The cruise industry faces challenges that other travel companies don't have to deal with.
When you check into a hotel you don't need to go through Customs or have your bags go through security. A hotel guest simply walks up to the counter, hands over a credit card along with an ID and then can head to a room.
Even visiting a theme park like Disney World, which involves a bag check and walking through a scanner, is relatively easy compared with what it takes to board and disembark a cruise.
Related: Carnival and Royal Caribbean can't offer a popular activity
That's something Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) and Royal Caribbean have been trying to improve. In an October meeting at Royal Caribbean headquarters, RCL Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider addressed some of the problems the company's passengers face on embarkation.
"We spent a lot of time researching with guests what their day one experience is. And what we've learned in that journey is that there is a lot of heavy lifting that the Royal Promenade today takes that we wish it didn't," he said, according to Royal Caribbean Blog.
The cruise line has focused on enabling passengers to do as much as they can before their cruises to make their first hours on board more fun.
"They want to start their vacation. They don't want to go find a Voom desk," Schneider said.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
Carnival and Royal Caribbean focus on passengers
Royal Caribbean has worked to enable passengers to make show and dining reservations on its app before their cruises. The cruise line has been working toward allowing passengers who buy the Ultimate Dining Package to make their reservations before their cruises.
That should greatly reduce the lines for passengers looking to make a single dining reservation or change on embarkation day. Royal Caribbean has also taken steps out of logging into its Voom internet on its newest ship, Icon of the Seas, and it plans to roll out that change to the rest of the fleet.
Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have used their apps to improve what many consider an even less pleasant part of cruising: disembarkation. On the last day of a cruise passengers have two choices. They can carry their own bags off beforehand or tag their luggage and leave it outside their room on the final night to collect it in the terminal.
Royal Caribbean has already moved some of its disembarkation process onto its app, and Carnival has followed by bringing what it calls "Digital Debark" to all its ships.
Carnival brings Digital Debark to all ships
Carnival has been testing Digital Debark on select ships since late last year. The cruise line's brand ambassador, John Heald, discussed this on his Facebook page.
"I am very happy to tell you that we now have the digital debarkation system available on every ship sailing from North America. It really does make a huge difference. If anybody has used this system, please do post your thoughts below for others to read, but it is now available on every ship," he wrote.
Digital Debark works through the "My Planner" section of the Carnival Hub app. Passengers simply go to that section and click "Schedule Debarkation."
"Two options are available – 'Express Debarkation' which is described as 'Vacate the ship sooner by handling your own luggage and disembarking early.' This has also been known as 'self-assist' debarkation previously. The second option is “Checked Luggage” which is described as 'Let us handle your luggage for a stress-free debarkation," CruiseHive reported.
When passengers click on either option, they see a list of approximate times for disembarkation. All times are, of course, subject to change based on when the ship arrives in port and clears Customs.
Passengers who select "Check Luggage" are shown a notice on when their luggage tags will be delivered and when they should leave their bags outside their cabins. Carnival guests are also asked how many bags they will check and how many people are in their parties, and they can then select a 20-minute disembarkation slot.
The feedback posted to Heald's page has been good.
"Great process. It was faster for express debarking by different group letter. Rather than releasing all express per floor," Theresa Phatchi Hoang wrote.
"We used it to debark in Galveston three weeks ago it was awesome! We were off the ship and on the road by 8:30 a.m. Thank you Carnival," added Kimberly Dishman-Ferell.
