Adventure at sea
FROM A BIONIC BAR TO INDOOR SKYDIVING, THIS CRUISE SHIP HAS ALL TASTES COVERED
Scream time replaces screen time on this Disneyland of the High Seas. Royal Caribbean makes it super easy to get kids off their smartphones and ipads by upping the entertainment stakes.
Fuelled by the latest technology, Quantum-class Odyssey of the Seas offers a playground where the ship is a destination within itself.
Want to learn to surf? No problem. Give skydiving a go? Sure thing. Love bumper cars, glow-inthe-dark laser tag or want to try your hand at rock-climbing – well that’s on offer too.
As kids have changed over the years, so has the entertainment offered on cruise ships where it is now a significant part of familymarket appeal.
But for mine – the biggest surprise on Odyssey is the bionic bar: a fully functioning cocktail bar staffed entirely by two robot bartenders.
Yes it’s a gimmick, but heck it’s fun. And what better way to try my first Shirley Temple – that grenadine darling that has stood the test of time.
Non-alcoholic, ginger-ale based, bright red and oh so sweet.
But there’s something about these two attending ’bots that draws the crowd on Level 5.
Their stats are impressive: They can produce two drinks per minute for a total of 1000 drinks per day. It took 416,000 man-hours to make and test the robotic bartenders. Screens on either side of the robots show fun facts such as the most ordered drink of the day – anyone for a frutely?
But it’s the movement patterns that capture you – it’s a ballet of AI aperitifs … and that is exactly what it is, a ballet. The bionic bar arms movements are patterned on the gestures of Italian dancer and choreographer Marco Pelle from the New York Theatre Ballet.
Cruise director Ana Ribeiro agrees that the increased space available on mega-ships allowed cruise lines to expand what they could offer.
So much so that teens, aged 13 to 17, now have their own exclusive space called Social180 – where they can hang with mates, chill with gaming, music and movies.
On the Odyssey – they also have their own lounge and private patio, and adults aren’t allowed access.
“Royal Caribbean has been a
game-changer with this … we’ve really focused on providing quality entertainment for children and teenagers,” Ribeiro says.
“It’s no longer an afterthought and parents can have a relaxing holiday knowing their children are safe and having fun.
“Children and teens are different digital consumers than they were 1520 years ago and we want to offer our customers, of all ages, a memorable experience.”
And if something that starts life on a cruise becomes popular, it can end up being launched to the wider public. This was the case of Royal
Caribbean’s immersive video game The Treasure of Barnacle Briggs, an interactive puzzle-solving quest. It proved such a hit with passengers that it was launched on Apple’s App Store.
With technology advances, parents can also relax with electronic record keeping. They have to tap in with their room key when either dropping their child off or collecting them from a kids club and nobody can take the children out unless they have authorisation.
As for the teenagers, they have their own cards to tap in and tap out – keeping everyone accounted for.
WHEN TO GO
For Royal Caribbean’s 2022-23 Australia summer season, two Quantum-class ships will return to Australia.
Ovation of the Seas will kick off sailings from Sydney in October 2022
Quantum of the Seas departs from Brisbane in November 2022.
In Brisbane, Royal Caribbean is making its debut and will for the first time ever homeport Quantum of the Seas at the newly developed $177m Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.