Am I the Only One?

[villauk]

1 hour ago, Haboob said:

Well, the last time anyone remembers seeing him was yesterday evening at desert"

 

 

Well, if he was in the desert, neither would Princess be able to locate him 🤣.

[pris993]

On 9/30/2019 at 5:32 AM, PrincessLuver said:

 

People are really simplifying the Medallion program down to just having a device that is used to open their door.  It is much more then that and we love Medallion ships because we think the technology really enhances our cruising experience on Princess ships.  We especially love the faster internet speeds.  

 

This issue kind of reminds me when my parents first received an ATM card from their bank.  They could not figure out why you would need a card to go to a machine and withdraw money when you could go into the bank and have their favorite bank teller do it.  According to them the ATM machine could and should not be trusted and too much could go wrong.  I never knew them to withdraw money from an ATM as long as they were alive!

I still do not use an atm, it puts people out of work... no on line banking for me either....

[beabunny]

Sailed the Regal on 9/21.  Did not see benefit of medallion - it opens the door for you as you approach (don't think its a security issue though), wasn't used by a single service to bring us a drink (the only asked for the room number).  We didn't pay for wi-fi but I did download app to my phone before leaving.  It was nice to have an idea of programs but really, you can get that info other places.  Plus we needed to go to an orientation before sailing right before the muster station drill and since we were over an hour late leaving port, I thought this was one more thing to do before we settled in (boarding was delayed due to Coast Guard inspection and drill).  Personally I don't see the value of it and certainly wouldn't pay up charges to have it mailed to us (got it at check in for free with lanyard) or pay for the bracelet or other options, but I am not a regular Princess cruiser.  Did hear people complaining about it though....

[dodger1964]

2 hours ago, pris993 said:

I still do not use an atm, it puts people out of work... no on line banking for me either....

no ez pass then, I assume. (whatever it is called in CA)

[pris993]

1 hour ago, dodger1964 said:

no ez pass then, I assume. (whatever it is called in CA)

no, not sure what it is called in CA... don't use it... LOL

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

no ez pass then, I assume. (whatever it is called in CA)

 

I live in northern California. We don't have any toll roads/bridges, etc. (San Francisco has toll bridges but, contrary to popular belief, San Francisco is not northern CA.)

[trbarton]

On 9/30/2019 at 4:42 AM, tip said:

Am I the only one who is questioning the value of the ocean medallion program?   I don’t find the need to have all the latest technology at hand 24/7.  Yes, it may save a minute or two here and there, but what other value does it really have?  It would seem that you would be more apt to lose it than you would a key card.  Of course Princess would be more than happy to sell you a special wrist band or lanyard at an additional charge.  As for using your cell phone, we turn it off and lock it in the safe as soon as we call our loved ones to let them know we are on board safely.

Curious if you ever use your cell phone to take photos while your traveling?

[isosika]

I've read nearly every post that I can find ref the Medallion, mostly because I've never been on a Medallion cruise but have one coming up.  I am not an inexperienced cruiser, having been on 22 with numbers 23, 24 & 25 booked.  Here is my take after reading everything.

 

The Medallion is NOT being put in place for the passenger at this time but if it doesn't evolve that way the program will be a flop.  It is being put in place for the business purposes of Princess with a few passenger convenient  programs that will evolve to a higher state later.  There are a few niceties now but more will likely be added as the program matures.

 

I don't believe for a minute that Princess is concerned where you are as an individual passenger at any given moment unless they need to contact you personally.  They are concerned about where the masses have been for staffing and marketing purposes.

 

Princess will be able to tell that between 9am and noon, 500 people visited the gift shop.  How can we increase that to 1000 people?  If we increase it to 1000, how many more staff do we need to handle the influx?  How much more stock will we need to have on hand?  Did we experience increased traffic when we held that sale?

 

If 1000 passengers visited the pool bar on Tuesday and on average each spent $20 on drinks, what can we do to get them to spend an average of $25 on drinks?  Will need extra staff if this happens?  If so, how many?

 

I'm not a terribly tech savvy person but do like to use it - sometimes.  Although Apple Pay has been around for a while now, I finally added two credit cards to my Apple Pay wallet about 6 months ago.  However, I have never used it even once.  Out of habit I just reach for the credit card and pay the old fashion way.  I do not begrudge those who use Apple Pay and actually wish I knew how to use it.

 

I feel the same way with the Medallion apps.  If people want to use an app to order food or gamble, hurray for them.  If I don't, I won't use it.  Princess made this easy for me to decide.  If I want the extra programs I need to use my cell phone.  If I don't want the extra programs, I can leave the cell phone in my cabin and use the Medallion like a cruise card.

 

I don't think that the creation of the Medallion program is an intrusion in our lives.  It's just another aspect of what goes on everywhere in our lives now, even if we don't want it to happen.  For example, if you have a cell phone that is turned on and not even connected to the Internet, by using your phone's signals, Google can tell when you left your house for work, if you stopped for coffee along the way and where you stopped for coffee, when you parked your car, when you got out of your car, and when you entered your office building and what building you entered.  Princess is very late in its capabilities for tracking you.  Hopefully they will do better and make it worth your while.

[richsea]

isosika, yours is the best post of this thread, & probably all of the medallion threads.

Thanks.

[tailspintom]

2 hours ago, richsea said:

isosika, yours is the best post of this thread, & probably all of the medallion threads.

Thanks.

Yep.

[MissP22]

On 10/1/2019 at 12:02 AM, shanecindy21403 said:

 

It didn't work that way for me. When I walked up to the displays I had to scan my medallion and to get any personal information like my cabin, account or whereabouts of my grand daughters I had to enter my pin I choose when I setup my ocean apps. 

Unfortunately the Medallion system is still allowing ANYONE who has the Medallion in their possession to walk up to any of the boards, log in and locate you cabin without any pin or password. It's been this way since they've begun using them & it's still the same today.😞

Moral of the story is DON'T LOOSE YOUR MEDALLION and if you do you had better report it immediately. 

This problem doesn't exist using the cruise card. 

The locate feature still doesn't work correctly on the Crown. 

[pablo222]

On 10/2/2019 at 10:56 AM, Haboob said:

 

If a Medallion was last detected on a weather deck, it either was tossed overboard (which will earn a chat with Security) or carried overboard.

About a year ago, you claimed that security would stop someone without a medallion.

 

A gentle poster here directly question John Padgett while on board, and reported that there is no requirement to carry a medallion.

 

Odd that you keep posting the same nonsense...

 

And, of course, my medallion might 'disappear' when I put it in an rfid shielding wallet.

I would expect zero consequences from doing so.

 

[pablo222]

On 10/4/2019 at 10:28 AM, isosika said:

I've read nearly every post that I can find ref the Medallion, mostly because I've never been on a Medallion cruise but have one coming up.  I am not an inexperienced cruiser, having been on 22 with numbers 23, 24 & 25 booked.  Here is my take after reading everything.

 

The Medallion is NOT being put in place for the passenger at this time but if it doesn't evolve that way the program will be a flop.  It is being put in place for the business purposes of Princess with a few passenger convenient  programs that will evolve to a higher state later.  There are a few niceties now but more will likely be added as the program matures.

 

 

Agree completely.

 

The trendy term for what you describe is "monetizing customer behaviour".

 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-carnival-te2-orlando-20170109-story.html

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by pablo222

[Iamcruzin]

On 10/2/2019 at 1:07 PM, pris993 said:

I still do not use an atm, it puts people out of work... no on line banking for me either....

While I admire your cause it’s not going to work. As minimum wage climbs banks, fast food establishments  and retailers will limit the amount of staff. It has been happening for some time now. I find myself using my debit card more and more at Panera as I don’t want to wait in a long line for a cup of coffee. There is only one associate at the register at peak breakfast time. Even the seniors have come to terms and are using automated checkout. The supermarket we shop in provides a gun or you can use your smartphone to scan the items and bag them as you shop. By the time you are ready to check out everything is bagged and all you have to do is pay. Amazon has stores that will scan your membership and as you walk out you get charged for any items that you selected.  Here minimum wage is $12 on Long Island headed for $13 in January and $15 in NYC. 

[pris993]

 Whether it works on not does not matter to me, I simply don't contribute to it .   I live in California, near the heart of technology... even so, I can easily plan visits to the bank, markets and post office and avoid using technology.    I have conceded to using a flip phone for emergencies since no pay phones around any more.  I buying on line, simply because it is easier than running around looking for items I want, that too puts folks out of work but malls have not  staffed stores properly for years so you can go in a major store and find it hard to find a clerk to check out.   I shop a lot at Trader Joe's who prides itself in hiring staff to interact with customers, very counter tech, I shop for their good prices and Trader Joe's pays staff above minimum wage around $17+ an hour.  As a senior I rarely eat out.. love to cook and shop, still have a land line.   

 

I have lived 72 years without a phone attached to my hip... very well.   They say with new things 25% of the population will adopt immediately, 50% will follow and 25% will resist.  Obviously I am in the later group and will stay there as long as possible.  LOL

 

To each his own.  Happy life and happy cruising. 

[Thrak]

We pay for everything but gas using a credit card. Where we live gas is generally 10 cents per gallon more with credit so we use the ATM card at the pump. Everything else, groceries, phone, utilities, garbage, whatever goes on the credit card for the points. We pay it off every month (when we have just paid off a cruise that can hurt!) so we don't have interest payments.

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 9/30/2019 at 1:30 PM, dog said:

Thanks, tailspintom.

Appreciate hearing about your experience.

My concern is about my cabin door being unlocked before I am standing in front of it and I am not sure if this is accurate, but I do not want other passengers seeing where I am. (female, alone sometimes)

 

 

It won't unlock until you are next to the door, at least mine never has on the 2 Medallion cruises I've been on. As far as other passengers "seeing where you are", unless you have provided a person with some info on yourself (not sure what, exactly, you have to provide) I don't believe anybody can just "pick out" someone on the ship and find out where he/she/they are. I could tell where my wife was and she could tell where I was on our last cruise because we set it up that way but we couldn't "find" anybody else.  You do have that security.

 

Tom

[CruiseVA]

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

We pay for everything but gas using a credit card. Where we live gas is generally 10 cents per gallon more with credit so we use the ATM card at the pump. Everything else, groceries, phone, utilities, garbage, whatever goes on the credit card for the points. We pay it off every month (when we have just paid off a cruise that can hurt!) so we don't have interest payments.

Same here, except, with BP Gas is less per gallon using their App, or, local grocery tracking program, Oh no!, my grocery store knows what I buy!!!!

[Thrak]

2 minutes ago, CruiseVA said:

Same here, except, with BP Gas is less per gallon using their App, or, local grocery tracking program, Oh no!, my grocery store knows what I buy!!!!

 

Yes, I currently have 11 "rewards". Each one is good for 10 cents a gallon off the regular price. I can only use a max of 10 at one time for gas so I'll have to use the "extra" for some small discount on my next grocery purchase. I'll definitely need to buy gas before Thursday as we will be driving to Yuba City where my wife's brother will take over and drive us (in our car) to the airport in Sacramento. Then he'll drive our car back and keep it at his house until he picks us up on November 18 when we get back to Sacramento. Definitely won't make it without gas as I think the car is saying something like 80 miles to empty. $1 a gallon off really helps.

[CruiseVA]

Just now, Thrak said:

 

Yes, I currently have 11 "rewards". Each one is good for 10 cents a gallon off the regular price. I can only use a max of 10 at one time for gas so I'll have to use the "extra" for some small discount on my next grocery purchase. I'll definitely need to buy gas before Thursday as we will be driving to Yuba City where my wife's brother will take over and drive us (in our car) to the airport in Sacramento. Then he'll drive our car back and keep it at his house until he picks us up on November 18 when we get back to Sacramento. Definitely won't make it without gas as I think the car is saying something like 80 miles to empty. $1 a gallon off really helps.

Nice, We're flying out to Eugene in 10 days, renting a car for a week, hoping that the cred's will come in handy there... 🙂

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 10/1/2019 at 3:03 AM, dog said:

Ok, I did not know it was on a screen at your door. Thanks, I appreciate your help. dog

How do you give permission to them? Please direct me to a link where I can learn more. Appreciate your help. dog

 

I honestly do not remember how I went about doing it and unless someone else here does remember and explain how to do it, when you get on board the Regal or Caribbean or whatever Medallion ship you're on, there will be people in an area around the atrium on/around decks 6 or 7 called Navigators who can quickly and easily explain to you how to do that. They are experts in the system and can probably answer any questions you might have on the system and/or how to do something on/with it.

 

Tom

[Haboob]

On 10/11/2019 at 1:29 PM, pablo222 said:

About a year ago, you claimed that security would stop someone without a medallion.

 

A gentle poster here directly question John Padgett while on board, and reported that there is no requirement to carry a medallion.

 

Odd that you keep posting the same nonsense...

 

And, of course, my medallion might 'disappear' when I put it in an rfid shielding wallet.

I would expect zero consequences from doing so.

 

Times change.  At the time, there *was* a such a requirement, and I even quoted for you from the [since changed] Medallion FAQs showing it.  ::shrugs::

 

Now?  I'd not normally expect a visit from Security for shielding a Medallion.

 

But if they still send MOB alerts to the Bridge when a Medallion disappears from a weather deck, and you made a habit of waiting till you were out there to put yours into an anti-RFID  wallet?  Yeah, you'd probably get a "please put it away first or wait till you come back inside" visit.

[idahospud]

On 10/1/2019 at 4:03 AM, dog said:

How do you give permission to them? Please direct me to a link where I can learn more. Appreciate your help. dog

It works once you're onboard. In the MedallionClass app you go to the OceanCompass section. From there choose "Shipmates". Then you can choose whether to share your location with them or not by checking or unchecking the box. You can also add additional shipmates, but they will have to also give you permission to be seen by you.

 

[idahospud]

On 10/11/2019 at 2:29 PM, pablo222 said:

About a year ago, you claimed that security would stop someone without a medallion.

 

A gentle poster here directly question John Padgett while on board, and reported that there is no requirement to carry a medallion.

 

That was me who spoke to him directly (while onboard a MedallionClass ship) about the requirement to carry a Medallion. I'm currently on my 12th Medallion cruise and it was not a requirement back then and it is still not a requirement. In fact, I went to guest services just last month to get a cruise card, just to be sure it could happen. It can. If you don't want the Medallion, guest services will print a card for you. 

Edited October 13, 2019 by idahospud

[pablo222]

6 hours ago, Haboob said:

But if they still send MOB alerts to the Bridge when a Medallion disappears from a weather deck, and you made a habit of waiting till you were out there to put yours into an anti-RFID  wallet?  Yeah, you'd probably get a "please put it away first or wait till you come back inside" visit.

 

I'll keep that in mind for my upcoming cruise on the Fantasy Princess...