MSC Cruises: Building New Technologies and Features

To introduce new technologies to ships, the cruise industry needs to simplify access for guests as much as possible, said Francesco Pugliese, vice president of mobile and onboard digital technology at MSC Cruises.

While new developments pile up ashore, cruise lines need to be careful in the way they are implemented onboard, he said.

“We call it ‘keep it simple,’ which means simplifying access as much as possible for our guests. You need to consider all the scenarios and make sure they have a smooth experience,” Pugliese said, mentioning MSC Cruises’ MSC for Me mobile app.

While some guests will embark with the app installed on their phones, others will download it onboard, which can lead to different experiences.

“So, you need to ensure there’s always a smooth path but, of course, not forgetting the cybersecurity issues and challenges that we have,” Pugliese added.

The digital ecosystem onboard also needs to focus on the features that the guests are looking for, he said.

In addition to training crew to help passengers deal with the new technologies, cruise lines also need to ensure that they are communicating with guests in the right way, Pugliese said.

“It’s very important. That’s why we work in close collaboration with our marketing colleagues to explain to the guests, for instance, that the app is for free, which is something that they don’t always realize.”

Pugliese also said that, with new features on ships, the vessels are becoming one of the reasons why guests choose to embark on a specific sailing.

“They are not selecting their cruise based on itinerary anymore, they want to focus on the attractions and experiences that a ship can offer,” he explained.

“That’s why we developed a series of concepts that we implemented on our new ships, which are basically immersive,” Pugliese continued.

One of the new attractions is Starship Club, which is a bar that features a robot bartender who can make cocktails and entertain guests.

The venue was introduced onboard the MSC Virtuosa in 2021 and was later rolled out to other new buildings.

“You order your drink on a list of pre-defined cocktails and, while you wait for it to be prepared by the robotic bartender, you get immersed in a kind of experience that brings you to outer space,” Pugliese explained.

Pugliese highlighted the uniqueness of the cruise industry, which allows cruise lines to collect more data than other companies.

“We start collecting data from the very beginning when passengers purchase their cruise and want to personalize it. Once they get onboard, they usually stay seven days with us, so this means you can collect a huge amount of data,” he explained.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help in the process of understanding and analyzing this information, Pugliese added.

Carnival Cruise Line Announces New Enhancements

Carnival Cruise Line Announces New Enhancements

Carnival Cruise Line announced a series of new enhancements in time for the new year, from a revamped Chef’s Table and a dedicated cooking class to online improvements.

Dedicated Cooking Class with Chef Lagasse’s Favorites

Debuting onboard the Carnival Jubilee as part of the Carnival Kitchen offerings, the Carnival Culinary Center features a dedicated cooking class curated by Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse. Guests will learn to create a three-course meal with recipes selected by Emeril, including his New-New Orleans Pasta, Shrimp and Okra Gumbo with Filé and Strawberries Romanoff.

Chef’s Table Revamps with New Menu and Wine Selections

Carnival launched a new option for its Chef’s Table, a VIP culinary experience featuring a multi-course dinner hosted by the Executive Chef onboard. The experience starts with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for a group of 14, followed by a tour to see the galley in operation and a dinner of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The Chef’s Table 2.0 menu offerings are available fleetwide.

“Behind The Fun” Ship Tours Now Available Online

Carnival’s “Behind The Fun” tours will now be available for bookings pre-cruise on Carnival.com starting Jan. 1.

The new option will be rolled out fleetwide. To book, guests need to select the tour as a shore excursion under their ship’s homeport. An accessible, abbreviated tour is also now available for guests with disabilities.

New HUB App Feature

To simplify debarkation, the cruise line added a new feature to the HUB App. Guests no longer need to pick up zone tags for their luggage but can indicate a debarkation time via the app. Guests should list the number of bags to be placed outside their stateroom so the tags can be delivered directly to them.

 

VIFP members and suite guests will still receive special tags with priority debarkation as normal, and travelers who prefer not to use the app can still follow the traditional debarkation process.

 

 

Royal Caribbean Group updates mobile app to offer more Covid-secure features

Royal Caribbean Group updates mobile app to offer more Covid-secure features

Royal Caribbean Group has improved its mobile app to feature the on-board safety drill to avoid passengers having to meet in large groups at muster stations on its cruise ships.

The Muster 2.0 safety drill can now be completed in passengers’ own time in their cabins via the cruise line’s mobile app instead of going to a muster station with other passengers at a set time.

The app, first introduced in 2017, is available on many Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara ships.

Initially designed for passengers to make the most of their holiday, the mobile app is now being developed further to meet health and safety practices required as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to help minimise common touchpoints and ensure physical distancing for passengers.

The app already has other features such as offering staggered arrival times for passengers to help avoid overcrowding at boarding and manage the car parks, drop-off areas and terminals to allow for social distancing.

Since 2018, customers have been able to check-in using the app, scan their passport information and upload a ‘selfie’ security photographs to speed up the boarding process and minimise time at check-in and security.

The app can also be used to unlock staterooms with a smartphone by downloading a digital key. In addition, customers can use their smartphone to control the TV, lighting, window shades and temperature in their cabins via the app.

Other features of the app include an onboard account where charges and credits can be viewed in real-time as well as details of onboard activities, entertainment, dining and shore excursions. These can all be booked through the app.

Royal Caribbean working on mobile app

Harmony of the Seas

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said it has a new mobile app under development that should be ready to debut this summer.

On a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and year-end earnings, RCCL chairman Richard Fain said the project, dubbed Excalibur internally, is expected to debut on six to 11 ships over the next year, followed by a roll out on one to two ships a month after that. RCCL's major brands are Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

Fain didn't say much about what the new app will do, but said it will "reflect all of the technologies available today." He said the Wow bands, a wearable RFID device that assumes many functions of the key card, have been "extremely effective in simplifying the process for our guests. But it's also obvious that the technology has improved a lot in the last two years."

Wow bands are available to guests on Quantum-class ships (including Anthem of the Seas) and the Harmony of the Seas.

He called Carnival Corp's recent unveiling of its Ocean Medallion and Ocean Compass personal technology "a very positive thing for our industry. It was a terrific roll out and got a lot of positive publicity which in the end inures to the benefit of all of us."

In other topics discussed on the call, CFO Jason Liberty said that the company's Wave period "is off to a strong start," and that it is "trending nicely higher" from last year. He said officials are particularly encouraged by strength in North America.

"Over the past three months, bookings have been well above last year's levels," Liberty said. "We turn the year in a record booked position. We have fewer staterooms to sell for the year."

In the fourth quarter, RCCL had net income of $261 million up from $206 million a year earlier. Revenue was flat.

For all of 2016, net income was $1.2 billion, up from $665.8 million. In 2015, RCCL was impacted by a write-down for the Pullmantur brand. Revenue in 2016 grew 2.4%, to $8.49 billion.

RCCL forecasted 2017 earnings in the range of $1.48 billion to $1.53 billion.

Smartphone booking values up 198% year on year, finds study

By Travolution

The average value of bookings on smartphones has grown significantly, up 198% year on year, while tablet booking values have risen by just 17%.

In its latest mobile browsing and booking trends report, brand consultancy Nucleus also found that mobile had rised to 43% of all website traffic in June 2014.

Apple remains the dominant operating system, with 77.9% share and 87.8% of bookings, while Android accounts for just 19.6% of the market.

Brands that have invested in responsive design or smartphone-friendly websites are naturally seeing better mobile results, with luxury sites reportedly leading the way.

However, despite evidence that users are increasingly shifting to mobile, and Google's warnings about penalising mobile-unfriendly sites, the travel sector was found to be lagging when it comes to implementing responsive web design.

Founder and chief executive of Nucleus, Peter Matthews, said: “We are in our fourth year of studying the growth in mobile web browsing and are seeing further significant shifts in user behaviour with affluent smartphone users, in particular, now completing high value bookings on their phones.

“Wider availability of 4G and the launch in September of the larger screen iPhone 6 are likely to accelerate this trend.

“It’s surprising in this context that there are still so many travel brands without either a mobile-friendly website or app and fewer still taking advantage of the flexibility and efficiencies of responsive design. This prolonged inactivity is beginning to look like a death wish.”

Mobile could pose biggest threat to travel stores of the future

By Travolution

The move by technology giant Apple to establish a high street presence should provide the inspiration for the bricks and mortar travel stores of the future, but mobile could emerge as their biggest threat.

The fourth annual WTM Vision half-day conference in London debated the future of the high street with David Burling, managing director of Tui UK and Andy Washington, managing director of Expedia taking part in a panel debate.

Burling used the example of Apple, which has a network of stores throughout the UK in prime locations showcasing its products, as an example of how the future of the high street might look.

“The travel agency has evolved and it will keep evolving. If you have bookings that can be transacted across different channels the stores of the future may be different from the stores of today.

“What is clear is that the quality of the service and advice that good travel agents can give is still very important.

“Channels are becoming more blurred. The technology will become more available for consumers to start the booking in one channel and finish it elsewhere.

“The strength of the retailer is really around the product knowledge and customer service but there is also a role for the stores of the future offering more inspiration at the very early stages of the booking.

“Who would have believed that Apple of all people would have decided to open a load of retail stores?”

Mike Greenacre, former managing director of Co-operative travel  and a delegate at today’s event agreed.

“I very much agree with Dave about inspiration. The high street has greatly evolved and I think it will continue. The big change that will come is how retail stores embrace this technology.

“Where there is an Apple store it’s the busiest shop in town by a long long way.”

However, Andy Washington, managing director of Expedia UK, said: “The biggest threat to the high street us mobile.

“What’s stopping me going into a high street store getting them to do all the work and then googling it on my mobile to find it cheaper?”

Burling said Tui UK’s strategy is based around its differentiated product offering that stems from its close partnerships with hoteliers that has seen it develop a number of resort concepts.

“We want to be involved in designing a particular hotel experience with our partners. By doing that we get a better consumer experience, better repeat business and better reviews."

Burling said concepts like its Splashworld water park resorts were showing “huge growth”.

“It’s identifying the customer requirements and working with hotel partners. We can do that because of our scale.”

New mobile app and tech-laden concept store for Thomson

By Travolution

Leading European tour operator Thomson has launched a new mobile app ahead of the summer holiday period as it prepares to unveil its next generation hi-tech store of the future.

The MyThomson app will allow customers to access information about their trip while on the go including destination guides, weather updates and flight times.

It will also be integrated into social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Johan Lundgren, deputy chief executive of Tui Travel, said: “Tui Travel is an online driven business and we will continue to enhance our mobile offering.

“The launch of the MyThomson app is an exciting new way of connecting our customers with Thomson anytime, anywhere, anyway.

"Innovation is at the heart of our strategy to deliver future growth, and the launch of the MyThomson app reflects our position as market leader.

“The annual summer holiday is a significant purchase for our customers and we know that they not only spend time choosing and planning their holiday but also looking forward to it.

“The app is a fantastic way to get customers more excited about their holiday and will help them keep up to date with all the information they need in one place, just a tap away.”
 
Meanwhile, Tui will announce next month which location has been chose for its new concept store that it promises will harness the latest technology to drive customers in.

The firm hopes to have refitted 10 of its 700 UK stores by Christmas and as many as 100 in coming years.

Tui said  a key strategy is “selling directly to our customers through multiple channels, and so our retail network remains important to us”. It added "the emphasis of these new shops will be on service in a modern environment". 
 
Kathryn Ward, director of retail and financial services, said: “Our next generation store recognises the importance of people when it comes to choosing and booking a holiday, whilst integrating technology into the whole experience to really bring it to life.

“Customers will be able to immerse themselves in stunning, rich and evocative content as they research and browse our unique holidays in-store.”
 
 Key features of the next generation Thomson shops include:  
 
- The shop front will have a giant immersive video wall (2m x 3m) to showcase new video content and imagery of the holidays combined with evocative sounds and  aromas

- At the entrance an interactive map and interactive table will entertain customers and help them research holidays and find out more about the broad range of product available

- The Advice Bar will give customers the chance to browse the Thomson and First Choice websites on self-service laptops with staff on hand to answer any questions

- Free customer WiFi will also enable customers to use their own devices to research in store and check out review content

- High definition screens and booth projections around the store will feature changing images and videos to inspire customers and give them a feel of what to expect from their holidays before they book

- The store will be zoned to meet the needs of all customers and staff will join them to help with their holiday decisions.  Customers can choose from sitting around a laptop in the pool area, self-serving at the Advice Bar or have a more personalised experience in the booths where images of their chosen holiday will be projected on the wall

- All customers will be served with barista style coffee to further enhance the booking experience