PORT Technology solution transforms passenger movement between decks on Carnival Horizon
By
Rebecca Gibson |
This article was first published in the 2018 issue of Cruise & Ferry Interiors. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Built at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy as a sister to Carnival Vista, the 133,500gt Carnival Horizon is a real ‘giant of the sea’ – she is 323 metres long and can accommodate 3,960 guests and 1,450 crew members. The sisters are the largest ships Fincantieri has ever built for Carnival Cruise Line – and the newest in the fleet.
Like Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon represents a new technological benchmark, thanks to her cutting-edge technical solutions and high performance. Carnival Horizon is also the first cruise ship to be equipped with Schindler Marine’s pioneering PORT Technology, an intelligent destination-dispatch solution that has transformed how passengers move between her decks.
Schindler Marine, which has fitted more than 2,400 elevators and escalator systems to cruise ships and mega yachts since it was founded in 1995, installed 33 elevators and four escalators on Carnival Horizon. The 16 core passenger elevators are all equipped with Schindler’s PORT Technology to facilitate a smoother and more energy-efficient embarkation and debarkation process for passengers.
Schindler’s solution uses elevator control and security access technology to establish which deck the passengers want to go to, and whether they have any mobility issues, before they even step into the car. Passengers select their destination from an intuitive touch panel in the lobby area and the system will direct them to a specific elevator alongside any other passengers who also want to go to the same deck. This reduces the number of intermediate stops, ensuring that everyone gets to their destination as quickly as possible. Not only does this reduce travel time on the elevators, but it also means that the cars are freed up more quickly to serve the next set of passengers. Consequently, the elevators can transport a greater number of people in the same amount of time. In fact, tests showed that the Schindler PORT Technology allows a time saving of up to 40% when passengers are embarking and disembarking.
“We are very proud to have contributed our mobility solutions to the Carnival Horizon project and to have brought our vanguard technology into a long-term partnership with Carnival Cruise Line and Fincantieri,” said Fabio Lavezzi, Schindler’s marine business director.