Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is using technology to immerse passengers in the experience of their cruises, said Kelly Ring-Magnani, vice president business transformation and ship experience, digital.

“We do that not only onboard but also to get guests prepared for their voyage,” she explained, citing frequently asked pre-cruise questions.

“Our call centers are inundated with questions about what the experience is going to be like, what capabilities they have on board, and about reservations,” she explained.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Norwegian leveraged the information that was coming through call centers to come up with a database of information that is relevant to passengers before their cruise.

“We are giving guests the capabilities, through our mobile app, our website, and different avenues, to access some of these repeat questions on a more consistent and streamlined basis,” Ring-Magnani noted.

This technology allows passengers to “constantly get the right answers,” she said, as diverging information can be a challenge when dealing with pre-cruise questions.

Communication is also key when introducing new technologies onboard Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings ships, she noted.

“It’s the transparency to the ever-changing footprint that we have onboard; our cruises are constantly changing. However, from a shoreside perspective, we try to make things more stable,” she explained.

“So, how do we consistently deliver the same message to a changing population onboard, in order to help drive the right experience and knowledge?” she continued.

A critical role is played by connectivity, with Starlink internet service is now available on half of NCLH’s fleet.

“I think it’s really going to help drive better adoption through better communication. We are hopeful that we continue to see everything moving in the right direction,” she noted.

“We’re seeing a lot of good opportunities to stay engaged onboard the ships in a more reliable manner.”

Guests currently expect to be able to have full connection capabilities while onboard as well, potentially working remotely and having seamless communication with loved ones at home.

“We’re really focused on not only providing connectivity for the deployment of technologies but also connectivity that our guests can rely upon.”

NCLH is using technology to figure out what passengers are going to want next, Ring-Magnani said.

“We are at a foundational element when it comes to defining what experiences are going to be most impactful for our guests,” she explained.

“In order for us to do that, we need to aggregate the right level of data. So, from a foundational standpoint, we have embarked on a journey to better aggregate data and learn more about our guests.”

Future data-driven decisions will define which experiences and attractions will be available on the ships,” she said.