Royal Caribbean – Destination Elevators
Onboard: Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
It’s All About the Destination [Elevators]
When Royal Caribbean International set out to build the World’s Best Vacation on Icon of the Seas, they took the opportunity to address what has long been a pain point on cruise vacations – the elevator experience.
Solving the challenge of moving a high volume of guests efficiently was especially critical for the world’s largest cruise ship which accommodates 7,600 guests. Add to the challenge surge traffic caused by theater exits or dining times and elevator backups can create significant guest frustration.
Partnered with KONE, Icon’s destination elevators address these challenges by grouping guests together based on their target destination. Guests select their “destination” deck from a touch screen and are directed to an elevator that’s identifiable by letter. The new elevator system operates much more efficiently, with over 30% reduction in average wait time and over 50% reduction in average time to destination. Royal Caribbean designed the user interface to be intuitive and minimize written instruction.
As one of the first experiences Icon of the Seas guests encounter onboard this first-in-class ship, Royal Caribbean made sure the elevator experience was easy and fun. With a major investment in development resources, multiple iterations of user interface design, and multiple prototype builds, Royal Caribbean spent over two years testing and improving the lobby layout and design – over 1,000 guests participated in testing destination elevators.
The implementation of destination elevators on Icon of the Seas has been a huge success, with 97% positive guest feedback. This guest comment encapsulates the overall response, “The elevator system. Efficient and seamless.” Given that 50% of Royal Caribbean guests only use elevators less than once a month and the historical challenges cruise ship elevators have been for guest satisfaction across brands, the guest excitement for the new destination elevators onboard Icon of the Seas is a big win for the industry.
