royalcaribbean
Latest
Custom-built diving mask takes snaps under the sea
Spectacles have made sharing marginally exciting videos on land via Snapchat easier. It also helps that you no longer need to hunt down a vending machine to snag a pair in the US. But a custom diving mask built by Royal Caribbean cruise line using the social media's capture technology will make it easy to capture footage under the sea.
Royal Caribbean uses fuel cells to power cleaner cruise ships
It's not just ground-based transportation that could stand to benefit from clean-running fuel cells. Cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean has revealed that it's developing a new class of ship, the Icon, that will run on liquified natural gas fuel cells. The move would dramatically reduce the harmful emissions from the vessels (the company hints they'd output nothing more than water) without compromising on reliability or safety. Boats wouldn't be stuck if they have to dock somewhere which can't offer natural gas, either, as they could rely on distillate gas in a pinch.
Engadget Daily: Amazon's war on e-books, Ralph Lauren's smart shirt and more!
Today, we break down Amazon's controversial e-book-pricing model, learn about Ralph Lauren's smart shirt for athletes, anticipate LG's round-faced G Watch R and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Royal Caribbean's latest ship sports a robot bar, super-fast connectivity
Assuming you weren't traveling on the Carnival Ecstasy or Crown Princess, your last cruise ship probably had flushing toilets and 24/7 electricity, but not much else in the way of tech amenities. Royal Caribbean's latest vessel, the Quantum of the Seas, promises so much more. We've already met the ship's Virtual Balconies, which use 80-inch displays to bring a live sea view to windowless staterooms, but the company just announced a slew of other features, including a new venue called Bionic Bar where you can place an order on a tablet and watch a robotic bartender mix up your concoction.
Tour the world's largest cruise ship with Google Street View
From electrical system breakdowns to backed-up toilets and even a capsized ship, it hasn't been a great decade for the cruising industry. Even when your trip goes off without a hitch, you'll probably be eager to disembark after a week in close quarters with 2,000 other families -- even on the world's largest cruise ship, the nearly 1,200-foot Allure of the Seas. Fortunately, that vessel is now open for virtual tours, courtesy of Google's Street View, so you can see what cruising's all about. You can stroll (or click) through some of the more popular "neighborhoods," such as Central Park or the Royal Promenade (a shopping mall). You can also check out five of the 26 restaurants, from Chops Grille to Cupcake Cupboard, or the "Family Fun" areas, such as the H2O Zone water park or the onboard ice rink, all from the comfort of your spacious hotel room.
Royal Caribbean new ships carry Mac infrastructure
At today's Mac IT conference opening session, Bruce Wolf from the Royal Caribbean cruise line discussed the computing infrastructure for some of the company's newest ships. Since these ships are built for an extended lifespan, the technology choices made during the build process are still critical up to 15 years later. Apple and Nanonation provided a solution proposal that apparently knocked the socks off of the RC executive committee, and some of the proposed tech began to make its way into the ship's operations.Beginning in late 2006 with the Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, shipboard signage onboard was driven by Mac Minis with an XServe back end and Samsung displays. Later, custom messaging to the passengers (announcements, shore excursions, fitness center scheduling, casino promotions and touchscreen ship maps) appeared on the largescreen displays. Moving on from the big displays, some newer builds have entertainment and reservations capability (dining and activities) in the staterooms.Moving forward, ships will be equipped with a broadcast room that feeds content to both guest staterooms and crew cabins (each driven by either a Mini or an Apple TV). Back-of-house crew signage, guest enrichment centers for learning opportunities and public signage will all be Mac-driven. Eventually, every television on the ship will be backed by a Mac. On the Celebrity Solstice, now under construction, the build in progress is supporting 1000 stateroom TVs from a bank of XServes and Mac Minis.Next time you cruise the shining seas, keep an eye out for the Mac in the back!
