As cruises become larger and more complicated, attracting a younger crowd as they do so, they have increasingly evolved from places of relaxation, to technological marvels. Cruise lines are honing their guests’ time on board into a series of extraordinary experiences, finding new ways to achieve this by harnessing emerging land-based technology.
Aside from an entertainment tool, there is huge potential for virtual and augmented reality to transform the way cruise lines operate. Utilising the expertise of pioneering companies can also give existing activities aboard the ship a novel and immersive boost. Holograms can be another exciting method of bringing novelty to guests, while also adding new levels of interactivity. Read on to discover more about how cruise lines are implementing this technology to create immersive spaces for passengers, taking their cruise experience beyond that of their everyday lives.
Exploring new realities
Recent developments in virtual and augmented reality tech offer more opportunities for cruise line guests to personalise their experience. Since their primitive beginnings in the 1990’s, this technology has rapidly evolved to become a gaming staple for millions around the globe. Mixed reality experiences delivered via virtual reality headsets can present the wearer with an altered version of their surroundings, enabling the wearer to watch a video as they do chores, or engage with a game or app while still being able to visualise their real surroundings. Since their primitive beginnings in the 1990’s, this technology has rapidly evolved to become a gaming staple for millions around the globe. Other applications of the hardware include the ability to transform a workspace, as a music teaching device, and a virtual personal trainer.
In business, VR and AR are used for training purposes, providing more of a hands-on experience of a job role than theory-based methods, or e-learning. The tech is also gaining traction in architecture and design. Before physically building a space, 3D digital replicas allow for test runs of design plans, giving designers freedom to be creative and experimental at a lower risk than was previously possible. Virtual tours can also provide companies with a new method of showcasing their products and services, helping clients gain a deeper understanding before making a purchasing decision. VR is also making an impact in schools, with teachers utilising the technology to provide more tech-savvy children with a powerful visual aid.
Virtual ships
For cruise lines, there are again multiple uses for VR. Companies such as MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line have tapped into the technology to train their crew, benefitting from the services of Innoarea, a company specialising in 360° immersive virtual training. Celebrity Cruises have developed a version of their ship, Celebrity Beyond, in the Metaverse, available for potential passengers to explore ahead of time.
Royal Caribbean are also using the technology, providing public education of their ship design through virtual tours of their ship, Independence of the Seas. The cruise line has also designed their own ‘digital twin’ system, CAVE, using it to improve the design of their latest ship, Icon of the Seas. Alix Loiseau, Director of Virtual Design and Construction at Royal Caribbean, comments: “It’s so much easier to make it a better guest experience when you can explore it virtually. You don’t want that design element over there, well [sic] just move it without having to do any heavy lifting.”
It is highly likely that more cruise lines will use VR technology for this purpose in the future, as the industry continues to strive for larger, more complex ships, while needing to combat the challenge of maintaining a strict weight limit. The immersive qualities of VR can help achieve those goals, as evidenced by Icon of the Seas achieving the title of the largest cruise ship in the world.
For the consumer, cruise lines are able to bring VR and AR technology to passengers in the form of entertainment and easier wayfinding. Many ships offer VR simulations such as flight and rollercoaster experiences, and games such as Swashbuckler, a 4D multiplayer game featured on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. AR is used mainly to enhance passenger satisfaction and to inform, with overlays viewed through AR glasses or smartphone apps providing real-time information about the ship, points of interest or map navigation.
Enhancing existing activities
Outside of VR and AR, cruise lines are utilising the skills of individual suppliers, using their land-based experience to enhance the many activities found around the ship. Arcade games such as driving simulators have seen a boost with companies such as ImSim, providing cutting edge driving technology and cruise suitability through its ergonomic design.
Space saving is also a theme for other activities such as bowling, with the smaller lanes provided by companies like Duckpin Social solving a potential size issue that traditional lanes may present for most cruise ships. The company’s lanes are a third of the size, while a smaller, reduced weight ball creates a lower barrier to entry thanks to a reduced intimidation that larger balls may present, making it more suitable for families. These cruise-ready versions of popular games can improve immersion for passengers thanks to their more seamless integration, compared to their larger, more unwieldy land-based counterparts.
Enhancing dining experiences is also on the agenda for many cruise lines, with 360° screens adding a layer of interactivity as passengers sit to eat. Princess Cruises have utilised LED projection expertise to incorporate this multi-sensory dining into two of their ships, Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess. During the experience, a seven course meal takes place over 90 minutes, with visual storytelling accompanying each dish, giving passengers a deeper insight into the food they’re eating.
A holographic future
Holographic projection is an exciting emerging technologies, with breakthroughs occurring on land and at sea. UK-based attraction Abba Voyage represents a particularly notable use of the technology in recent years, providing audiences with projections of the beloved band as they appeared in 1979. The concert has sold over 3 million tickets generating £1.4 billion in turnover for the UK economy, and continues to draw fans to its home at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Following this success, London’s Elvis Evolution will see Elvis Presley also recreated in hologram form in 2025. Holograms also introduce new approaches to navigating controversial practices. At a recently opened zoo in Brisbane, Australia, guests can view holograms of over 50 different animals. This creates powerful, up-close encounters without the need to physically keep them at the zoo, a feat that has been achieved by the increased efficiency of computer algorithms.
Businesses can now make use of specialised Holo-Tables, designed to analyse a 3D landscape in real-time. The company behind these tables, Tekleholographics, are currently entering the cruise industry, where the tables can be used alongside other products such as the Holo-Room to increase interactivity and gain a deeper understanding of a particular space. Tekleholographics are also hoping to use the technology on cruises to recreate its on-land application for replicating dead artists, and for providing passengers with previews of upcoming itinerary locations, allowing them to better plan their time once ashore. There has also been a recent breakthrough allowing holograms to be manually manipulated, unlocking a whole new level of interactivity. This has huge potential for passenger use aboard cruise ships, on both the crew and passenger sides.
Cruise lines are also themselves using holographics as an educational tool. In late 2022, both MSC and Princess Cruises used a holographic display to showcase the interior and exterior of their ships to the public. 2024 also saw Celebrity Cruises use the technology to display their latest ship, Celebrity Ascent, to the public ahead of its 2026 launch.
Capturing the novelty
Cruise lines are becoming more interested in immersive spaces, giving passengers deep, unique experiences as part of their cruise holidays. With exciting technologies such as VR and holographics providing multiple uses to businesses and general consumers on land, and with their space saving features and the cruise industry’s rapid adoption of new technologies, we will start to see even more of this technology on board. Holographics in particular looks to be an area that cruise brands will adopt more readily in future years, with advancements and applications of the technology improving at an extremely fast pace. As cruise lines maintain their goals in delighting and surprising their passengers with the novelty of new technology, the gap will continue to close for its adoption as new breakthroughs are made, or more exciting companies emerge in the coming years.
Want more of this?
For more technology insights and the latest in the evolution of guest experience, visit Cruise Xperience Innovation Summit (CXI) Americas. CXI Americas is the event for cruise lines, shipyards and suppliers to showcase, demonstrate and unveil cutting-edge & innovations, taking place 3 – 4 June at the Miami Beach Convention Center.