When your company's mission statement is "WOW," the pressure is always on to deliver, right? This week in Papenburg, Germany, Royal Caribbean's CEO and chairman, Richard Fain, did just that at an event showcasing the technology in their newest ship, Quantum of the Seas.
Speaking to travel agents, media representatives and staffers at the shipyard where Quantum is being constructed, Fain revealed new details about what will be the most technologically advanced cruise experience at sea, including robot bartenders, virtual balconies, automated check-in and a room reminiscent of the Star Trek holodeck.
As dazzling as all the gadgetry is, the one feature most passengers will drool over is having a DSL-comparable connection on the ocean, made possible by Royal's partnership with O3b, whose satellites are positioned to deliver high bandwidth service on a constant basis. Read our prior interview will Bill Martin to learn more about how this works.
No one will object to faster boarding, either, made possible by a new array of "Smart" apps and systems. Want to skip the line for getting your boarding picture made? No problem -- snap a "selfie" and get scanned right in.
Christmas came early for the staffers in attendance. Fain announced Royal is giving every one of its 40,000 employees a Windows tablet. That's putting your technology where your mouth is.
And did we say "robot bartenders"? Who else would man the Bionic Bar, where the talented mechanical arms squeeze lemons, shake martinis and mix ingredients. Robotic arms also power the "holodeck"-like experience in Two70, where massive screens can mimic everything from a primeval forest to a giant aquarium. Here is an earlier post on that feature.
Entertainment options abound, including a skydiving simulator, the much-touted "North Star" observation pod and even that throwback classic, bumper cars. Read the complete press release here.
Will it all work as advertised? Fain and Royal are betting it will. They, and the rest of us, won't have long to wait. Quantum makes it debut in a few short months. -- Gerry
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