Cruise News — August 29, 2014

Quantum of the Seas to be smartest ship ever

We don’t know yet whether she will be beautiful, but the soon-to-debut Quantum of the Seas will surely be smart — as in a whole new approach to check-in, room keys, Internet access, and, our favorite of the announcements this week, robot bartenders.

Guests with smartphones will be able to eliminate check-in and even do their own “selfie” security photo. High-tech wristbands and two apps will help guests navigate the ship and activities, replacing keycards and daily printed newsletters.

Satellites will provide what Royal Caribbean International says will be “unprecedented bandwidth,” so guests can stream videos, upload photos, and Skype  — for a fee, of course.

And about those robot bartenders … They’ll work the Bionic Bar, take orders by tablet, and, yes, you can get your martini “shaken, not stirred.”

The ship debuts from Bayonne, New Jersey, in November.