Last week saw the re-release of an article we produced for Seatrade Cruise at the start of the year. ‘Tech trends in cruise’ looks at just some of the technological advances that are currently re-shaping the cruise experience. Take virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), for example; both are being used more and more. VR is delivering virtual tours of ships to potential clients whilst AI is being used for predictive maintenance, fixing issues before they cause disruptions. Six months on from writing that piece, momentum has gathered in tech innovation. Here then we focus again upon cruise industry technology trends for 2023 to see what else has gained traction.
In the blog we wrote for Seatrade Cruise, we listed off the following trends to watch out for:
- The rise of virtual and augmented reality (VR / AR)We also listed out additional trends to watch out for in the shape of edge and quantum computing. Whilst those may take a while longer to have an impact, the three trends listed above are already making waves. But what else has had a major influence this year?
Read our earlier tech trends piece on the Seatrade Cruise website.
What other cruise industry technology trends should we expect to see over the next 6-12 months?
- The rise of the social ‘brand ambassador’As part of our Tech Talks podcast, we had the privilege of speaking with Emma Le Teace. Her Emma Cruises YouTube channel has 245,000 subscribers and she joined us to discuss the life of a cruise vlogger. She has a passion for sharing onboard video footage to show people just how unique a cruise experience can be. Most cruise lines are not using this type of strategy within their own efforts on social media. Even if they were to though, they would probably struggle to recreate the same level of authenticity. Emma is thriving and there are many others waiting to follow in her footsteps. Therefore, it seems likely that there will be a lot more cruise vloggers emerging in the months ahead. Perhaps some cruise lines will take note of Emma’s success and try to engage with her?
This is becoming an ever more popular aspect of the onboard experience. We have already covered VR’s virtual tours in this piece, but what of the gaming possibilities? As the Metaverse grows, it is entirely possible that this will be introduced on some ships. Indeed, earlier in the year, Royal Caribbean International announced an initiative called ‘Hide ’N’ Sea’ that will feature Fortnite. Their new ‘Icon of the Seas’ cruise ship is set to debut in January 2024. When it does, gamers can expect to collect coins in the waterpark at sea and enjoy Crown’s Edge, a part skywalk, part ropes course above the ocean. Gamers aside, will families considering their next cruise holiday start factoring in the games available to their children?
Technology can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is of course however, more heavily embraced by younger generations. Many teenagers nowadays are experts with smart phones, whilst some of their older counterparts still have flip phones (!). As cruise ships become ever more advanced, is it such a stretch to think that younger people will become more enticed to want to step aboard?