Messaging withing RC App/Communicating on the ship

[Walkercruiser]

How is the messaging feature within the RC app?  I know it is $1.99/user per day.  My wife and I tried using the app in 2021, but the app would not send a notification/pop up when a new message was received, so we had to constantly check the app for new messages.  Have they improved the functionality?  What has been people's experience in using the feature?   We are headed out on Symphony on 10/15 with another family and want to use this to communicate with each other and our teens.   Any advice is much appreciated.

[Pooch]

Nope, still no notification.  If you don’t look, you won’t see a new message.

[Vancity Cruiser]

Apparently it was announced at some point during the Wonder naming festivities that starting in 2023 the messaging on the app will be free.

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Apparently it was announced at some point during the Wonder naming festivities that starting in 2023 the messaging on the app will be free.

It was also posted on the Blog.

[DunkelBierJay]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:43 PM, Walkercruiser said:

we had to constantly check the app for new messages.  Have they improved the functionality? 

The answer is no....as of the week before last, you had to check the app intentionally for messages. REALLY irritating when you pay extra.

[twangster]

For the life of me I can't understand why Royal invested millions in developing the chat functionality in the app and after all that effort they still don't understand that notification of new messages is the single most important part of chatting.  SMH.  

At this point some executive who endorsed the chat feature is just trying to save face and keep it alive to justify their position and all the development costs that went into it.  What a waste.  

[mk-ultra]

On 12/12/2022 at 3:31 PM, twangster said:

For the life of me I can't understand why Royal invested millions in developing the chat functionality in the app and after all that effort they still don't understand that notification of new messages is the single most important part of chatting.  SMH.  

At this point some executive who endorsed the chat feature is just trying to save face and keep it alive to justify their position and all the development costs that went into it.  What a waste.  

This.  App notifications are a thing.  No reason the app has to be the one in use on the screen.

[Brando95]

By the way, last week on Allure the chat feature was free in the app. 

[PG Cruiser]

39 minutes ago, Brando95 said:

By the way, last week on Allure the chat feature was free in the app. 

My friends who sailed on the Wonder last week also got it for free. 

[Larry Muster]

58 minutes ago, Brando95 said:

By the way, last week on Allure the chat feature was free in the app. 

Wondering if you can tell if there have been any improvements in the chat feature.  For example, others claim there is no notification of a new message - is that still the case?

[Brando95]

The notifications are still not showing up. If you're in the app when you get a message sometimes a notification banner would appear but otherwise you just need to go in and check to see if you have any new ones. But yeah, if you're not in the app or your phone is locked, whatever, it won't pop up a notification

[PG Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Larry Muster said:

Wondering if you can tell if there have been any improvements in the chat feature.  For example, others claim there is no notification of a new message - is that still the case?

Yes, there was still no notification option for the chat

 

[Jolly Ogre]

You know what? I turn off my phone and lock it in the safe.

I get messages and notifications clearly and on-time when I actually talk to the people I cruise with. There is no distractions and dinner conversations are face to face. 

Imagine that!!??

What did you people do before we had cell phones??

[EvergreenCruzers]

53 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

You know what? I turn off my phone and lock it in the safe.

I get messages and notifications clearly and on-time when I actually talk to the people I cruise with. There is no distractions and dinner conversations are face to face. 

Imagine that!!??

What did you people do before we had cell phones??

What did people do before there was a stick and a hoop?

[StayFrosty]

1 hour ago, Jolly Ogre said:

You know what? I turn off my phone and lock it in the safe.

I get messages and notifications clearly and on-time when I actually talk to the people I cruise with. There is no distractions and dinner conversations are face to face. 

Imagine that!!??

What did you people do before we had cell phones??

Pretty sure people want it to help coordinate plans, find out where people are, or keep tabs on their kids. Is it necessary?  No, but it sure is better than a whiteboard on your stateroom door. 

[twangster]

When you can't figure out how to make it work...

[Jolly Ogre]

14 hours ago, StayFrosty said:

Pretty sure people want it to help coordinate plans, find out where people are, or keep tabs on their kids. Is it necessary?  No, but it sure is better than a whiteboard on your stateroom door. 

Why are they letting their kids go about unsupervised?? If they are older like teens then they can check in from time to time face to face. 

[Xaa]

31 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Why are they letting their kids go about unsupervised?? If they are older like teens then they can check in from time to time face to face. 

Agreed, check in from time to time.  Either find me anyplace I might be onboard or message me to find my location.  Which is easier?

[Jolly Ogre]

19 minutes ago, Xaa said:

Agreed, check in from time to time.  Either find me anyplace I might be onboard or message me to find my location.  Which is easier?

Parenting is not always easy. Don't take the easy way out. You should and you should teach your children's to put forth effort. Lessons learned when they are young will last them a lifetime.

[Xaa]

19 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Parenting is not always easy. Don't take the easy way out. You should and you should teach your children's to put forth effort. Lessons learned when they are young will last them a lifetime.

There's also no need to do it the difficult way for no other reason than "That's how we've always done it."  The messaging exists, the phones exist.  Use the best tools available.  Have fun and check in.

[StayFrosty]

Never thought I would be lectured about my parenting on this board (especially since I was speaking in hypotheticals as my kids are too young for phones). This used to be a pretty positive place. I guess things change. 

[Matt]

17 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

There is no distractions

Do you read a book on a cruise? Watch TV or movie? Those are distractions too.

If you don't want to use your phone on a cruise, that's totally fine. I respect your ability to get back to basics. But a phone is no more a distraction than any other form of media consumption.

[Jolly Ogre]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Do you read a book on a cruise? Watch TV or movie? Those are distractions too.

If you don't want to use your phone on a cruise, that's totally fine. I respect your ability to get back to basics. But a phone is no more a distraction than any other form of media consumption.

I meant during dinner or a show... I see people on their phones all the time at dinner and during the show and not talking with the other people at the table or watching the show.

I did not mean for this to get all blow up... Take your cruise your way and relax and have fun... your on vacation!! 

 

 

[Pattycruise]

This will be great if it’s free for all. I cruised with friends who did not have internet.  So we’d pick a few things for the next morning …”look for me here”.  However, I refuse to be locked into getting up early or cutting into what I feel like doing because of a “yoh said we’d meet”.  So one day I did not make any of the 3 preselected meetups because I slept in, went to the gym and had a late breakfast.  I was not about to go through every deck looking for my friend so I saw her at dinner.  The free messaging will be a game changer
 

[twangster]

19 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

This will be great if it’s free for all. I cruised with friends who did not have internet.  So we’d pick a few things for the next morning …”look for me here”.  However, I refuse to be locked into getting up early or cutting into what I feel like doing because of a “yoh said we’d meet”.  So one day I did not make any of the 3 preselected meetups because I slept in, went to the gym and had a late breakfast.  I was not about to go through every deck looking for my friend so I saw her at dinner.  The free messaging will be a game changer
 

Chat was free on Oasis 12-18-22.  First time it didn't prompt me to accept the charge.  

[AshleyDillo]

Chat was free on Wonder 12-18-2022 as well.

[Pattycruise]

15 hours ago, twangster said:

Chat was free on Oasis 12-18-22.  First time it didn't prompt me to accept the charge.  

Perfect. I’ll be on Oasis in May with 2 people who don’t buy internet.  I’ll have to walk them through this messaging and tell them to check it as needed. 

[Marathon Man]

On 12/28/2022 at 8:59 AM, Xaa said:

There's also no need to do it the difficult way for no other reason than "That's how we've always done it."  The messaging exists, the phones exist.  Use the best tools available.  Have fun and check in.

Correct.  Indoor plumbing, automobiles, air conditioning, smart phones - why deny advances that make life better and/or easier.

[ScottD]

So I've seen mixed reviews on the messenger but they've almost all had to do with notifications.  I've also seen a few people say the notifications work fine if you tweek a few things in your phones settings (allowing push notifications on the app). Does anyone know if this is the case,and most people claiming it doesn't work just don't know the trick?

[cruisellama]

On 12/27/2022 at 4:23 PM, EvergreenCruzers said:

What did people do before there was a stick and a hoop?

While I too hate hauling my phone on the ship. (and prefer leaving in the cabin)   I think the app has become pretty useful now that the reservation and calendar features are  working well.   Since get internet plans, we just used FB messenger.    Just when you think you're out, they drag you back in....

[The Fox]

I am definitely looking forward to being able to message. My husband has a tendency to get lost on every ship so I hesitate to leave him alone. This will allow me a little more freedom, without worry.

[steffenmande]

I get notifications just fine on my current cruise

[smokeybandit]

13 minutes ago, steffenmande said:

I get notifications just fine on my current cruise

From the RC Messaging tool?

[steffenmande]

19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

From the RC Messaging tool?

Yea - on the Rhapsody as we speak

[steffenmande]

19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

From the RC Messaging tool?

Yea - on the Rhapsody as we speak

[SweetPea]

Wow, it's disappointing that this somehow took a turn into a parenting thread and a lecture on descreening while on vacation. 

This has the potential to be a great feature for those sailing in groups who do not have staterooms all in the same area. Too bad Royal developed it during amateur hour with no notification feature. That's like App Dev 101. Hopefully steffenmande's report is fleetwide and they have made the necessary changes.

[Pooch]

58 minutes ago, steffenmande said:

Yea - on the Rhapsody as we speak

iPhone? What do you have set up for notifications settings?

[Mike P]

If I want to add several people to the chat once onboard, what info is needed? Name? Cabin number? Reservation number?  I have a group of 40 and thinking this may be a good way to stay in touch….although with no notifications I’m not sure.

[steffenmande]

On 1/1/2023 at 10:59 PM, Pooch said:

iPhone? What do you have set up for notifications settings?

On an Android i think my settings are default!

I will note that i did not use it a lot - i only know i got notifications because my girlfriend tried to write once and I got the notification about it!

As we got Voom every time we cruise we just use our regular social media instead

 

[Maggie M]

It's nice that the messaging feature is now free! Thanks Royal! Looking forward to using it next week!