Royal Caribbean's selling vacations with AR and VR, and we stepped inside

Someday, at an airport, you might someone selling you vacations using virtual worlds. Royal Caribbean's creating its own line of private vacation islands, but to promote them the company's turning to augmented virtual reality. An event in New York showed how an upcoming Ipad app can let visitors walk through 3D renderings of one island in the Bahamas that's relaunching after a renovation next year. These iPads we used were linked to a network of 60 IR cameras in the ceiling that tracked individual users with modules attached to each tablet. Passing through a star gate type arch activated the AR effect. Another experience using HTC Vive VR headsets replicates the feeling of being in a hot air balloon, flying 400 feet over the island That was a lot more effective in emersion but you need to set up a VR balloon simulator somewhere. Maybe someday you'll be on a cruise and be able to preview upcoming trips in AR and VR while at sea or you'll immersively browse at home. Companies are betting you'll want to explore virtually and that will be the best way to taste where your headed to. Just don't expect a nice tan.