SetSail Pass

[CRUISEFAN0001]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

They've had 5 years to back out of this process - one has to assume it is working and are not going to change course like they did with Dynamic Dining.

The point was they spent a ton of money on an idea that was a bust.

 

The SailPass card will eventually be fully digital...little doubt of that.  The envelope outside the cabin method is a band-aid interim thing at best.  We just had it a few weeks ago, and while it was no big deal...it was also no big improvement on anything.

[boscobeans]

2 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

More work also means more cost and more opportunity for error.

 

Room stewards and other staff deliver lots of passenger specific envelopes, messages and invitations all the time. Why would the placing of Seapasses be any different and why would it be such a difficult thing for them to accomplish? They all have a list for each stateroom and would just get the passes when they got their stateroom occupant log. 

 

To quote Ourusualbeach, "With the new terminal design there is no place for them at check in as there are no desks.  Literally for check in you barely stop walking from the time you enter the terminal to when you are in the waiting lounge or on the ship as long as your paperwork is in order.  Waiting for cards would create a huge bottleneck much like the chain reaction that you get when one person taps their brakes in heavy traffic."

 

I do NOT miss weaving my way through those serpentines as people with ping pong paddles would call out NEXT...  

[Biker19]

41 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

The SailPass card will eventually be fully digital...little doubt of that.  

In maybe 20 years, but RCI is very unlikely to change the cabin locks on a ship like Oasis so physical cards will be the way for a long time.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Biker19

[island lady]

19 hours ago, davekathy said:

...If that's the case I'll be forced to give the bartender the stink eye. 👁️

 

LOL!!  And don't think he would want to deal with that powerful stink eye of a Royal DS.  🤪

[CRUISEFAN0001]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

In maybe 20 years, but RCI is very unlikely to change the cabin locks on a ship like Oasis so physical cards will be the way for a long time.

Bet its a lot sooner.  Many major hotels have already done or are completing the transition...whereby your phone can have a digital key...and only the software on the physical locks needs to be changed.

 

The world is moving fast.

[Biker19]

Just now, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Bet its a lot sooner.  Many major hotels have already done or are completing the transition...whereby your phone can have a digital key...and only the software on the physical locks needs to be changed.

The math is probably not there on a 2700 cabin ship and the current locks can't just be software upgraded, they don't have the RFID technology in them. And even on the newer ships where it is possible, the clientele will want physical cards for a very long time. Distribution may change (compared to the current envelope by the door process), but the cards will be around a long time.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Bet its a lot sooner.  Many major hotels have already done or are completing the transition...whereby your phone can have a digital key...and only the software on the physical locks needs to be changed.

 

The world is moving fast.

I'm seeing more Hilton properties giving you the option to use the Digital Key or not. The world is changing but there will always be that option. I never check in using the DK.  

[CRUISEFAN0001]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

The math is probably not there on a 2700 cabin ship and the current locks can't just be software upgraded, they don't have the RFID technology in them. And even on the newer ships where it is possible, the clientele will want physical cards for a very long time. Distribution may change (compared to the current envelope by the door process), but the cards will be around a long time.

The growth of the millennial crowd (of which I am not a member) is driving many companies to accelerate their tech upgrades and adaptations of new tech. 

 

As for the locks...one hotel I frequent that has more than 500 rooms recently upgraded all their locks to fully digital...and it only took a software change and $9 part per lock to upgrade. The cost savings to eliminate the plastic, eliminate the need for personnel time to produce and distribute the cards, and the ancillary costs for cameras/card magstripe magnetizers etc. to produce them easily offsets the transition.

 

I bet in 2020, you'll see ships with no cards used at all, and more in transitions to fully digital - it won't take 5-10 years. Consumer expectations won't allow it to take that long.

 

[Biker19]

9 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

 Consumer expectations won't allow it to take that long.

Dynamic Dining - change is hard.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

25 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Dynamic Dining - change is hard.

Change is inevitable...and moving at accelerate paces base on consumer expectations.

 

Tech (in particular) moves in dog years:  1 year of evolution = 7 years of change in other areas.

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Change is inevitable...and moving at accelerate paces base on consumer expectations.

I bet you a D drink that no mainline cruise (or single even ship) will be Seapass card less in the next 5 years. You might have the option to do without a card, but none will do away with cards.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

46 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

I bet you a D drink that no mainline cruise (or single even ship) will be Seapass card less in the next 5 years. You might have the option to do without a card, but none will do away with cards.

Bet on...see you probably in 2020 to collect- I’ll be D on our next cruise so it will easy to hunt you down like a dog and collect!  😁

Edited January 3, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[not-enough-cruising]

55 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Change is inevitable...and moving at accelerate paces base on consumer expectations.

 

Tech (in particular) moves in dog years:  1 year of evolution = 7 years of change in other areas.

It took them until 2018 to think about toying with a mobile check in and mobile boarding pass. I think you are at least 5-7 years ahead of having the option of going Key Card free. 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

21 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It took them until 2018 to think about toying with a mobile check in and mobile boarding pass. I think you are at least 5-7 years ahead of having the option of going Key Card free. 

Others could be first, forcing RCI to follow the herd.

[not-enough-cruising]

21 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Others could be first, forcing RCI to follow the herd.

No other mainstream line is any further ahead of the tech curve than RCI is.

No one wants to jump in the water and force yourself to make a large capital investment that has ZERO ROI from a revenue generation standpoint. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by not-enough-cruising

[CRUISEFAN0001]

35 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

No other mainstream line is any further ahead of the tech curve than RCI is.

No one wants to jump in the water and force yourself to make a large capital investment that has ZERO ROI from a revenue generation standpoint. 

Not true on either front.  The ROI is reduced costs as outlined previously.  Cost avoidance has the same positive effect to the bottom line profits as added revenue - Corporate Budget 101.

 

As for who's first.  At least 2 other cruise lines have been looking at digital only passenger ID.  Don't be surprised if you see Seebreeze and/or Disney as the first companies with it before 2021.  Rumor has it even Celebrity has been considering it for their next-generation ships once the Edge is sailing. It will only take 1 other line to start the "follow the leader" on this front.

Edited January 3, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Not true on either front.  The ROI is reduced costs as outlined previously.  Cost avoidance has the same positive effect to the bottom line profits as added revenue - Corporate Budget 101.

 

As for who's first.  At least 2 other cruise lines have been looking at digital only passenger ID.  Don't be surprised if you see Seebreeze and/or Disney as the first companies with it before 2021.  Rumor has it even Celebrity has been considering it for their next-generation ships once the Edge is sailing. It will only take 1 other line to start the "follow the leader" on this front.

 

To me I don’t see one company adding digital room keys a a major event that is going to force all other companies to jump on board immediately or risk losing major market share.

 

Yeah it’s a neat idea and some will embrace it but it certainly wouldn’t be a deciding factor in what cruise line I booked and it wouldn’t be for my kids either.

 

In fact I see it a a potential hinderance.  If you did away with the seapass cards you would be forced then to carry your phone with you st all times.  There are still way too many people and I suspect that there always will be that want to unplug and leave the technology at home (or in the cabin).  

 

I’m with Biker, you may see the introduction of digital keys but you will not see the elimination of the seapass cards for quite a long time.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[CRUISEFAN0001]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

To me I don’t see one company adding digital room keys a a major event that is going to force all other companies to jump on board immediately or risk losing major market share.

 

Yeah it’s a neat idea and some will embrace it but it certainly wouldn’t be a deciding factor in what cruise line I booked and it wouldn’t be for my kids either.

 

In fact I see it a a potential hinderance.  If you did away with the seapass cards you would be forced then to carry your phone with you st all times.  There are still way too many people and I suspect that there always will be that want to unplug and leave the technology at home (or in the cabin).  

 

I’m with Biker, you may see the introduction of digital keys but you will not see the elimination of the seapass cards for quite a long time.

That's assuming a phone would be required, as opposed to a secondary option.  Today's technology already supports various biometric security technologies.

 

As a parallel scenario...one hotel chain started the "movement" to digital room access, and now at least 5 major chains have fallen in line.  Those kinds of trends happen regularly, and when companies see a means to simplify, cut costs, and go paper-free, they often embrace it.  Considering RCI is looking to continue cost-cutting, this would fall in line as a plus towards that effort.

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

That's assuming a phone would be required, as opposed to a secondary option.  Today's technology already supports various biometric security technologies.

 

As a parallel scenario...one hotel chain started the "movement" to digital room access, and now at least 5 major chains have fallen in line.  Those kinds of trends happen regularly, and when companies see a means to simplify, cut costs, and go paper-free, they often embrace it.  Considering RCI is looking to continue cost-cutting, this would fall in line as a plus towards that effort.

 

If it’s a secondary option then that I could potentially see although Royals already doing this with the wow band and that hasn’t caused the elimination of the seapass cards on those ships.  From all the reports on those it appears that more people dislike them than there are that like them.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

35 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

If it’s a secondary option then that I could potentially see although Royals already doing this with the wow band and that hasn’t caused the elimination of the seapass cards on those ships.  From all the reports on those it appears that more people dislike them than there are that like them.

Certainly using one plastic solution to replace another plastic item (card) solves little and doesn’t even result in any viable cost savings.

 

There’s little “wow” in the wow bands.

[phabric]

Disney does a great job with bands, opening doors, tickets, purchases.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Disney does a great job with bands, opening doors, tickets, purchases.

Sorta...but mostly just parades...

[John&LaLa]

On 1/2/2019 at 8:18 AM, Ocean Boy said:

That is unacceptable and concerning.

 

It was that way on Harmony for us in September. Just unsealed, not tampered with

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

To me I don’t see one company adding digital room keys a a major event that is going to force all other companies to jump on board immediately or risk losing major market share.

 

Yeah it’s a neat idea and some will embrace it but it certainly wouldn’t be a deciding factor in what cruise line I booked and it wouldn’t be for my kids either.

 

In fact I see it a a potential hinderance.  If you did away with the seapass cards you would be forced then to carry your phone with you st all times.  There are still way too many people and I suspect that there always will be that want to unplug and leave the technology at home (or in the cabin).  

 

I’m with Biker, you may see the introduction of digital keys but you will not see the elimination of the seapass cards for quite a long time.

 

I want to get an RFID chip put in me.  It works fine for Bella.

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I want to get an RFID chip put in me.  It works fine for Bella.

Laura would be able to track your every move from whatever ship she is on.