Medallion Net best offer?

[13cheermom]

9 hours ago, Rafabril said:

Yes, the same thing on my cruise personalizer.

$59.99 for 7-day cruise, which means $8-9 a day, not as much as 50% off as it says.

 

Anyway, I think I'll buy one for us two as we can use it at different times.

So, I agree with you, it sounds like a pretty good offer if you indeed can share the internet between 2 devices at different times, which is what we do on Carnival.  Also from above posts it sounds like it is the higher end or speed of internet that is included with this (although everyone says internet isn't great going to Alaska, lol).  We need to have it to keep in touch with elderly parents, pets being boarded, and husbands work 🙄.  So he willingly pays for it, just trying to figure if we should buy now or wait??  It's challenging going with a new cruise line and figuring out all the logistics of how they operate, but I accept the challenge!

[13cheermom]

12 hours ago, steelers36 said:

I think once again, Princess is not keeping up with textual info on the website.  It actually says "as low as" in Personalizer and on that poster board photo above.  This implies the cost is even more than $10/day normally.  I just figured it is old news as all package prices I have seen for FULL CRUISE, are much lower than $10 on a per-day basis. 

 

If your offer is $59, divide by length of cruise and you have a bargain and be happy and book it.

 

ETA - The three levels of plans you mention are offered on Princess ships with updated (new) internet and which are not yet Ocean Medallion cruises.  On Ocean Medallion, there is just one package level and you can assume it is like the top on on Carnival (I presume because it is like the top one on Princess ships non-Ocean Medallion).

 

Yes, it is confusing as Princess currently has legacy internet, upgraded/fast internet (non-Ocean Medallion), and Ocean Medallion.  Eventually, all ships will be Ocean Medallion and have fast internet (fast internet first I think in most cases).

Thanks again for all of your helpful information!  It seems as if the internet is confusing at this point of time with Princess going through all these changes with the Ocean Medallion.  I am kind of excited to experience this new way of cruising next year, hopefully all of the bugs and kinks will be worked out by then.

[Newflover]

We will be sailing on Coral in July. I am new to Princess. Can anyone confirm if the Internet can be shared with 2 people 2 different devices, as long as they are not on at the same time? We took advantage of the $59.99 special but don’t plan to be on enough to pay for it twice.  

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 5/26/2019 at 4:47 PM, steelers36 said:

Hi, J.  We were on Majestic in Feb.  It has new fast internet, but is not Medallion Class as you will know.  They offered the old minutes plans.  They offered three unlimited plans (Basic, Surf, and "Whatever").  You probably are familiar.  I bought Surf and then upgraded the final three days (@Sea) to "Whatever".  The speed wasn't any different among them - it was access to apps and web functions that changes.  The old minutes plan was like the top end package (I called it Whatever).  It's the same internet so it was same speed as far as I know.  I must be getting old as I cannot recall if my wife used her Platinum minutes or was on same Surf as me.  No, we just had the one package and swapped turns on our devices.  On the upcoming, we each have U/L Medallion plans (Regal so Ocean Medallion as well).  As you know, I think the old minute plans are for the scrap heap soon.

 

Thanks for the info!  We will be on the Ruby and they are offering a terrific deal ahead of time for unlimited WiFi (I think it's like $119 or $129 for 28 nights).  I was determined to sign up, but wasn't sure if that pricing is for Platinums/Elites and also whether it might not be even cheaper once on board.  Then I began hearing the reports about how slow it is on the Ruby and am thinking it might not be worth it, even though it's less than $5 per day.  We will be in the North and South Pacific Oceans, which would make me think that, from a latitude perspective would have to be pretty ideal, but I've done enough transpacific cruises in the past to know that internet speed can be really bad, and I don't know if MedallionNet might improve it. 

 

I'm now inclined to wait until we are on board to see if the WiFi from our standard Captains Circle internet benefit is fast enough to warrant the purchase of unlimited WiFi.

 

I have to admit, this one issue (MedallionNet) has me feeling like a Princess newbie.

[idahospud]

2 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Thanks for the info!  We will be on the Ruby and they are offering a terrific deal ahead of time for unlimited WiFi (I think it's like $119 or $129 for 28 nights).  I was determined to sign up, but wasn't sure if that pricing is for Platinums/Elites and also whether it might not be even cheaper once on board.  Then I began hearing the reports about how slow it is on the Ruby and am thinking it might not be worth it, even though it's less than $5 per day.  We will be in the North and South Pacific Oceans, which would make me think that, from a latitude perspective would have to be pretty ideal, but I've done enough transpacific cruises in the past to know that internet speed can be really bad, and I don't know if MedallionNet might improve it. 

 

I'm now inclined to wait until we are on board to see if the WiFi from our standard Captains Circle internet benefit is fast enough to warrant the purchase of unlimited WiFi.

 

I have to admit, this one issue (MedallionNet) has me feeling like a Princess newbie.

 

That's a great deal for 28 days. We paid $89.99 for 14 days with the onboard discount. Whether you buy it now or later, it will most likely be worth it. Even though it was super slow for us, it's still better than the old Internet. Having it unlimited means no logging off and on, and even if things load slowly at least you're not watching your precious minutes tick away.

 

We're planning on squeezing in a cruise on the Ruby between our Grand and Golden ones in September. I'll be blogging from it so I can test to see if it is any better than it was earlier this month. We're on just before you, I think. 

[Steelers36]

Everything I see is that price per day goes down quite a bit as cruise length increases.

[Ken the cruiser]

On 5/27/2019 at 5:58 AM, sun&sea said:

So, if we are both Elite, would it be best for one to purchase unlimited, and then would the other be able to use all 500 minutes? (his and mine?) Is that even possible?

Also, is it better to wait to get it onboard if you want to give up your Elite minutes and get a discount off of the $59 package. Sorry, all these options are confusing!

Thanks,

Janet

We're going to be Elite after our next cruise and have been looking into this as well. Based on everything I've read so far on this subject here on CC, we're now going to cancel our previously pre-booked "by the minute" or unlimited packages, depending on the cruise, and rebook the unlimited Medallionnet package the first day we get onboard to get the 25% Elite discount which is a much better deal for us than pre-booking any of their offered Internet packages, especially on our B2B cruise. From what I am reading, Princess now treats a B2B as one cruise so we only have to pay the unlimited Medallionnet charge once rather than twice (once for each leg). We will also buy the 4 device option, as it's basically the price of 2 individual unlimited packages, just in case we bring an iPad along with both of our iPhones. Of course maybe in time Princess will update their pre-booking web software so we can do all this once we are Elite before the cruise rather than waiting to get onboard, but until then, this is our plan.

[PescadoAmarillo]

14 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

From what I am reading, Princess now treats a B2B as one cruise so we only have to pay the unlimited Medallionnet charge once rather than twice (once for each leg). 

I will be pleasantly shocked if this is, in fact, true. We will be doing multiple B2B cruises on the same ship. I can’t imagine we will only have to purchase unlimited internet once. 

[Cindy]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:46 PM, idahospud said:

We were on the Ruby at the beginning of this month and yes, you can exchange the minutes for credit on the Ruby, too. I didn't do a screen capture of the Ruby's pricing since we just used our Elite minutes on that ship, but here's a screen capture of the costs from the Royal (for 14 days).The Ruby's "trade-in" for a seven day cruise is half the price of the 14 day.

 

 

Thank you for posting this...it’s really helpful!

[antsp]

If you are travelling together, and together most of the time, just purchase one unlimited package, the other person can teather of you so you both have unlimited. You obviously need to be close to other  device to do this.  

[draver]

2 hours ago, antsp said:

If you are travelling together, and together most of the time, just purchase one unlimited package, the other person can teather of you so you both have unlimited. You obviously need to be close to other  device to do this.  

 

If you have iPhones, you cannot tether from WiFi TO WiFi.  I understand some Android Samsung phones do have this capability though.

[LeeW]

On 5/27/2019 at 4:58 AM, sun&sea said:

So, if we are both Elite, would it be best for one to purchase unlimited, and then would the other be able to use all 500 minutes? (his and mine?) Is that even possible?

Also, is it better to wait to get it onboard if you want to give up your Elite minutes and get a discount off of the $59 package. Sorry, all these options are confusing!

Thanks,

Janet

 

On all the cruise we have taken in the past few years we could only access one set of minutes from one account.  Had to create two onboard accounts and be logged into each one to access that person's minutes.  And had problems if we didn't create the two accounts with internet access near the start of the cruise.  Haven't sailed with the unlimited package, but once you buy this for one account you might not have access to the ability to "buy" the free minutes from that account.  

 

Also, that $59 price is pre-cruise.  So cost onboard might very well be higher even if you get a Platinum/Elite discount.

 

One thing we have found on any ship is that your signal strength is the most important factor with internet speed.  If you don't have "Excellent" then the speed slows way down (probably packets getting re-transmitted).  So move to an area where the onboard signal is strong.  

[Steelers36]

I posted this info on another Medallion or Internet thread.

 

I pre-booked  Medallion Net unlimited internet ahead of our Regal cruise at a rate with 25% off regular price for Platinums/Elites.  I had inquired first with Princess about the pricing. 

 

On board (embarkation), the package was $10 less than pre-booking via Cruise Personalizer.  It was therefore $7.50 less (with 25% discount) for me.  It was necessary to accept the 250 free minutes benefit, but not connect, and have the Internet Mgr remove that old plan and replace with the discounted unlimited plan.  It's kind of a pain the way it works for us (to exchange the minutes benefit for 25% off the unlimited.  He was also happy to refund us the $7.50 price difference.

 

I was uncertain as to which pricing was going to be best and covered myself by pre-booking.  In future, I will just wait until boarding.  Won't be worse and can use OBC to offset the cost. 

 

 

 

[kywildcatfanone]

44 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

On board (embarkation), the package was $10 less than pre-booking via Cruise Personalizer.  It was therefore $7.50 less (with 25% discount) for me.  It was necessary to accept the 250 free minutes benefit, but not connect, and have the Internet Mgr remove that old plan and replace with the discounted unlimited plan.  It's kind of a pain the way it works for us (to exchange the minutes benefit for 25% off the unlimited.  He was also happy to refund us the $7.50 price difference.

 

I was uncertain as to which pricing was going to be best and covered myself by pre-booking.  In future, I will just wait until boarding.  Won't be worse and can use OBC to offset the cost. 

This was my experience as well, won't preorder anymore till they don't make it cheaper onboard.

[crystalspin]

I was just on my Cruise Personalizer redeeming Father's Day gift cards (no you don't have to be a father!), and noticed I had put Medallion Net in my cart some time ago... after reading the prices referred to in this thread, I went back and paid the sum of $129.99 for 28 days. Better than half off $9.99/day!

 

dr'spin will be retired by then, but not dead. I'm assuming we can share the plan (at different times), but if not we can just swap phones.

 

On our recent HAL cruise, the cost for 16 days for top-line (not great) unlimited plan was $199.99 in a flash sale, $249.99 onboard.

Edited June 9, 2019 by crystalspin

[caitlyn20]

On 6/8/2019 at 6:11 PM, steelers36 said:

 

I was uncertain as to which pricing was going to be best and covered myself by pre-booking.  In future, I will just wait until boarding.  Won't be worse and can use OBC to offset the cost. 

 

 

 

 

I have been holding off on prebooking the wifi for our Alaskan cruise on the Royal this Saturday.  I am hoping that once on board I can get an elite discount that would make it cheaper than the $59.99 to prebook.  Are you saying that is the case?  Ours is a 7 day.

[Steelers36]

16 minutes ago, caitlyn20 said:

 

I have been holding off on prebooking the wifi for our Alaskan cruise on the Royal this Saturday.  I am hoping that once on board I can get an elite discount that would make it cheaper than the $59.99 to prebook.  Are you saying that is the case?  Ours is a 7 day.

I have much newer information than from early June.  I did post it on another more current thread. 

 

In summary, if you are not Platinum or Elite in Captain's Circle status, take the pre-book offer in the Cruise Personalizer.  If you are Platinum or Elite do not pre-book, but do sign-up and take the offer on-board (embarkation day). 

 

In your case, you will save $7.50/package by booking on Embarkation Day.  It is unfortunate as we are not really getting 25% less than other cruisers as they can pay only $60.  IMO, we should be paying only $45 if regular cruisers can get it for $60.  Either that, or stop telling us we get 25% off.

 

I am pasting the chart below.  All numbers are rounded (pennies are silly, Princess).

 

CRUISE LENGTH	PRE_CRUISE PERSONALIZER		ON BOARD PRICE (Day 1)
(nights)	List Price	Member Discount	On Board Price	Member Discount Price
<7	$45.00	n/a	$55.00	$41.25
7	$60.00	n/a	$70.00	$52.50
8 - 10	$70.00	n/a	$75.00	$56.25
11 - 12	$75.00	n/a	$90.00	$67.50
14	$100.00	n/a	$120.00	$90.00
15 - 30	$130.00	n/a	$150.00	$112.50
31+	$180.00	n/a	$200.00	$150.00

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by steelers36

[caitlyn20]

2 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

I have much newer information than from early June.  I did post it on another more current thread. 

 

Thank you!  I've been bouncing around searching from thread to thread and landed here.  The summary was most helpful (buy before if you are not Elite or wait if you are).  That is all I was looking for.  🙂

[hpeabody]

This is my offer in Personalizer.  I really wish they would show the price for 1 device, but they don't.  Fellow passengers on the roll call have been getting internet package offers, but not me.  I feel left out 😞  I am really left with no choice but to wait until on board. I am elite, but it is a 28 day B2B so, it will be very expensive.  UGH!  I have had 2 poor experiences with MedallionNet. I am not very impressed at all.  Seems like just another way for Princess to make money for little value to the passenger.

 

Multi-Device MedallionNet Voyage Package$14.99 4 devices, per day

Save 50% when you purchase pre-cruise! Enjoy an unlimited internet voyage package for as low as $14.99 per day.

Stay connected like never before with the best Wi-Fi at sea. From email to streaming, enjoy truly premium, unlimited access! Package provides connectivity for up to four devices at a time.

*All Internet usage subject to Princess Cruises' standard policies, which may limit browsing of sites due to network security and bandwidth usage. Applications that use high bandwidth may be blocked and offerings subject to change.

[atdahop]

Thank you Steelers36, that explanation was so easy to understand.  It's been confusing me also. Another question:  will you be able to use text with this plan? 

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, hpeabody said:

This is my offer in Personalizer.  I really wish they would show the price for 1 device, but they don't.  Fellow passengers on the roll call have been getting internet package offers, but not me.  I feel left out 😞  I am really left with no choice but to wait until on board. I am elite, but it is a 28 day B2B so, it will be very expensive.  UGH!  I have had 2 poor experiences with MedallionNet. I am not very impressed at all.  Seems like just another way for Princess to make money for little value to the passenger.

 

Multi-Device MedallionNet Voyage Package$14.99 4 devices, per day

Save 50% when you purchase pre-cruise! Enjoy an unlimited internet voyage package for as low as $14.99 per day.

Stay connected like never before with the best Wi-Fi at sea. From email to streaming, enjoy truly premium, unlimited access! Package provides connectivity for up to four devices at a time.

*All Internet usage subject to Princess Cruises' standard policies, which may limit browsing of sites due to network security and bandwidth usage. Applications that use high bandwidth may be blocked and offerings subject to change.

I did not ask for the 4-device pricing plan.  It has been reported on here at times that the 4-device plan is approximately the same cost as two 2-device plans. 

 

It must have been somewhat more on our last cruise, or I would have just bought that instead.  I guess based on what you got in the CP offer, works out to $420 for 28 nights compared to $130 pre-cruise price for single device.  So not much point in the 4-device plan unless you have four users for sure.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, atdahop said:

Thank you Steelers36, that explanation was so easy to understand.  It's been confusing me also. Another question:  will you be able to use text with this plan? 

If you mean Princess messaging - YES.  In fact Princess messaging uses the ship's Intranet and all you need to be able to do is connect to ship's Wifi and then register your ID.  You can find shipmates and add them to your contacts.  You can message them as individuals or you can form a group - such as your travel companions.  Then messages go to everyone in the group if you select that.

 

Using the Internet package, you can message with WhatsApp, or other similar Apps.

 

[hpeabody]

@steelers36  I wish I knew why some people are offered 1 device package and like me, only the 4 device package.  How did you see the $130.00 for 1 device?  That is even a lot IMO.  I paid $49 for single device on the Epic Royal repositioning cruise.  That was a fluke and was pulled after less than a week, but they honored it if you grabbed it.  I am just wanting to kind of know what to expect. 

[Steelers36]

19 minutes ago, hpeabody said:

@steelers36  I wish I knew why some people are offered 1 device package and like me, only the 4 device package.  How did you see the $130.00 for 1 device?  That is even a lot IMO.  I paid $49 for single device on the Epic Royal repositioning cruise.  That was a fluke and was pulled after less than a week, but they honored it if you grabbed it.  I am just wanting to kind of know what to expect. 

I got it from Princess and I believe I recall someone posting for their cruise in this category.  See the table in my post #42 above.  Your cruise is 28 nights, therefore $130 pre-cruise.  

 

Now, I just backed up and re-read your notes and I see you are actually 14+14 as a B2B.  So, I am not sure if you had to book it as such or if Princess offered a 28-night version.  If the voyage is really 2x 14-night trips, the the pre-cruise price is $100 for each.  The $130 is actually a great deal as it covers 15 to 30 nights, so you are almost at the max. 

 

If I were you, I would have already called Princess and inquire as to which package you can book.  You want the 15-30 night package and not 2x 14-night packages whether ordering in advance or on board. 

 

It is entirely possible you may have to call in more than once, or the HQ reps may not be entirely sure what they do on the ship.  It could be the ship doesn't offer a 28-night package.  IDK.  

 

Maybe someone else who has cruised 2x 14-night trips B2B on a Medallion Net ship will respond with what they got as a package.  I am thinking what you are reading on your roll call is from folks who are cruising for 14-nights and they are being offered the package for $100. 

 

Call Princess!!  And I am curious to know what they say.

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by steelers36

[Lennys mom]

Just curious... we’re on the Royal doing the Mexican Riviera in December. We get free minutes but I’m wondering if I should get MedallionNet too. I  like to post photos during the cruise etc.  Any input is greatly appreciated.