Tag Archives: technology

Princess Adds More Touchless Technology On Cruise Ships

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As part of its Medallion Class upgrades, Princess Cruises is rolling out a number of new touchless guest experiences when its fleet returns to service in 2021.

TrulyTouchless Arrival and Embarkation

Embarkation day will leverage OceanMedallion technology to reduce friction, remove a contact, and avoid crowds, streamlining arrival and check-in, as well as completely reinventing the traditional muster drill.

OceanReady

All guests will now be required to become OceanReady before leaving home, creating a touchless, expedited arrival experience and embarkation. Guests will use the MedallionClass app to upload travel documents and complete a health questionnaire in advance as well as provide important emergency information and form of payment, take a security image, personalize their Medallions and order accessories to be shipped to their home or ready for pick up upon arrival.

Simplified Safety Training

A new approach to the safety assembly on embarkation day lets guests watch an important safety video on their mobile device anytime on embarkation day via their stateroom TV and verify their designated muster station with a quick, contactless check-in at their convenience anytime between boarding and sail away. The OceanMedallion system provides the verification needed by the ship’s captain to confirm muster drill check-in while strengthening safety and security operations onboard, safeguarding guest and crew health, and increasing operational efficiency.

Stateroom Entry

Access to staterooms is now said to be a seamless experience where each guest is securely validated as their cabin door automatically unlocks as they approach. The do-not-disturb sign also becomes a thing of the past as the feature is integrated with the personalized portal outside each cabin, allowing guests to request privacy or designate their room for service by touching the display or using the MedallionClass app.

TrulyTouchless Commerce

MedallionPay is now and eliminates the need to carry cash and credit cards onboard and in Princess Cays, the line’s private island.

The system allows for “effortless” payment when purchasing anything on the ship – food, beverages, merchandise, excursions, even laundry tokens. 

OceanNow Service On-Demand

Food, beverage, retail orders and service are delivered directly to a guest’s location. 

Guests can place orders using their smart device, their stateroom TV or with a crew member, as the Medallion continuously ensures great service wherever a guest may go onboard.

BVI Reopens to Visitors on Dec. 1

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The British Virgin Islands has announced its borders will be opened to visitors on December 1, according to Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie.

He said that the government is optimistic and is vigorously preparing for the re-opening of the territory to welcome back tourists among others.

Premier Fahie said: “The territory has two full months to prepare and we as a people must get it right and we must get it done by all working together, both the Government and private sector.”

The Premier said that the government intends to reopen the territory in the safest way possible using science and technology as a guide.

“This next phase also comes with a risk factor, where if a case of COVID-19 gets into our Territory, then it can go through the whole community very quickly. That is why we must use technology,” he said. “The concentration must be to use the technology through a simulation prior, to demonstrate that the technology will complement the science to greatly assist us in re-opening in the safest way, humanly possible.

“Please note that we who are in the Virgin Islands must also play our part and play it well to ensure that we adhere to all approved social distancing measures. This will also reduce or eliminate any possible spread of the virus.”

Royal Caribbean: ‘Very Aggressive’ on Tech Infrastructure

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Ovation of the Seas in Hong Kong

At Royal Caribbean Cruises, the idea is to anticipate the future of technology and get ready for it now.

“I believe that the largest challenges for us are the things that we don’t even know will be coming in the next five to 10 years. There are revolutions coming, things like virtual reality and other things that we don’t even imagine. We need to look at the historical growth of those technologies in the past, focusing on the future,” said Guillermo Muniz, director of satellite and network engineering, Royal Caribbean Cruises.

While cruise lines may plan into the 2020s on the technology front, challenges still remain when it comes to internet aboard today’s fleet.

“Royal Caribbean is being very aggressive regarding infrastructure within the ship. We are investing to make sure we have the infrastructure on our ships to have the correct Wi-Fi and the latest technologies to be able to not worry about connectivity over the next decade,” Muniz said.

The newer Royal Caribbean ships are using a new technology, marketed as Voom, that has significantly improved internet access aboard, helped in part by SES Networks.

“On those ships, the connection is comparable to our home experience. You can stream and watch videos on your devices easily. The amount of bandwidth that we provide to a single user today is the same amount of bandwidth that we provided for our entire fleet in 2000,” Muniz noted.

Royal Caribbean is working on a new boarding process that uses facial recognition to speed up the embarkation. Muniz explained that guests will be able to take a selfie at home, upload it via an app, and then be recognized at the cruise terminal by special facial recognition cameras. The cruise line plans to launch the system over the next few years.