Holidaymakers aboard Carnival Corporation cruise ships will soon be given an NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wearable device, designed by the man behind Disney’s MagicBand, that will let them access a wide range of next generation services including boarding without checking in, unlocking rooms, accessing personalised entertainment, ordering food and drinks and making payments.

Ocean Medallion, a 1.8-ounce disc that can be attached to jewellery, clips, key chains and bands or carried in a pocket, works with xiOS, an Internet of Things (IoT) network of intelligent sensors and experiential computing devices embedded throughout the ship, home ports and destinations.

Guests can make payments using the accompanying Medallion Pay service, to which guests can link “any number of credit cards, reward cards, gift cards and advanced payment services”.

Food and drink orders can be made and tracked from the device, and delivered to wherever the guest plans to be at a designated time.

Ocean Medallion can also be connected to a digital concierge service called Ocean Compass, available on smart devices, kiosks, TVs and interactive surfaces located throughout the ship and on devices carried by all guest service hosts to “enable a more personalised experience for customers”.

‘Uniquely personal’

“Guests can use Ocean Compass to select experiences and create personalised event-based itineraries,” Carnival says. “No guest is required to have a personal device to access Ocean Compass. The Ocean Compass also serves as a digital media platform that features custom experiential media content, as well as access to vacation photos captured during a cruise.”

“The Ocean Medallion creates an elevated level of service that’s made possible by technology, but doesn’t feel like technology,” says Carnival’s chief experience and innovation officer John Padgett, who joined Carnival in 2014 after spearheading the invention and development of the Disney MagicBand.

“Whether guests are exploring new experience options, having a drink delivered to their seat at the night’s show or trying their luck gaming while lounging poolside, we will assist our guests wherever they are, while engaging with them in a uniquely personal way.”

Ocean Medallion will display the guest’s name, ship and date of sailing and will be provided to all passengers at no extra cost. The experience will debut on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess in November 2017, followed by Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess in 2018. The service will be rolled out across the entire Princess Cruises fleet over “multiple years”, the company adds.

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