WOW band -------> Excalibur

[Biker19]

Noting that 'technology can be used to help our biggest single problem: not enough people understand cruising,' Richard Fain hailed competitor Carnival Corp. & plc's Ocean Medallion concept as a positive for the industry and said Royal Caribbean is working on its own advance, codenamed 'Excalibur.'

 

The Royal Caribbean chairman and ceo credited Carnival Corp. for a 'terrific rollout' of its Medallion technology earlier this year that 'got a lot of positive publicity.'

 

The quarter-sized Ocean Medallion, which passengers carry or wear, has microscopic antennas that interact with thousands of sensors aboard ship, enabling individuals to be recognized and helping personalize their experience in myriad ways.

 

Royal Caribbean debuted its own wearable technology, WOWbands, two years ago, and on Thursday Fain revealed the company is working on a new application, internally called Excalibur. It will debut in the summer. He said over the next year, this will be rolled out across six to 11 ships.

 

Four of the ships slated for the upgrade are obvious (the ones with the WOW band) but the rest.......

[M_BA]

I like the option of bands rather than the traditional SeaPass card, especially for children. Here's to hoping that more ships are equipped in 2017!

[schmeed]

And Royal IQ on ALL ships. That app is amazing on Harmony!!!

[cb at sea]

I have no desire to wear an armband....I have no problem with the key card at all! I can see where it would be beneficial for older kids, but young kids are always with parents, so there is no need for their card to be with the child!

[Yorkvillain]

I have no desire to wear an armband....I have no problem with the key card at all! I can see where it would be beneficial for older kids, but young kids are always with parents, so there is no need for their card to be with the child!

 

 

You forgot to mention the part where you do not want to get a tan line from the wow band.

[Woodmnky]

I would love to see this and the Royal IQ App roll out to more ships. I love the Magic Bands at Disney World. I much prefer a wrist band to a lanyard and often don't have pockets in my sun dresses.

[sweetpee_1993]

I think people are missing something here. Disney started out with the armband RFID chip several years back. This year they have debuted the next generation. The armbands can hold the RFID puck but that puck can also now be removed. They offer a caribener holder you could clip to a belt loop as well as a clip holder that can attach to a lanyard or purse strap. Or, you can place the puck in your pocket.

 

So read again..."quarter-sized Ocean Medallion". This is going to be a more convertible option utilizing the same technology. I'll bet you can use the medallion in an armband or in some clip-on type fashion. Or, you'll be able to simply place the medallion in your pocket. It's making the technology more customizable to how guests may prefer to utilize it. Not a bad thing!

[Biker19]

^ this, the form factor will need to evolve over the WOW band - having to take it off to hand it to the bartender is a pain.

[clochette]

I loved the WOW band, I often do not have pockets and never carry a purse on a ship, easy and always with me.

[TheMillenniumRider]

The primary function of the new device is for marketing research, similar to a magicband at disney. If they work the same as the magicband, they are a unique id tied to a specific individual and that physical item can be tracked with regards to physical location.

 

For example, what areas do you visit, what did you purchase, how long in a given place, and with this data tied to age, ethnicity, gender, etc RCI can build a nice database to further develop their products and services.

 

The personalized experience is what needs to be given to the guest to encourage their use.

[Biker19]

The primary function of the new device is for marketing research, similar to a magicband at disney. If they work the same as the magicband, they are a unique id tied to a specific individual and that physical item can be tracked with regards to physical location.

 

For example, what areas do you visit, what did you purchase, how long in a given place, and with this data tied to age, ethnicity, gender, etc RCI can build a nice database to further develop their products and services.

 

The personalized experience is what needs to be given to the guest to encourage their use.

All true, but I worry about implementation given RCI's track record with regards to IT issues.