Medallion rolling out

PRINCESS Cruises’ wearable technology Ocean Medallion is likely to be rolled out in Australia within the next 12-18 months, according to the line’s Group President Jan Swartz.

The device is now in use in conjunction with an app on board Caribbean Princess ( pictured), giving guests keyless entry to their rooms, high-speed wi-fi, access to digital entertainment and a range of other services.

At the recent World’s Leading Cruise Lines Next Wave Summit, Swartz said new layers of functionality were being added to the system each week.

“On Caribbean Princess as we sit here today we now scale to 100% of our guests wearing the device which enables them to experience the cruise and eliminate so many tiny points of friction,” she said.

“You can get on the ship much more quickly. You have keyless entry to your room. You have personalised service where the crew is served up information about you and your preferences... so they can then make suggestions about what activities are going to be best for you.”

Swartz said the system’s location services had proved particularly popular, enabling guests to see where their children or other travel companions were on board.

The device also provided “landlike” internet speeds, allowing guests to stream Netflix or to Facetime with family.

Swartz said Regal Princess was now being enabled with Ocean Medallion and would offer the service on all cruises by Feb, after which a timeline would be established for the wider fleet.