Get ready for Ocean Medallion Class™

[pablo222]

I just hope it works better than Princess @ Sea. I had a terrible time with the app on our cruise last week. Last year, I had a Windows phone and the app didn't work on it, but now I have an Android phone, and I constantly lost connection. Great idea, but doesn't work well.

 

I have experienced the constant loss of connection.

This is particularly a problem with Samsung phone running

Android 5.0 and later.

 

When I was on Royal in March, the situation was as you described.

I had my phone set up to generate an alert every time I lost

wifi connection, and it was really, really frequent as I moved about

the ship.

 

When I was on Royal in November, they had really cleaned things

up, and the connection issues were much better.

 

They had opened a bunch of the google addresses that Android

uses to decide if it has an internet connection, or not.

there are some details here:

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/139588/captive-portal-detection-causing-phones-to-disconnect-from-wi-fi-in-intranet-env

 

It is still disappointing that there is no new message notification.

Not having that really decreases the usefulness.

[latserrof]

Originally Posted by Skai

Had to share this from another thread.

 

[dtb55]

Originally Posted by Skai

Had to share this from another thread.

 

 

 

 

[emoji23]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Thrak]

I have experienced the constant loss of connection.

This is particularly a problem with Samsung phone running

Android 5.0 and later.

 

When I was on Royal in March, the situation was as you described.

I had my phone set up to generate an alert every time I lost

wifi connection, and it was really, really frequent as I moved about

the ship.

 

When I was on Royal in November, they had really cleaned things

up, and the connection issues were much better.

They had opened a bunch of the google addresses that Android

uses to decide if it has an internet connection, or not.

there are some details here:

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/139588/captive-portal-detection-causing-phones-to-disconnect-from-wi-fi-in-intranet-env

 

It is still disappointing that there is no new message notification.

Not having that really decreases the usefulness.

 

Nice! An actual tech solution from Princess IT. Hard to believe - what will happen next? :D Of course the linked info says that the problem hasn't been solved but it does show that they are actually trying to find an answer. BTW, I don't have a Samsung phone - I'm a Droid boy - and I also have been consistently disconnected from the local intranet.

 

The Medallion Class ships are also supposed to be receiving a hefty upgrade to their WiFi systems. That could really help as well.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Thrak

[pablo222]

Nice! An actual tech solution from Princess IT. Hard to believe - what will happen next? :D Of course the linked info says that the problem hasn't been solved but it does show that they are actually trying to find an answer. BTW, I don't have a Samsung phone - I'm a Droid boy - and I also have been consistently disconnected from the local intranet.

 

I think the post I linked was pretty old.

 

They seem to have fixed the problem on Royal, hopefully

they will be able to spread the fix to other machines.

[Thrak]

I think the post I linked was pretty old.

 

They seem to have fixed the problem on Royal, hopefully

they will be able to spread the fix to other machines.

 

Royal, Regal, and Caribbean are all scheduled to be the first three ship switched to Medallion Class and they have stated that the WiFi onboard those ships is being greatly upgraded. Perhaps that is the reason for the improvement you saw. Whatever the reason, not being dropped all the time is really good news.

[greenie082756]

I'm kind of hoping that the info entered can be at a more granular level. I will always want my Bloody Mary to be extra spicy. If I can have every bartender know that in advance I won't have to bother ordering it that way. The ability to enter your food allergies into the system so that every chef and every server knows in advance that you have special needs "should" mean that you don't have to meet up with the head waiter in advance to make this clear. We all know that the current system isn't working well as far as entering info in advance. Having it linked to a medallion that you are carrying with you should be able to alert all concerned right then and there in the dining venue.

 

There must be others who have some sort of specialized preferences they would like to enter so that they are readily seen by anybody who checks their device. I'm not afraid of disclosing my information in regard to these things.

 

I agree that much of the info that one will enter into the medallion system in advance is already info we enter when booking, etc. That's one of the reasons I don't understand the panic which, I am guessing, is also what you are saying. It's no big deal.

 

Actually, this is fantastic that it will free up time for everyone!

 

I myself have a medical allergy that they don't know about but just imagine if something

happened how the medical staff would immediately know if that information is linked on the medallion. I think its wonderful!

[caribill]

This makes sense but probably not practical. For one, the bartender usually makes the drink before scanning the card/medallion to pay for it so they won't see any personal info. As far as allergies, that would require a scanner at every table to pinpoint where you are exactly (which is what Disney does at Be our guest), and I don't think they will invest to that level.

 

 

With 7000 sensors on the ship, you will likely always be near one.

[caribill]

A little bit of info teased out. The photographers should be getting equipment to read the medallions and tie photos to them (facial rec will still also be used).

 

Rumor only: As part of this they will move to an all digital preview format for photos, no more or limited prints. This may not happen same time as initial rollout.

 

If you have a group photo, will the photographer read the medallions of everyone in the picture?

 

The Royal had kiosks where you could see your photos digitally and then order prints if you wished. (They also had the prints on display as in the past.)

 

At the time I tried it I would give the effort a C- at best and I hope that Princess has greatly enhanced the software they used.

 

o For facial recognition, they used the photo taken for the cruise card when you first embark. Not always the best quality photo for sophisticated face recognition.

 

o To see your photos, you had to indicate for what event and about what time it was taken.

 

o There were photos of people we did not know in the collection of phots for us. I do not know if this was because the facial recognition software was finding other people that sort of looked like one of us. It could also could have been because of a sharing feature where you can enter in a cabin number to share a photo with and someone could have entered in the wrong cabin number.

 

o Even after over ten minutes effort, we could not locate a photo we wanted to see. The photo gallery staff person who then helped us tried for several minutes and could not find it in our collection of photos. She finally went to her computer and looked through every photo taken at that event until she finally located ours. This took another five minites or more.

 

Unless finding your photos accurately and quickly is a top priority of such a system, I predict photo sales will drop significantly. Passengers will not spend 15 minutes or more at a screen trying to locate a photo, whether the screen is one of a limited number of such screens in the photo gallery or if the screen is your cabin TV.

[koko1]

Sounds like IR Chip technology, like farmers use to track their cows. Cow A gets 2.5lb of feed today, with added vitamins, Cow B gets a different mix. etc. So as long as they don't track food intake, we should be good. ;)

 

I sure hope it doesn't erase 2-3 times in a cruise, like the current cruise cards do for me. :(

 

And I have a hard enough time tracking a cruise card, changing from day wear to swim suit to day wear to evening wear. A small coin like medallion doesn't stand a chance of being not lost sometime...

 

One does have to wonder what they will use for preferences, seeing as Princess has yet to get what we want in an Elite minibar setup straight, or even if we want a bathrobe.

 

Any chance we can set preferences to say "Not interested in Art Auction or Bingo" and stop all the paper ads and shipwide announcements? .... OK, probably not, just wishful thinking.

 

You would have to wonder what other information will be transmitted: "Cheapskate (doesn't drink)", or "heavy tipper" or... ???

 

The whole thing sounds kind of creepy & invasive. I am also concerned about "what other information will be transmitted". Sounds more like a marketing tool for Princess to analyze buying patterns than a customer service enhancement. Hopefully it will not develop Siri-like capability & start talking ("Time for bingo - free card if you purchase 2...." If I had a choice I would set preferences to "Lee me loan."

[Loonbeam]

Good question and not sure, but the idea is to reduce dependence on facial rec (unless you can throw a lot of processing power at it, its not that great) so they can move away from paper which is both expensive AND generates a lot of waste.

 

My guess is they will link the people in one cabin, and if a photo is taken that spans cabins or groups they will scan 1 from each. Again, it seems like they are taking the Disney model. Facial rec will still be used for crowd shots, etc.

 

If I were them, I would have an ipad or similar reader on a stand near the photog, so as people walk up, anyone who wants images from that set just taps their medallion. When done, the photog taps end session and on to the next. Could even possibly preview the images. Would be fast and effective. But no idea if that's what they are doing.

 

If you have a group photo, will the photographer read the medallions of everyone in the picture?

 

The Royal had kiosks where you could see your photos digitally and then order prints if you wished. (They also had the prints on display as in the past.)

 

At the time I tried it I would give the effort a C- at best and I hope that Princess has greatly enhanced the software they used.

 

o For facial recognition, they used the photo taken for the cruise card when you first embark. Not always the best quality photo for sophisticated face recognition.

 

o To see your photos, you had to indicate for what event and about what time it was taken.

 

o There were photos of people we did not know in the collection of phots for us. I do not know if this was because the facial recognition software was finding other people that sort of looked like one of us. It could also could have been because of a sharing feature where you can enter in a cabin number to share a photo with and someone could have entered in the wrong cabin number.

 

o Even after over ten minutes effort, we could not locate a photo we wanted to see. The photo gallery staff person who then helped us tried for several minutes and could not find it in our collection of photos. She finally went to her computer and looked through every photo taken at that event until she finally located ours. This took another five minites or more.

 

Unless finding your photos accurately and quickly is a top priority of such a system, I predict photo sales will drop significantly. Passengers will not spend 15 minutes or more at a screen trying to locate a photo, whether the screen is one of a limited number of such screens in the photo gallery or if the screen is your cabin TV.

[Thrak]

Actually, this is fantastic that it will free up time for everyone!

 

I myself have a medical allergy that they don't know about but just imagine if something

happened how the medical staff would immediately know if that information is linked on the medallion. I think its wonderful!

 

There you go! I have several drug allergies. I'll be sure to enter them if possible. Thanks for the reminder. :)

 

I keep checking the OCEAN site from time to time to see if there is anything new there but, so far, it's still just the general info. One of these days...

 

Imagine how much time staff could save it one could enter their Elite or Suite mini-bar setup preferences. If that is possible (and if the staff does as requested) it might save all the time spent swapping out one item for another. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one - especially not at first - but it is just one more thing that could potentially be a benefit of the medallion.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Thrak

[SoCal Cruiser78]

There you go! I have several drug allergies. I'll be sure to enter them if possible...

 

Having worked in health care for many years, I would still recommend wearing a medical alert bracelet or anklet with allergies listed. That way if the medallion system is down or otherwise inaccessible in an emergency you'd still be okay. Medical staff should be trained to look for medical alert bracelets.

Edited January 25, 2017 by SoCal Cruiser78

[caribill]

 

Imagine how much time staff could save it one could enter their Elite or Suite mini-bar setup preferences. If that is possible (and if the staff does as requested) it might save all the time spent swapping out one item for another. I wouldn't hold my breath on this one - especially not at first - but it is just one more thing that could potentially be a benefit of the medallion.

 

Do not need the Medallion technology for that.

 

It could be implemented today by just adding that option to the Personalizer.

 

However, that really cause much extra effort on the part of the room service staff, not being able to put the same setup in every eligible cabin on a very busy turnaround day.

[Thrak]

Do not need the Medallion technology for that.

 

It could be implemented today by just adding that option to the Personalizer.

 

However, that really cause much extra effort on the part of the room service staff, not being able to put the same setup in every eligible cabin on a very busy turnaround day.

 

The personalizer info often doesn't get communicated to the shipboard personnel. The Medallion info is supposed to be readily available to all shipboard personnel.

 

I suppose it might add to the work rather than making it easier at that. Having it standardized would conceivably keep some issues from occurring. I have always thought that not having room service liquor in the cabin when one boards could be a precaution against passengers claiming they didn't receive it and claiming that the steward staff must have stolen it.

 

When I posted I was thinking of the wasted time and effort to put it in the cabin only to have room service have to come swap it out.

 

Perhaps a customized array might not be feasible but it "should" be possible to specify that one would prefer the two coffee cards rather than the liquor setup. That would mean the setup wouldn't have to be delivered and then removed later in exchange for the coffee cards.

[chamima]

The personalizer info often doesn't get communicated to the shipboard personnel. The Medallion info is supposed to be readily available to all shipboard personnel.

 

I suppose it might add to the work rather than making it easier at that. Having it standardized would conceivably keep some issues from occurring. I have always thought that not having room service liquor in the cabin when one boards could be a precaution against passengers claiming they didn't receive it and claiming that the steward staff must have stolen it.

 

When I posted I was thinking of the wasted time and effort to put it in the cabin only to have room service have to come swap it out.

 

Perhaps a customized array might not be feasible but it "should" be possible to specify that one would prefer the two coffee cards rather than the liquor setup. That would mean the setup wouldn't have to be delivered and then removed later in exchange for the coffee cards.

 

OR -instead of the standard set-up they could just put a card in your cabin asking you to order what you want as they do with canapes on formal night.

I have to think the vast majority of people just keep the standard set-up or they would have switched to this option years ago.

Edited January 25, 2017 by chamima

[floridalover5623]

OR -instead of the standard set-up they could just put a card in your cabin asking you to order what you want as they do with canapes on formal night.

I have to think the vast majority of people just keep the standard set-up or they would have switched to this option years ago.

 

I think that most people don't even realize that the setup can be exchanged for other items or 2 coffee cards.

[latserrof]

One aspect that appears to be largely overlooked in this discussion is the cruise staff's ability (or lack thereof) to learn, adapt to, implement, and perform with this new system. Will Medallion make things simpler and easier for them? Or more complex and difficult? Will the staff also have to retain some of their old methods in order to carry on if/when the system (or parts of it) has glitches?

[Thrak]

I think that most people don't even realize that the setup can be exchanged for other items or 2 coffee cards.

 

I think you are almost certainly correct.

[cruzrbachoua]

Will Medallion make things simpler and easier for them? Or more complex and difficult?

 

I think I bit of both. I thought I heard or read in one of the promos that you can now order spa services and such from any staff member...so now will stewards not only have limited time to turn our cabins they will now be stopped in the hallways to book spa treatments...same for waiters...they would be able to do this as well. So will that hold up service in dining rooms as people ask their waiters to do things that normally were not done before. For the most part I am sure people will do it on their own, but I have seen (sadly) on some of my cruises those that feel they need to be pampered to the extreme and the way they speak to and treat the staff is atrocious. So I have no doubt those ones will be the ones thinking why do I need to use my tv, phone or kiosk when I can just have my waiter book my sanctuary, spa or etc...We had a couple at one of our tables that felt that they were above everyone and treated us at the table and the staff as if we were scum. They talked down to everyone and expected/demanded to be treated like royalty. Hey I am all for the pampering I get on the ship, it is fabulous and Princess does a great job, but when you come with a chip on your shoulder and shoo people away like they are pests those are the ones that seem to ruin it for all. Luckily they didn't attend our table the full cruise as why should they have to dine with peasants...ugh! The staff are people who just happen to have a job in service, treat them nice and they will do the same or above.

[Thrak]

I For the most part I am sure people will do it on their own, but I have seen (sadly) on some of my cruises those that feel they need to be pampered to the extreme and the way they speak to and treat the staff is atrocious. So I have no doubt those ones will be the ones thinking why do I need to use my tv, phone or kiosk when I can just have my waiter book my sanctuary, spa or etc...We had a couple at one of our tables that felt that they were above everyone and treated us at the table and the staff as if we were scum. They talked down to everyone and expected/demanded to be treated like royalty. Hey I am all for the pampering I get on the ship, it is fabulous and Princess does a great job, but when you come with a chip on your shoulder and shoo people away like they are pests those are the ones that seem to ruin it for all. Luckily they didn't attend our table the full cruise as why should they have to dine with peasants...ugh! The staff are people who just happen to have a job in service, treat them nice and they will do the same or above.

 

I'm with you. The staff on Princess ships have always treated us with the utmost respect and courtesy and made us feel pampered. I have only seen one example of a really horrible passenger. He felt slighted by having to wait his turn at the pub lunch. He yelled at a crew member (who was not one who was supposed to take his order) and demanded he come to the table right now. He then proceeded to yell at the poor guy and berate him for not taking care of him in a timely manner. The poor crew member tried his best to placate the jerk and when he tried to ask the passenger what the problem was (early in the tirade) the guy yelled at him, "The problem is YOU!!!".

 

After more histrionics he stormed out. Shortly after that the poor crew member came to our table accompanied by an officer. The jerk had filed a complaint stating that the waiter had slighted him, been extremely rude to him, and treated him really badly in multiple ways. Obviously the officer was required to follow up. The crew member was extremely apologetic about getting us involved but asked if we had witnessed what happened and if we would be willing to describe the incident to the officer. He pointedly asked that we tell only the truth without regard to the consequences.

 

My wife and I described exactly what we had witnessed. We were the closest passengers to the table where the jerk had been sitting. The relief on the crew guy's face was palpable. He obviously was in danger of serious rebuke and possibly dismissal. We told the officer that, throughout the entire incident the crew member had been respectful and polite and had tried his best to placate the customer and had offered to do whatever it took to satisfy the guy. It almost looked like the poor guy could have cried as he was so relieved.

 

I really don't understand some people. I think the passenger should be banned from Princess for his behavior but, of course, that is not likely. I made a point after lunch of seeking out the crew member and thanking him for his professionalism in the face of the circumstances. He seemed surprised but also grateful to be appreciated.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Thrak

[chamima]

I'm with you. The staff on Princess ships have always treated us with the utmost respect and courtesy and made us feel pampered. I have only seen one example of a really horrible passenger. He felt slighted by having to wait his turn at the pub lunch. He yelled at a crew member (who was not one who was supposed to take his order) and demanded he come to the table right now. He then proceeded to yell at the poor guy and berate him for not taking care of him in a timely manner. The poor crew member tried his best to placate the jerk and when he tried to ask the passenger what the problem was (early in the tirade) the guy yelled at him, "The problem is YOU!!!".

 

After more histrionics he stormed out. Shortly after that the poor crew member came to our table accompanied by an officer. The jerk had filed a complaint stating that the waiter had slighted him, been extremely rude to him, and treated him really badly in multiple ways. Obviously the officer was required to follow up. The crew member was extremely apologetic about getting us involved but asked if we had witnessed what happened and if we would be willing to describe the incident to the officer. He pointedly asked that we tell only the truth without regard to the consequences.

 

My wife and I described exactly what we had witnessed. We were the closest passengers to the table where the jerk had been sitting. The relief on the crew guy's face was palpable. He obviously was in danger of serious rebuke and possibly dismissal. We told the officer that, throughout the entire incident the crew member had been respectful and polite and had tried his best to placate the customer and had offered to do whatever it took to satisfy the guy. It almost looked like the poor guy could have cried as he was so relieved.

 

I really don't understand some people. I think the passenger should be banned from Princess for his behavior but, of course, that is not likely. I made a point after lunch of seeking out the crew member and thanking him for his professionalism in the face of the circumstances. He seemed surprised but also grateful to be appreciated.

 

I watched/was part of a similar incident at Costco.

I observed the entire exchange and watched the irate customer get a manager.

I waited until he was gone (I was actually slightly afraid of his temper) and went over to the same manager and told him what I saw.

 

So those people are everywhere.

[Loonbeam]

One of the other reasons that liquor etc are not pre-delivered is that its not the stewards who take them but its not unknown for other Pax to sneak in during setup time to 'drop off their bags'.

 

They could update personalizer->ship as part of the Medallion program, but the Medallion isn't needed to do that, they could have done it independently as well (unless there has been an update, basically what happens is the ship gets an emailed list of personalizer data right now that may or may not get properly divided to the stewards, etc.) Now it sounds like the stewards will have access to some form of device where that information will reside and be available.

 

The personalizer info often doesn't get communicated to the shipboard personnel. The Medallion info is supposed to be readily available to all shipboard personnel.

 

I suppose it might add to the work rather than making it easier at that. Having it standardized would conceivably keep some issues from occurring. I have always thought that not having room service liquor in the cabin when one boards could be a precaution against passengers claiming they didn't receive it and claiming that the steward staff must have stolen it.

 

When I posted I was thinking of the wasted time and effort to put it in the cabin only to have room service have to come swap it out.

 

Perhaps a customized array might not be feasible but it "should" be possible to specify that one would prefer the two coffee cards rather than the liquor setup. That would mean the setup wouldn't have to be delivered and then removed later in exchange for the coffee cards.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I thought I heard or read in one of the promos that you can now order spa services and such from any staff member...so now will stewards not only have limited time to turn our cabins they will now be stopped in the hallways to book spa treatments...same for waiters...they would be able to do this as well. So will that hold up service in dining rooms as people ask their waiters to do things that normally were not done before...

 

Or will staff now be pressured (or given quotas) to push services outside their areas? In other words, will waiters now be required to offer you a spa menu as well as a dinner menu and ask to take your "order"? Time will tell...

Edited January 25, 2017 by SoCal Cruiser78

[cruzrbachoua]

Or will staff now be pressured (or given quotas) to push services outside their areas? In other words, will waiters now be required to offer you a spa menu as well as a dinner menu and ask to take your "order"? Time will tell...

Ugh I hope not..that would be annoying. Then I would set my medallion to no sales pitch please. I use to work retail and hated that I always got the talk that i didn't push the credit card enough. ..my answer would be...I read the situation, I am also a customer and hate to be hounded to sign up for a card I don't need or want when I just want to get in and get out with my purchases. [emoji6]

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app