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Excalibur functionality zipping along but RCL approach is 'softly, softly'

PHOTO: SBW-Photo
Symphony of the Seas currently offers the greatest functionality for the Excalibur app
Royal Caribbean's Excalibur digital technology platform is 'on track and progress is impressive. Updates are coming on a monthly basis or even quicker,' chairman and CEO Richard Fain said Thursday.

'This softly, softly approach allows us to move more quickly, but also to correct errors early before they impact a lot of vacations,' Fain told analysts during the second quarter earnings call.

Symphony has the latest

The app's functionality is most complete on Royal Caribbean International's newest ship, Symphony of the Seas, which will be surpassed by the newer Celebrity Edge later this year. The technology rollout continues, with about half the fleet to be connected this year and most of the rest by the end of 2019.

Frictionless arrival

One thing Excalibur facilitates is 'frictionless arrival'—a term Fain said the company has trademarked—to make the check-in process seamless.