By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International has partnered with Google to become the first cruise line to offer guests virtual tours of a ship via Google Maps Business View.
Using Google’s Street View technology, the cruise operator will enable guests to ‘walk’ around Allure of the Seas’ various decks and visit venues such as Entertainment Place, which features a theatre, night club, comedy club, jazz club and ice-skating rink. Guests can also tour the Royal Promenade, a boulevard that runs nearly the length of the ship, flanked by restaurants, boutiques and lounges; the ouCentral Park, an outdoor park with more than 12,000 live plants and trees; and the Boardwalk, which has a hand-crafted carousel, two rock-climbing walls and the AquaTheater.
“We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of the industry when it comes to delivering innovative consumer facing technologies – whether it be Roboscreens and digital shows on our newest ships, or Google Street View technology on our website,” said Jo Briody, director of marketing and PR, Royal Caribbean International. “Consumers go online to research their holidays and this is the closest they can get to actually being onboard. We are confident that once people get virtually immersed in Allure of the Seas’ various decks and features thanks to Google Street View technology, they’ll be eager to experience the real thing.”
More than 20,000 images were taken over an eight-day period to complete the virtual representation of the ship. Passengers will be able to access the technology here or via Google Search results, Google Maps and Google+ on computers, smartphones or tablets.
“Business View allows people all over the world to explore a range of businesses and organisations in great detail in just a few clicks,” said Deborah Schenker, programme manager at Google UK. “You can check out anything from restaurants to aircraft in Google Maps, and now for the first time you can sail the seas too with the first ever cruise ship coming onboard."
Allure of the Seas will arrive in her new Barcelona homeport on 3 May 2015 and will offer seven-night cruises from the Spanish port until October 2015