This hi-tech cruise will have robots as bartenders

Sick of struggling to catch the bartender’s attention when trying to order a drink? On the cruise ship of the future, you may not have to worry about that.

Earlier this week Royal Caribbean announced that its next cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, will feature a bar where robots automatically fill your drink orders. Royal Caribbean is touting this as the world’s “first smart ship” — not only for its robotrun Bionic Bar, but also because of the virtual windows in guest rooms and the ship’s WiFi, which Royal Caribbean claims is incredibly speedy and equates to that of “fast broadband connections onshore”.

Every interior stateroom on the 167,800-ton ship will have a floor-to-ceiling 80-inch displaythat’s framed to look like a balcony, which changes to show real-time views of the ocean and destinations.

The ship won’t set sail until November 2014, but Royal Caribbean has posted a preview of what it’ll be like to order cocktails from its robotic bartenders. Other than its robot bartenders and high-tech virtual windows, Royal Caribbean’s next cruise ship will also feature a Sea Plex entertainment centre that changes based on its activity. Guests will also be able to make purchases on the ship by scanning wristbands from Royal Caribbean.