Paper Compass's no more.

[Lindanuf]

 

They don't give you a paper compass every night anymore.  You can put a special request in to your porter to bring you one nightly.  They only print 50 extra a day for guest services so if you want to go get a paper copy do it early, they are gone by noon.  I get they probably save money not printing 7000 a day (or whatever), but as a girl who shows up with her highlighter pens ready to plan every day I was upset.

 

They want you to view the Compass on your phone by scanning a barcode, and use the planner on the Royal App to add things to "My Calendar".  I  tried liking this new system but at day 3 I requested the paper version.  I think eventually it might be better but it's not there now.  
 

My Suggestions:

1.  My Calendar in the Royal App

   A) Close up all the blank lines and empty

        space, so you can see all the items you

        have added that day on 1 screen, like it

        is in the compass.  I don't want to scroll

        5 screens to see my night.
   B) Let me add in key times for activities.

 

2. Digital Compass:

A)  Add a feature where you can check a box or select a line and it highlights it.  I like to highlight what I want to do in the compass and then carry it, or photograph it so I have my schedule on one screen.

If I could get all my selected items on 1 screen, I would be ok with going all digital.  I want to see it this way.

 

[smokeybandit]

We had them every day on Jewel last month after not having them on Mariner in December

[WAAAYTOOO]

We are getting the paper Compass every day on EX.  We did not have to ask for it…very nice.

[Lindanuf]

15 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We are getting the paper Compass every day on EX.  We did not have to ask for it…very nice.

I wonder if they are just stopping it on the bigger boats as a test.  We're on Wonder and they said at guest services you have to put in a request for the paper ones.

[Angel Mann]

We did not get one on Independence in February. 

[Hoppy2BHere]

Asked for them on a 3 day Indy this weekend, received all 3 of them in our room. Great steward Mikail!

J&S

[Biaggio]

Every day on last months transatlantic 

[FireFishII]

2 hours ago, Lindanuf said:

 but as a girl who shows up with her highlighter pens ready to plan every day I was upset.

You know I tried using my highlighter on my cellphone and it just did not work the same. LOL!

[Lindanuf]

15 minutes ago, FireFishII said:

You know I tried using my highlighter on my cellphone and it just did not work the same. LOL!

You can mark it up as pdf and screen shot but it took me like an hour to do that example one on my phone.

[Montemy2419]

We cruised on Oasis and Wonder in February and both times we asked our room steward for the paper cruise compass in our room.  I am glad that we had the paper schedule because for the Love & Marriage Game Show it showed in the paper compass but not on the internet version.  So those that only followed the app would have missed out on the show.

I used the free RC texting and on both ships I had to continue to use the app or it closed after 1 hour of non-use.  We did talk to an employee and he said it was designed to push us off the free texting after 1 hour so it's working how they designed it.

[Starrynight0154]

If they had a PDF version on the app it would be better. Scrolling forever on the daily planner tab isn’t user friendly, especially when there’s a lot of activities. Hopefully this will be improved in the future. 

[twangster]

19 minutes ago, Starrynight0154 said:

If they had a PDF version on the app it would be better. Scrolling forever on the daily planner tab isn’t user friendly, especially when there’s a lot of activities. Hopefully this will be improved in the future. 

It's not in the app but on board the daily cruise compass has been available here in PDF format:

https://minio.rccl.com/compass/cruisecompass.pdf

You have to be on a ship connected to WiFi to use this URL.

[twangster]

30 minutes ago, Montemy2419 said:

I used the free RC texting and on both ships I had to continue to use the app or it closed after 1 hour of non-use.  We did talk to an employee and he said it was designed to push us off the free texting after 1 hour so it's working how they designed it.

I'm not sure I believe the employee who stated this, but if it is true that goes to show how far out of touch Royal is with the real world.  A texting app that times out after 60 minutes and silently stops working... by design?  Could you imagine if all texting apps behaved like this?

[CruiseGus]

If having to download the pdf version of the cruise compass means I don't have to put up with those endless paper advertisements in my cabin, I'm up for it!

Now if I could get Park West to keep there junk off my door mail box

[WAAAYTOOO]

BTW, the EX Compasses this week (so far) have been insert-free !  No paper ads.  It’s been wonderful.  

[InmyElement]

Anyone know if you can view the Compass on your TV in the cabin? Would be a lot better than squinting through it on my phone..

Thanks

 

[InmyElement]

Thank You

[SteveK]

On 4/5/2023 at 6:46 AM, Lindanuf said:

They don't give you a paper compass every night anymore.  

You can put a special request in to your porter to bring you one nightly.  

 

So no big deal then??

Check in on day one and when you meet your room attendant, you ask for a daily CC.

What's the issue?

 

 

[ScottD]

On 4/4/2023 at 7:05 PM, Starrynight0154 said:

If they had a PDF version on the app it would be better. Scrolling forever on the daily planner tab isn’t user friendly, especially when there’s a lot of activities. Hopefully this will be improved in the future. 

Yep- you can scan a barcode on your tv or down by guest services and it will prouduce a pdf, I downloaded and saved a pdf version every night. 

[F1guynz]

I think suites still get printed copies as we got copies in our suite and my parents in a JS also got one.

‘Anita’s sister in a balcony did not.

[Tam166]

We definitely want paper compasses. One of the reasons we like cruising is to unplug from our phones. I’d like to stow my phone in the safe and only bring it out to check it while in port.

[whitsmom]

I like the paper version also.  We like to plan ahead and go thru it together each night before bed.  We don't cruise until October (Jewel) but you can be sure that I request them as soon as we meet our cabin steward.

[Jolly Ogre]

I always ask for the paper compass. I am unable to use my phone while on the ship as it is turned off and locked in the safe....

 

I AM ON VACATION!!!!

[Bestcee]

I actually love not having the paper compass. As someone who brought them home from every previous cruise, I was surprised!

The app was nice to mark things and then get the notifications about 30 min and also just before something was starting. I didn't have to set an alarm or watch the clock to make sure I didn't miss it. The app notified me. 

I downloaded the pdf and was able to look through and mark things with a simple screenshot and highlighter. Personally, I find the cruise compass events so mashed together that it's hard to read. We had a few things switch venues on our cruise. The app was updated, the paper compass wasn't, so there was a sign left at the original venue. 

I didn't mind the empty time slots in the My calendar part of the app, because it made it easy to see we had a slot of time free for family board games, or a nap, or other non cruise planner events. 

I didn't mind having my phone with me because I take a lot of photos. I took my camera, but I still used my phone for most of the on board photos. As a large group, we used the app to stay in communication (no wifi package). It never timed out on me for messages, so either they changed that or the employee was mistaken. 

It was also nice for our group because we could sit at dinner and talk about what we wanted to do later/next day without everyone having paper and highlighters at the table. Everyone could mark their own things, and not have to share the paper compass.

The experience is different without the paper compass but I liked not having to worry about carrying it everywhere so I could remember what we wanted to do. I also liked that the reservations we had showed up in the My calendar so it was easy to remember which night we scheduled Aqua Theater. I do wish the app let you add your own thing, so we could have added in the ice skating time we signed up for. I hated having to clock watch so we didn't miss that! 

[Vlad]

On 4/4/2023 at 7:12 PM, twangster said:

It's not in the app but on board the daily cruise compass has been available here in PDF format:

https://minio.rccl.com/compass/cruisecompass.pdf

You have to be on a ship connected to WiFi to use this URL.

Would you know if you're able to download pdf file? 

[DoomSlayer]

On 4/4/2023 at 5:41 PM, FireFishII said:

You know I tried using my highlighter on my cellphone and it just did not work the same. LOL!

Glad you didn't find a typo and use white-out on your cellphone and try to fix it.

[ScottD]

5 hours ago, Vlad said:

Would you know if you're able to download pdf file? 

Yes..I saved them every day as a pdf 

[WAYNO]

On Navigator recently, the last 3-cruises, we received them daily as soon as we asked our attendant.  On Symphony recently, we didn't see a single one, even at guest services. 

[CanHardlyWait]

20 minutes ago, WAYNO said:

On Navigator recently, the last 3-cruises, we received them daily as soon as we asked our attendant.  On Symphony recently, we didn't see a single one, even at guest services. 

But did you ask guest services for one?

[FloatyBoaty]

I had them delivered to me on Anthem in January and found I used them less and less, so I decided to try to do without on Quantum last month. They did have a few copies out in Guest services, and I saw a few people with them, but I went the whole 13 days without a paper copy and was surprised to be just fine with it. I did the QR code version 2 days but really just felt ok using the app. I do always have my phone with me for photos, messaging, and have a card holder case for my phone so my sea pass is right at my fingertips too. 

[BobNoxiousUSA]

I love the paper (had to request it on Harmony last year).    

[WAYNO]

2 hours ago, CanHardlyWait said:

But did you ask guest services for one?

Nope.  The rack was empty.  We were told they didn't have any, anywhere.  Wasn't waiting in line behind 30 people to ask for sure.

 

And our cabin attendant on this cruise, we almost never saw her, so we didn't ask her, either. 

[Babsy47]

On Independence a couple of weeks ago in a JS.  We had one every night without asking.  

[twangster]

21 hours ago, Vlad said:

Would you know if you're able to download pdf file? 

Sometimes when we are across the pier from another Royal ship I connect to their wifi and download theirs too, for that day.

Below is an example I downloaded from a ship.  

At the end of the cruise I combine the daily compass files, remove the extra pages of FAQs and send them to Matt to publish on the cruise compass page.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

 

 

cruisecompass (5).pdf

[FireFishII]

On 4/12/2023 at 3:05 PM, DoomSlayer said:

Glad you didn't find a typo and use white-out on your cellphone and try to fix it.

I am rolling on the floor, laughing.  I did not think about white-out!  

[Bestcee]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:27 AM, Vlad said:

Would you know if you're able to download pdf file? 

It will download when you open the link. You just need to know where your phone stores the file. It will download with the same name everyday, so if it's a new day, tell it yes to download. You'll end up with cruisecompass [x]. They stay on the phone too, so you can refer to them once you are home if you want. 

[HeWhoWaits]

We just finished a 17-night Panama Canal cruise on another line (Holland America). They still default to providing a paper copy of the schedule daily. 

This may be in part due to the older average clientele (instead of being among the oldest 15% of people onboard, we were among the youngest 15%) and/or the fact that their app is less useful than Royal's.

[OCSC Mike]

I was just playing around in the app for my June cruise on Wonder. For those unaware, you can now make cabin requests online (there's a QR code in your cabin to scan or a link in the app). One of the items on the request list is "paper compass."

[Kathleen]

I like the paper compass and received it automatically the last times we sailed although it was in suites, but I found it easier to mark things in the app’s daily calendar which then made it appear in my calendar, and keep track of what I wanted to attend. Receiving notifications from the app was also nice.

[CanHardlyWait]

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

I was just playing around in the app for my June cruise on Wonder. For those unaware, you can now make cabin requests online (there's a QR code in your cabin to scan or a link in the app). One of the items on the request list is "paper compass."

I've read about the QR code, but where in the app would the link be?