RoboSpots board Odyssey of the Seas
- Details
Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the technical specifications for the various onboard entertainment spaces were coordinated by Christopher Vlassopulos, Royal Caribbean’s sound, light and AV systems manager for new build projects. The installation was completed by media technology specialists and integrators, Amptown System Company (ASC).
Two70 is featured on all four of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, and fitting traditional follow spots into these was always a challenge. Due to the steep angle of the seating banks, the follow spots had to be located amidst the audience resulting in seats being blocked off and the kit looking somewhat intrusive.
When Chris realised that this could be averted with RoboSpot systems in place, he was delighted and arranged for a test demo.
This went ahead aboard the Celebrity Apex vessel in St. Nazaire, France, organised by VHMS and Robe France with RCG show lighting manager Benjamin Couling in attendance, together with lighting designers Simon Harry and Nick Mugnaini. While Christopher and the Amptown team could not be there in person due to Covid travel restrictions, it was a great success.
Chris immediately changed the spec from the two traditional follow spots that were due to be installed aboard Odyssey for RoboSpots running in conjunction with the two Esprites. The moving lights feature Robe’s TE (Transferable Engine) LED technology, which is another big plus for a cruise ship environment.
ASC project manager Steffen Müller explained that with the short time window for commissioning Two70 in mind, a full RoboSpot mock-up was then arranged at their facility in Berlin, via Robe Germany, giving a proper evaluation in advance plus the chance to optimize the system, ultimately saving time on site.
As the installation took place after the set up and much of the engineering phase of the Two70 venue was completed, the next task for the ASC crew was to integrate the RoboSpots into the existing lighting infrastructure. Their engineering and onsite teams worked together to ensure this was a seamless process.
ASC lighting engineer Philipp Herbst commented, “the RoboSpot system freed up valuable audience space and brought the operators ‘backstage’,” which in this case is onto the catwalk above the ceiling.
Getting RoboSpot systems onboard was also music to the ears of theatre designers Wilson Butler Architects from Boston who inherited the original Odyssey Two70 venue design and will be evolving it for future ships.
“This offered exactly the adaptability and innovation that we always look for,” said Chris, adding that the excitement of having another ‘first’ associated with a ship underlines Royal Caribbean’s mantra and constant desire to push the boundaries of technology with each new build.
Royal Caribbean’s onboard shows are all developed in a large studio facility in Miami including Oceanides which will be a long-running highlight of Odyssey of The Seas’ dynamic entertainment programme.
Robe’s global sales team arranged training for the first operators who will be working the RoboSpots in the theatre as they start programming the new show ahead of the ship’s maiden voyage. “This was an extremely difficult exercise logistically during the Pandemic restrictions, but Robe made sure the training was complete and will continue to support the installation,” Chris concluded.
