Royal Caribbean won a 2011 RFID Journal Award for Best Use of RFID to Enhance a Product or Service. The award was for Royal Caribbean's use of RFID technology to enable guests to prepay for unlimited soft drinks, and to then serve themselves fountain beverages without having to wait on a service bar line.
Royal Caribbean's RFID readers are built into the soda fountains that have antennas installed in the drip trays.
Royal Caribbean's director of fleet beverage operations Bob Midyette claims each beverage container has a built-in near-field EPC Gen 2 RFID inlay from Alien Technology. Back-end software confirms the guest's ID number and allows the fountain to dispense a 16-ounce drink.
"The system allows us to improve service to our guests," Midyette explains, "and enhance sales with something that feels like magic."
