below decks and lets be honest finding your dot while you are moving is a feat unto itself when you look at the tech, now find yourself on an object that is moving...  If you have the kind of cash google has you could do it, eventually.

 

And some stuff that could work but wouldn't be as nice as you want.

Photo viewing could work, however they will likely only show a low rez photo.  Why, so you can't just screenshot it and have it for free.  Watermarks can be removed but a crappy low rez picture with minimal detail, have at it.  So that means when you pick a photo and can't tell where the kids are looking or who is giving the camera the finger could end up as your choice.  Yes they can kinda prevent screenshotting but to be honest there is a workaround for everything.  I have harvested pictures that are supposed to be untouchable from the web browser for years when I want or need something, cellphones are not much more difficult and that includes banking apps.

 

Watching the shows on a mobile device will require IPTV equipment to be installed on the ship.  It's great but lets just say that the odds are not good for this happening soon.  Look how long its taken for chat messages to come around on the app and how they are charging for this right now.  Same thing is going to happen for watching stuff.  Older ships would need a lot for this to happen too.  Camera's in every venue that will have a show and people to man the stuff equipment and you will need a couple camera's to make things look good as a lot of shows are made to be seen from multiple angles to integrate the audience into the experience so that means 3 to 4 camera's and operators for each active show.  Then you have to mix it live just like the tv station news does so that means another couple people in a room dealing with the camera feeds.  And the few things I have seen on the TV's in the rooms is pretty low def to be honest so how good will it look on your phone screen?  So gonna have to drop a few thousand per ship for new cameras as well.  When it's all said and done complaints will begin as there will be people here and there with their phones blasted watching a show when the person next to them wants to relax and nap in a chair.  Will it eventually happen, maybe but I see more money being pumped into new ships and amplification of ships first especially with the losses had over the last couple years.  And even then any shows that have copyrighted content will not be shown so things like Saturday Night Fever.  Why you ask, they don't want it recorded.  And that could be an issue with the other shows as well, there are more than a few people who would get a tripod and setup their TV with their camera pointed right at it and allow it to record the whole show then have it posted to youtube.  They don't want to loose licensing of this stuff so they would have to constantly monitor places and submit DMCA requests.  That may be the biggest nail in that coffin.

 

Some things are realistic but others not so much.  If you have never coded an app or dealt with a bunch of the stuff though don't be upset when a killer feature just can't happen.  

Whoa, that's a lot of shooting down and not thinking innovative. Sure the ideas are a little out there, but shooting down single approaches to implement the ideas probably isn't the most helpful approach in a creative environment.

Let's take for example your response to location tracking. Instead of tracking happening on your phone, let's think about tracking via a wearable device that is then viewable via the app. This is one of the coolest onboard features that princess cruises is using on their medallion class ships. Just think of all the benefits of being able to see people's location: find your kids or friends, order drinks to your pool lounger, see how busy it is at the Windjammer.  Sure, there's a large cost associated with the data equipment to support this platform (especially for existing ships), but I wouldn't be surprised if Royal implements this feature on the new Icon class ships.

I get these kind of responses from my IT department at work. I challenge them to think about implementation in an innovative mindset rather than a brute force implementation mindset. Usually the best ideas come about after 2 or 3 iterations of planning.

This sentence reminded me of someone I work with and i just had to laugh:

6 hours ago, MuttMutt said:

And some stuff that could work but wouldn't be as nice as you want.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to people's ideas, but I think you missed the spirit of this topic.  It's a wish list.

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I know its a glitch somewhere, but my the dining times don't match the calendar.  EX: I'm on a 5 night sailing on Mariner - 1st stop is PD so no lunch (except windjammer, right?) is served , but Chops, Izumis, Jamies, Johnny Rockets are open🤨 Then this is a 5 nighter so the MD should be open for Breakfast on day 6 (departure) but the last meal you can get in the MD is breakfast on Day 5 and all other dining venues are closed, I guess we'll have to fast for the last 24 hours on the ship😕

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