Some guests are looking at a new way to get a copy of the daily events guide on their Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean has traditionally provided guests with a paper copy of the daily activities and events guide, known as the Cruise Compass.
Traditionally, passengers receive a copy each night in their cabin that describes the events of the next day.
On Liberty of the Seas, guests have the option of getting a digital download of the Cruise Compass directly to their phone as a PDF file.
Karen Fraser shared photos on the Liberty of the Seas Facebook group of the new option.
Ms. Fraser reported that there are QR codes on both Guest Services and they are sent to the booth which you can scan with your phone camera.
Assuming you’re on Royal Caribbean Wi-Fi, after scanning the QR code, the compass of the day appears for your use.
It’s not clear how many ships offer this option yet, and whether it will remain an option on future cruises or is simply a short-term test.
What is Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Compass?
Cruise Compass is the name of the ship’s newsletter.
There is a new copy every day containing times and locations for activities, special events, show times and more.
You may also find special offers listed or discounts available for meals, beverages, onboard merchandise purchases, and even port purchases.
Plus, there’s an hour-by-hour schedule of everything that’s happening on the ship, including live performances, children’s programming, and dining options.
Each day’s bulletin also includes opening and closing times for all ship facilities, a list of onboard services, medical contacts, and information for each port of call, including police.
You can find older copies of Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Compass in our archive.
A new digital option
The option to download a copy of the printed Cruise Compass is a new way to find out what is happening on board the ship.
For years, the printed Cruise Compass was the only option, but the Royal Caribbean app has also offered a list of activities.
While the app is designed to mirror the printed compass, in practice there have been discrepancies from time to time between the two.
Depending on the ship, there are also other ways to view the activities, such as on a designated channel on the TV in the room and/or through the wayfinders in the corridors.
Walk away from a hard copy
For years, the move to paperless daily newsletters has been discussed among cruise ship fans as almost inevitable.
On some Royal Caribbean ships, hard copies have not been automatically distributed to all guests. Some guests have reported the need to request a copy from their stateroom attendant, or go to Guest Services to obtain a copy.
Royal Caribbean has not announced any formal changes to Cruise Compass’s printed policy in terms of how it will be distributed.
With society shifting towards digital consumption, many cruise fans have assumed that a digital-only Cruise Compass is inevitable.
