Ocean Medallion = Glorified cruise card?

[AF-1]

I agree with the above post by billco;  it is  a fun vacation and not a big deal;  you can use the medallion or not. Or choose a cruise line that doesn't use it.  Personally I have used it and love it

[Ep010835]

10 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Personally I have used it and love it

 

+1

LOVE it. 😀

[Mel2421]

We were on Caribbean last July and when we came back from port it was installed on our door.  I thought it was very cool.  I can't wait to sail this June now that it is fully functional.  I know my 20 year old daughter will love it.  I will love knowing where she is at all times.  Lol

[mdmf52]

We will be on the Caribbean Princess in April. As far as I am concerned Princess seems to be morphing into Carnival version 2.  We spent over an hour attempting to set up this foolish medallion and it was sheer frustration. From not recognizing our e-mail & password, multiple times to the utter lack of customer service from Princess. I have been on hold a total of 1 hour and twenty minutes from 3 phone calls, no one could answer any questions and when I was told I was being transferred to a representative that would be capable to assist me, click, the call ended. 

I was able to garner a phone # that I was told was a direct line to the medallion tech support, 844-525-0942, I really hope this helps everyone in the future. 

The one thing that really ticks me off is if you don't want to hang this medallion around your neck courtesy of the "free" lanyard, cost to Princess, 100 for $1, or you can purchase a few different ways to wear your medallion on the ship, no one at customer service could say what the prices are. This is a disgrace in my opinion, to charge passengers, or rather to squeeze a few more dollars out of loyal passengers lets charge them for a different way to carry the cruise card of the future that we developed and they didn't ask for. Disney began this transition tears ago and they have perfected it incredibly, and they give you the generic holder in your choice of colors, once again Disney ahead of the curve. 

It's not as if this is our 1st cruise, we are Platinum level and this will be our 4th cruise on this ship. After reading a multitude of reviews about this subject it's obvious that we are the only ones that feel this way.

Hopefully the powers that be at Princess will understand that pissing off the people that cruise with them are the people that in essence are their bread & butter, not human ATM's.

[Ep010835]

26 minutes ago, mdmf52 said:

The one thing that really ticks me off is if you don't want to hang this medallion around your neck courtesy of the "free" lanyard, cost to Princess, 100 for $1, or you can purchase a few different ways to wear your medallion on the ship, no one at customer service could say what the prices are. This is a disgrace in my opinion, to charge passengers, or rather to squeeze a few more dollars out of loyal passengers lets charge them for a different way to carry the cruise card of the future that we developed and they didn't ask for. 

 

Or you could just put the OM device in your pocket. 

[Steven_&_Daniel]

I had some minor issues setting up Medallion ahead of time using the app. As it turned out, none of it was necessary. Anyone who doesn't like it or has problems with it, the solution is simple...don't do it. You don't have to set anything up or do anything ahead of time. Show up at the port and pick up your Medallion at check-in. You don't have to use the apps or carry your smartphone or device. Like Cool Cruiser said, stick it in your pocket.

 

Yea, it would be nice if Princess gave you the choice of a lanyard or a cheap rubber wrist band. At least that would provide a little flexibility for passenger preference.

 

I'm amazed at the number of people who say they spent hours messing with setup and making calls to support. There's no way I would put that much effort and aggravation into something that is not necessary. Those who enjoy doing such things can. Those who don't, don't have to.

 

I definitely don't see how implementing Medallion makes Princess like Carnival.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Steven_&_Daniel

[mdmf52]

7 minutes ago, Steven_&_Daniel said:

I had some minor issues setting up Medallion ahead of time using the app. As it turned out, none of it was necessary. Anyone who doesn't like it or has problems with it, the solution is simple...don't do it. You don't have to set anything up or do anything ahead of time. Show up at the port and pick up your Medallion at check-in. You don't have to use the apps or carry your smartphone or device. Like Cool Cruiser said, stick it in your pocket.

 

Yea, it would be nice if Princess gave you the choice of a lanyard or a cheap rubber wrist band. At least that would provide a little flexibility for passenger preference.

 

I'm amazed at the number of people who say they spent hours messing with setup and making calls to support. There's no way I would put that much effort and aggravation into something that is not necessary. Those who enjoy doing such things can. Those who don't, don't have to.

 

I definitely don't see how implementing Medallion makes Princess like Carnival.

What I meant by the Carnival dig was that when we first tried a cruise line it was Princess, 13 cruises later with them the change in how they do things in some cases is glaring, they are in other words getting cheap. How many people comment on the blandness of the food or the attitude of the personnel behind the customer service counter. We have tried Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America & Royal Caribbean and for the most part Princess had set the bar high but in the past few years either i'm getting taller or standards are being lowered. Each line has their own unique identity, at one time Celebrity was known for their cuisine, not so much now, Carnival was known at the party line & still is, Royal Caribbean was the innovator, Holland America was liked by an older clientele & Norwegian was the new kid trying hard to break the barriers down. I understand that the medallion issue is trivial, but, I'm tired of being nickel & dimed, be smart & include the price for your tech upgrade accessories and any other mundane additions in the base cruise fare.

 

[birdiebill]

We had the Ocean Medallion mailed to us after we had set up Ocean Ready on our iPhones.  At check-in they checked one medallion which also showed the traveler in the same room.  They then checked our Passports for identification and we walked directly to the Platinum waiting area.  Fastest check-in ever and we have done 13 Princess cruises.  We like the medallion.  I carried mine most of the time in my pocket rather than on the lanyard provided.  At bars or the International Cafe Coffee stand we just placed the medallion on the sensor and it allowed the transaction to be performed quickly by the bar tender/coffee steward/Gelato worker.  

[PrincessLuver]

7 hours ago, Ep010835 said:

 

Not so. It is good for a great many more things. 

Google Ocean Medallion and you will find many short but useful videos describing the capabilities of the system. 

 

We liked it too and found that there are many more features all over the ship that enhance the cruising experience because of the OM program.....just one was the much faster internet speeds....

[ckrcjr]

We got off the Caribbean Princess two weeks ago and the Ocean Medallion was fully functional.  We loved it.  No problems at all setting it up before we left, however, there are crew members all over the ship who are more than  willing to help with any questions.  We loved it -  so many functions and very easy to use.  But if you don't want it - don't use it.  For us - it was great and we loved it!

[AF-1]

They have an ocean medallion desk outside Club Fusion.  There is a staff there to answer questions about it and they sell different things for your medallions.  They even have a class in wheelhouse bar; to give you tips on how the program works.  I really enjoyed using it.  I did not think it was hard to use; sometimes I used my phone apps; and sometimes I just carried medallion around

[voljeep]

we were both 'ocean ready' the other night - now my wife still has the green check, but I don't ...

 

she will go in sometime this weekend / next week and see what happens ... we've got the

OM 'hotline' ready if needed 844-825-0942 ... but sure aren't going to stress if it's not completely set up

until after we board ..

 

we plan on trying at least once most of the features ... online gambling, not so much ...

 

side note - which dining room on the CB is designated as club class ?

[Doug R.]

15 hours ago, mdmf52 said:

What I meant by the Carnival dig was that when we first tried a cruise line it was Princess, 13 cruises later with them the change in how they do things in some cases is glaring, they are in other words getting cheap. How many people comment on the blandness of the food or the attitude of the personnel behind the customer service counter. We have tried Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America & Royal Caribbean and for the most part Princess had set the bar high but in the past few years either i'm getting taller or standards are being lowered. Each line has their own unique identity, at one time Celebrity was known for their cuisine, not so much now, Carnival was known at the party line & still is, Royal Caribbean was the innovator, Holland America was liked by an older clientele & Norwegian was the new kid trying hard to break the barriers down. I understand that the medallion issue is trivial, but, I'm tired of being nickel & dimed, be smart & include the price for your tech upgrade accessories and any other mundane additions in the base cruise fare.

 

Not sure how the medallion is "nickle and diming" you. You are provided a lanyard and the medallion can be detached and carried in a pocket or purse. If you want another means of carrying it, Princess will sell you that but it is optional. Sounds to me like you have a much bigger axe to grind with Princess than just the medallion,

[richsea]

20 hours ago, Doug R. said:

......

As far as the scoffing about the medallion not using its full potential, would you rather have Princess roll out features before they are ready for prime time?

Let’s face it; the entire roll out has been a debacle. We were on what was supposed to be the first Royal medallion sailing in January 2018. Got OBC, ss did many others, in lieu of the medallion (how much did THAT cost Princess) Fast forward to January 2019, and there were still aspects of it that are buggy. I have no problem with the concept of the medallion. I’m not afraid of big brother watching me or losing it to a would be thief. It would have been better for them to be certain that ALL features work properly before rollout instead of advertising it for over a year, then not having it fully function for a year after rollout. We are on Regal in October. I hope it’s fully functional by then.

[AF-1]

Don't worry about one green check and one red.  I think its a glitch in the app system.  CC dining is deck six midship.  Coral dining room.

[richsea]

20 hours ago, Doug R. said:

......

As far as the scoffing about the medallion not using its full potential, would you rather have Princess roll out features before they are ready for prime time?

Delete

Edited March 23, 2019 by richsea
The new and improved boards strike yet again

[voljeep]

13 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Don't worry about one green check and one red.  I think its a glitch in the app system.  CC dining is deck six midship.  Coral dining room.

thanks - open for lunch on embarkation day ... and breakfast on the day you get off the ship?

 

OK - we/she will see what happens the next time she goes into the app

[AF-1]

my wife and I both had two green checks and then next time we opened the app one was green and one was red.  Suggestion would be if you do get two green checks again; take a screen shot with your phone.  The only time you will need the two green checks is to get through port security.  They will check your passport and mobile boarding pass.  They see the two green checks and let you thru.  The only ones who will actually scan the barcode on the app will be Princess at the ship. 

[voljeep]

thanks - will print out our boarding passes anyway as backup ... we still print out 'anything' and 'everything' to carry on board

[billco]

47 minutes ago, voljeep said:

we were both 'ocean ready' the other night - now my wife still has the green check, but I don't ...

 

she will go in sometime this weekend / next week and see what happens ... we've got the

OM 'hotline' ready if needed 844-825-0942 ... but sure aren't going to stress if it's not completely set up

until after we board ..

 

we plan on trying at least once most of the features ... online gambling, not so much ...

 

side note - which dining room on the CB is designated as club class ?

My profile showed up red, my wife is green. Said I needed additional documents. Reported it to Medallion Customer Service who told me they would issue a ticket. Waited a couple of weeks and reported it again. Following is the e-mail I received a couple of days later:

 

"We are so excited for you to become OceanReady for your upcoming cruise!  Thank you for your patience awaiting an update on your technical error.  At this time, our tech team has been unable to resolve the issue and will continue to work on resolution.  Rest assured if they are unable to resolve the issue prior to your sailing, a Navigator at the pier will be able to assist you.  Thanks, again, for your patience awaiting an update.  We will contact you by email or phone again if we have an update on your open issue." 

 

Sincerely,

OceanReady Support Dept.

Tel: 844-525-0942 | Option 1

Edited March 23, 2019 by billco

[AF-1]

Don't worry about small stuff.  Print out your sea pass from your cruise personalizer.  Princess knows that there will be people arriving at the port with no ocean ready pass;  I know you want to have everything ready to go; but once you arrive at the port and show your passport and either a digital pass or paper pass; you are good to go.  There will be plenty of Princess ocean medallion staff at the pier to help you thru any glitches.  The only holdup I saw last month were people arriving at the pier and they did not take a security photo for their ocean medallion or they took a side photo.  Your security photo for your medallion must be a full frontal picture; as this the the photo that shows up when you enter and exit the ship.

Edited March 23, 2019 by AF-1

[lx200gps]

3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Don't worry about small stuff.  Print out your sea pass from your cruise personalizer.  Princess knows that there will be people arriving at the port with no ocean ready pass;  I know you want to have everything ready to go; but once you arrive at the port and show your passport and either a digital pass or paper pass; you are good to go.  There will be plenty of Princess ocean medallion staff at the pier to help you thru any glitches.  The only holdup I saw last month were people arriving at the pier and they did not take a security photo for their ocean medallion or they took a side photo.  Your security photo for your medallion must be a full frontal picture; as this the the photo that shows up when you enter and exit the ship.

 

Interesting point, we're about to be "Medallioned" in a few weeks on the Royal. I'm not keen about sending photos or passport info, including the passport's MRZ, ahead of time, so we will happily go through the usual 5 minute check in process at the big counter before heading to the PE waiting area. (We always arrive very early)  How are the photos done for those who didn't set up the FULL Medallion profile before arriving?  Will they be still shooting our photo as we enter the Piazza from the gangway as in  the past?

[AF-1]

You will have your security photo taken by the Princess Security team.  They use ipads.  

[mevs904]

We are on the Caribbean Princess now and the medallion is working quite well for us.  We left home 2 weeks before our cruise so we didn’t register or order our medallions ahead of time and it was absolutely no problem at all to get them at embarkation.  It didn’t even take 5 minutes.  We’ve already decided that we will do it that way again for our next cruise and avoid going through the online process.  We were not offered the option of getting a cruise card and didn’t want one.  We also haven’t seen anyone using a card.

     I have to say that we weren’t impressed or excited by the OM initiative, but now like it better than we thought we would.  This discussion reminds me about all of the reactions when Disney introduced Magic Bands several years ago.  There were naysayers who swore that they’d never go back to Disney again.  Well, Magic Bands are here to stay and the system works very well.  I guess that the lesson is try to be open to new ideas and procedures.  Understandably, it’s not always easy.

[geocruiser]

We were on Regal Princess 3/3/19.  We used a cruise card.  We just ask for it.  The only thing we had to do different was to let our steward know we did not have a medallion.   Because without the medallion we would all ways show up as our room being vacant to him.