Royal Caribbean has always operated its cruises a little bit differently in Asia, and we can add chat to the list.
A guest who was aboard a Quantum of the Seas cruise from Singapore noticed Royal Caribbean is now charging a daily fee for its chat feature.
The app is free to download and use its core functionality, but the chat feature seems to be an add-on.
Sail n Snow shared a photo from Royal Caribbean's app advertising guests can add-on the text chat feature for $1.99 per day, per guest.
It is also worth noting Royal Caribbean has charged for activities and things to do on Asia sailings that are not charged for in North America or Europe, such as North Star or Ripcord by iFly.
The text chat feature on Royal Caribbean's old app, Royal iQ had a daily charge associated with it.
Royal Caribbean's chat feature was still in development prior to the cruise line shutting down due to the global health crisis, and at the time was complimentary on the two ships it was being tested on: Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas.
On Apple's App Store and Google Play store, the app description lists chat as a feature, with the note that "fee applies".
Other cruise lines offer a chat feature in their apps, with some charging for the feature and others including at no additional cost.
- Carnival: $5 per user for duration of cruise
- Disney Cruise Line: Free
- NCL: $9.95 (includes phone and voicemail capability)
- MSC: Free
- Princess: Free
When Royal Caribbean resumes sailings, the app's role will be more important than ever. The cruise line recently notified guests that the app is required to be downloaded prior to sailing.
New functionality has been added to the app to facilitate social distancing and add more touchfree functionality.
