Ship Mate - Another App Find

Any of you who love to travel know that planning and anticipating the trip is also part of the trip itself. We had planned two cruises with my husband's family for over a year aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. I had decided I wanted to be as paperless as possible as well as very organized since I was the travel agent for our group. I found several apps that were helpful in achieving these two goals, one of them being Ship Mate for Royal Caribbean. This app helped me keep a countdown of days until my cruises, plan my cruise and activities during the sailings, it helped me meet others on our sailings via the "Chat with Others" feature, and it let me keep deck plans right on my iPhone to view whenever I needed them. The feature I used every day while cruising was the "Daily Planner" that reminded me of ports and times, excursions, parties, shows, etc. This app is so powerful and I look forward to using it the next time I cruise and using even more of the features it offers. Check out what Ship Mate can do for you while planning and sailing.

The cruise industry has consistently served the U.S. with one of the most preferred vacation options for decades. Despite the poor economy, passenger growth has averaged over 7% since 2000 and customer satisfaction has far exceeded other vacation categories. Cruise ships offer something for everyone. One of the only complaints from cruisers is that there are too many options, particularly for first-timers. Passengers feel overwhelmed with the number of activities and locations throughout the ship. This frustration is exacerbated at the ports as cruisers are bombarded by solicitors and options. The solution to this madness – the Ship Mate mobile app.

Ship Mate's motto is, “don't wait to start your cruise.” Available for Apple and Android devices, the mobile app encourages users to start enjoying and preparing for their cruise months before boarding. Users are able to virtually explore every corner of the ship with detailed deck maps, location descriptions and colorful pictures of the ship's many attractions. The app also contains detailed information on over 800 ports worldwide, including weather, history, maps, web cams, and advice on where to go eat, drink and shop. Some ports even offer exclusive Ship Mate deals simply by showing the app. Cruisers are using Ship Mate to take advantage of the limited time that they have at each port.

You'll likely find yourself opening the app on a daily basis to check your Countdown, Ship Locator, and Deck Cams. Feel the excitement build while tracking your ship as it navigates the planet, bouncing from oasis to oasis. And use the live web cams to transport yourself from that stiff, ergonomic desk-chair into a warm, poolside cabana. You'll know the exact number of days (or hours) until your vacation becomes a reality by using Ship Mate's personalized Cruise Countdown feature. For the “Type A” cruisers out there, Ship Mate offers some handy utility features like the interactive Packing Checklist, Budgeting Feature and Customizable Itinerary.

If the information that you're looking for isn't in the app, you'll likely get help from fellow passengers using Ship Mate's Chat feature. Cruisers are eager to share their knowledge and to meet others in the ship and port-specific chat rooms. You'll also get unbiased reviews throughout the app left by previous ship mates – and don't forget to impart some cruise wisdom of your own once you're back on the mainland.

And the best part about Ship Mate – it doesn't require internet access. You can turn it on “airplane mode” and avoid the outrageous fees charged by cruise ships. There's a version for every major cruise line - just search for “Ship Mate” in your app store.

Become part of the Ship Mate community by following them on Facebook, Twitter, or their Blog.

I cannot recommend an app like this for your next cruise vacation enough. It has everything you need to keep you organized and informed all in one place.