Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its use of facial biometric technology to facilitate disembarkation at nine ports, so passengers can navigate their vacations faster and more efficiently. To date, more than 3 million Carnival guests have already enjoyed the easy and convenient transportation.
Nine Carnival Homeports Using Facial Biometrics
Nine of Carnival Cruise Line’s 14 US ports are using facial recognition technology in partnership with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), covering the busiest ports the cruise line uses and already speeding up processing for more than three million guests.
The technology is already being used successfully on Carnival cruises at Port Canaveral, the busiest port in the worldas well as Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, New York, Baltimore, Mobile, Galveston, and Long Beach.
“Extending this capability to our home US location ensures that we are doing everything we can to make the tourism process as easy as possible for our guests,” said Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line. “Thanks to our partnership with CBP, these technology solutions make the process more efficient, while providing visitors with a sense of safety and security, knowing that their information is protected.”
This summer, these ports also include Carnival’s Excel-class ships, Mardi Gras from Port Canaveral and Carnival Festival in Miami. These are the largest ships in Carnival’s fleet, and each can host 5,282 guests at double occupancy, or up to 6,465 passengers when fully booked with all seats full. During the summer months, bookings are easier than ever for families and groups.
When the third Excel-class vessel, Carnival Jubileejoins the fleet in December from Galveston, guests traveling on the new ship will also enjoy the benefits of facial biometric technology.
How Facial Biometrics Work
Facial biometrics recognition works by taking a high-speed, high-resolution photo of guests as they disembark, and quickly comparing that photo to a photo already on file with each guest’s passport or visa.
The process only takes about two seconds, and has an accuracy of over 98%. Travelers’ information is confirmed to have the right to leave immediately, and photos of US citizens are removed to protect privacy.
“CBP is excited to expand the use of facial biometrics through a process to improve security and improve the passenger experience through public/private partnerships with cruise lines,” he said. said Diane J. Sabatino, Deputy Executive Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, US Customs and Border Protection.
“Through our partnership with Carnival Cruise Line, we will continue to transform the cruise industry through the use of new technology and innovative solutions and strengthen our data sharing partnership to protect US ports.”
The data collected from the implementation of the technology so far shows a 30% reduction in speed, compared to documents for travel passports or other identification. When you can land thousands of visitors in just a few hours, this can be a huge change from traditional methods.
Travelers who are not comfortable with technology or prefer hand-held screens can opt out of using a face-to-face interface to authenticate a check from a CBP officer.
A total of 38 ports across the US (both cargo and passenger ports) have biometric technology available, and while not all of Carnival Cruise Line’s ports have it, some cruise lines are also using the technology.
In April, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced the technology in Bostonand all cruises that use a Massachusetts port will be able to use it.
