Royal Caribbean launches new mobile game based on Adventure Ocean

In:
23 Jul 2020

Royal Caribbean launched a new app for kids based on a game kids could play onboard its cruise ships in Adventure Ocean.

The Treasure of Barnacle Briggs is a new game available on Apple's App Store that offers kids an interactive quest and is free to download.

The concept was originally created for Adventure Ocean on Royal Caribbean's cruise ships by a company named Firstborn, and it launched as part of the Royal Amplifications of Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas.

The game is an adaptation of what kids would find on the ships, and gives kids the choice of four mysterious islands that together present immersive, imaginative stories and adventures that your family can play through together. 

Firstborn technical director, Drew Dahlman, describes the game, "The benefit of the narrative is we’re building a whole universe that really brings players in."

Each of the mystical islands features its own set of challenges that takes the user on a journey to retrieve coveted keys that will unlock Barnacle Briggs’ hidden treasure. 

The game features stunning visuals, this interactive quest brings players a mind-bending maze, a formidable foe, tricky turns on tracks that test reaction time and a wild ride down slippery slopes.

Whether kids, parents or Diamond Plus guests play the game, they will find a game inspired by classic video games that put your reaction time and precision to the test.

  • On Maze Island, players must dodge boulders in a twisting labyrinth
  • On Gold Mine Island you must leap across gaps in the track
  • On Blizzard Island you can maneuver a toboggan through every peak and valley in a race down the slopes

On top of it all, Royal Caribbean included a mischievous animal adversary based on feedback from kids.  On Octopus Island, you will find an eight-legged foe who throws barrels, crates and sticky starfish that players must avoid by tapping their quick reflexes.

The interactive digital experience was first a success at sea. “When we saw how well the games were received on board Oasis of the Seas—people were congregating around the large screens at Adventure Ocean to check it out—we knew we needed to introduce Barnacle Briggs to the world in some way,” said Lauren Berman, senior manager for product development at Royal Caribbean.

You can download the game from Apple's App Store.

Freedom of the Seas added to Royal Caribbean app

In:
28 Feb 2020

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Freedom of the Seas.

Freedom now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

The new app is being actively developed, which means not all features area available on the app yet.  Moreover, the cruise line is slowly rolling out support for more ships.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

You can now book new cruises from the Royal Caribbean app while onboard a cruise

In:
11 Feb 2020

Guests sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise can now book a brand new cruise via Royal Caribbean's app and take advantage of the NextCruise offers without stepping foot inside the office.

The new NextCruise option for booking via the RCI App is available now, and can be used anywhere on the ship. 

Simply download the Royal Caribbean app, connect to the Royal Caribbean wi-fi network onboard and make a NextCruise Book Later reservation with
access to all available offers

From the profile page in the app, scroll down and select the NextCruise feature which will lead you directly through the booking steps.

NextCruise booking via the Royal App is available on any Royal Caribbean ship that offers the app, currently onboard Allure, Oasis, Symphony, Harmony, Anthem, Ovation, Liberty, Serenade, Voyager, Vision, Adventure, Brilliance, Independence, Rhapsody, Majesty, Enchantment, Mariner, Navigator, Freedom and Empress of the Seas. The rest of the fleet is expected to be complete by end of 2020.

Guests can only choose the Book Later open-booking option via the app. This allows you to place a non-refundable reduced deposit of $200 per stateroom, and gives you up to one year to choose a ship and sail date.  If you pick a cruise within the first two months, you will receive up to $600 in savings. 

The NextCruise office will remain an option for specific sailings bookings, whereas the app provides an option for guests who aren’t ready to pick a ship and sail date yet, but do wish to make a deposit and also want to make a booking from the convenience of their smart phone. 

Rhapsody of the Seas added to Royal Caribbean app

In:
27 Jan 2020

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Rhapsody of the Seas.

Rhapsody now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

The new app is being actively developed, which means not all features area available on the app yet.  Moreover, the cruise line is slowly rolling out support for more ships.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Royal Caribbean makes it easier to update cruise check-in information

In:
08 Jan 2020

Royal Caribbean recently updated its app to make it easier for guests to return to edit their information after checking-in online to help qualify for Expedited Arrival.

One of the most useful offerings in select embarkation ports is Expedited Arrival, which moves guests quicker through the check-in process in the cruise terminal.

In the past, once a guest completed online check-in, it was difficult to get back to update the information.

With the 1.23.0 release, Royal Caribbean added a new link below the SetSail Pass to easily get back and update information.

Here is how to get Expedited Arrival for your next sailing:

1. Create a guest account with Royal Caribbean before the cruise.

2. Download the Royal Caribbean app from either the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store.

3. Begin check-in and make sure you do a few steps:

a. Fill out all the questions in the short form provided.
b. Scan your passport with the app (do not manually enter the passport information).
c. Take a security selfie photo. Make sure you do not have a hat on or sunglasses, and have as muted a background as possible.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Guest chat feature planned for all Royal Caribbean ships in second half of 2020

In:
23 Dec 2019

It looks like one of the most-asked about features in Royal Caribbean's app might debut in the second half of 2020.

A RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader shared a response from Royal Caribbean's app support account to the question of when chat might available. The email says, "we hope to have chat on all of our ships by the third or fourth quarter of 2020."

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. SVP Digital Experience Jay Schneider recently shared some insight into the cruise line's digital evolution, and spoke to the fact they are keenly aware of the strong demand for this feature to become available, "We know people want chat. We know it's the number one feature they ask for, and it's something we're trying to rush to the market."

A beta version of the chat feature is currently available on Allure of the Seas & Harmony of the Seas

There is no cost to use Royal Caribbean's app while onboard and you do not need an internet package to use the app either.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

How Royal Caribbean will make check-in, Adventure Ocean and its app easier & faster

In:
27 Nov 2019

Royal Caribbean has a reputation for being a leader in a variety of areas, including integrating technology to make the guest experience easier.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. SVP Digital Experience Jay Schneider has been at the helm of Royal Caribbean's next-gen tech, known as Project Excalibur, for three years and shared the plans, challenges, and successes the company has with leveraging technology.

The origins of Project Excalibur

All good stories have a beginning, and Project Excalibur began with a simple task from the very top of Royal Caribbean.

"Project Excalibur started as a result of really a passion from Richard (Fain); Seeing what was happening elsewhere, both across the industry, travel and hospitality overall, and just frankly, the planet. With more and more Millennials sailing with us, with more and more digitally enabled consumers at all ages, it really became an opportunity for us to step back and look at how do we transform our company through the use of technology."

"It really became an opportunity for us to step back and look at how do we transform our company through the use of technology."

"It wasn't really an idea of what it exactly meant, but the goal was to unpacking how to digitize everything. Digitize the things that we could remove the hassles from guests, put them on vacation faster, pull friction out of the experience."

"We see friction in a number of different ways; It's interacting with the Cruise Planner website, it's doing your check-in process... Friction can be digital, it can be physical. There's real friction: your key doesn't work, you'll have to go Guest Services. Sitting through muster is friction. Not being able to get into your room is friction. Not wanting to have to wait in line for a cocktail, or have to run down to Sorrentos, is friction."

App development isn't easy

Like all software development, creating a brand new Royal Caribbean app that sought to simplify the cruise experience for guests is not an overnight task. Moreover, developing an app to work on a cruise ship comes with its own set of challenges.

"Everything you expected on land, is designed for you to be on land. Your phone wakes up through a push notification, because you're connected to the cloud somewhere, whether through WiFi or cellular. There are so many ways where technology on land is easier."

"The problem is we also operate 50 data centers at sea that have to work in a redundant way, and so if you think about that, our challenge is to figure out how, you, the consumer can work with us when you're on land and then when the guest is onboard, how everything is localized."

How close are we to chat across the fleet

One of the most-requested features for Royal Caribbean to offer is a guest-to-guest chat communication feature. Royal Caribbean has been testing a chat function in its app on Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas for months, so we asked Mr. Schneider when chat will roll out to the entire fleet.

"One of the things we've gotten complaints for, is the pace of our evolution. In fact, the number one reason people rate us poorly in the app store is, 'You're not on my ship.' That's deliberate. We want to make sure that the technology we put onboard every ship works flawlessly, and chat isn't there yet."

"We know people want chat. We know it's the number one feature they ask for, and it's something we're trying to rush to the market."

"I hope in early 2020, we will be able to light chat up on every ship that has the app. I think we're a couple months away of final testing."

"You asked the question around why it's hard to put technology on a ship, chat is the hardest. There is a number of ways Apple, and even Google on an Android platform, expect you to operate that doesn't exist at sea in the ocean."

"We know people want chat. We know it's the number one feature they ask for, and it's something we're trying to rush to the market."

How to make embarkation super smooth

We asked Mr. Schneider how his team's work is making embarkation as easy as possible, and he shared a few easy tasks anyone can do to take advantage of the cruise line's expedited arrival process.

1. Create a guest account with Royal Caribbean before the cruise.

2. Download the Royal Caribbean app from either the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store.

3. Begin check-in and make sure you do a few steps:

a. Fill out all the questions in the short form provided.
b. Scan your passport with the app (do not manually enter the passport information).
c. Take a security selfie photo. Make sure you do not have a hat on or sunglasses, and have as muted a background as possible.

Adventure Ocean: A new challenge

On Oasis of the Seas, the Project Excalibur team faced a brand new challenge: Adventure Ocean kids programming.

"The reboot of Adventure Ocean on Oasis is amazing...We wanted to bring technology to the experience that was contextual for each of the different age ranges that we serve."

"We wanted canvases that we could continue to tell amazing creative on, and digital gives us the ability to do that."

"You'll see technology that we've partnered with companies and bought. You'll see custom content that we've created. We wanted canvases that we could continue to tell amazing creative on, and digital gives us the ability to do that."

"I think one of the game changers is kids registration, instead of filling paper out for parents. Parents no longer have to fill paper out, it's tap your SeaPass card, we know who you are; tell us what we need to know about your kid and go on.  Eventually that'll be available pre-arrival in the app, so you could just do it pre-arrival and not even hassle onboard."

"For kids, there's games they've never played before, stories they haven't come through yet, really ways to entertain them that we haven't put on ships yet, that I think is going to be awesome."

Empress of the Seas added to Royal Caribbean app

In:
15 Nov 2019

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Empress of the Seas.

Empress now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

The new app is being actively developed, which means not all features area available on the app yet.  Moreover, the cruise line is slowly rolling out support for more ships.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Spotted: Digital stateroom key on Oasis of the Seas

In:
09 Nov 2019

Guests with upcoming sailings on the amplified Oasis of the Seas are seeing a new option to use Royal Caribbean's app to open their stateroom door.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog readers Ashley Chandonia and Victoria Wittle shared screenshots of their app offering the new option.

The app works in conjunction with a SeaPass card.

Spectrum of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to offer a digital key and control the stateroom television from the app.

The app is available for download from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Voyager of the Seas added to Royal Caribbean app

In:
17 Oct 2019

Royal Caribbean has expanded its new app to include support for Voyager of the Seas.

Voyager now appears in the list of supported ships that can be found from within the app.

The new app is being actively developed, which means not all features area available on the app yet.  Moreover, the cruise line is slowly rolling out support for more ships.

The app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

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