What are your thoughts on the RC app while on a cruise?

[juanarcin]

I was on the Oasis a week ago, it was my first time on this size ship and I loved it! However the app was more of a headache, maybe I was doing something wrong? There were many minor issues, such as my phone not always working to open the door, no biggie. incorrect times for restaurants openning/closing...no biggie. Passing by bars / lounges and seeing activities that arent on the app...somewhat of a biggie. 

 

I found myself not looking at the printed version of the daily schedule because I was relying on the app, so it sucked to see, days into the cruise, that I had been missing things. For example I marked all the karaoke events in my reminders, I believe their were like 3. But almost every time I passed the karaoke lounge, there was karaoke happening...but not shown in the app!

 

A basic issue...why would it give you every single thing happening on the ship for the entire week, but not have the itinerary! Everytime we wanted to remind ourselves what time we docked or how long we would be in port, or where we would be on what day, we would have to ask someone because it isnt on the app! sure you can go through the calendar and scroll through all the events until you see something like "All aboard" under 7pm. but that means I have to scroll through 5, 5:30, 6, 6:30, and finally 7...oh ok we leave at 7. Instead of just having a calendar of ports and times.

 

Another big issue for me (and many guests) was that it allowed people to rsvp stuff for multiple days, preventing others from enjoying them. Main example, the comedy club. 2 comedy shows every night, and we learned it's the SAME comedy show every night. So some people rsvp both shows for every night. go to the first show, then the second...realize its the same and just stop going. But now each show is full and we all have to wait in the non rsvp line until 5 min before the show, and that line starts forming an hour before the event, only to walk into an empty room.

 

But my biggest issue with the app was that it seems to block your calendar if you already have something set. so on the first day of the cruise, I went through all the events and added a LOT of things to my calendar. trivia, live music, games, etc. My week was practically booked. I figured I'd get the reminder and decide if I wanted to go or not, but at least I would know somethign Im interested in is happening. But now for the rest of the cruise, if we wanted to rsvp a dinner or anything, we would get an error saying that we already have something scheduled for that time. so I found myself having to constantly go back and forth cancelling multiple things in order to plan dinners. It got old real quick.

 

I love the idea of the app and hope it improves because the things that did work, made our cruise a better experience, but the things that didnt made us feel like we missed out on things or added some frustration. If it werent for that vacation happiness we felt the entire time, this would have been a bigger issue! lol, but wondering what everyone elses thoughts are on the app?

[reallyitsmema]

The app is a work in progress.  One important thing is to make sure you hit update so any changes or additions get added into the compass.  As far as reservations for the comedy club, we were never able to make for than one reservation for that during the week.  We don't use it to block out activities as you tried because it will cause issues with conflicts as you experienced.  We use it to plan day to day as opposed to for the whole week as you tried.

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

I understand it's the way of the future but I'll pass on it as long as possible. I just don't want to be forced to carry something around all the time. 

[orville99]

Put "Cr" in front of the word, and you have your answer.😇

[smokeybandit]

I used it to look at menus and view my account. Other than that it's rather useless (for me at least) once on board.

[juanarcin]

1 hour ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

I understand it's the way of the future but I'll pass on it as long as possible. I just don't want to be forced to carry something around all the time. 

 

I don't mind carrying my phone around since I still use it as a camera and to communicate with others on the cruise with me. But I agree that I will likely not use it as long as I don't have to anymore.

[juanarcin]

55 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I used it to look at menus and view my account. Other than that it's rather useless (for me at least) once on board.

 

Honestly this is what I found to be the most useful part of it. In past cruises we would walk over to the MDR early in the day to see the days menu and decide if we wanted to eat there or make plans for another option (or have a bigger lunch while out in port for the day). It was nice to just check it for the entire week on day one and start planning what days we would have specialty dinning.

[smokeybandit]

Though the menu on the app is the projected menu. Sometimes you don't know what is off the menu (due to shortages) until you sit down at the table.

[twangster]

I'm giving them a break for time lost during the shutdown.  The app is far from perfect but it's moving in the right direction.  Until then the paper cruise compass remains invaluable.

[pcur]

I find the app very handy.  It's the only place I can see the vegetarian menu for dinner. They have very good appetizers, and have pan roasted asparagus.

[Bailey & Sophie]

8 hours ago, orville99 said:

Put "Cr" in front of the word, and you have your answer.😇

 

Took me a while but I got there.

[neverbeenhere]

We use it because we are forced to use it. (I know we are not actually forced) 

[Norwich Cruiser]

We are currently on Navigator and the app works just fine.

[hopebh]

I actually like it since it shows our account balance, allows us to communicate with each other and reminds us of dinner reservations.  That is all we really need it for.

[Kathscof]

We were on a smaller ship, but as Ken our cruise director said, “always make sure to refresh the app!” 

 

We we didn’t have any reservations though, just calendar reminders....besides my time dining which I scheduled around 

[zebra36]

15 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I used it to look at menus and view my account. Other than that it's rather useless (for me at least) once on board.

Same here.

[2chiefs]

6 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

We are currently on Navigator and the app works just fine.

Just out of curiosity, can you get the printed Compass and compare it to the app and let us know what you find??

We were just on the Mariner and got the printed Compass every day and found out that the printed compass was updated and different from the app for the daily activities. The Compass was accurate, and the app was not. I did like the app for checking menus and the account activity otherwise we didn't trust it.

[island lady]

I don't carry my phone everywhere.   I do use the app information when in the cabin, where my phone stays.  

 

In the past I had zero interest in using apps, and in fact could not even download them.  Since RCI started the app thing...found it frustrating as they seem to shove the app down your throat.  Hard to function on some things without it.  

 

Now that I had help to download it (had to do it at phone store, RCI crew members could not do it), I very much enjoy the information it offers.  Very helpful.   But still don't carry the phone around.  😉 

[island lady]

12 hours ago, pcur said:

I find the app very handy.  It's the only place I can see the vegetarian menu for dinner. They have very good appetizers, and have pan roasted asparagus.

 

I like those also, and like you...accidently discovered those items.  But it does toss the kitchen into a slow down to prepare those items that are not ordered often.  The Vegan menu is very good.  

[Tlbecker1]

We use the app a lot while we are cruising.  Love to be able to make reservations, check the menu and set all of the activities as reminders in our phone.  It is easy to get busy doing an activity and miss the next event that you wanted to do.

[cruiseguy1016]

I hated the app when we were on Liberty in March. It was very difficult to find activities and quite often the app was incomplete and/or inaccurate. We asked our room steward to bring us a Compass to our room every day and he did. The printed Compass had so much more information than the app and the information on the paper copy was accurate. My suggestion to RCI was, if you're going to shove the app down our throats, make it complete and accurate. I'm also another person that does not want to have to carry my phone around the ship all day. I hope they keep the option of having the paper Compass available on request.

[Dewaldcruiser]

Change can be hard!  I am one of those that loves the RCI app and I no longer look at the cruise compass.  

 

Refreshing the app data in the morning will update the listings so everything is current.

[sadiwest]

Honestly I thought it was awesome.   My dd often grabbed (and subsequently lost) the compass,  so I used it to check operating hours, etc.

We also used it to reserve shows and check the "extended" menus, as MDR didn't show vegan options on the paper version.  I only cared because dh saw polenta fries one night.

 

The app worked well for us on Oasis, and at Coco Cay, where I was trying to navigate without a map. We forgot to grab one.  Although activities aren't well laid out on the app, we used it otherwise and were happy with it.  

[pcur]

2 hours ago, island lady said:

I don't carry my phone everywhere.   I do use the app information when in the cabin, where my phone stays.  

 

In the past I had zero interest in using apps, and in fact could not even download them.  Since RCI started the app thing...found it frustrating as they seem to shove the app down your throat.  Hard to function on some things without it.  

 

Now that I had help to download it (had to do it at phone store, RCI crew members could not do it), I very much enjoy the information it offers.  Very helpful.   But still don't carry the phone around.  😉 

Since my phone is my library, and I read all the time when I can, it's with me all the time.  But, I don't use the app any more than I would, except like you, in my cabin to check information for the day, etc.

[cfabar1]

I think the app overall is quite good.  The reservation feature was quite buggy.  Sometimes our dinner reservations or theatre reservations would disappear for hours at a time and then reappear later.

 

I wish the CoCo Cay map was interactive, that would be a seemingly easy thing to do.  I think charging $2-3 a day to message people through the app is an outrageous surcharge.