Royal Caribbean Cruise Line recently announced that it is changing its disembarkation process. Instead of passengers having to rush out of their staterooms, gulp down breakfast, and then do the "hurry up and wait" routine in public areas of the ship, they will be allowed to access more areas of the ship and have access to more services.
Royal Caribbean's plans will allow guests to have extended access to their staterooms, as well as continued in-stateroom TV entertainment. Guests also will receive an “As You Depart” notice, which communicates the new enhancements and the location of departure lounges offering refreshments and light entertainment. Among the departure lounges will be a dedicated Family Zone, which will include refreshments, toys and games geared toward younger cruisers. Guests in suites will be treated to an exclusive continental breakfast hosted by guest services or the concierge. Royal Caribbean will also cut down on the amount of ship-wide public announcements all morning to maintain a relaxing atmosphere, with nearly all departure updates limited to the departure lounges and through the in-stateroom TV programming. If you'd like to get off the ship right away instead of waiting around, guests can also take advantage of the Express Departure option, where they carry their own luggage off the ship. With this option, you get to disembark the ship first and as soon as the gangway is opened and cleared by local authorities.
I think this is a great step forward on Royal Caribbean's part and I'd really like to see other cruise lines follow along. On my most recent cruise on the Norwegian Star, their disembarkation process allowed passengers to stay in their staterooms while they were waiting to disembark, and it made for a much more comfortable and relaxing experience. Bravo, Royal Caribbean!
No comments:
Post a Comment