Royal Caribbean Group is renowned for its "continuous improvement" mantra and its commitment to developing new experiences and solutions that create memorable vacations. The group's spirit and passion for innovation, honed over more than five decades, has led to some of the industry's most ambitious and unexpected engineering feats. From an ice-skating rink in the Caribbean to unique experiences that blur the lines between technology and entertainment, and the fastest internet connection at sea, creative solutions are more important now than ever.
As travelers and tourism professionals continue to adapt to the world around them, Royal Caribbean Group has been dedicated to developing and evolving cruises to deliver even safer and healthier vacations. Leading the way are the Group’s current digital innovations designed to eliminate what have typically been considered the downsides of any trip: queues, crowds, and paperwork.
This year, the Group unveiled its reimagined “safety drill,” which has been in development for over a year. This new approach, Muster 2.0, promotes the highest levels of safety and health by redesigning a process originally intended for large groups of people, making it faster and more focused on individuals.
At the heart of Muster 2.0 is the company's mobile app. This digitally advanced app, focused on empowering passengers, was first introduced in 2017 and is now available on numerous Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara ships. Initially developed to help passengers enjoy and make the most of their vacations, the app's features make it a powerful solution that can integrate current and critical health and safety practices, including physical distancing and reducing common touchpoints.
A number of functionalities and features currently already in the application – present in different combinations on the company's 63 fleet ships – are being redesigned in accordance with current circumstances.
The main features of the mobile application include:
- The recently announced Muster 2.0 – one of the least “loved” but most important parts of cruises – the safety drill – is being transformed from a process designed for large groups of people into something faster, more personal, and individual that each passenger can complete at their own pace.
- Scheduled arrival times – staggered arrival times for passengers. This helps eliminate crowds by managing the flow of people in parking lots, arrival areas, and terminals to ensure physical distancing is maintained from the car to the cabins.
- Fast boarding – by completing check-in via the app, scanning passport information, and uploading a selfie for security, passengers can generate a mobile boarding pass for fast boarding. Introduced in 2018, this innovative digital experience minimizes queues at check-in and port security, allowing passengers to board smoothly and safely in just a few minutes.
- Digital key – passengers can open their cabins with their smartphones simply by downloading a digital key, available on some ships and specific cabins.
- Smart cabins– using their smartphone, passengers can control elements inside their cabins such as TV, lighting, blinds and temperature, limiting touch surfaces while achieving the highest levels of cabin customization.
- Onboard account – passengers can monitor their account charges and credits in real time from anywhere on the ship without having to wait in any queues.
- Daily planning– onboard activities, shows, restaurants and excursions can also be viewed and booked via the mobile app.
As Royal Caribbean Group continues to evolve the cruise vacation experience, new advancements will be announced, some of which will have their greatest impact behind the scenes. All of these innovations will further demonstrate the group's commitment to exceeding passenger expectations as well as its standards for health and safety on cruise ships.
