omc329

The medallion technology had me a bit nervous for my dh. My son, (electrical engineer), and dh have both convinced me the technology is safe. Supposedly the worst would be a 'hiccup' not an entire shut down of the device, and even that would be unlikely. That said, you are correct, keep it away from the pacemaker, not just on her, but if you are holding or hugging her, be aware of your own medallion. I kept picturing this thing in my head of giving dh a hug while wearing my medallion. Ugh.

Also, just as in the the detectors at store entrances, one should not 'hang around' the receivers around the ship. Again, they don't put out a lot of interference, but they have a minute potential for 'hiccups' type of problem. Even dh's employee card that lets him in at work has a chip. The doc told him the same thing, keep it out of the breast pocket and in the pants pocket.

Personally, I wish they had not introduced this whole medallion thing, but given the number of pacemakers on any given ship,  one must hope they have done their homework and it is all safe.

We booked the one out of Dublin. We booked when they first came out. Prices then were pretty much the same. Choices of cabins were VERY limited and sold out quickly. When the $1000obc special showed up, I was lucky to be able to get it added to our cruises. By the end of the first week of the special, prices had escalated and cabin selections and categories dwindled dramatically. There will be no further reductions for those going out of Dublin on that one.

With so few cabins open, categories dwindle quickly and opportunities to add specials or price reductions virtually disappear. If I were to do it again, we would book out of Southampton, however if we wanted Dublin or Le Havre we would book asap after they opened for booking and then "hope" to get a deal added before the cabins sold out.

That said, when comparing prices, also check airfare. For us Dublin was cheaper.

Question to those in the know. Ds often splits a room with my sister to cut costs for both of them. Sis has stock and gets her obc. Ds was thinking of purchasing the stock, but can he get the obc if sis is getting it in the same room? Different last names and addresses in different states if that makes a difference.

He doesn't want to buy stock just to get turned down.

Our first Princess cruise was a Panama cruise. Our 30ish son was on that cruise. So was my 60ish sister.

Everyone loved the cruise, the service etc., with one exception, the music was slower than slow. I was down at the desk complaining time and again that there should be one good option for more modern music. As ds put it, something newer than half a century ago would be nice.

We all decided, that given the itinerary, they were deliberately catering to an ancient crowd. They did get the message eventually. When we walked into a dance venue, the music would pick up a bit to the 60's and 70's, and when we walked out, the music went back to snoreville. As one guy put it, (old guy), we may be old but we're not dead yet!!!

Ds was reluctant to try Princess again after the experience, but given the itinerary was the Panama, agreed he would 'think' about trying a 7 day out of CA.

In the meantime we tried Carnival again just for ds. UGH!! Even ds has no desire to ever try that again. The worst was their neglect in handling dh's salt issues. He was in a wheelchair by the time we disembarked. He could barely breathe on the plane. NEVER AGAIN!!!! Service was a definite decline from Princess and even the late night parties that ds usually enjoys were a disappointment for him.

So he is scheduled to try Princess twice more. One is the British Isles, and with no expectations for old vs young. That one is all about the itinerary. The other will be Pacific Coastals out of CA. If they also draw the silver crowds with no younger population or semi-recent music, we will likely choose another line in the future when booking with ds, with the exception of strong itineraries.

Princess has an opportunity to expand it's clientele simply by doing small changes. One venue consistently using more modern music for instance. I mean, I like the 50's and 60's well enough, (though I've never heard them done so badly before), but I understand what ds means when he said the music was over a half century old.

On the other hand, I found enough music that I liked on Carnival, that I strained a ligament dancing too much. Maybe Princess IS for me! :eek: *LOL*

Perhaps it will be time for me to try a river cruise by then. I've been debating trying them for some time. I left NCL for various reasons, including their superships. I'm beginning to think Princess may end up becoming another NCL. No thanks.

In today's society, many men no longer own suit jackets, both my sons included. Dh has one, but I don't think it fits anymore. It would be dead weight in the luggage just so he could sit in the dining room, a necessity as he has special dietary needs.

We will continue to pack black slacks, black shirt and a sharp looking tie for formal night. If turned away, I will raise it up the ladder as they are endangering dh's health.

I am in favor of updating the rules to today's society. Men no longer wear tails, cravats or beaver hats either. Times change as do fashions.

So I called. I have been assured all is fine. They will not be able to give me an invoice that shows it for a couple of weeks, as QC is apparently backed up and the ta's system can't seem to handle the change on the invoice, though it is in their system.

I just would feel better if I had something besides huge $$ showing on the travel summary.

Thanks for the feedback.

too small, couldn't read - try adjusting the font size

Not certain what is up with the size. It is quite large on my screen, but I've resized it.

I rebooked with the promo, but my box ta couldn't get it to show in my receipt, though she claimed it shows on her side.

So I checked the Princess side and found premiere beverage package promotions on the bottom of the travel summary, but it shows as though we are being charged??? Is that how it is supposed to show, or do I need to make another phone call?

Anyone know? Thanks.

I rebooked with the promo, but my box ta couldn't get it to show in my receipt, though she claimed it shows on her side.

So I checked the Princess side and found premiere beverage package promotions on the bottom of the travel summary, but it shows as though we are being charged??? Is that how it is supposed to show, or do I need to make another phone call?

Anyone know? Thanks. :)

We have a 2019 British Isles booked out of Dublin. They have a stranglehold on the number of cabins they are releasing for that port. I had to play games to get the obc with the 3 cabins we had booked.

Cabin 1 - I had to change our cabin up one category to release our cabin, understanding that we might lose our cabin and be stuck with a slightly higher price and less desirable cabin. Before they finalized the details, I saw my old cabin pop up and asked to be put back. It was all a pain, and took an hour and half of my time, but for $1000, worth the effort and risk.

Cabin 2 - Minisuite, they refared with no issue. Took minutes.

Cabin 3- Minisuite, (same category as above), not a clue what went wrong. It took another hour and half to get this one cleared up. Instead of having us book up one, clear the cabin and rebook, they went to a supervisor to add the obc. When it finally came back, they had jerked the price way up. They had to call back, (we use a big box co), and start all over again. It was a mess and would have been easier to take a risk on losing the cabin and booking up one and then moving back.

Long story short, all the cabins are unchanged and all have the obc applied now. I seriously doubt we'll get any further deals applied to that trip given the stranglehold on cabins out of Dublin. Knowing this now, I would not have chosen that sailing, but with a group, it is hard to move plans around.

I'm thrilled in any which case. Now we have gratuities, drinks and a couple of excursions covered, and enough ta refundable to cover hotels precruise! :D:)

We have had both good and bad experiences. Dh has severe swelling issues and must watch the salt.

On one cruise they were excellent, and we could tell by his breathing how well they handled it. The next cruise on Princess the head waiter told us it was of no importance as they didn't add much salt to their foods and started to walk away. I had to call him back and INSIST strongly. He reluctantly agreed to take on the job.

The next evening his meal, to me, did not seem to be closely attended to on the salt front. I mentioned to my waitress how severe his problems were and SHE told me SHE would be certain his meals were carefully prepared. Although the head waiter took his order every evening for the next night, I credit our waitress for monitoring the situation the remainder of the cruise.

It does seem to matter who your head waiter is and whether they think your problem is enough for them to be bothered with. If you get a dud for a head waiter, be firm.

Appreciate the update on the ice. Small beans to some, big to others of us. Sounds as though dh will have to pick a time to lock himself into the cabin for a couple of hours while waiting on a bucket. Be easier if we could just go pick it up somewhere. Either way, I'm all for cleanliness on a ship!

Our upcoming trip will be our first Carnival in years. I am MORE than a bit disappointed to hear about the ice bucket. DH uses the ice all day long. I'll be down at the services desk if this happens to us, and writing Carnival a letter post cruise.

Some things may seem little to others, but this is a HUGE one for us. Dh spends a LOT of time in the cabin and drinks a LOT of water and ice while there. Waiting around on room service to deliver ice is unacceptable. (Yes, dh is in the room, but not necessarily for hours at one time, feeling as though he can't leave while waiting for ice that we are accustomed to having refreshed twice daily, whether he's there or not.)

If the stewards are not going to deliver, do as the hotels and put the machines at the end of the hall. Talk about going downhill. Ugh!

I've been trying to go into this cruise with an open mind. I booked it more for my adult son who likes to have someone to vacation with. Princess was a bit 'silver', and we all don't care for the changes under the new regime at Norwegian. Enter, Carnival.

I've kept saying, while reading these boards, worst case this, worst case that. No ice........OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll take it up at the services desk. *sigh* :(

Keep thinking of sitting on that balcony, enjoying the stars......

A clear statement needs to be made. I feel they are MORE liable without one. A statement similar to, "Medallions have RFID technology that 'could' effect pacemakers if placed within x inches of the pacemaker. Also, we use blue tooth technology throughout the ship in conjunction with the medallions. Please consult your physician and/or pacemaker manufacturer with any concerns."

They are not declaring it to be dangerous, merely stating current systems being used. Asking one's physician if something is safe without knowing what something is, is useless. Having to search out the internet for answers that should be easily found is sad.

This really concerns us. DH has a pacemaker/defibrillator, and we have been worried about problems with pacemakers and ***** since they were announced. Also, I'm very allergic to nickel, and it has been suggested that I might have to carry it in my pocket or carry a purse.

After another hour worth of research last night with dh(puter techie) and ds(electrical engineer), I have fewer concerns with the medallion at this point. Folks here were right about going to the manufacturer site for more info. That helped a lot.

HOWEVER, I still believe Princess should make VERY clear on their site, without one having to spend hours of research, the safety of their medallion program and how it potentially would or would not effect pacemakers. They could ease the minds of a lot of folks by clarifying this information and even posting the link to the manufacturer so folks can easily research further or contact their doctors armed with actual information.

I still say, Princess needs to step up!

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/customerCare.page

 

 

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Thank you. I found that one, but I didn't feel as though my question fit the required fields they have to send an email to them. I guess, push comes to shove, I can just put in anything and let them forward it to the appropriate dept.

EXACTLY what kind of "definitive" answer are you expecting to get from Princess??:confused:

Not what I asked for, thank you. I just need the contact info.

After the pacemaker thread, I have decided I need a definitive statement from Princess before booking the European trip we were planning on taking in 2019. Maybe I'm slow or something, but I can't seem to figure out on their site, who and how to contact to get a solid answer on this rfid stuff and pacemakers. Anyone here have an email addy, or something, (prefer email where I can track and keep records...)?? Thanks!

I don't know about getting the swipe cards but remember there will be electronic readers scattered all over the ship which will be transmitting a low level signal at 2.4 GHZ looking for the *****. This is the only way the ship can track the individual OMs. No matter where pax go on the ship, they will be "bathed" in the signal. So refusing to use the ***** seems rather senseless if one wants to avoid the electromagnetic waves that the ***** will emit when they come in contact with the reader's output. What is the point? :confused:

DS pointed this out last night while we were talking. While we were chatting we also found where one should be careful not to linger around security gates at stores. Interesting. So, is Princess going to bother to clearly mark where these areas are so dh and others can be careful??? Man! I finally find a cruise line I like again, and now I'm feeling uncertain of its' future. Ugh.

On a side note, Disney made a clear statement about their rfid devices and pacemakers. Princess....STEP UP!!

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/my-disney-experience/frequency-technology/

When NCL when to some dirt cheap tea, I started carrying my own around. I still pack it for all cruises. I've recently read some complaints about Carnival cutting tea choices as well. Tea is cheap. I don't get it, but will continue packing my own and carrying it around on the ship.

I have to laugh at a comment in the dining room on NCL one time by the staff after they acknowledged that folks weren't happy with the tea change. "No, we've had no complaints, only comments." NCL eventually conceded and went back to the old brand. Don't know if that holds true still, as it has been a while since we cruised them....

I don't know how much is fluff, and how much is real, but I don't care to take risks until Princess clearly states they will take all responsibility if dh shuts down.

In answer to some of the questions, those that I know,,,,, YES , magnets are dangerous, NO, he NEVER goes through those checks at museums and such, they wave him to the side when he shows his card. NO, he does not get his phone near his left side, he was told to ONLY use it on the right side by his doctor. Yes, he does use bluetooth, in part to keep his phone away from the pacemaker.

Let me add this link, that lists the do's and don'ts of pacemakers by the american heart ass..

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/PreventionTreatmentofArrhythmia/Devices-that-may-Interfere-with-Pacemakers_UCM_302013_Article.jsp#

I don't know how real or merely perceived are the risks, but I would feel better if Princess would step up with more clarity on the matter. This is life or death, not a game on the net to be guessed at.

Are we permitted to opt for the old swipe cards on these new systems?

Well THAT's a scary thought! Dh is on a pacemaker. I keep my keycard, or in this case medallion, on my neck. Imagine giving him a hug and watching him drop! :eek:

No medallions for us! I sure hope they are making it VERY clear to folks before they get those things.

NCL charges gratuities on their "free" packages. imo, they have raised prices to charge more on those "freebies". The occasional drinker has no good value on NCL. If you are a heavy drinker, increasing the prices won't bother you much since most are on the "free" packages.

I haven't written NCL off entirely, but if I do go on them again, I plan on doing most of my drinking OFF the ship!!! Provided Princess doesn't get greedy, I still plan on doing most of my drinking ON the ship for the time being, so long as the value is there.

In either case, packages don't work for us. Dh can't drink, and paying for 2 packages, even as a "freebie", isn't worth the $$$.

Immediately after getting out of the car, find a porter and give him your luggage. If you lug them around looking for the entrance, you will eventually have to find a porter because they discourage bringing your luggage with you to check-in, so might as well get it over with sooner than later. .

Is this port not following normal standards for carryon? We NEVER hand over our luggage, though we do travel light. One 20" roll on and two backpacks. Are we going to have issues of some sort carrying them on at this port?

When we were on our Panama cruise on the Coral, they did not enforce the Lotus pool as adult only. Don't know if it was supposed to be or not, there was no signage stating it as adult only. Kids were in there, whatever the terms.