CLOSE Tech expert Jennifer Jolly tries out the Carnival medallion aboard a virtual cruise ship during the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. 
 
 Carnival's new medallion technology. (Photo: Carnival Corp.) 
 
 LAS VEGAS — When Carnival CEO Arnold Donald takes the stage at CES 2017 in Las Vegas on Thursday to deliver the opening keynote, it will be one of the few times in the event’s 50-year history that someone from outside the tech world gets top billing at the biggest gadget event of the year. 
 
 Donald plans to talk about how connected devices can change your life, and his company is putting its money where its mouth is. 
 
 Carnival is launching a small next-generation wearable that’s supposed to make your leisure time more leisurely and streamline everything you do on board the ship. It’s called the Ocean Medallion, and it’s no bigger than a quarter. You can wear it on your wrist or as a pendant on a chain, or even just slipped into the pocket of your jeans. No matter where you put it, it’s always working. 
 
 FULL COVERAGE: CES 2017 
 
 I had the exclusive first hands-on test-run with this new gadget Tuesday, ahead of the launch, in a 14-thousand square-foot virtual cruise ship that Carnival built on the CES showroom floor. The way it works is this: When you sign up for a cruise and establish your likes and dislikes — your basic vacation profile — you can opt-in for the Ocean Medallion free of charge. The company mails you the laser-etched disc with your name engraved on it, equipped with the latest Bluetooth and NFC technology. 
 
 An illustration of the components of Carnival's new medallion wearable technology. (Photo: Carnival Corp.) 
 
 You just have to wear your medallion, and you’re good to go. 
 
 Need more? Here's your guide to the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show 
 
 Remember when you were a kid and you didn’t have to worry about wallets or keys, except how much fun you were going to have that day? That’s what wearing the medallion is like. It unlocks your room door when you walk up, no keycard needed; it lets you buy whatever you want on the ship and charges it to your account; it keeps track of your past orders so that Carnival’s dining staff can customize your meals without you even having to ask; and it makes boarding and disembarking as simple as walking past a fancy sensor. 
 
 Two things strike me right away about all of this: It shows how the latest technology is expanding to the world around us in new and surprising ways. It’s similar to Disney’s MagicBand — designed by the same man behind the Ocean Medallion — that puts payment power on your wrist and unlocks the door to your room without a key. The Medallion does the same, and a whole lot more with a GPS-like navigation and information system that knows where you are, walks you right to where you need to go, and can even share your location with others on the ship, so they know what you’re up to. Basically, today it’s a Medallion on a cruise ship, but tomorrow (or someday) it could be the way we buy groceries, clothes, and cars. 
 
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A #TalkingTech video 14 of 23 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BEST GADGETS AND GIZMOS FROM CES 2017 This Carnival wearable will replace your keys, wallet on cruise ships | 2:21 Tech expert Jennifer Jolly tries out the Carnival medallion aboard a virtual cruise ship during the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. 15 of 23 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BEST GADGETS AND GIZMOS FROM CES 2017 CES 2017- Meet Kuri a new kind of personal robot | 1:23 New at CES 2017 - a new kind of personal robot, Kuri, from Mayfield Robotics. Jefferson Graham previews on #TalkingTech. 16 of 23 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE BEST GADGETS AND GIZMOS FROM CES 2017 5 tech experts on what they're most excited to see at this year's CES | 1:17 Reviewed.com has been covering CES for over a decade, and these are what our tech experts are most excited to see at this year's show. 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 The other big takeaway? This isn’t a new gadget for techies. There’s no screen, no buttons, and nothing to get confused by, it just works without you even having to think about it. You don’t have to charge it, monitor it, or even turn it on or off. If it’s lost or stolen, the owner or any crew member can deactivate it or replace it instantly. 
 
 It works as part of a huge network of 7,000 sensors on board the ship that function like a GPS system to help you find wherever you need to go. The device syncs with Carnival’s Ocean Compass, a smartphone app, or can be used on special kiosks on the ship or via in-room TVs. You select your destination on the ship and, with your Medallion knowing where you are, the app walks you right to where you need to go. 
 
 Carnival also says that there’s also no personal information stored on the Medallion itself, so there’s no risk that someone might try to hack it. 
 
 Bottom line: A cruise ship is like a tiny floating city. Soon, that city will be packed with sensors that take payments, open doors, and control almost every aspect of each passenger’s life. Today, our actual cities are beginning to look the same way, with touchless payments, smart homes, and cars that know how to get us to our destination better than we do. 
 
 So how long before we’re all wearing little discs that let us pay and play without worrying about our wallets? Amazon’s new Amazon Go corner store in Seattle lets customers walk in, take anything they want, and walk out without even visiting a checkout. The seamless integration of wearables with vacation life on select Carnival ships might actually be the future for all of us before long. 
 
 Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY's digital video show TECH NOW. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferJolly. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2hQHnyC ||||| SHARE COPY LINK At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday, Doral-based Carnival Corp. unveiled new wearable location technology that collects information about guests and uses it to create highly personalized experiences on board its ships. José A. Iglesias 
 
 At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday, Doral-based Carnival Corp. unveiled new wearable location technology that collects information about guests and uses it to create highly personalized experiences on board its ships. José A. Iglesias ||||| Carnival’s top rival, Royal Caribbean Cruises, already offers smartbands on high-end ships like the Anthem of the Seas. Called WOW bands, they serve as room keys, allow for wireless payment and make it faster and easier to embark and disembark. 
 
 But Carnival says that its offering takes such systems much further, in part because its technology is designed to be invisible. Unlike with smartbands, there is no need to tap a sensor on a stateroom door for entry; simply approaching the correct room with the Ocean Medallion in your pocket will unlock the door. Among the medallion system’s other offerings is a navigation tool designed to help family members find one another on the often-labyrinthine ships. 
 
 Under Mr. Donald, who took over Carnival in mid-2013 after a string of ship debacles, the company has boomed. In the most recent quarter, Carnival had a record $1.4 billion in net income, a 17 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. 
 
 But he remains under pressure to recruit new customers. About 24.2 million people worldwide took a cruise in 2016, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. That sounds like a lot, but “cruise vacations only represent about 2 percent of all vacations,” said David Beckel, an analyst at Bernstein Research. 
 
 “Because there is such a low penetration rate, any increase in penetration — even a minor, minor one — represents a big difference, and hence the effort to improve the customer experience,” Mr. Beckel said. 
 
 As part of its Ocean Medallion plan, Carnival has turned to television, paying to produce three travel shows designed to make cruising look fun and easy. The shows has been broadcast on weekends in recent months on ABC, NBC and the CW. In one 30-minute episode of “The Voyager with Josh Garcia,” the host is seen chatting with artists in Puerto Rico about making masks from coconuts. Carnival plans to produce at least 80 episodes in total. ||||| So the holidays happened, you had fun with your family, enjoyed your time off — now it's back to reality. 
 
 That's when you remember you don't even like your job that much. You'd much rather be doing something us like — oh, I don't know — traveling and taking dope pictures so you can stunt on Instagram and get paid while doing it. 
 
 Well what a coinkydink! Turns out, a cruise company is willing to give you the opportunity to do just that. 
 
 This isn't just any cruise company, though. This is Royal Caribbean we're talking about, and it posted a message through its UK Instagram calling for someone to take a three-week “intern-ship.” 
 
 Per Royal Caribbean's site, your responsibilities for that period of time will be “finding and documenting the extraordinary on a daily basis via Instagram,” while traveling through different regions, including New York, the Caribbean, Asia and the Mediterranean. 
 
 Your compensation? £3,000, which is worth about $3,700. 
 
 Anyway, bet you're wondering how to apply, aren't you? Well, we've got you covered there. BUT FIRST, there's a couple of things we should note: 
 
 Now, this opportunity doesn't require you to somehow have 10 years of experience for an entry level position like all the other stupid jobs you applied for when you graduated from college, but there are some serious qualifications you need to have. 
 
 For instance, one requirement that Royal Caribbean lists is — wait, let me put on my glasses — ah, “own a smartphone.” Very tough, indeed. 
 
 Here's another doozy: “Skilled in Instagram with extensive knowledge of all 23 filters.” 
 
 But seriously, practically every millennial is qualified to do this “job,” so check it out. Even if you like your job, you can just do what I'm about to do: apply and use your vacation days to take the cruises. 
 
 Duh! 
 
 Applicants must be 21 or older and post their most extraordinary travel photo or short video on Instagram, tagging @RoyalCaribbeanUK and #ExtraordinaryExplorer. The last day to apply is January 31. 
 
 Who knows? Pretty soon you could be toasting to the good life and a good intern-ship (that was the last time, I promise). 
 
 Citations: Best job in the world? Professional holidaymaker wanted to post just three Instagram pictures a day from FREE cruises around the world (with salary equivalent to £52,000 a year) Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4087376/Best-job-world-Professional-holidaymaker-wanted-post-just-three-Instagram-pictures-day-FREE-cruises-world-salary-equivalent-52-000-year.html (MailOnline), THE ROYAL CARIBBEAN EXTRAORDINARY ‘INTERN-SHIP' (Royal Caribbean) 
 
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– “It’s the first time that a company can know who you are, it can know what you want, it can know where you are, it can at least make a good guess at what mood you’re in," a consumer expert tells the Miami Herald. If that statement doesn't horrify you, consider booking a Carnival cruise in the new year. The New York Times reports Carnival Cruises is unveiling a new piece of technology—developed by two former Disney executives—Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show. It's called the Ocean Medallion, and it's a smart device the size of a quarter that cruise passengers can carry or wear on them. "I think initially most people ... will say, ‘We have stuff like that,’ and they are wrong. They don’t," Carnival's CEO tells the Herald. Cruisers can use the Ocean Medallion to buy food and drinks and open room doors without even taking it out of their pocket. When their medallions approach cruise staff, employee tablets display their names and information about them. The medallions collect info about cruisers' meals and activities so staff can customize both without cruisers asking first. The medallions will let staff know where cruisers are and even allow entertainers to give shout-outs to cruisers watching from the privacy of their rooms. Jennifer Jolly at USA Today tried out the Ocean Medallion and says it's like returning to childhood, when you didn't have to worry about your wallet or keys. Carnival says some guests will find the new technology has a "creepiness factor," but they'll be won over by its benefits. (This cruise company is going to pay someone to post cruise pics on Instagram.)