The other week I went on a cruise down in the Caribbean (which I bragged about in my past 2 cruise blogs, discussing mobile solutions for the cruise’s bar service and mobile stores). The cruise was perfect, I have no complaints… well, except for one. That dreaded line we had to wait in to get on the boat! Let’s face it – the lines take forever because there’s a process in place: You wait for two hours to get to the desk, give them your information, they register it and give you the stateroom keycard, and then get on the ship and beeline for the bathroom after waiting so long.
They should at least give us somewhere to sit if we’re waiting that long. But rather than suggesting chairs, I’d much rather suggest using mobile computers and avoid the line altogether. Cruises are known for giving their customers exactly what they want, and I think I speak for everyone when I say I want shorter lines. So here’s what I suggest: Ditch the desks and standalone computers and empower the boarding staff with a mobile computer in their hand and a mobile printer at their hip.
By using the mobile computer & printer combo, the boarding staff can go to the passengers and collect their information rather than waiting for the passengers to go to them. Now, the passengers would still need to go pick up their stateroom keycards, but imagine this process compared to the one currently used:
By collecting passenger information while everyone’s waiting in line, the lines should move much faster, considering passengers will only need to go to the desk to pick up their keycards. After all, a cruise vacation is all about the customer experience. Reducing the time in line with mobile computers engages the customers and increases their customer experience – ultimately increasing the likelihood for them to come back for another cruise.
How long have you had to wait in line to board a cruise ship? Would shorter and faster lines make your experience more enjoyable? Let us know with #ShortenTheLines on Twitter, @LTronCorp!
About the author
Jason Shanley is a member of L-Tron’s content creation team. His background in communication and technology provides him the deep knowledge base required for the articles he authors. Jason can be reached at info@L-Tron.com or (800) 830-9523.