In case you missed it…I’ve become a bit of a cruise nut. My cruise addiction just got even worse after an amazing 8 night family holiday onboard Carnival Spirit. Being a cruise nut basically means I stalk cruise websites and am constantly seeking out where’s new to go and what’s new to do on cruise ships for kids.
I also participate A LOT on cruise Facebook forums and one of the favourite threads to follow is what items people consider to be a “cruise essential”. One thing that ALWAYS comes up is the trusty walkie talkie. It took me a while to work that these are not actually for entertaining the kids (although I’m sure they would help) … they’re actually a clever travel hack for making sure that family and friends can stay in touch and find each other onboard.
This however is all about to change. P&O Cruises have recently launched a sanity saving app that makes walkie talkies no longer necessary and thankfully means one less thing for parents to pack.
Their ‘WhatsOn’ app allows families and friends travelling together to send messages to one another, check in and ‘like’ locations as well as recommend activities in real-time throughout the cruise.
Guests can also book shore excursions with just a few clicks, check their onboard account, view special promos available across the ship and keep up-to-date with the latest news from around the world. This is a massive time saver and means less trips down to guest services.
The app also provides the daily schedule of activities for the entire cruise, helping you to keep on top of your wish list for the day (from the comfort of your day bed or wherever you choose to check in) AND you’ll never miss that special kids club activity again!
P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the app would revolutionise onboard customer service and we agree.
“We’re delighted to be able to offer this easy-to-use technology free of charge to all our guests to help them stay connected during their holiday and provide easy access to onboard and shore experiences. It’s as simple as connecting a personal device to the P&O Wi-Fi and opening a browser to discover everything WhatsOn has to offer,” Mr Myrmell said.
“Never again will our guests suffer from FOMO or wonder which restaurant or bar their friends are in. This app will be the new must-have item for all P&O guests.”
The app launched across most of the fleet earlier this month including the very stunning Pacific Aria.
The cruise line is also rolling out new cash kiosks which will allow guests to transfer money onto their cruise card without needing to queue up at the front desk.
“Australians are getting more and more used to self-service so we thought it was time to bring more of it onboard. We hope that by empowering our guests to organise some elements of their cruise quickly and easily through technology, they’ll have even more time to enjoy their cruise holiday.”
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For more information on P&O Cruises, their sailings and features for families, please visit: www.pocruises.com.au
