Princess Cruises have plans to launch the first-ever seagoing AOL Internet Cafes aboard Princess Cruises` fleet of worldwide ships.
The AOL Internet Cafes hosted by Princess are the first major shipboard initiative to come from an alliance announced between P&O Princess Cruises and America Online in October 2000, and also mark the first time that any cruise company has introduced branded Internet centres at sea.
The new cafes will offer state-of-the-art computer stations for surfing the Internet and accessing e-mail, allowing new and existing AOL members to visit their favourite online features, content and services across several America Online brands.
The first such AOL Internet Cafe will debut aboard the line`s new Golden Princess, which launches next month in the Mediterranean. Twenty-five computer stations will be available in this inaugural Internet Cafe, which is being designed to offer a number of AOL interactive products and services, along with other business and Internet features.
Passengers will also be able to access AOL brands through computers in Grand Princess` business centre, which is being converted to an AOL Internet Cafe.
Other Princess ships should also feature AOL Internet Cafes by the end of the year. The cafes will also incorporate full business capabilities, including fax machines, printers and photocopy machines.
The AOL Internet Cafe will be open 24 hours a day on board Golden Princess. P&O Princess Cruises and America Online will also engage in a series of marketing programs to promote the AOL service to Princess passengers.
In addition, AOL Hometown, AOL`s popular home page community, now features a “My Princess Cruise” personal home page template, making it easy for members to post photos and add Princess-themed graphics to their pages. This will allow passengers to create a personalised page about their cruise, and share pictures and stories with family and friends at home.
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