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Pushing the Envelope: Guest Blogger Bill Martin Discusses How Royal Caribbean Stays Ahead of the Curve

I am the Chief Information Officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, which basically means that my desk is where the proverbial “buck” stops if it involves technology. Our IT organization is responsible for all of the technology onboard the Royal Caribbean International ships as well as those of her sister brands. We also have more than 40 shore side offices around the world that we operate.

2010 was a year of major technological innovation, from redesigned websites to the delivery of Allure of the Seas, who along with her sister, Oasis of the Seas, are the two most technologically advanced ships at sea. It was also a year of awards, winning Information Week magazine‘s top innovation honor in the category of customer intimacy. And 2011 is shaping up to be even bigger.

It’s difficult to talk about my role without recognizing the 500+ technology employees on our ships and on shore that make nearly half a billion dollars worth of technology assets work. We have an amazing team of technology professionals. Combine this team with the best operating teams in the industry and you’ve really got a powerful combination. It’s partnerships like this that create the many award winning innovations you’ll see on our ships. From facial recognition applications that eliminate the “Photo walls” where you had to look at almost every professional photo until you found yours, to interactive digital signs that let you know where the action is, it all comes together to make an amazing vacation experience even better.

Many in our organization refer to me as a “rogue CIO” (a moniker I wear proudly by the way). This doesn’t mean I break the rules, it simply means I press our teams to “push the envelope” of what can be done with technology. I am an avid user of technology, and trying new stuff is something we must do if we expect to stay ahead of our guest’s expectations. It’s this constant experimentation that gave me the nickname.

When Adam asked if I would write a guest blog post about going from “Res to glitches” (a cute way of covering my 27 year career here at Royal Caribbean), I was proud to take a shot. I won’t bore you with a lot of career details but suffice it to say that I have been very lucky at Royal Caribbean, finding the right opportunities at just the right time over the years, to maintain a career with the same company. That’s very rare these days, so I consider myself very lucky. As the phrase implies, I started in the call center taking reservations over the phone way back in 1984 while I put myself through college. Computer reservations in 1984 were very different … everyone agreed that seeing available staterooms in less than TWO minutes was a real step forward from the “berthing books”, but the system would frequently go down, so the computers could be a real pain! Today we measure down time in minutes per year. So I guess it has gotten a little better.

There have been many steps along the way, including stints in Accounting, Revenue Management, Customer Service, even running all of the call centers in North America, and finally, to my current role as CIO, which started a little over three years ago.

Funny side note about my current role, I called my brother to share the news of my move to the CIO role. His reaction? “ARE YOU CRAZY! CIO stands for Career Is Over!” He said I wouldn’t last two years in the role. I’m happy to report that Tom was wrong.

On a personal note, I have 4 children (ages 21 to 8 ) and have been happily married going on 25 years (I guess I have a thing for sticking around)! We love living in South Florida (even if it felt like Chicago this past December – Yea yea, spring time in Chicago We’re planning to vacation in Hawaii this summer but still have to convince the kids of this since they are hoping for another cruise on Allure! LOL

We produced a webisode about some of the technology highlights on Oasis and Allure. Take a look. It’s pretty ground breaking stuff.

“Lady Liberty” is back at Sea and Showing off her New Enhancements!

Guest Blog Post: Lisa Bauer on Liberty of the Seas After Dry Dock

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Last week was a great opportunity to combine our Anchored in Excellence (AIE) visit to Liberty of the Seas with the chance to sail on her immediately after her dry dock last week to access the impact of the new venues and programming.

It was actually hard to believe what the team accomplished in seven days! When we boarded the ship, there was no evidence of construction, not a ceiling panel out of place, and all the new venues looked like they had been there forever. I’m very proud of the team. The only venue that we weren’t able to complete was the nursery, but we knew that would take longer and it will be open beginning this week.

The Cupcake Cupboard is prominent on the Royal Promenade and by the time I got there, my favorite flavor, Red Velvet was sold out! Thought everyone might enjoy a picture of the third Cupcake Cupboard in the fleet.

Another Royal Advantage enhancement was within Vintages. Our guests really loved the new furniture and atmosphere of the Vintages on Oasis class, so we remodeled the Vintages on Liberty, added a wine tasting table, and the very popular Wine dispensing technology. These new machines offer the ability to have 1, 3, or 5 ounces of wine and it is a great way to try new wines.

The new screen on the pool deck is already a huge hit with our guests. We showed Secretariat the first night it was up and the pool deck was packed. I can’t wait to see the reaction when our guests get to watch popular sporting events, like the Super Bowl, on the screen.

We were busy, because not only did we add the screen on the pool deck, we also added the 3D movie capability in the theatre. This 3D programming is one of the many elements of the DreamWorks® Experience that we launched this week on Liberty. The sail away party was very festive, and adults and kids alike approached the characters for a hug or picture. We did two character breakfasts this week, and I was very happy to have had chocolate waffles for breakfast! The parade is amazing on Liberty, and Shrek, Fiona, Po and the gang seem to “pop” up around the ship.

I really enjoyed watching our guests interacting with the digital signage. It was such a huge success on Oasis that we added it to Liberty, and it has quickly become a great resource for our guests.

During dry dock, we also greatly extended the WIFI capabilities of the ship, what we now call pervasive WIFI, so I was able to keep up with my colleagues in Miami from the comfort of my stateroom. The entire ship now has WIFI instead of just select areas.

I will be back on Liberty in late April, as our timeline to officially open our Broadway Show Saturday Night Fever is the April 21^st sailing, and I can’t wait!

Not only was I able to sail and spend time on Liberty, but Radiance of the Seas was docked right across from us in Cozumel, so I joined Captain Claus and Hotel Director Clunis for a total walk around of Radiance to review all the new venues that Radiance will receive when she goes into dry dock in May this year.

Allure became known as the Ship of Entertainment, and now I am going to name Radiance the Culinary ship! When we did the full tour, the totality of all the new food & beverages was overwhelming. Radiance will feature a Samba Grill where the current SeaView café currently is located, a Rita’s Cantina, an Izumi, our highly acclaimed Chef’s Table, Giovanni’s Table will replace Portofino and both the Boardwalk DogHouse and the Park Café will be added! We may need to add more equipment in the gym with this plethora of food offerings. Of course there is a lot more to the revitalization than dining, and I believe the new Diamond Lounge will be beautiful, as will the new Concierge Lounge.

What’s the Buzz Onboard Allure This Week? Find Out Which Celeb is Making Her Directorial Debut!

Allure of the Seas is living up to her reputation as the ‘ship of entertainment’. This week, actors James Brolin and Jenny McCarthy are onboard directing and starring in two short films. It’s Jenny’s directorial debut and we are thrilled she is using Allure as the backdrop. During the cruise, some of the cast members taped candid interviews about their experience on Allure of the Seas and gave us the scoop on the projects that they are working on. We are pleased to share these with you.

Visit our YouTube Channel to watch the video clips and check out the photo album on our Facebook page to get a behind-the-scenes look. Of course if you “like” us on Facebook you will be able to keep up with all of our news.

Falling for Falmouth: An Expert’s Guide to Discovering the Beauty & Adventure of our Newest Port!

As we have been reporting, our cruise ships will start calling on a new destination in February 2011 – Falmouth, Jamaica. Voyager of the Seas will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to visit Falmouth on February 17^th and Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will begin calling in March 2011. We are excited to be part of the development of this new port of call. In this blog entry, I have asked Patrick Schneider, Director, Shore Excursions, to update you on some of the highlights of the tour program that will be offered for guests calling on Falmouth. Patrick is one of the leaders in Craig Milan’s Land Operations group.

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Guest Blog Post by Patrick Schneider, Director, Shore Excursions

My primary responsibility as Director, Shore Excursions, is to oversee a team of Account Managers who identify and develop the tour programs offered worldwide on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. As a former Shore Excursion Manager onboard Celebrity, I am passionate about providing our guests the opportunity to experience amazing cultures around the world; to try new things they never thought they would; and to simply escape from their day to day routine. My team and I travel to many of these destinations for site inspections (yeah, it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!) and we’ve been visiting Falmouth regularly as the work progresses.

Falmouth once played a significant economic role as a trade and shipping center during the English colonial period. From the wharfs of Falmouth, sugar, rum and coffee were sent to England. Ships carrying African slaves and all kinds of fine goods arrived in Falmouth, dropping anchor in the bustling port town in order to serve the necessities of 18^th Century colonial life (such as fine furniture, French wines and Chinese Porcelain).

This time period produced much of Falmouth’s historic district including the Court House, the Water Square and other public and private buildings, which makes this town one of the most important historically in Jamaica.

In the early 1830′s, shipping activity moved to deep-water ports and slaves were freed in Jamaica. Both events caused Falmouth to lose its main economic activity and over the years the town lost its luster and most building went into a state of disrepair.

Very little development has occurred in the town over the last 100+ years. However, about eight years ago, Falmouth Heritage Renewal, a Jamaican non-profit organization, was charged with the restoration of Falmouth’s main buildings. Since then, other Jamaican institutions along with the University of Virginia’s School of Field Architecture have also joined forces to help document and restore Falmouth’s historical buildings. Finally, the Historic Falmouth Cruise Port, a joint venture of the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is bringing international attention to this century long forgotten and ignored town. The Historic Falmouth Cruise Port is serving as a catalyst for the town’s rehabilitation and beautification as well as raising awareness of the importance of documenting and preserving Falmouth’s history for future generations.

In addition, and just as important to our guests, the new port will serve as a gateway to three well-known tourist destinations within Jamaica: – Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril. Guests will have many options for activities in Falmouth and in its surrounding destinations.

In February, we will have more than half of the site’s exterior complete and by mid-March almost all of the building exteriors are expected to be finished. Construction is scheduled to conclude by the first of June. Since the Falmouth Port facilities will still be under construction for initial ship calls in February we encourage guests to participate in an organized tour as the best way to experience Jamaica from this new port-of-call.

Long-time guest favorites, previously offered from Ocho Rios and/or Montego Bay, will continue to be available. These include visiting or climbing Dunn’s River Falls, swimming with dolphins, plantation/great house tours, river rafting, canopy tours, horseback riding, as well as several different beach/resort breaks. In total Falmouth, Jamaica actually has more tours available than any other port in the Caribbean!

There will also be get-away options in the parish of Trelawny where Falmouth is located, including a walking tour and a horse and buggy tour of the historic port of Falmouth. This will provide guests the opportunity to learn more about the history and culture of this unique part of Jamaica. One can also take a helicopter tour of either the local Falmouth area or over to Dunn’s River Falls for great scenery and photo opps. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit “Cockpit Country,” Jamaica’s largest remaining contiguous rainforest, via a 4×4 safari tour or a cave exploration adventure.

Jamaica is famous for its beautiful mansions and Good Hope Great House is a local example of these former working plantations. Good Hope Great House was built in the 1700′s and restored in its entirety, with paintings, antiques and the lush surroundings of a 2,000-acre working enterprise. Guests visiting the property can walk on the lands once owned by the largest planter in Jamaica, John Tharpe, and travel to the ruins where the water wheel and kiln still stand today. There will be several tour options available from Good Hope Great Estate including a horse and carriage ride, a tour of the great house and grounds, and will either include a fine dining experience of Caribbean cuisine, a traditional high tea experience or a taste of the wondrous spices of the Caribbean.

Our team handles the tour programs for over 400 ports-of-call and we offer over 4,500 tours worldwide. Every visit to these ports, whether for the first time or as a frequent visitor, offers an opportunity for new experiences. Falmouth will not disappoint.