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Royal Caribbean's latest ship sports a robot bar, super-fast connectivity

Updated Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:21 AM·1 min read

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.

<p>Robots drive another entertaining feature on Quantum of the Seas. Two70 is home to a playful and agile troupe of six Roboscreens that stage surprise performances during every cruise, creating scenes while soaring and twisting solo, or uniting as one.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Robots drive another entertaining feature on Quantum of the Seas. Two70 is home to a playful and agile troupe of six Roboscreens that stage surprise performances during every cruise, creating scenes while soaring and twisting solo, or uniting as one.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Robots drive another entertaining feature on Quantum of the Seas. Two70 is home to a playful and agile troupe of six Roboscreens that stage surprise performances during every cruise, creating scenes while soaring and twisting solo, or uniting as one.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas guests can use their WOWbands in the Focus Photo Gallery to digitally access and print on-demand their professionally taken photographs, significantly reducing preprinted photo waste.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Guests onboard Quantum of the Seas will be able to track luggage in real time on their smartphones. Luggage will be tagged curbside with RFID technology at drop-off, and guests can monitor their bag's progress through key points en route to the stateroom. On departure, the process is reversed.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Royal iQ, available as a downloadable app and provided at freestanding iQ stations around the ship, allows guests to manage details during the cruise, including a convenient calendar that provides at-a-glance views of their program, and keep in touch with one another and home via phone and text capabilities.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Royal iQ, available as a downloadable app and provided at freestanding iQ stations around the ship, allows guests to manage details during the cruise, including a convenient calendar that provides at-a-glance views of their program, and keep in touch with one another and home via phone and text capabilities.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Guest Services will be a completely different experience onboard Quantum of the Seas as there is no real desk. Roaming Guest Services staff, and guests will have the ability to access Royal iQ at one of the eight Royal iQ Stations located at Guest Services.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Guest Services will be a completely different experience onboard Quantum of the Seas as there is no real desk. Roaming Guest Services staff, and guests will have the ability to access Royal iQ at one of the eight Royal iQ Stations located at Guest Services.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Quantum of the Seas connectivity makes it possible for one of the SeaPods in SeaPlex to become a live global video gaming suite where guests can enjoy Xbox Live and compete with other gamers worldwide.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Quantum of the Seas connectivity makes it possible for one of the SeaPods in SeaPlex to become a live global video gaming suite where guests can enjoy Xbox Live and compete with other gamers worldwide.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

[Photo credit: Royal Caribbean]

<p>Every room on Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas will have a view with the exciting introduction of Virtual Balconies in interior accommodations, which will offer real-time views of the ocean and exciting destinations.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Each crew member onboard Quantum of the Seas will receive a personal Microsoft Windows tablet, with a suite of services and apps that is theirs to keep. And as technology upgrades are made across the company’s fleet, every shipboard employee in the entire Royal Caribbean International fleet will also receive their own tablet -- a total of 40,000 tablets.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Each crew member onboard Quantum of the Seas will receive a personal Microsoft Windows tablet, with a suite of services and apps that is theirs to keep. And as technology upgrades are made across the company’s fleet, every shipboard employee in the entire Royal Caribbean International fleet will also receive their own tablet -- a total of 40,000 tablets.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Each crew member onboard Quantum of the Seas will receive a personal Microsoft Windows tablet, with a suite of services and apps that is theirs to keep. And as technology upgrades are made across the company’s fleet, every shipboard employee in the entire Royal Caribbean International fleet will also receive their own tablet -- a total of 40,000 tablets.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Each crew member onboard Quantum of the Seas will receive a personal Microsoft Windows tablet, with a suite of services and apps that is theirs to keep. And as technology upgrades are made across the company’s fleet, every shipboard employee in the entire Royal Caribbean International fleet will also receive their own tablet -- a total of 40,000 tablets.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

<p>Each crew member onboard Quantum of the Seas will receive a personal Microsoft Windows tablet, with a suite of services and apps that is theirs to keep. And as technology upgrades are made across the company’s fleet, every shipboard employee in the entire Royal Caribbean International fleet will also receive their own tablet -- a total of 40,000 tablets.</p>

<p>-Royal Caribbean</p>

There's also a smart check-in process that uses RFID tech to get guests from "sidewalk to ship" in 10 minutes, RFID wristbands that let passengers charge purchases and open cabin doors, and speedy satellite connectivity, with support for multiplayer gaming from the Xbox Live SeaPlex, video chats and streaming content. Quantum is expected to begin sailing passengers from New York City in November before making its way to its base in Shanghai, China next year.

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