Mardi Gras Elevators

[Rollin Tide]

Has anyone read/seen anything about if the Mardi Gras will have the smart elevators?  I did a search and didn't come up with anything.

We've never used one, but being that my wife uses a walker or scooter, just trying to get a sense of what to expect when we board. 

[cmukid87]

I haven't heard.  Can you explain what a "smart" elevator is?

*EDIT* Nevermind, I read about them.  Seem neat.  If it was popular on the Horizon I would imagine it would carry over.  Just an opinion though. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by cmukid87

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, cmukid87 said:

I haven't heard.  Can you explain what a "smart" elevator is?

A smart elevator is one where you enter the floor you want to go on into a central keypad which then tells you which elevator cab to go into. So instead of each elevator stopping on every floor it groups people that's going to the same floor into the same cab. Horizon has it. The technology first appeared in office buildings and hotels. The elevator cab has no buttons so you have to make sure you use the keypad otherwise if you go into any cab it may not stop on the floor you want.

Edit: Does Panorama have it?

Edited September 28, 2020 by kwokpot

[BeachyGirl64]

I may be wrong, but I believe it's an elevator where you enter the floor you want to go and then you are assigned an elevator in that area so it will take you directly to that floor (or with few stops, depending on the floors the other people select).  You can't do this from inside the elevator so if you inadvertently get into one, you are riding it to the destination before you can get off.  Prevents having to stop at every floor and from what I've seen, keeps the elevators from being crowded.  I've used this type of elevator in a hospital and at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans.  Takes a little getting used to.

[Ducman]

26 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Does Panorama have it?

Yes, the panorama has it.

[kwokpot]

13 minutes ago, Ducman said:

Yes, the panorama has it.

If that's the case I would assume that they would put this technology in the Mardi Gras, but it hasn't been confirmed and I don't think this type of minutia is usually discussed when talking about features of a new ship.

Edited September 28, 2020 by kwokpot

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

A smart elevator is one where you enter the floor you want to go on into a central keypad which then tells you which elevator cab to go into. So instead of each elevator stopping on every floor it groups people that's going to the same floor into the same cab. Horizon has it. The technology first appeared in office buildings and hotels. The elevator cab has no buttons so you have to make sure you use the keypad otherwise if you go into any cab it may not stop on the floor you want.

Edit: Does Panorama have it?

 

Panorama has it but people don’t know how to use it so they hit the button once and five people get in. The elevator doesn’t know it’s full so it continues to stop on floors. 
 

There are also people who don’t hit the button at all. They just walk up and look at the display board which shows which elevators are going to which floors and hop on the one that’s going to their floor.

 

I think it would help if when you pressed the floor button it asked how many people are in your party. It’s an extra step but less than hitting it 5 times for 5 people.

[sanmarcosman]

30 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Panorama has it but people don’t know how to use it so they hit the button once and five people get in. The elevator doesn’t know it’s full so it continues to stop on floors. 
 

There are also people who don’t hit the button at all. They just walk up and look at the display board which shows which elevators are going to which floors and hop on the one that’s going to their floor.

 

I think it would help if when you pressed the floor button it asked how many people are in your party. It’s an extra step but less than hitting it 5 times for 5 people.

We saw this happening on the Panorama too. People were too busy texting to read 😉 

[TNcruising02]

It worked great for our Panorama cruise last December.  After people got the hang of it, it saved a lot of time.  It prevented everyone in the elevator area from rushing to the first one that opened.  It's definitely a great idea and I hope the Mardi Gras has the same type.

Edited September 28, 2020 by TNcruising02

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Panorama has it but people don’t know how to use it so they hit the button once and five people get in. The elevator doesn’t know it’s full so it continues to stop on floors. 
 

There are also people who don’t hit the button at all. They just walk up and look at the display board which shows which elevators are going to which floors and hop on the one that’s going to their floor.

 

I think it would help if when you pressed the floor button it asked how many people are in your party. It’s an extra step but less than hitting it 5 times for 5 people.

We cruised on Horizon several times and every cruise the majority of passengers didn’t know how to properly use the elevator system, whether it was day one or day eight of the cruise. Smart elevators are a good idea, but they don’t work well when the passengers don’t know how to use them correctly. 

[Saint Greg]

2 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

We cruised on Horizon several times and every cruise the majority of passengers didn’t know how to properly use the elevator system, whether it was day one or day eight of the cruise. Smart elevators are a good idea, but they don’t work well when the passengers don’t know how to use them correctly. 

Yeah I was hoping they’d figure it out by the end of the cruise but they never did.

[BlerkOne]

Just because elevators are smart does not mean the people trying to use them are.

[cruizergal70]

8 hours ago, Rollin Tide said:

Has anyone read/seen anything about if the Mardi Gras will have the smart elevators?  I did a search and didn't come up with anything.

We've never used one, but being that my wife uses a walker or scooter, just trying to get a sense of what to expect when we board. 

Why would the experience be different for your wife if they are on the smart elevators? 

[Rollin Tide]

Because if folks use it like it's meant to be used, it'd be less people that jump in front of her to get on, even though she's been waiting longer.

Thanks

 

Still, as BlerkOne said, doesn't mean the folks using them would be as smart.

[Moviela]

Mardi Gras will have them. They use 40% less electricity, and deliver guests faster to their floors. It is nice because kids can't push all the buttons and walk out.  For people with mobility issues there is a wheelchair symbol on the floor selection panel. If you push it, along with your destination floor, it will allow a little extra time to board, and allow a bit extra space for your equipment.  

[BelowDeck4us]

On 9/28/2020 at 11:48 AM, TNcruising02 said:

It worked great for our Panorama cruise last December.  After people got the hang of it, it saved a lot of time.  It prevented everyone in the elevator area from rushing to the first one that opened.  It's definitely a great idea and I hope the Mardi Gras has the same type.

Agree with you.  We cruised on the Panorama earlier this year in February, which was our second cruise that used this new type of elevator system.  We, in general, encountered fewer full elevators and many people, but definitely not all, seemed to be quick learners.  It's a significant change, one that some will never embrace or like, but I, too, am supportive of this new elevator technology.

[RWolver672]

On 9/28/2020 at 2:16 PM, Saint Greg said:

 

I think it would help if when you pressed the floor button it asked how many people are in your party. It’s an extra step but less than hitting it 5 times for 5 people.

 

I said the same thing when I saw it on the Horizon.   You wouldn't think it would be that hard for a computer tech to figure out how to add that to the screen.

 

"Choose your deck"   "How many passengers"

 

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by RWolver672

[ProgRockCruiser]

5 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

I said the same thing when I saw it on the Horizon.   You wouldn't think it would be that hard for a computer tech to figure out how to add that to the screen.

 

"Choose your deck"   "How many passengers"

Indeed, that would/should be a fairly quick change.

 

I would like to think that the software went through a bunch of trial run testing with a variety of user groups, and the way it is now was the optimal use case.

 

On the other hand, I know how software is developed in the real world.

[ngrund]

On 9/28/2020 at 8:30 PM, Rollin Tide said:

Because if folks use it like it's meant to be used, it'd be less people that jump in front of her to get on, even though she's been waiting longer.

Thanks

 

Still, as BlerkOne said, doesn't mean the folks using them would be as smart.

 

smart or polite-

 

nothing irks me more than people jumping in front of anyone with a walker or scooter, especially on a cruise-like what are you rushing to that you can't wait

[d-train]

We used the smart elevators on Horizon - once we got how they worked, it was great.

Definately shorter waits most of the time, just once in a while when meals begin, shows begin/end,

when there is congestion anyway, the smart part did not make a difference.

 

Looking forward to seeing how they work on MArdiGras!

Well...just to be on MArdi Gras!! June can't come soon enough!

[NavyCruiser]

Since these newest ships are extremely long....

Are they Smart enough to get you from the back end of the ship to the front end?

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, NavyCruiser said:

Since these newest ships are extremely long....

Are they Smart enough to get you from the back end of the ship to the front end?

Generally that would fall to the job of moving sidewalks which some of the older Princess ships had. I remember first seeing them and thought it was unusual it find them on a cruiseship! 

[xDisconnections]

My favorite elevators are the ones at the New York Marriott Marquis. They're pretty awesome.

 

I haven't tried the Otis Compass ones on a Carnival ship yet but I'd probably prefer a traditional elevator on a ship.

[Ryanryanryan]

53 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

My favorite elevators are the ones at the New York Marriott Marquis. They're pretty awesome.

 

I haven't tried the Otis Compass ones on a Carnival ship yet but I'd probably prefer a traditional elevator on a ship.

Carnival takes great pride in their elevators and will spare no expense to give their passengers the best elevator ride at sea.

[glrounds]

On 9/28/2020 at 8:45 AM, kwokpot said:

A smart elevator is one where you enter the floor you want to go on into a central keypad which then tells you which elevator cab to go into. So instead of each elevator stopping on every floor it groups people that's going to the same floor into the same cab. Horizon has it. The technology first appeared in office buildings and hotels. The elevator cab has no buttons so you have to make sure you use the keypad otherwise if you go into any cab it may not stop on the floor you want.

Edit: Does Panorama have it?

 

Yes, PANORAMA has it. I thought they were brilliant. Took a little while for some of the guests to catch on to them, but getting in an elevator and have it NOT stop at the floor you wanted will educate you fast. 🙂