The only thing exciting about a cruise cabin door is walking through it and closing it behind you. That’s one of my favorite moments of a cruise on embarkation day.
But some new tech being developed by Royal Caribbean is looking to upgrade how cabin doors work and could even allow passengers to open them with just their faces.
We have all been there. You’re walking back to your cabin with a plate of snacks in one hand and a drink in the other, only to realize your SeaPass card is buried deep in your pocket.
It is a small annoyance that Royal Caribbean is looking to solve but not just for the sake of convenience.
I recently took a closer look at a Royal Caribbean patent titled the “Multifunction smart door device.”
And while the buzz around this tech was recently highlighted with the launch of Star of the Seas in August of 2025, the story actually began in May 2020 when the application was first filed.
After four years of working through the system, it was officially granted to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in April 2024.
The Vision: “Your Face is a Better Wearable”
To understand why Royal Caribbean is heading in this direction, you have to look at their vision on “frictionless” travel. Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean’s Chief Product Innovation Officer and one of the inventors listed on this patent, stated:
“There are use cases where a wearable on your arm or a lanyard… might be relevant, but your face is a better wearable for you long term than having to distribute something to you.”
Angie Stephen, a Vice President at Royal Caribbean, pointed out that the human face is an “always-on wearable.” Unlike a watch or a lanyard, you can’t forget your face in the room when you head to the pool.
More Than Just a Lock
If you look at the technical illustrations from the patent (specifically Figures 5A and 5B), it is clear this isn’t just a standard door.
- The “Eye” of the Door: An interesting feature is the wide-angle camera (labeled 512). This is designed for facial recognition, identifying you as you approach and unlocking the door automatically.
- The Digital Peephole: The patent suggests this camera can transmit a live feed to your phone. Imagine being on your balcony and seeing exactly who is knocking on your door via the Royal app.
- The “Plan B”: In the drawing, you’ll also see a keypad (522). Royal Caribbean included this as a manual override or “Plan B” for those moments when the tech might need a backup.
The Pilot Phase
Now, we have to remember that a patent is often just a blueprint of an idea. There is no guarantee that this illustration will be developed just as drawn or described. But Royal Caribbean previously announced that the new Star of the Seas would test some of this smart door tech.
Schneider has confirmed this will be a “test, adjust, and scale” approach, probably starting with a small number of select cabins.
While most of us haven’t seen these doors in action yet (we’ve looked), the fact that they are already supposedly in the pilot phase shows that Royal Caribbean is serious about making the plastic SeaPass card a thing of the past, at least in part.
5 Tidbits from the Patent I Found Interesting
The patent is full of all kinds of information, and it’s a fairly long document. Keep in mind that just because it’s in the patent doesn’t mean it will ever be implemented, but after reading through as much of it as I could handle in a few settings, here are a few interesting takeaways from it.
- The “Confidence” Score:
The system doesn’t just “see” you; it does math to decide how sure it is that you are the rightful owner of the cabin.
The patent states: “The strength may indicate a confidence level in the facial recognition result… for example, the strength may include a numerical value (e.g., a value between 0 and 1) indicative of a computing system’s confidence level in the accuracy of the facial recognition result.”
- It “Wakes Up” Your Room
The door would essentially be the remote control for your cabin. When you trigger the door to open it may set the AC to your preference right away and turn it off when you leave.
The patent states: “User stateroom preferences may include, for example, room access preferences, HVAC or climate control preferences, service or delivery requests, stateroom lighting preferences, in-room media preferences, or the like.”
- A Door That Remembers You for Your Next Cruise
Royal Caribbean is looking at this as a way to recognize you for future cruises as well, not just for the current sailing.
The patent states: “Facial recognition data for a customer may be retained after the conclusion of a cruise and may be used as initial facial recognition data for the customer when the customer returns for a subsequent cruise.”
- Beyond Passengers
The system is designed to track more than just the passengers staying in the cabin. It creates a security log for anyone who enters the room.
The patent states: “A customer can include any entity that accesses the services… such as but not limited to a cruise ship passenger, a guest services attendant, a food and beverage attendant, a cashier, a maintenance technician, or the like.”
- Motion Recognition
The system is designed to be “frictionless,” meaning it should work while you are walking, rather than making you stop and pose.
The patent states: ” The image capture device 208 may be configured to capture images continually on a periodic basis… based on motion detection… The system also employs real-time face recognition to continuously or periodically track the presence of the authorized individual.”
Bottom Line
Time will tell if and when this new tech will be commonplace on a cruise ship. This kind of technology has to run just about perfect before it’s utilized on every cabin door. Issues like good hallway lighting so faces can be seen, being able to work while wearing sunglasses or a hat and making sure false positives don’t trigger an action all have to be dealt with first. Of course, then there’s also the issue of how privacy and how well-received this technology will be with the average cruiser.
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