Tag Archives: cunard

Carnival Corp claims ‘medallions’ innovation puts it alongside Apple and Microsoft

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Carnival Corporation claims its new personalisation technology puts it on a par with global technology giants like Apple and Microsoft.

The world’s largest cruise operator, which owns brands including Princess Cruises, Cunard and P&O Cruises, unveiled its Ocean Medallion innovation today.

In what is believed to be a first for the travel sector, Carnival chief executive Arnold Donald is due to give a keynote at the prestigious CES consumer technology show in Las Vegas.

This is where all the major global technology brands go to showcase the new products they hope will take the world by storm.

Ocean Medallion has been devised by Carnival chief experience and innovation officer John Padgett, the man behind Disney’s MagicBands used in its Florida Disney world themepark.

MagicBands were touted as a game-changer for the themepark sector and much the same is being predicted for Ocean Medallion.

Padgett said: “It’s huge deal that Carnival is featuring at this [CES] tech show. This isn’t Carnival with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

“This is Carnival alongside the likes of Microsoft or Apple. So this isn’t about market share, it’s about us being in the vanguard to show how truly great the entire cruise industry is.”

Padgett said the technology will create an “experiential aura” around every guest that will trigger personalised information to be sent to them to enhance their holiday.

He said the technology is a step beyond MagicBands as it does not require the human wearer to do anything to make it work.

“Guests don’t need to swipe or tap the medallion. They just have to wear it as a pendant, bracelet or keyfob, and every single one will have a digital concierge looking out for them.

“It won’t stereotype or segment passengers; it will track what they engage in, in real-time, from the minute they book their holiday, and send them only information relevant to their interests and preferences,” he said.

“The more they engage, the better their experience will be.”

Padgett says it will change the cruise industry’s focus from the maximisation of on board revenue to the enhancement of a customer’s personalised holiday experience.

In doing so, he believes guests will, by default, spend more money, either on the ticket price due to the perceived greater value of a cruise holiday, or by spending more on board as hassle, distractions and friction are eliminated.

The Princess Cruises line will be the first brand to offer the new technology before a roll out across Carnival’s brands.

Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess will adopt the new ‘Ocean Medallions’ in November 2017, with Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess following next year.

Carnival Corporation strikes deal to tighten security

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Carnival Corporation is to strengthen its security procedures through an agreement with international criminal police organisation Interpol.

The deal, claimed as a first for the maritime industry, will see advanced security screening across the group’s 10 brands and fleet of 101 ships that carry almost 11 million passengers a year to more than 700 ports around the world.

Carnival Corporation is to integrate its global passenger check-in process with Interpol’s I-Checkit system, a secure method for screening travel document information against its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, containing more than 69 million records from 175 countries.

The agreement follows a three-month trial of I-Checkit on four Princess Cruises ships which included 34,000 travel documents that were successfully checked against the SLTD database to demonstrate the system’s ability to enhance security for the global cruise industry.

I-Checkit will be deployed across Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line and P&O Cruises in the UK and Australia.

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Staff will be able to automatically query the SLTD database before and during the boarding process to see if any travel documents have been reported lost or stolen.

Interpol head of the I-Checkit system Micheal O’Connell said: “With its real-time secure global alert system, criminal intelligence potential and compliance framework, I-Checkit provides an invaluable preventative and investigative capability for global policing.

“I-Checkit’s initiative with Carnival Corporation offers an additional layer of safety in the travel sector by creating an international standard for security screening.”

Carnival Corporation chief maritime officer Bill Burke – a retired vice admiral of the US Navy – said: “One of our top priorities at Carnival Corporation is the safety and security of our guests, our crew and our ships.

“As the world’s largest cruise company carrying hundreds of thousands of daily passengers, having a highly effective and efficient security screening process is a crucial part of how we serve our guests every day.

Partnering with Interpol enables us to seamlessly enhance security across our global fleet while also maintaining our commitment to providing our guests with a great vacation experience.

“This is another important step for our company and industry as we continue taking proactive measures to enhance the safety and security of our passengers and crew members.”

Thomson Purchase QE2 From Cunard

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QE2 Left to rust in Dubai

The www.CRUISE.co.uk team can exclusively reveal that the Queen Elizabeth 2 (the famous former flagship of Cunard) is set to be bought by Thomson Cruises.

The QE2 (as she is known) is currently floating in Dubai and her lease expires in November this year.

She left the Cunard fleet in 2008 and was previously bought by a company that intended to turn her into a hotel. She has since been left to rust in Dubai and there had been rumours she would be scrapped after pictures emerged of the disrepair she was falling into.

However, Thomson Cruises have announced that they will be purchasing her once her lease is up.

Helen Caron, Managing Director of Thomson Cruises said: “We are excited to have another new ship join our fantastic fleet. Passengers have already told us how excited they are for our newest ship [the Thomson Discovery] and they now have another new launch to look forward to.

“We will be making adaptations to increase the family friendly aspect of the QE2 and look forward to introducing families, couples and cruisers from all walks of life to a true ocean liner.”

It has not yet been revealed what these adaptations may be, but the ship can currently accommodate 1,892 passengers and 1,040 crew. There are five restaurants, two cafes, three swimming pools, a cinema and a casino.

It has also been rumoured that the ship will be called the Thomson Triumph but this has not yet been confirmed by the cruise line.

Traditionally the QE2 has made transatlantic sailings, however it seems likely that she could be sailing on Mediterranean itineraries once under Thomson’s control.