Royal Caribbean have been bragging about their futuristic gadgets for a while now – WOW bands that let you access the ship at your leisure, Roboscreens, the Bionic Bar… But with this everything changes. Royal Caribbean are set to make you cruise with Facebook at your side.
Jumping on social media to share a few holiday snaps isn’t unusual for any of us, but having to use it to go on holiday in the first place is something totally new. Royal Caribbean exclusively told us today that guests will now be able to check in for their cruise on Facebook!
They explained: “With Facebook and OpenID, you can now check into your cabin all just by logging into Facebook as normal. Easier than posting a status, more straightforward than dressing for dinner!”
OpenID is a tool which allows users to sign in to different websites using Facebook or other social media. Royal Caribbean’s take on it will allow guests to get on-board just by getting their mobile phone out.
These days, almost everyone is using Facebook. Using this technology with Royal Caribbean’s established WOW Bands will allow them to accurately keep track of which guests are aboard a ship, whether or not they’re in their cabin, and what they’re up to on-board.
There is even talk of allowing WOW bands to sync to people’s Facebook accounts in a way that automatically tags guests in photos from the ship’s photographer, meaning that taking that perfect selfie just got even easier.
But not everyone is quite so excited about the idea. “It’s despicable! What if I don’t want all my family and friends to know I’m taking a Royal Caribbean cruise? I told my office I was ill last time I had a holiday, this would make that a bit difficult!” said Shelly on Facebook.
Royal Caribbean have promised that PCs will be available for guests on embarkation, should they have forgotten their mobile phone, so that they can still check in.
When asked what would happen to guests who refuse to adapt to the new technology they said; “Eventually, everyone will use it. We’re sure of that.”
What do you think about Royal Caribbean commitment to technology? Is it the future or is it foolhardy? Let us know in the comments below…
*As you may have noticed, this was an April Fools! But we hope you enjoyed the story…
