Sponsored by Princess Cruises

For many of us, a Caribbean cruise in the heart of winter is an annual rite of passage, a chance to escape freezing temperatures up North and to relax and play in the tropics. This year is no different; my husband and I traveled to Fort Lauderdale, where tomorrow we'll board Caribbean Princess. On our seven-night sailing, we'll visit St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts and Martinique, before debarking midway through our voyage in Barbados and heading back to the great frozen north.

This trip has an added bit of spice for a couple of reasons. We last cruised on Caribbean Princess 15 years ago, during the ship's inaugural season, and are curious about the impact of time on this darling vessel. Also, Caribbean Princess is the first ship in Princess Cruises fleet to fully activate the line's innovative new MedallionClass experience. (Note: In addition to Caribbean Princess, Regal Princess and Royal Princess are also fully activated with the MedallionClass technology, and Crown Princess and Sky Princess will be activated July 24 and October 15, 2019, respectively).

The big question for me is this: How will OceanMedallion enhance our cruise experience without forcing us to work too hard on the technology?

As you may have read on Cruise Critic, MedallionClass aims to streamline, personalize and customize the cruise holiday experience for all passengers on the ship, a very ambitious undertaking. A network of sensors works with the OceanMedallion, a quarter-sized device that transmits information, and delivers enhanced personal services and customization, including cutting check-in time to 10 seconds, allowing you to easily find family members while roaming all over your ship, unlocking cabin doors as you approach and even ordering food and drinks wherever you are on the vessel.

Curious about the OceanMedallion? Want to dig your toes into the Caribbean sand? Come along with us as we share our day-by-day vacation on Caribbean Princess.