Cruise ship hopes to attract millennials with robot bartenders

Global Business

The world’s first smart cruise ship with robot bartenders and many other high-tech features have hit the seas in hopes of attracting the millennial market. Karina Huber reported this story from Bayonne, New Jersey.

Dubbed the world’s first “smart ship”, Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas ship had two robots who take drink orders, mix them, and serve them to customers who can buy anything aboard using their WOW bracelet, which also serves as the key to their cabins.

The ship also has a glass capsule that takes passengers 300 feet above sea level above the ship for a panoramic view of the sea.

“Instead of taking a picture of you when you get to the pier, you’ll be able to take the picture in advance before you ever get to the pier. You’ll be able to walk straight on to the ship. Somebody will come up to you with a mobile device, they’ll check your information and if everything is in order, they’ll just give you a green light to go right on the ship,” said Bill Martin, chief information officer of Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean has also partnered with a technology company that moved their satellites closer to earth, which gives them a focused beam on the ship allowing for streaming video while accessing high-speed Internet.

“There’s more bandwidth here beaming internet to the ships from a new satellite technology than all the other cruise ships of the world put together. Those are the types of stay-connected features we think will pull the millennial,” said Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited.