New Smart Elevators on Carnival Horizon

[JDCMN]

Hello! Has anyone used the new smart elevators, specifically on the Carnival Horizon? If so, your thoughts on them? Do they work the way they said they're supposed to work?

Thanks and Happy Cruising!

[nwcruiselover]

They work the way they’re supposed to once people get used to them and follow the “rules.”  The main thing that some people have a difficult time with is that you need to press your requested floor once for each person in your party.  If you press once for 4 people, the elevator is only “expecting” one person, and overcrowding can occur.  Also, people using a wheelchair, scooter or walker should press the wheelchair button so the elevator “knows” that person requires additional room.

[weezal]

they don't work well, because guests aren't aware of (or don't care about) proper usage.

it's too much to expect people to learn on vacation.

[csm5986142]

I think it really cuts down on extra crowding from people jumping in at the last minute.  Though I agree, at busy times overcrowding can occur as described above, so nothing is perfect.  But we quickly got used to, and now prefer, the smart elevators.

Edited February 27 by csm5986142

[bg2310]

In my experience it was better than the traditional style elevators. Especially after the madhouse that is embarkation day and people learning the system.

 

That said, you can end up waiting longer for one in some cases, but get to your destination much faster as it doesn't stop on every deck along the way due to the system in place. 

[Theosprey247]

I used them just fine.

[pe4all]

We had no problem with them.  I wish I could say that about other passengers who couldn't get the hang of them.

[nydney1]

Ok, I’ll be the lone person who was not a fan. I understand how they worked, it just seem that they took allot longer. 
 

If it was less than four floors I just took the stairs. (Which I probably should have anyway)

 

If you  followed the instructions they did work fine. 

 

 

[kdr69]

They work fine its the people using them that sometimes dont work right....

[teknoge3k]

I wouldn't exactly call them "new" as guests have been using them for 6 years now, but they work great when people actually use them properly. The issue comes when a party of 6 gets in and hits the button once. Then the next stop 4 more people crowd in, and hit the button once. If people would use them properly, they work great!

[Colorado Beach Bum]

I like them.  I wish they had continued to put them on the new builds. 

[angelsfort]

3 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

I wouldn't exactly call them "new" as guests have been using them for 6 years now, but they work great when people actually use them properly. The issue comes when a party of 6 gets in and hits the button once. Then the next stop 4 more people crowd in, and hit the button once. If people would use them properly, they work great!

 

I don't understand how they wouldn't also still work like regular elevators...  if the elevator stops on the 4th floor and it's full, why would more people crowd into it?  

Are you saying that if the party of 6 had pushed the button six times, the elevator would not have stopped, at all, at the other floor for the party of 4?  (so they would not have the opportunity to crowd in?)

 

LOL obviously I've not experienced one of these new elevators!

Edited February 28 by angelsfort

[cmichael1221]

I feel like there are some people on these ships who have never used any elevators in their lives, let alone "smart elevators"! 🙂

 

[teknoge3k]

1 minute ago, angelsfort said:

 

I don't understand how they wouldn't also still work like regular elevators...  if the elevator stops on the 4th floor and it's full, why would more people crowd into it?  

Are you saying that if the party of 6 had pushed the button six times, the elevator would not have stopped, at all, at the other floor for the party of 4?  (so they would not have the opportunity to crowd in?)

 

LOL obviously I've not experienced one of these new elevators!

The elevators are meant to be faster with the concept they're using. On a standard elevator you push the up/down button and you go in whatever door opens going up/down. On the Horizon elevators, you hit the up/down button X amount of times based on how many people you have with you. Then it will tell you which elevator to go to (A, B, C, D, E, F). Then once the elevator opens you get on it with your party and it takes you directly to your floor. It wouldn't stop at other floors unless you have say 2 people going up 3 floors, and someone on the next floor up only has 2 people going up, then they may join yours. It's to eliminate stopping at every floor. 

 

The problem is, people just push the button once no matter how many are with them, then get in whatever elevator opens. This screws up the whole process. 

 

As far as  "and it's full, why would more people crowd into it?  ", that's just how people are. If an elevator is completely full and busting at the seams, you can bet your bottom dollar that a party of 6 will join at the next deck with their ice cream.

[dacsmom]

I love them. I wish some people would follow directions though. Maybe it should be part of the muster drill, how to use the elevators

 

[Langoustine]

On 2/27/2024 at 5:49 PM, weezal said:

it's too much to expect people to learn on vacation.

 Smart elevators are being installed all over, not just on cruise ships.

Edited February 28 by Langoustine

[weezal]

35 minutes ago, Langoustine said:

 Smart elevators are being installed all over, not just on cruise ships.

personally i like them, but i've seen them misused on ships, and carnival did away with them on the Excel class ships (last one was Panorama).

[TravelWith FunShips]

love them

 

Rembember, if your a party of 3, hit the floor 3 times

[jsglow]

Their origins are in very tall office buildings in very large cities. I saw them every day in downtown Chicago. They are super efficient in that environment where it's often 1 person traversing 45 floors. Allowing a smart elevator to maximize efficiency is a huge time saver.

 

On a cruise ship with groups of folks and fewer floors, the advantage is marginal. That's especially true with folks that aren't particularly experienced with them.

[DramaQueen22]

On 2/27/2024 at 5:12 PM, JDCMN said:

Hello! Has anyone used the new smart elevators, specifically on the Carnival Horizon? If so, your thoughts on them? Do they work the way they said they're supposed to work?

Thanks and Happy Cruising!

They're not new and they work great!  Problem is that many think they work like regular systems and just jump on.  If you have 2 in your group, you do have to press the floor for each person.

[mmtska]

Are they on the Vista too since they're the same class? 

[mithterkev]

Hated them. I very much understand how they work. We just experienced way more waiting than normal. We and many others would stand there for 5-10 minutes, look at each other, shrug and start walking. Not bad if it just a couple floors, though.

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 2/28/2024 at 10:59 AM, Colorado Beach Bum said:

I like them.  I wish they had continued to put them on the new builds. 

Yes it;s a shame they had to dumb it down.

[teecee89]

I don’t like them!! I understand how they are supposed to work but no one follows the rules. I was on the MSC Seaside last year and they were a disaster. 

[staceyglow]

On 3/5/2024 at 4:15 PM, mithterkev said:

Hated them. I very much understand how they work. We just experienced way more waiting than normal. We and many others would stand there for 5-10 minutes, look at each other, shrug and start walking. Not bad if it just a couple floors, though.

I doubt that you actually waited 5-10 minutes for an elevator to appear. In 25+ Carnival cruises, including several on Vista class ships, I have never waited that long for an elevator, not even during embarkation or debarkation. Now on embark and debark, it might have been already full when the doors opened, but it did show up in less than 5 minutes. 

 

I honestly believe that it is at least partly a perception that the wait is longer on the Vista ships because there is nothing indicating what floor the elevators are currently on.  When you can tell an elevator is on its way, you don't focus as much on the fact that it isn't there yet. 

 

And even if it does take a little longer to get there, your actual time on the elevator is likely to be shorter, because you aren't stopping on as many floors.