Carnival’s new Medallion replaces keys, cash, tickets
Wearable disc is about the size of a quarter and similar to Disney’s MagicBand
When Carnival CEO LAS VEGAS Arnold Donald takes the stage at CES 2017 in Las Vegas on Thursday to deliver the opening keynote, it will be one of the few times in the event’s 50-year history that someone from outside the tech world gets top billing at the biggest gadget event of the year.
Donald plans to talk about how connected devices can change your life, and his company is putting its money where its mouth is.
Carnival is launching a small next-generation wearable that’s supposed to make your leisure time more leisurely and streamline everything you do on board the ship. It’s called the Ocean Medallion, and it’s no bigger than a quarter. You can wear it on your wrist or as a pendant on a chain, or even just slipped into the pocket of your jeans. No matter where you put it, it’s always working.
I had the exclusive first handson test-run with this new gadget Tuesday, ahead of the launch, in a 14,000-square-foot virtual cruise ship that Carnival built on the CES showroom floor. The way it works is this: When you sign up for a cruise and establish your likes and dislikes — your basic vacation profile — you can opt-in for the Ocean Medallion free of charge. The company mails you the laser-etched disc with your name engraved on it, equipped with the latest Bluetooth and NFC technology.
It unlocks your room door when you walk up, no keycard needed; it lets you buy whatever you want on the ship and charges it to your account; it keeps track of your past orders so that Carnival’s dining staff can customize your meals without you even having to ask; and it makes boarding and disembarking as simple as walking past a fancy sensor.
Two things strike me right away about all of this: It shows how the latest technology is expanding to the world around us in new and surprising ways. It’s similar to Disney’s MagicBand — designed by the same man behind the Ocean Medallion — that puts payment power on your wrist and unlocks the door to your room without a key. The Medallion does the same, and a whole lot more with a GPS-like navigation and information system that knows where you are, walks you right to where you need to go, and can even share your location with others on the ship, so they know what you’re up to.
There’s no screen, no buttons and nothing to get confused by; it works without you even having to think about it.
You don’t have to charge it, monitor it or turn it on or off. If it’s lost or stolen, the owner or any crew member can deactivate it or replace it.