Dissatisfied with the limited functionality of the in-room interactive TVs, and the inconvenience of having to keep making phone calls to get information, travelers now expect cruise companies to provide better, faster connectivity. Solutions include in-cabin voice assistants and the ability to interact through voice with other information systems throughout the ship.

The true value of voice assistants on cruise ships

Today’s cruise experiences offer several ports of call, and a variety of experiences at each stop. Even the experience of being onboard has changed from playing shuffleboard and lounging to attending a dizzying variety of events and activities designed to delight a wide passenger demographic. The challenge for passengers has changed from trying to kill time in between limited activities, to not being overwhelmed by all the things available onboard and at destinations and navigating their way around giant, multi-deck ocean liners.

Equipping cruise ship voice assistants with a combination of public domains (like weather and points of interest) and custom domains (like restaurants and amenities onboard the ship) ensures that every aspect of the traveler’s experience is enhanced.

Taking a voice first approach to cruise ship experiences allows the cruise industry to not only meet passenger expectations and delight them at every turn, it also gives them a way to lessen the burden on the crew.

Modern cruise ships are packed stem-to-stern with shops, restaurants, theaters, spas and any number of leisure activities. Navigating the location, hours, and availability of these amenities can be frustrating for passengers who may end up wandering the decks until they find a busy crew member to ask. Providing instant access to a range of information through simple and convenient in-room and on-deck voice interfaces solves a variety of challenges for passengers and crew, while alleviating frustrations.

Instead of returning to the room to view a TV menu of activities or carrying a printout of the day’s itinerary in hand, passengers can stay informed by interacting with a variety of devices onboard via natural voice queries. Onboard voice assistants can be made available in a number of ways including:

• On-board kiosks located in several areas on every deck
• In-room smart speakers
• Hand held devices, such as iPads available for guest use
• The cruise ship’s existing mobile app
• Wearables

Installing interactive devices only solves part of the challenge for luxury liners. The second part of the equation is increasing adoption by ensuring that guests are comfortable using the devices, and that the interactions are natural. Beyond just natural language understanding, voice assistants need to understand the meaning, intent and context of the user query. Voice interfaces designed with the context in mind will create user experiences that delight and are frustration-free.

Voice assistants get their sea legs

Despite the more obvious benefits, the shift to voice assistants also presents unique challenges for cruise lines, including:

• Providing voice interfaces in multiple languages (multiple nationalities on board)
• Discovering single, consistent voice AI solutions that extend beyond the cabin to the rest of the ship and beyond
• Integrating technology that can connect passengers with both the cruise line amenities and with each other
• Installing voice assistants that can help with on-board requests and destination information (beyond the excursions offered by the cruise line)
• Adding easy, self-guiding interfaces that don’t need much user education to use
• Overcoming connectivity challenges

Travelers are choosing cruise experiences as a way to travel to multiple destinations without having to bother with all the inconveniences of traveling from place to place: namely packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, and riding planes, trains and automobiles to get around. Cruises also offer travelers the opportunity to be entertained en route to their various destinations so the journey itself is the destination. It’s no wonder that cruises are growing in popularity.