Princess Cruises is set to sail a new ship from Singapore next year – with the latest high-tech passenger personal service device.
Grand Princess, a MedallionClass ship, will make her Singapore debut on 10 December 2020, and be based at Marina Bay Cruise Terminal for the 2020-21 season.
The OceanMedallion is a wearable device that offers a unique highly personalised experience, meaning crew will be able to identify passengers wherever they are on the ship, families can locate each other, stateroom doors will open automatically and much more.
The 2,600-guest vessel will replace Sapphire Princes, marking Princess Cruises’ seventh season in Singapore. Itineraries on offer include four to 21-day cruises around Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Grand Princess
Prior to her arrival, Grand Princess will sail a new 53-day Pacific Crossing & Asia cruise, starting from Vancouver and covering 26 ports.
The cruise will offer options for embarkation in Los Angeles and disembarkation/embarkation in Shanghai, and a 28-day segment on the Hawaii, Guam and East Asia crossing. Late night port calls will also be made in Honolulu, Osaka, Nagasaki, Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong, with an overnight in Beijing (Tianjin).
“We are absolutely thrilled to announce Grand Princess homeporting in Singapore – this marks a significant milestone for Princess Cruises,” said Mr. Farriek Tawfik, Princess Cruises director, Southeast Asia. “This gives us an opportunity to deliver new enriching experiences, creating excitement and sparking interest among guests.”
Grand Princess is the first Princess MedallionClass ship to arrive in Southeast Asia, carrying the award-winning Ocean Medallion.
Besides ground-breaking technology, new top deck dining venues will be available on board Grand Princess. These include Slice Pizzeria, The Mix, Salty Dog Grill, Coffee & Cones and an upscale specialty restaurant Crown Grill, which was named among the “Best Cruise Ship Steakhouse” by USA TODAY. Crown Grill offers a variety of premium beef and seafood, cooked-to-order in an open, theatre-style kitchen.
Also popular with Asian guests − and only available on Grand Princess − is the Leaves Tea Lounge and Library. Leaves lets guests custom-blend a variety of base teas with herbs, fruits and spices to create a personalised tea blend. Assisted by a trained tea sommelier, guests can create up to 500 different tea blends to suit their palates.
Five highlights of Princess’ MedallionClass vacations
OceanMedallion
1. Expedited arrival
Guests who arrive at the terminal with travel documents (i.e. passports) uploaded to their profile enjoy a streamlined and expedited check-in process, saving them time and getting their vacation started sooner. Personalisation starts pre-cruise as guests become OceanReady before arriving at the port.
2. On-demand services and keyless staterooms
Using their smart devices, guests can order drinks, food and retail items like sunscreen with OceanNow and have them delivered directly anywhere on board, including their stateroom.
The MedallionClass experience also includes keyless stateroom entry, with each guest being securely validated as the room door automatically unlocks. Personalised greetings − including loyalty level recognition − welcome guests on their door portal.
3. Easy navigation
The Family and Friends Locator allows guests to find travel companions and directional ship information. Accessible on portals throughout the ships and via guests’ smart devices, OceanCompass leverages the OceanMedallion to easily locate and chat with friends and family on board. It also enables point-to-point way-finding throughout the ship, with guests being guided to their next location.
4. Seamless Wi-Fi connectivity
MedallionNet delivers land-like Wi-Fi connectivity, letting guests stream their favourite shows, movies, music and sports. Passengers can stay connected to the internet everywhere on board to text, post photos, video chat and more.
5. Interactive games
On portals located ship wide and using smart devices with PlayOcean™, guests can enjoy interactive games, a digital scavenger hunt and customisable avatars. PlayOcean also transforms guests’ mobile devices into game controllers for interactive gaming on the Movies Under the Stars screen.
