Carnival is to introduce wearable tech, called ‘medallions, for its cruise ship passengers.
The Carnival Medallion is a wearable IoT device that passengers use to enter cabins, board ships and order food and drink, navigating the ship and much more. It also allows crew members to locate passengers on the ship and passengers have the option to be able to locate other members of their party.
Crew members will be able to know customer preferences by viewing their profile on Ocean Concierge
The quarter-sized, 1.8-ounce disc can be accessorized with jewelry, clips, key chains and bands or simply carried in a pocket or pocketbook.
The device, laser-etched with the guest’s name, ship and date of sailing, is provided to all passengers at no cost. Inside each Ocean Medallion are multiple communication technologies including – Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
As the overall system is powered by an invisible network of proprietary sensors and computing devices embedded throughout the ship, home ports and destination, the medallions do not need to be tapped on any readers.
- Streamlined and expedited port embarkation and disembarkation processes. For instance, at the terminal, Ocean Medallion-carrying guests can board the ship, engage with crew members and begin their vacation at their leisure as they already have the “key” to their stateroom (no check-in required).
- Enable passengers to buy merchandise without any transaction, cards or paper. Allows guests to browse and buy products such as retail merchandise, photos, spa services and destination excursions both intuitively and conveniently from any Ocean Compass (mobile device, browser, stateroom, public) at anytime (before, during or after cruise).
- Seamless Navigation. Enables point-to-point wayfinding across the ship thanks to an intelligent navigation assistant – similar to a car or phone GPS app.
- Personalized Dining. Facilitates ordering, menu exploration and delivery of food and beverage services. Guests can even place orders and view the whereabouts of their food and beverage, as well as place future orders and have them delivered wherever they plan to be at a designated time.
- Anytime-Anywhere Entertainment and Gaming. Expands gaming options to include new digital games guests can play independently or with others, for fun or based on casino rules of the house, inside or outside of the casino including poolside, in staterooms or in any other ship location.
- Enhanced Crew Interactions. Takes personalized service to a new level because crew members are equipped with a Crew Compass that empowers personalized guest interactions. For example, when guests arrive at the airport, guest service hosts will be able to provide personalized greetings and guest services.
Medallions will be sent directly to customers by Princess Cruises and are unique to each cruise a customer travels on.
The technology, including 7,000 sensors per ship, will be rolled out on Regal Princess in November 2017, Royal Princess in January 2018 and Caribbean Princess in March 2018.
N.B. Image credit: Carnival
