When you board a cruise, it’s common to find workers holding “How can I help?” placards or carrying signs with that language. The goal is for passengers to be able to quickly get questions answered and not have to go to guest services.
Sometimes, the questions are simple. People want to know when their cabin will be available or what venues are open to lunch. In other cases, they will be asking where to make dinner or show reservations.
Related: Royal Caribbean makes a much-requested dining change
There are, of course, questions that require expert help. In that case, the passengers are pointed toward the right place to solve their problem. That could be guest services, or the Internet help desk, or even the Maitre D stand at one of the main dining room locations.
The goal is to triage problems and make day one as easy for passengers as possible. That’s something Royal Caribbean has been working toward and a goal it has generally been successful with.
On Icon of the Seas, at least for the friends and family/media sailings and the inaugural sailing, Royal Caribbean posted crew members at the cruise ship’s elevator banks. That’s because Icon of the Seas had a new elevator system that passengers had not used before.
That system is also being used on Utopia of the Seas, the cruise line’s newest cruise ship, but crew members are not posted at the elevator banks. That has led to a viral social media video created by TikTok personality and travel content creator Marissa Willman (@marissawanders) that shows how to use the new elevators.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
The new elevator system does not offer buttons inside the cars.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Royal Caribbean’s new elevators solve a problem
Cruise ship elevators are a pain point for passengers. First, traditional elevators don’t have a good way for people to line up. That can lead to anger as someone who believes they were “there first” ends up getting passed over for someone near the elevator that opens its doors.
In addition, there’s no logical system where the people getting off first end up st the front of the elevator. That can lead to everyone having to clear out on every floor, or a passenger having to squeeze by people who don’t move aside.
The traditional elevator system can also lead to completely full cars stopping on floors where nobody intends to get out. That’s just wasted time that helps nobody and can lead to frustrated people waiting for an elevator then not being able to board when it shows up.
Then, of couse, there’s the problem caused because ships generally have kids onboard and kids often think it’s funny to press every button.
That’s not a problem with Royal Caribbean’s new elevator system, but Willman, believes that there is a learning curve.
How to use Royal Caribbean’s new elevators
While the system seems pretty self-explanatory and easy to use, the over 500,000 people who have seen Willman’s TikTok video suggest it mau not be for everyone. In the video, so clearly explains how the elevators work.
Willman begins by asking, “Would you like to not look like an idiot when you get on your cruise and try to use the elevator?” After that, she walks to the tablet computers that are mounted on stands near the elevators.
“You select your deck before you get on and then it assigns you an elevator,” she said.
The TikTok star selected deck 11 and the letter A displayed on the tabley screen. There is a large letter over each elevator.
ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
“So we are assigned elevator A. Your elevator will light up. Comes right to you,” she shared. “And then when you walk in, you’ll notice there are no buttons. Don’t be like the rest of us on the first day who couldn’t figure out how to use the elevators.”
Currentlty, the new elevators are only offered on Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. They are expected to be part of all future new ships, but Royal Caribbean has not shared whether they will be added to older ships when they dry dock.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
