Royal Caribbean announce plans to upgrade wireless internet across fleet

Last week Royal Caribbean continued to position themselves as the cruise line with the most technologically advanced fleet by announcing a significant upgrade to the wireless internet facilities on 35 of their ships, following the request from passengers who have demanded improved connectivity while out at sea.

The improved wireless internet will allow passengers the chance to check their Facebook and Twitter accounts or reply to emails to family and friends during their holiday.  It won’t, however, allow enough bandwidth for watching or downloading videos.

The upgrade will be carried out by one of the largest independent IT and software management companies in the world, CA Technologies and will take between 12 and 18 months to complete.

“Our investment in technology has increased dramatically.  Thanks to CA Technologies Business Service Innovation approach, we have transitioned our focus from maintaining IT systems to delivering new, innovative guest services with speed and agility. CA Technologies has enabled us to transform our IT organization and address the high expectations guests have as a result of the trend towards consumerization of IT. Guests want wireless access to the Internet from their smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles the second they board the ship to access a range of services; it’s imperative that we provide them the best possible experience with those services”

—  Bill Martin, Chief Information Officer, Royal Caribbean

CA are no stranger to Royal Carribbean: they assist with the company’s websites, helping to identify and resolve potential problems before they cause downtime or disruption for guests.  RCI also use CA’s services elsewhere on the fleet, including to manage the onboard network and data centre devices onboard SL and OA class ships.  This infrastructure helps the company to discover and fix problems before they impact on guests.

“Hospitality companies such as Royal Caribbean know that the guest experience has to exceed expectations from the first moment of engagement throughout the entire stay. That means everything – from the reservation system and check-in process to the baggage and towel service – must run at optimal levels.  We take pride in the important role our solutions play in delivering a differentiating experience for Royal Caribbean customers and look forward to the company’s continued success as it transforms its IT systems to meet growing customer demands.”

 — Mike Sargent, General Manager, Enterprise Management, CA Technologies

Technology onboard Royal Caribbean International Ships:

Royal Caribbean are known as being at the forefront of technological advances in the cruising industry. On their newly renovated ships, the company introduced a digital way-finding system to help staff and holidayers to navigate the ship.  They have also added brand new iPads in all of the staterooms of new ships, encouraging customers to make use of the tablet to enhance their stay.  Guests can conduct a number of activities on the iPads: from checking daily activities on the ship to booking shore excursions and more.  Last year CIO Bill Martin told Information Week that the iPads are an “intuitive and enjoyable way for guests to receive [information].”