Santa Clarita cruise company Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., has added to its line of ships featuring wearable “Ocean Medallion” devices. The Golden Princess, Crown Princess and Ruby Princess will join four other ships in the “Medallion Class,” a fleet of liners outfitted with Carnival’s proprietary “One Cruise Experience Access Network,” or Ocean. The platform serves as a digital concierge service, which is accessible through guests’ smartphones, interactive screens placed around the ship and the Medallion devices. Though the first Medallion voyage will not take place until November, when the “Regal Princess” sets sail from Fort Lauderdale to Turks and Caicos, Princess was eager to give travelers more choices in terms of where they could go aboard the high-tech ships. “We have expanded to provide our guests who are traveling to different destinations the opportunity to experience Ocean Medallion,” a Princess representative said. In addition to trips to the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska, the Medallion fleet now includes journeys to Canada, the Panama Canal, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the South Pacific. Eventually, all 101 Princess ships will be equipped with the technology, parent company Carnival said in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, where the Ocean Medallion debuted. Development of the device was spearheaded by Carnival’s Chief Experience and Innovation Officer John Padgett, the same mind behind Walt Disney Co.’s “Magic Band,” according to Padgett’s LinkedIn profile. Like the Magic Band, the Ocean Medallion encrypts and stores guests’ information for easy check-in, allows keyless entry into rooms and can be used to charge food and beverages to one’s tab. The device also interacts with Bluetooth and near-field communication sensors on the ship – more than 7,000 are built into the Regal Princess, according to Carnival – to enable optional location-based services, allowing groups to keep track of each other. In other cruise news, Princess announced on July 10 that its newest liner, the Majestic Princess, had arrived in Shanghai for its maiden season. The company recruited Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li to take part in a special naming ceremony on July 9, which was attended by a number of Chinese public officials as well as Princess Chief Executive Jan Swartz and Carnival Chief Executive Arnold Donald. Princess and Ming used the opportunity to promote Ming and Li’s Yao Foundation, a nonprofit organization developed to rebuild schools destroyed in the 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake. “We are honored to serve as the Majestic Princess ‘Naming Ambassadors’ for Princess Cruises,” Ming said in a statement. “We look forward to enjoying a future cruise vacation aboard the Majestic Princess.” Chronic Tacos Fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchise Chronic Tacos has added to its presence in Los Angeles County with a new outpost in Burbank. The made-to-serve taco and burrito joint, which has grown to more than 25 locations since debuting in Aliso Viejo in 2002, held a grand opening at its 116 E. Palm Ave. store on July 8. The festivities included a live mariachi band and free tacos galore, including a free taco every week for a year for the first 40 people in line. Burbank store owner Jim Phillips, who also co-owns the Saugus and Valencia locations of Chronic Tacos, said his time serving customers in Santa Clarita and feedback from friends and family made it clear that another location in L.A. County was long overdue. “We know people drive to the Santa Clarita Valley and even Orange County to experience (Chronic Tacos),” Phillips said. “Why should residents in one of the largest and nicest cities near Los Angeles miss out?” The right location took time to find, however. After a year of searching, he finally secured a spot near an AMC Theaters. “There are so many amazing people who live in the Burbank area that needed a real, authentic Mexican quick-service restaurant,” Phillips said. “The flavors and the style that Chronic brings should be shared with everyone.” In addition to entertaining customers with free food and music, the Burbank Chronic Tacos used its opening to help the local community. The franchise donated 15 percent of proceeds from the day to Village Christian Schools, a private K-12 school system in Sun Valley. The location plans to partner with several organizations each month to hold fundraising events, Phillips said. “This is a great way for us to give back to all of our great customers and the chance to meet new ones,” he said. “It has been part of our success over the years.” Staff Reporter Helen Floersh can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].
