When you board a cruise ship, it's common to see workers holding signs that say “How can I help?” or carrying signs with that text. The goal is to ensure that passengers can get their questions answered quickly 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 places are open for lunch. Other times, they ask where to make reservations for dinner or to attend a show.
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Of course, there are questions that require expert help. In such cases, passengers are directed to the right place to resolve their problem. This could be customer service, online help, or even the maître d' position in one of the main dining rooms.
The goal is to sort out issues and make the first day as smooth as possible for guests. It's something Royal Caribbean has been working on and has generally been successful in achieving.
On Icon of the Seas, at least on the Friends, Family and Media voyages and the inaugural voyage, Royal Caribbean placed crew members in the cruise ship's elevators. That's because Icon of the Seas had a new elevator system that passengers hadn't used before.
That system is also used on Utopia of the Seas, the cruise line's newest ship, but crew members aren't stationed at the elevators. That's led to a viral social media video created by TikTok personality and travel content creator Marissa Willman (@Marissavanders) showing how to use the new elevators.
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Royal Caribbean's new elevators solve a problem
Cruise ship elevators are a problem for passengers. First, traditional elevators don't have a good way to queue. That can lead to anger, as someone who thinks they're “first in line” ends up being ignored by someone who is standing near the elevator that opens the doors.
There is also no logical system in which people who get off first end up at the front of the elevator. This can result in everyone having to exit each floor or a passenger having to squeeze through people who don't move aside.
Traditional elevator systems can also result in fully-loaded vehicles stopping at floors where no one has any intention of getting off. This is a waste of time that helps no one and can result in people getting frustrated waiting for an elevator and not being able to get on when it appears.
Then of course there is the problem that arises because boats usually have children on board and children often think it is fun to press all the buttons.
That's not a problem with Royal Caribbean's new elevator system, but Willman believes there is a learning curve.
How to use Royal Caribbean's new elevators
While the system seems fairly clear and easy to use, the more than 500,000 people who viewed Willman's TikTok video suggest it may not be for everyone. In the video, he 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 ship and try to use the elevator?” After that, he walks over to the tablets that are mounted on stands near the elevators.
“You select your platform before you get on and then you are assigned an elevator,” he said.
The TikTok star selected deck 11 and the letter A appeared on the table screen. There is a large letter above each lift.
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“We were assigned elevator A. Yours will light up and come right to you,” he shared. “And when you get in, you’ll notice there are no buttons. Don’t be like the rest of us on the first day, who didn’t know how to use the elevators.”
The new elevators are currently only offered on Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. They are expected to be part of all new ships in the future, but Royal Caribbean has not said whether they will be added to older ships when they enter dry dock.
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