By Hannah L. Uram:

In February, Royal Caribbean unveiled the latest technological advancement for today’s cruise enthusiasts: Royal Connect. The application is revolutionary, being the first software to allow guests to communicate with and locate one another from anywhere onboard. It also gives its users the ability to dial any extension on the ship using digital voice and to view the daily Cruise Compass; all with their cell phone.

Royal Connect boasts over 1,000 access points on its new home, Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s most technologically advanced ship, and the largest cruise ship in the world. Guaranteed strong connectivity from anywhere on the ship, a guest can now access Royal Connect’s location software on their Smartphone, setting the sails for a freer cruising experience.

So what does this change truly mean for cruisers? Well, prior to Royal Connect, passengers of cruise ships were limited in their means of communication. Plans to meet up as a group had to be made beforehand anyone went anywhere, and everyone had to know their way around the boat if they wanted even a slim chance of actually finding their party again. On these floating cities, the Oasis of the Seas, for example, being able to hold 8,000 passengers, parents were constantly needing to be aware of where their children were for safety’s sake.

Now, for the first time, parents can enjoy a day at the ship’s spa without worrying about when or where they’re meeting up with the kids. Groups can take off on their own agendas and still be able to get in touch with the click of a button. From bow to stern, passengers can communicate with each other through the texting option, now supported by DeFi through Royal Connect, between Smartphones. If any extension on the ship needs to be dialed, it can be done through a cruiser’s Smartphone instead of solely through the phones in the Staterooms.

Passengers are also now free to browse the ship’s online portal through their Smartphones. Easy access to the daily Cruise Compass means a more fulfilling cruise experience for everyone. The Compass gives tips for cruisers as well as information surrounding the activities planned daily for people of all ages. What better than to be able to carry around the itinerary for your trip on your Smartphone as opposed to carrying it in the form of a bulky over-folded piece of paper?

While Royal Connect, supported by DeFi, is the first of this helpful ship-wide technology, this trend is certain to catch on. We can only hope that this new freedom won’t go to the cruiser’s head.

3 Comments On "Connected on Royal Caribbean"
  1. Perry|

    I think both Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruse line have had apps for use on cell phones with most of the functions discussed here re RCL for many years now. So maybe RCL has a few enhancements to the concept . Butmaybe not the first to do this. PPK

  2. Wayne Brown|

    Huritgruten has had a special onboard app for guests to access daily programs, destination information, onboard communication and more on their flagship MV Roald Amundsen since it launched summer 2019 which has ship-wide WiFi access. It has been rolled out to their other ships, too!

  3. Ron90069|

    Just FYI…the “Internet Specialist” on the RC Navigator of the Seas told me last week that the fastest you can expect to connect is about 3 Mbs down. Their portal blocks the Ookla speedtest (not sure about others), but he ran it on his (unblocked) cell and sure enough, 3 Mbs. The upload speed came in around 1.5 Mbs. In my cabin, it seemed faster than that, both on my cell and laptop, but that’s just my perception. I will say it was a much more solid connection, never dropping, unlike some Princess and Carnival ships.
    I’ll see if I can find an unblocked speedtest site this weekend on the Navigator.
    When in a port, I turn off Airplane mode and use my T-Mobile 5G connection (free in Mex and Canada on my plan) which is, naturally, way faster.

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