The Carnival Vista arriving in the Port of Miami today in the early morning hours.

One of the many advantages of living in Miami is that you hear a lot about the cruise industry. You always meet someone who works for one of the cruise lines, or the “Miami Herald” has a news story about some development.

The other day there was a story in the Herald about the technological advancements in cruising. I wanted to write about it because so many DigiDame readers cruise all over the world. The changes that will be incorporated over the next five years will be astonishing.

One big attraction for guests is that new “smart” technology will help eliminate long lines and waiting time. This will be accomplished by facial recognition and geo-location. Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and MSC Cruises are leading the way.

Other advances are using your smart phones for hotel keys, wearable, customized mini discs that will track your whereabouts for personalized service, interactive screens in staterooms, and RFID tags on luggage to track delivery times to cabins.

For more good news read the Miami Herald.

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