Onboard Kids: Royal Caribbean Introduces Tracking Wristbands on the Star of the Seas

Bild:
A cruise vacation with the whole family is a wonderful experience, but many parents know that feeling: a brief moment of distraction, and the child has disappeared into the crowd. Royal Caribbean International now has a smart solution for this: on the new ship Star of the Seas, they are introducing special tracking wristbands for children. This innovative feature, integrated into the onboard app, is designed to make family vacations even more relaxed and secure.

All news also on X formerly Twitter

What’s Behind the "Find My Kid" System?

The new feature is aptly named "Find My Kid!" and is easily accessible through the Royal Caribbean app. Parents can track their children's location in real-time, no matter where they are on the ship. To use this service, children aged 3 to 12 must wear a waterproof "Adventure Ocean WOW Band." This wristband sends location data directly to the parents' smartphone.

The introduction of this technology is not a coincidence but the result of a pilot program on the sister ship, Icon of the Seas. With the Star of the Seas as the second ship in the Icon class, Royal Caribbean is using its newest vessels as a kind of "tech lab." This ensures that the system works smoothly before it might be rolled out across the entire fleet.

Are the Wristbands Free?

Guests who wish to use the service must purchase the wristband. The official price is $14.99 USD. However, it’s important to know that guests in Star Class or Royal Suites receive the wristband for free. This positions the tracking feature as an optional add-on rather than a standard offering. For Royal Caribbean, this is a clever strategy: they generate revenue from selling the wristbands while creating an additional incentive for their suite guests.

How Does the Technology Work?

Onboard a cruise ship, a GPS signal is not reliable for accurate location tracking. Therefore, Royal Caribbean uses an Indoor Positioning System (IPS). This system relies on a network of wireless sensors distributed throughout the ship to pinpoint the exact location of the wristbands. It is believed that Royal Caribbean is leveraging an existing infrastructure that was developed for contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of building an entirely new technology from scratch, an old one is being repurposed into a new, useful service.

What Are Other Cruise Lines Doing?

Royal Caribbean is not alone with this idea. Many cruise lines are embracing wearable technology to improve onboard services:

  • Princess Cruises is a leader with its OceanMedallion. This wearable replaces the traditional key card and enables contactless payments, cabin access, and also the tracking of fellow travelers.
  • Disney Cruise Line offers the DisneyBand+, which also serves as a cabin key and payment method and provides interactive experiences.
  • MSC Cruises also offers a special safety wristband for children, which allows parents to track their location.

Compared to Princess, which views the wearable as a core part of the experience, Royal Caribbean offers the wristband as a practical, optional extra designed to make the vacation even safer for families.

A Look into the Future: More Than Just Location Tracking

The "Find My Kid" feature is not just a useful tool for parents. The technology behind it collects valuable data on guest movements onboard. This information helps the cruise line improve service by identifying areas with long wait times or which are particularly popular. This way, the cruise experience can become even more personalized and better tailored to guests' wishes in the future.

The introduction of the "Find My Kid" feature on the Star of the Seas is a smart move that shows how modern technology is changing and improving the cruise vacation.