There was a lot of buzz last week in the cruise industry centered around onboard technical advancements. First we had Celebrity and their announcement of the new iLounge, featuring Apple products (see our blog posting here). Then Royal Caribbean announced their new Royal Connect smartphone app, debuting on the Oasis of the Seas (see our blog post here). Many cruise line Internet forums and boards were flooded with discussions about how this was the next step in a technical revolution in the shipboard experience that started with Internet cafes and then spread to bow to stern WiFi and cellphone access. I thought this is also a good time to step back and also take a look at Carnival’s FunHub, which debuted on the Carnvial Dream a few months ago and onboard social networking in general.
Carnival’s FunHub technology was announced last Summer and debuted with the Carnival Dream this past Fall. The service is a ship Intranet portal that can be accessed free of charge at onboard stations spread throughout the ship. In a twist that really shows the evolution of technology in passengers’ shipboard experience, the FunHub service can also be accessed on passengers own laptops using onboard WiFi or through one of many netbooks that can be rented as a part of an Internet access package. The instant information benefit of FunHub is immediately seen. Passengers can view onboard activity schedules, dining times and menus, deck plans, access show and entertainment schedules, and much more.
Another aspect of Carnival’s FunHub is the emergence of social networking technology onboard today’s modern cruise ships. A Carnival guest onboard can now create their own FunHub profile to meet and interact with their fellow passengers online or meetup with their traveling companions. Users can participate in public discussions, take instant polls, receive private messages, invite others to attend shows, or meetup for a drink. A Carnival rep summed up these features in FunHub by saying it was like a “Facebook at Sea” service.
What do you think about all these modern gadgets being introduced on cruise ships recently? Is this trend good or bad for the cruise experience? Have you seen or experienced a similar technical innovation on other cruise lines? Please comment below or join the discussion in our forums.
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The new Royal Caribbean Royal Connect device is very exciting news for travel gadget lovers or a sure sign of the coming apocalypse for their non-techie fellow cruisers. This nifty little smartphone will rent for $17.50 and give the cruiser the ability to view the daily Cruise Compass activities schedule, IM or call travel mates who also have the device, dial ship extensions, and an onboard GPS system. The system uses 1,000 different access points on Oasis of the Seas.