Princess Cruises announced that upon approval to return to service in 2021, its global fleet will feature the MedallionClass Experience, offering a number of new features that leverage touchless technologies and significantly enhance and personalise guest experience, as well as support new health protocols.
Princess Cruises is using the pause in operations to transform its ships. When the cruise line returns in 2021 it will do so with a fleet of smart ships. Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Grand Princess, Island Princess, Majestic Princess, and Sapphire Princess will return as MedallionClass ships along with the new Enchanted Princess.
Other MedallionClass ships include Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess, Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Sky Princess.
The cruise line’s OceanMedallion wearable device replaces the traditional cruise card and pairs with embedded IoT (“Internet of things”) -driven innovative technology to significantly expand touch-free options and personalisation on board Princess MedallionClass ships including:
- touchless embarkation and disembarkation
- keyless stateroom entry
- completely contactless commerce
- simplified safety training
- on-demand food, beverages and retail items delivered anywhere on board
- guest service requests via mobile device chat
- location-based gaming and wagering
- entertainment content via smart devices
The OceanMedallion connects guests and crew to an experiential “IoT” platform through a network of sensors and readers that help recognise individuals in locations throughout the ship, facilitating extraordinary touchless capabilities that include highly-personalised service and interactive entertainment, while also reducing contact between guests and crew on board and in ports.
Princess MedallionClass ships also offer the best Wi-Fi at sea, MedallionNet, so guests can stay connected to the things and people they love and share vacation memories with ease. MedallionNet offers unprecedented connectivity that’s fast, unlimited and affordable, so guests can stream favorite movies, shows, games and music; connect to favorite social media sites; and video chat from anywhere on the ship.
What will a cruise with Princess Cruises look like?
TrulyTouchless arrival and embarkation
Princess is transforming embarkation day by leveraging OceanMedallion technology to reduce friction, remove contact, and avoid crowds, streamlining arrival and check-in, as well as completely reinventing the traditional muster drill.
OceanReady
Upon return, all guests will 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 (i.e. passport information) and complete a health questionnaire in advance as well as provide important emergency information and form of payment, take a security image, personalise their Medallions and order accessories ready for pick up upon arrival.
Simplified safety training
A new approach to the safety assembly on embarkation day lets travel parties watch an important safety video on their mobile device anytime on embarkation day or from the comfort of their cabin 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 and xIoT provide the verification needed by the ship’s captain to confirm muster drill check-in while strengthening safety and security operations onboard, safe-guarding guest and crew health, and increasing operational efficiency.
Keyless stateroom entry
Access to staterooms is a seamless experience where each guest is securely validated as their cabin door automatically unlocks as they approach – no fumbling for a phone or key card. The traditional do-not-disturb sign also becomes a thing of the past as the feature is integrated with the personalised 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 transforms shopping on vacation by eliminating the need to carry cash and credit cards on board and in Princess Cays. MedallionPay allows for effortless payment when purchasing anything on the ship – food, beverages, merchandise, excursions, even laundry tokens. Because the proximity of the Medallion associates a guest’s photo with their location, crew members can quickly transact purchases without requiring the guest to handover, tap, swipe or insert a card, sign or enter a pin number.
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 on board.
Service always available
The location-based capabilities of the Medallion are allowing Princess to completely reinvent onboard guest service. Instead of queuing at the guest service desk for help or support, guests sailing on MedallionClass ships will now be able to request assistance from their mobile device, stateroom TV or any crew member using OceanNow. Requests will then be routed to a crew member to chat or locate the guest to provide personal assistance.
Which contactless experiences are accessible from the MedallionClass app?
Onboard Princess MedallionClass ships and throughout the journey, a portfolio of exceptionally fun and convenient experiences put guests in control. Contactless capabilities are accessible from guests’ smart phones and tablets, and include shipboard wayfinding, family and friends locator, first-run movies, an interactive events and activities planner, wager-based gaming, and interactive fun.
- Locate travel companions, chat using OceanCompass: The Medallion helps guests easily locate and chat with friends and family on board, as well as enables proprietary and industry-exclusive person-to-person wayfinding throughout the ship.
- First-run movies on the go: With OceanView, guests can watch recently-released films and the world’s most popular travel series from anywhere on board using their smart phone or tablet at no additional cost.
- Reserve events/interactive voyage timeline: An interactive timeline within JourneyView lets guests see all ship events scheduled during their voyage and reserve activities they are interested in attending, adding it to their own personalised itinerary.
- Wager-based gaming: With Ocean Casino guests wager real money on games including slots, poker, bingo, roulette, keno and lottery from anywhere on board, blackjack on stateroom TVs.
- Interactive fun: PlayOcean puts entertainment at guests’ fingertips with interactive trivia, a ship-wide bar adventure, customisable avatars and more. PlayOcean also transforms guests’ mobile devices into game controllers for interactive gaming on the massive Movies Under the Stars screen near the ship’s main pool.
Some of the experiences are also available on portal displays around the ship or via stateroom TVs.
For more details visit Princess.com.