Is high tech making a new class system ,I think so .

[dolittle]

Many new ships are laden with apps for almost everything from getting on the ship to dinner reservations even now ordering you meals even in the buffet. I know many like this and it can make SOME things easier but for some of us it is just a pain. For me part of getting away is getting away from tech, social media and phones (the wired kind too). I know there are some of like me I don't know how to deal with this this on board. I do think it is making a tech class system and those who do not partake in these apps will lose out on many things . What do you think and what class are you in.

[klfrodo]

opps, duplicate thread.

[BklynBoy8]

19 minutes ago, dolittle said:

Many new ships are laden with apps for almost everything from getting on the ship to dinner reservations even now ordering you meals even in the buffet. I know many like this and it can make SOME things easier but for some of us it is just a pain. For me part of getting away is getting away from tech, social media and phones (the wired kind too). I know there are some of like me I don't know how to deal with this this on board. I do think it is making a tech class system and those who do not partake in these apps will lose out on many things . What do you think and what class are you in.

 

Sailing on the QM2 Cunard Line we had two features.

 

The My Voyage did work if you got the WiFi connection to stay. The Cunard WiFi was good in various parts of the ship.

 

We made Dining Room Reservations, Lecture reserved, Speciality Restaurant booking and we even saw the Daily Programme in mini version.

[Hlitner]

Great topic.  No question that technology has certainly become a major part of cruising on most lines.  That being said, I do not agree that it creates or adds to a "class system."  Tech has become part of all our lives and is very important to most facets of the travel industry.  Using a Smartphone has taken on an importance that cannot be overstated.  Those that refuse or simply avoid that technology are finding all kinds of issues when they travel.  Since COVID, we think (and have posted) that having a working Smartphone has become more of a necessity than an option, but I would not equate it with a class system.  

 

On some cruise lines, life becomes much more complicated to those that do not use the new technology.  We have found this particularly true on Princess.   There are usually "work arounds" for folks that do not use the new technology, but we think it has become akin to folks who would a candle (for light) rather than electric lights.  On Princess one might need to wait in a line, for some time, to accomplish what could be done in seconds on their App.  Smartphones have taken on such an important role in the airline industry, that those who do not have (and use) a phone will often find themselves "out of luck" when it comes to important functions like changing a reservation, dealing with a missed flight, etc.  Last year we missed a connection at DFW (airlines fault) and were able to deal with much of the issue with our phone.  The alternative was to wait in customer service lines that had a several hour waiting time.  By the time one would have reached a Customer Service person their options would have been awful because most other folks would have grabbed other remaining seats via their phones.  Calling the airline would have gotten you "the approximate hold time is 6 hours" while the Smartphone apps worked in fast real time.

 

Traveling within Europe during the various COVID restrictions often meant having the proper phone apps.  The workarounds (where there were work arounds) were often difficult and very time consuming (increasing the odds of missing flights).  Consider that using Uber/Lyft requires a Smartphone.  Also consider that some restaurants only accept reservations online (this trend is quickly growing since it saves restaurants time and staff).  We have also been to various eating venues that have no menus other than UPC codes.  Just this week I had an appointment at an Outpatient Clinic of a major hospital where the primary means of checking-in was using one's phone.  And appointment reminders/changes only come via phone.

 

We still see some folks resisting the reality and use of Smartphones although most of the "hold outs" seem to be on the HAL blogs (perhaps because HAL attracts many older cruisers who are fixed in their ways).  

 

 

Hank