The cruise ship segment has enjoyed steady growth for many years, up until the COVID19 global pandemic prevented all but essential travel. The size of cruise ships has also grown significantly, with the largest vessel (Symphony of the Seas) over 300 meters long and handling 6,680 guests plus a large amount of crew members. Essentially the largest cruise ships are floating mini cities, with almost ever amenity required by guest and crew alike.
Management of payment systems on cruise ships
Management of payment systems for a mini city with thousands of “inhabitants” is a major undertaking. The proliferation of entertainment and retail options onboard cruise ships has exacerbated the issue of payment management. Additionally, issues surrounding cash management naturally led the cruise industry to become an early adopter of a cashless “society” approach onboard. Guests and crew will typically pre-register a credit card before embarking and will receive their ‘cruise card’. The cruise card (generally) becomes their only payment method onboard, with transactions such as drinks, tips or gift shop purchases registered to their centralised folio. Their cruise card also allows the guest access to their cabin. At the end of the voyage the charges accumulated by the guest are automatically charged to their respective credit card.
Innovation in constant development
Despite cashless payment being a mature technology within the cruise sector, technological innovation has continued to develop. The largest US based cruise company Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) which includes major brands such as Cunard and Disney Cruise Lines. CCL has further integrated the notion of a centralised payment method into the entire cruise experience, enhancing a guest’s voyage significantly. ‘The Carnival Medallion is a personalised IOT based wearable device. Originally unveiled by Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, at CES 2017, the Medallion™ device persistently connects a cruise guest’s unique digital identity with an intelligent shipboard Experience Internet of Things (xIoT™) ecosystem to enhance guest-crew interactions and deliver a high level of personalized service on a large scale. The device enables all aspects of an elevated guest vacation including hassle-free payment, keyless and personalized stateroom access, frictionless embarkation, on-demand services and more.
Despite the cruise sector being all but frozen due to the global pandemic, it is expected that the segment will recover slowly late into 2021 and 2022. Negative cashflow issues are likely to affect the pace of technological innovation within the cruise segment, but it is widely acknowledged that providing a safe, integrated, and exciting experience for guests onboard is a key to recovery.
(Thanks for this article to maritime expert Dan Rooney)