LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival
Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's
largest leisure travel company with 10 global cruise line brands,
today announced it has developed the world's first interactive
guest experience platform capable of transforming vacation
travel into a highly personalized and elevated level of
customized service for millions of guests.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8003551-carnival-corporation-ces-2017
The company unveiled the Ocean Medallion™, a first-of-its-kind
wearable device that enables a personal concierge by bridging
the physical and digital worlds to deliver a new level of
personalized service not previously considered possible --
including sophisticated wayfinding, food and beverage on demand, an
array of interactive gaming, personalized entertainment experiences
and more. The quarter-sized, 1.8-ounce disc can be
accessorized with jewelry, clips, key chains and bands or simply
carried in a pocket or pocketbook.
Powered by proprietary technology developed by Carnival
Corporation that features an Internet of Things (IoT) network of
intelligent sensors and experiential computing devices, the Ocean
Medallion revolutionizes guest service not only for the cruise
industry, but the broader vacation industry. It will be officially
introduced by CEO Arnold Donald on
January 5 when he becomes the first
travel industry executive to deliver the opening keynote address at
CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show.
The Ocean Medallion goes well beyond the growing number of
wearables used by theme parks and other vacation companies by
leaving behind the required action of "tap" and ushering in a new
paradigm for guest interactions.
Some of its benefits
will:
- streamline and expedite the port embarkation and disembarkation
process
- allow guests to access their staterooms as they approach the
door (no keycard required)
- locate friends and family around the cruise ship
- enable guests to purchase merchandise without any transaction,
cards or paper
- deliver enhanced dining experiences based on food and beverage
preferences
- power an array of interactive gaming and immersive
entertainment experiences
- significantly enhance interactions with crew members and
guests.
"With this interactive technology platform, we are poised to
have our global cruise line brands at the vanguard of forever
changing the guest experience paradigm – not just in the cruise
industry but in the larger vacation market and potentially other
industries," said Carnival Corporation's Donald. "Our focus is on
exceeding guest expectations every single day and consistently
delivering great experiences, and we do that extremely well. Now we
are in prime position to take the guest experience to a level never
before considered possible and build on cruising's popularity and
value as the fastest growing segment of the vacation
sector."
The Ocean Medallion is the only accessory needed to elevate the
guest experience before, during and after each cruise in what the
company is calling Ocean Medallion Class™.
The Ocean Medallion pairs with an optional personalized digital
concierge called the Ocean Compass™, a digital experience
portal available online, on smart devices, on kiosks in home ports,
on stateroom TVs, on interactive surfaces located throughout the
cruise ship and on devices carried by all guest service
hosts.
Both innovations combine with an invisible network of
proprietary sensors and computing devices embedded throughout the
ship, home ports and destinations that collectively form the
"Experience Innovation Operating System" – xiOS™.
The proprietary xiOS uses a guest-centric, Internet of
Things approach to enable guests to maximize their experiences in
real-time based on their choices and preferences – delivering
enhanced personalization across every aspect of their cruise
vacation. The xiOS seamlessly leverages hardware and software to
enable all experiences including access, lodging, food and
beverage, entertainment, retail, navigation, payment and media.
The new guest experience platform will debut on Princess
Cruises' Regal Princess in November
2017, followed by Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess in
2018. The new Medallion Class on Princess Cruises will be rolled
out over multiple years on the entire Princess Cruises fleet.
The guest experience platform is a key element of O·C·E·A·N™ or
One Cruise Experience Access Network™, a bold new effort by
Carnival Corporation focused on expanding the cruise vacation
market through guest experience innovation, the development of
original experiential media content that includes new TV programs
airing on national TV, and expanding its portfolio of exclusive and
unique destinations.
Ocean Medallion Class leverages multiple technologies that
work together to transform guest experience
Key elements include:
"Ocean Medallion" – a revolutionary, "wearable" device that
enables a highly personalized vacation experience
The Ocean
Medallion is a quarter-sized, 1.8-ounce disc that facilitates the
enhanced guest experience. It has no discernible technology – no
on-off switch, no charging, no menu to navigate – and can be worn
as a pendant on a wristband in a clip or simply placed in a pocket
to reveal enhanced services and personalized experiences without
guests having to push a button or take any action. The device,
laser-etched with the guest's name, ship and date of sailing, is
provided to all passengers at no cost. Inside each guest's Ocean
Medallion are multiple communication technologies including – Near
Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth Low Energy
(BLE).
"Ocean Compass" – a digital concierge that creates the
ultimate vacation experience
Ocean Medallion works in
conjunction with Ocean Compass, a digital experience portal that
serves as a vacation concierge before, during and after vacation.
The Ocean Compass requires no education or instruction thanks to
its intuitive, innovative interface. Ocean Compass is
available online, on smart devices, on kiosks in port terminals, on
stateroom TVs, on interactive surfaces located throughout the
cruise ship and on devices carried by crew members. Guests can use
Ocean Compass to enhance their vacations, select experiences and
create personalized event-based itineraries. No guest is required
to have a personal device to access Ocean Compass. The Ocean
Compass also serves as a digital media platform that features
custom experiential media content as well as access to vacation
photos captured during a
cruise.
xiOS - Experience Innovation Operating System – "IOT"
intelligent sensor network – powers experience personalization from
behind the scenes
The xiOS is an invisible network of
interactive intelligent sensors and embedded devices mounted
throughout the ship, home ports and destinations that uses a
guest-centric, Internet of Things approach to enable a seamless
guest experience. The xiOS unifies hardware and software to create
an "Experience Platform." The platform is deployable on any ship
regardless of ship age or size.
Technology-enabled innovations create a new level of
personalized guest service interactions.
"The Ocean
Medallion creates an elevated level of service that's made possible
by technology but doesn't feel like technology," said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation
officer for Carnival Corporation. "Whether guests are exploring new
experience options, having a drink delivered to their seat at the
night's show or trying their luck gaming while lounging poolside,
we will assist our guests wherever they are, while engaging with
them in a uniquely personal way. Our mission is to help our guests
make the most of every moment of their vacation."
Throughout each guest's vacation, the Ocean Medallion will
enable ease and simplicity, while also creating special moments to
delight guests in unexpected ways, creating an entirely new level
of service that will elevate the vacation experience. Examples of
never- before-possible service innovations include:
- Ocean Ready™: Streamlined and expedited port
embarkation and disembarkation processes. For instance, at the
terminal, Ocean Medallion-carrying guests can board the ship,
engage with crew members and begin their vacation at their leisure
as they already have the "key" to their stateroom (no check-in
required).
- Easy Access to Everything: Allows guests to browse and
purchase products (utilizing Medallion Pay™) such as retail
merchandise, photos, spa services and destination excursions both
intuitively and conveniently from any Ocean Compass (mobile device,
browser, stateroom, public) at anytime (before, during or after
cruise).
- Seamless Navigation: Enables point-to-point wayfinding
across the ship thanks to an intelligent navigation assistant –
similar to a car or phone GPS app.
- Personalized Dining: Facilitates ordering, menu
exploration and delivery of food and beverage services. Guests can
even place orders and view the whereabouts of their food and
beverage, as well as place future orders and have them delivered
wherever they plan to be at a designated time.
- Anytime-Anywhere Entertainment and Gaming: Expands
gaming options to include new digital games guests can play
independently or with others, for fun or based on casino rules of
the house, inside or outside of the casino including poolside, in
staterooms or in any other ship location.
- Enhanced Crew Interactions: Takes personalized service
to a new level because crew members are equipped with a Crew
Compass that empowers personalized guest interactions. For example,
when guests arrive at the airport, guest service hosts will be able
to provide personalized greetings and guest services.
- Easy Payment: Enables guests to conveniently and
securely make payment for experiences using their Ocean Medallion.
Guests can associate any number of credit cards, reward cards, gift
cards and advanced payment services with Medallion Pay.
Carnival Corporation will demonstrate its Experience Innovation
Operating System at the company's invitation-only Experience Center
at CES Tech East, LVCC, South Hall 3, including in-depth and
interactive displays of the new technology.
For information, visit Ocean.com. To book an Ocean Medallion
Class cruise, visit Princess.com/ocean.
Editor's Note
Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold
Donald will officially introduce the new platform during the
Opening CES Keynote on Jan. 5, inside
the Palazzo Ballroom at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
About Carnival Corporation
& plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is
the largest leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio
of 10 cruise brands in North
America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised
of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America
Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA
Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O
Cruises (Australia)
and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports
around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths with 17 new
ships scheduled to be delivered between 2017 and 2022.
Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland
America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies
in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both
the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival
Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be
included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com,
www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc