If the last time you stepped foot on a cruise ship was more than five years ago, you probably remember a lot of wonderful things. You probably also remember some not-so-wonderful things.
You may remember standing in long lines during the onboarding process, finding your room, giving the kids or grandkids lanyards with their room key so they don’t lose it or pulling out your credit card every time you make a purchase.
The world of technology has evolved a lot in those five years – and so has the world of cruising.
“The buzz of the industry right now is all the cruise lines are investing in solid technology,” says Colleen McDaniel, senior executive editor of Cruise Critic. “Five years ago, that meant getting better, faster internet on the cruise ship. It means something totally different today.”
"Cruise lines have done a great job of differentiating themselves and exposing their personality so people feel they’ve made the right match." - Colleen McDaniel
This technology, McDaniel says, includes everything from wearable tech that unlocks your room, and gives you the ability to order and pay for services all over the ship, to cell phone applications that you can use to set the temperature in your room, use as a remote control on the TV and look up every service the cruise line offers.
“If you would’ve said this was where we were going five years ago, people would have been surprised,” McDaniel says. “The whole purpose is to solve those areas of friction; those areas that make it less than perfect.”
Another major point of excitement for cruisers, McDaniel includes, is the partnerships cruise lines are forming. Food lovers who haven’t cruised in a while might remember bland, one-size-fits-all buffets, but that is no longer the case.
“Cruise lines have partnerships with exceptional chefs; Nobu and Thomas Keller and chefs like that who really have name recognition,” says McDaniel. “You’re able to enjoy their dining menus curated by them on cruise ships. I think it’s been an exceptional way to bring those very cool land experiences on a cruise ship.”
Changes aren’t just happening on the ship, but also where the ship might be headed. For those uninterested in the traditional Caribbean cruises, Alaskan cruises are very hot right now, and McDaniel is seeing more and more major cruise lines getting into river cruising.
For first-time cruisers or those who haven’t been on the water in a long time, McDaniel recommends they give it a shot; they’ll likely be surprised.
“Not every cruise line is right for every person. To that end, more than ever, cruise lines have done a great job of differentiating themselves and exposing their personality so people feel they’ve made the right match,” says McDaniel. “If they have made that right match, they’re going to be cruisers for life.”
Amanda DePerro is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
