Very mixed message from CCL CEO and two serious reality bites -- WSJ today

[dogo88]

I use a cell phone have no twitter, Facebook, nor Snapchat. I do not buy online. I am not in to bells and whistles. OlsSalt I'm with you! Denise:)

 

 

Cell phone, unless it's an old flip phone, you're tracked. Point here is many do not realize how much of everything we do is tracked. Getting off the grid is very hard to do.

[Tampa Girl]

Cell phone, unless it's an old flip phone, you're tracked. Point here is many do not realize how much of everything we do is tracked. Getting off the grid is very hard to do.

 

 

Turn off location services?

[Tampa Girl]

[quote=OlsSalt;52352449

 

My biggest problem right now is the mixed message of the CEO who is talking out of both sides of his mouth about passenger "feedback" and using perfectly awful examples (in my mind) why we will love being tracked 24/7 by wearable Ocean Medallions.

 

 

 

I'm with you. His latest idea of turning the Crows Nest into a travel Agency (that's my perception, only), really has turned me off.

[bUU]

Might make more sense on a Disney cruise where parents and their children go separate ways.

Sorry: I should have been more explicit: I was referring to the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

 

It is not about the children. It is about being able to better correlate guest experiences and learn how to better serve (i.e., better monetize) guest visits. Basically: Capitalism at its finest.

[cbr663]

Back in early January I expressed security and privacy concerns regarding these medallions. Very few other posters at the time expressed the same concerns. I am glad that someone is finally also expressing concern.

 

I would find it really offensive, for instance, to be making my way to the port to suddenly find myself face to face with a HAL crew member who is trying to sign me up for excursions or has noticed that I have not made my usual specialty dining reservations and is pressuring me to sign up right there. That sort of constant upselling is to me like the photo you are urged to take on your journey to board the ship. No thanks.

 

For those who are interested, a quick internet search on the privacy of Internet of Things will produce some alarming results. Here are three:

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-security-privacy-2016-8

http://globalnews.ca/news/2957825/most-internet-of-things-devices-have-privacy-issues-study/

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/14/the-iot-threat-to-privacy/

 

I was particularly astounded by this article which outlined how a man was charged with arson after police were able to read the private information on his pacemaker: http://globalnews.ca/news/3245884/man-charged-with-arson-after-police-read-his-pacemaker-data/.

 

So what kind and amount of information will Carnival Corp collect with these medallions? That is anyone's guess. The great thing right now is that the medallions have to be activated by the passenger at their home prior to them leaving on their cruise (and heaven knows what information is being collected from the point of activation to actually boarding the ship). When you receive the medallion, just destroy it do not use it.

[cbr663]

...

My biggest problem right now is the mixed message of the CEO who is talking out of both sides of his mouth about passenger "feedback" and using perfectly awful examples (in my mind) why we will love being tracked 24/7 by wearable Ocean Medallions.

 

 

The feedback that he is seeking isn't passenger's opinions.

[AncientWanderer]

Trying to remember if prior passenger feed-back forms even asked us if we would prefer 24/7 electronic monitoring and turning staff into 24/7 baby sittters. We couldn't even get action after years filling out the ubiquitous smoking survey.

 

Just thinking what pressures this "Medallion" would now put on staff to monitor 2000 passengers and give us "individualized" canned phony interactions creeps me out too. Since I don't drink at least I won't have to worry about Tom Collins chasing me around from deck to deck, with mournful eyes demanding I take him in my arms even more.

 

If I want "individual service" I will pay more and go on a smaller, premium line. We personally pick a mass market cruise line like HAL because we become part of the anonymous mass and can enjoy ourselves with a relative degree of privacy, and at the level of current personal attention that HAL already does provide through their staff selection and training.

 

Privacy is a big issue for us as well. We do like to be kind of anonymous on a cruise and that's the main reason why we don't move to smaller ships. I'm a big Disney World fan and have no problem with their tracking system, but it's just a very different environment than a cruise ship.

 

That said, in the promotional materials I saw about these medallions on Princess, seems like they said you could decline it and just get a regular card, if you want. That is what I would ask for.

[Homosassa]

CEO Donald also curiously described HAL passengers as "Midwestern, even though they might not live there".

 

Well, the idea their passengers are midwestern explains the mayo on the Italian sub in the Lido Market Place, the celery salt on the Nathan hot dogs, and the bad pizza we recently had on the Rotterdam.

[dogo88]

Nope, no cell phone, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. Imagine that. Online shopping and online email etc, yes. That is a personal choice; not one inflicted on me by the price of a cruise ticket while merely being onboard.

 

However, I am also a big fan of increased operational efficiencies which onboard tracking will certainly provide. I suggest they even put sensors on the toilet paper roll and set of alarms with mechanized scolding voices if we exceed our daily allotment.

 

My biggest problem right now is the mixed message of the CEO who is talking out of both sides of his mouth about passenger "feedback" and using perfectly awful examples (in my mind) why we will love being tracked 24/7 by wearable Ocean Medallions.

 

 

While I agree with you about being tracked 24x7 and don't like it. Given today's networked society there are many who think this is a wonderful idea and fully support it. Information is being collected in just about everything we do and stored on servers to be analyzed later or in many online instances immediately to offer you up alternate options.

 

Older folks don't seem to embrace this sharing society as much as the younger generation does where everything they do, good and bad, gets broadcast out. Perhaps as they grow older and learn, and it won't be a popular as it is today.

 

It's a double edged sword. I like when I'm researching a new item to get suggestions on options I did not consider. But I'm not a fan of getting the same sell offer over and over when going online.

 

Dan

[avian777]

... The great thing right now is that the medallions have to be activated by the passenger at their home prior to them leaving on their cruise (and heaven knows what information is being collected from the point of activation to actually boarding the ship). When you receive the medallion, just destroy it do not use it.

Thanks, cbr663 for your usual good advice. Also, thanks for confirming what I had suspected from the beginning - i.e., use of the Ocean Medallion will be "voluntary".

[Hlitner]

I once made fun of HAL passengers, while in the Crows Nest at 9pm! But it was like screaming in a vacuum chamber as there was nobody awake to hear my joke :).

 

Hank

[rkacruiser]

This electronic device is going to help provide more personalized service? We have that now. Example, I go into a Lounge that I frequent regularly and usually order the same beverage. What do I hear from the Steward or Bartender during another visit? "Would you like a glass of whatever beverage I have been ordering?"

 

To think that one could order a drink at the Seaview Bar and pick it up in the Ocean Bar stretches credibility, I think. When the staff is busy, when will they have the time to look at a monitor of some type and have your drink ready for you when you arrive? Going to require more staff in order to do so, I think, and that is unlikely.

[cruisemom42]

This electronic device is going to help provide more personalized service? We have that now. Example, I go into a Lounge that I frequent regularly and usually order the same beverage. What do I hear from the Steward or Bartender during another visit? "Would you like a glass of whatever beverage I have been ordering?"

 

To think that one could order a drink at the Seaview Bar and pick it up in the Ocean Bar stretches credibility, I think. When the staff is busy, when will they have the time to look at a monitor of some type and have your drink ready for you when you arrive? Going to require more staff in order to do so, I think, and that is unlikely.

 

 

Perhaps version 2.0 of this new electronic adventure will be the implementation of "Stepford Staff and Crew" -- such as robotic servers with access to live streaming information from your Ocean Medallion, able to relay information at lightning speeds from one bar to another and utilize facial recognition software to make your favorite drink the moment they see you coming.

 

Oh, who am I kidding? This is HAL -- we can't even check our statements on our cabin TVs or get internet at a reasonable speed. I think it will be awhile before the aptly named HAL 9000 takes over...

[baggal]

CEO Donald also curiously described HAL passengers as "Midwestern, even though they might not live there".

 

 

 

 

 

That's pretty much the HAL thinking. On our recent Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise, at a Q & A with the head chef, he stated that at least two months prior to a cruise, Seattle gives him the passenger demographics (age, hometown, etc.) and he selects menus based on those demographics. And that is probably why our cruise was so much more "meat based" than we have experienced on other cruises. I don't remember ever seeing so much beef, lamb and pork offered on a cruise. For instance, on this 10 day cruise, prime rib was on the MDR dinner menu 3 times. I personally would have preferred to see more fish, seafood and poultry. But I guess that is what HAL thinks their passengers want. I made note of this on my post-cruise survey, that I would have preferred "lighter choices." Just my opinion and preference.

[bUU]

The feedback that he is seeking isn't passenger's opinions.

He's seeking feedback from owners of the company and those who perhaps would invest in the company. What he needs to know from passengers is how will this affect their purchasing behavior, and that's not something a customer can be expected to reliably know and relate about themselves.

[OlsSalt]

Sorry: I should have been more explicit: I was referring to the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

 

It is not about the children. It is about being able to better correlate guest experiences and learn how to better serve (i.e., better monetize) guest visits. Basically: Capitalism at its finest.

 

Capitalism is always a two-way street. Willing seller has to meet a willing buyer. Ocean Medallions - no sale.

[TAD2005]

Not a big deal. If HAL (or any other line) starts embedding a tracker chip in your keycard, just buy yourself a small bag of potato chips. Eat them, shake out the crumbs, and insert your keycard into the foil bag, and carry it in your pocket. Impossible to track an RFID chip inside a foil bag. Problem solved.

[bUU]

Capitalism is always a two-way street. Willing seller has to meet a willing buyer. Ocean Medallions - no sale.

 

We will see what passengers REALLY say. My guess is that you are mistaken.

[OlsSalt]

Perhaps version 2.0 of this new electronic adventure will be the implementation of "Stepford Staff and Crew" -- such as robotic servers with access to live streaming information from your Ocean Medallion, able to relay information at lightning speeds from one bar to another and utilize facial recognition software to make your favorite drink the moment they see you coming.

 

Oh, who am I kidding? This is HAL -- we can't even check our statements on our cabin TVs or get internet at a reasonable speed. I think it will be awhile before the aptly named HAL 9000 takes over...

 

 

Reminds me of going to the doctor today, who rarely even looks you in the eye. Instead they are fixed on their computer data entry, cell phone swipes for your symptoms, and then handed a laundry list of test metrics ...... so they can "get to know you" .... bah.

[joepeka]

I just scanned this thread somewhat quickly and did not see this mentioned but I'm pretty sure I read (either on the Princess board or on the Princess web site) that the Ocean Medallion is optional - those that do not want it can opt for the traditional credit card-like device. If I'm in error on that, I'm sure someone will correct. ;)

[bUU]

I just scanned this thread somewhat quickly and did not see this mentioned but I'm pretty sure I read (either on the Princess board or on the Princess web site) that the Ocean Medallion is optional - those that do not want it can opt for the traditional credit card-like device. If I'm in error on that, I'm sure someone will correct. ;)

I don't know but there would almost surely be such an option. However, that option probably has the same concerns: The card in that case will likely be an RFID card... basically the medallion in another form factor.

[alwaysfrantic]

I'm way more interested in reading the thread about complaining than worrying about wearing a device. There are cameras everywhere. If HAL wants to track me, they already are. I just want to read what they have said about me :)

[OlsSalt]

Passenger to crew ratio will drop to 1:1, once CLL unveils their new fleet of Stepford Staff robots.

(Hat tip to cruisemom42 for that delicious name. )

 

BTW: I can remember a college camp skit back in the early 60's, that spoofed turning students into robots back when they were first handling student registration using IBM punch cards. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate.

http://topics.info.com/What-is-the-origin-of-the-expression-Do-not-fold-spindle-or-mutilate_2731

[ChinaShrek]

CEO Donald also curiously described HAL passengers as "Midwestern, even though they might not live there".

 

What part of Mid-western US values includes the love of 24/7 electronic monitoring?

 

"Midwestern" is code for white. He means that HAL is too white. He wants more people of color cruising.

[sppunk]

Disney has wrist medallions and are a HUGE positive for the parks. Guest feedback has made them expand the service to all parks worldwide.

 

This thread is full of chicken littoe discussions, holy moly.

 

Every large corporation is tracking you. The grocery store card is a data mine, your TV sends back what you're watching, your ISP sells what sites you visit. Welcome to the 21st century where data is king.