Carnival Corp introduces shipboard wearable tech

Friday, 05 Jan, 2017 0

Carnival Corp. has unveiled new wearable tech which it believes will transform the cruise experience.

The wearable Bluetooth powered ‘Ocean Medallion’ can be worn as a piece of jewelry and works by communicating with sensors placed throughout the ship.

It can automatically open staterooms as guests approach, locate friends and family onboard the ship, speed up the embarkation process and offer enhanced dining options based on stored F&B preferences.

It is being officially unveiled by Carnival Corp CEO Arnold Donald today at the CES consumer tech show in Las Vegas and has being developed over a two-year period by John Padgett, a former Disney VP who was instrumental in the creation of Disney’s MagicBand bracelet.

"We don’t think this is a game-changer for the cruise industry or the travel industry, but we think for the entire service industry because no one in the service industry will be able to react as personally or without friction as we will be able to do with our medallion," Padgett said.

The medallion works in partnership with a new mobile app called Ocean Compass which stores each guest’s personal data and preferences.

Princess Cruises is the first Carnival brand to adopt the tech, with a debut planned for November 2017.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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