Delay for Medallion?

[Clampram]

Does getting your Medallion at Port Everglades slow down the process? I'd rather do that then put another thing on my phone.

 

[skynight]

This past August we received our medallion at the pier in Quebec City. Took about 5 minutes. A lot shorter than the time it would take to load all the information on my phone, considering I don't enter data very well on the small phone keyboard. I do have the medallion app loaded for use on board.

Edited November 29, 2019 by skynight

[Cruise Raider]

14 minutes ago, Clampram said:

Does getting your Medallion at Port Everglades slow down the process? I'd rather do that then put another thing on my phone.

 

 

I entered all the necessary info ahead of time on my laptop just as I would have with a cruise card but also ordered our Medallions.  They showed up in the mail about 2 weeks prior to our sailing and we used them when we got into the port (this was in LA).  We hadn't taken a photo so, they promptly did that and we were done!  

I downloaded one of the apps to my phone, my DH did not.  I only did so to use it to order my first free drink ... then, I was done with it.  I'm not even sure they offer the free drink option anymore, in which case, I wouldn't have even downloaded the app.  I didn't think there were any delays just because I didn't have the app...but again, this was in Los Angeles.  I don't imagine it would be any different anywhere else, though.  

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, skynight said:

This past August we received our medallion at the pier in Quebec City. Took about 5 minutes. A lot shorter than the time it would take to load all the information on my phone, considering I don't enter data very well on the small phone keyboard. I do have the medallion app loaded for use on board.

if you don't need to 'rush' on board ( sanctuary, chef's table, etc ) then it's no problem, I guess

 

but wonder how many cruisers with OM in hand will board ahead of you during that 5 minutes ?

[Clampram]

10 minutes ago, voljeep said:

if you don't need to 'rush' on board ( sanctuary, chef's table, etc ) then it's no problem, I guess

 

but wonder how many cruisers with OM in hand will board ahead of you during that 5 minutes ?

That's OK........my plan is to relax and shut off that dastardly phone the minute I get on board. 

[Steelers36]

40 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I'm not even sure they offer the free drink option anymore,

They sure do.  We each had one on an early November cruise.  I am thinking it stays that way as Medallion Class continues to roll out and people get used to it.  It's a nice thing now that no more Happy Hours.

[Steelers36]

36 minutes ago, voljeep said:

but wonder how many cruisers with OM in hand will board ahead of you during that 5 minutes ?

The best way to answer this is to think of two phases of check-in and boarding. 

 

SHIP NOT YET CLEARED FOR NEW PAX

This was our situation on Nov 7.  We had Medallions due to me shipping ours to our pre-cruise hotel in FLL.  Our friends did not.  We passed through security just ahead of them and were up in the Elite lounge in a few minutes.  Among the first up there and sat near the door.  Our friends made it up there about 5-10 minutes later I think.  They were very near the front of line post-security to be checked-in, but I think there was a few minutes of delay for that to get started compared to our Medallion scan-and-go.  Later on, there was more of a line for folks waiting to check-in w/out Medallions than with. 

 

We all had to sit and wait for boarding to begin, but with a Medallion you would be positioned so as to be boarding faster than others entering the building when you did.

 

SHIP CLEARED AND BOARDING ALREADY IN PROGRESS (IOW, the initial horde is aboard)

Later on, there is not as much of a line up (once the early-birds have boarded - we started to board just about 11:20 am).  Therefore, it isn't going to take a lot longer w/out Medallion than with and once you are checked in, you just proceed on board.

 

 

It's a smoother process if you have Medallions and photos already done, but the bigger advantage - if important to you - comes in the time period before general boarding has commenced.  We were among the first 50 people in the building and the first to step on board, just after 11:20 am.

 

[Bwana Tom]

28 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

They sure do.  We each had one on an early November cruise.  I am thinking it stays that way as Medallion Class continues to roll out and people get used to it.  It's a nice thing now that no more Happy Hours.

This must be a Canadian thing. I've never gotten a free drink from a U.S. port, but sure would appreciate one.

Tom

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, Bwana Tom said:

This must be a Canadian thing. I've never gotten a free drink from a U.S. port, but sure would appreciate one.

Tom

No, it is not a "Canadian thing".  If you were following the prior posts, the situation is on Medallion Class ship with the OCEAN Now app that can be used to order drinks and food to be delivered where you are (with some location restrictions).  On each new cruise you take, the first drink you order with OCEAN Now is free.  The poster I was replying to was wondering if they still do it.  We have had this twice now, so it isn't just for your first-ever Medallion Class cruise.  As long as they keep it going, it is a nice little gift.

[paradiselivin1]

11 minutes ago, Bwana Tom said:

I've never gotten a free drink from a U.S. port, but sure would appreciate one.

Me too.My 1st Medallion cruise on Sunday. Sure would like a free drink if they're offering. Where and how do you get them? 😋

[Cruise Raider]

4 minutes ago, paradiselivin1 said:

Me too.My 1st Medallion cruise on Sunday. Sure would like a free drink if they're offering. Where and how do you get them? 😋

 

We got only one each .... it is the first one you order on your Ocean Now app (or one of the Medallion Apps).  You can get it at any bar on the ship.  Actually, the bar tender helped me set it up so I could get my one free drink and then one for my DH.  We never used the app after that ... but that one came just at the perfect time!!  

 

[Carnevale]

I am still trying to figure out how things work on a medallion ship (will be on the Ruby in April).  I searched for Ocean Now on the App Store and didn’t find it.  How do you access it?

[Robinsoncruiseso]

35 minutes ago, Carnevale said:

I am still trying to figure out how things work on a medallion ship (will be on the Ruby in April).  I searched for Ocean Now on the App Store and didn’t find it.  How do you access it?

Search for Medallion class in the app store

[Carnevale]

2 minutes ago, Robinsoncruiseso said:

Search for Medallion class in the app store

Thx!  That worked.

[Colo Cruiser]

The free drink is alive and well. 
It was available on my Crown cruise at the end of last month and is also offered on my current Sky cruise.  
 

As soon as you open the order drink option the banner is shown for “Promo! Your first drink under $12 is free”.  Ocean Now/Order now.

[Doug R.]

If and when Princess stops the free first drink promotion you will hear the usual suspects moaning about "Another Princess Cutback."

[Cruise Raider]

4 hours ago, Doug R. said:

If and when Princess stops the free first drink promotion you will hear the usual suspects moaning about "Another Princess Cutback."

 

That should be a lesson for them to never start something they don't intend to continue indefinitely!  😉 hahaha  

 

[Schonert]

Love the idea of having it shipped to the Hotel, as they cannot ship outside of the US.

 

I wonder if it would be worth it to have them shipped to a UPS store just over the Border for our trip in May, leaving from Vancouver.  It would take around an hour each way to drive there.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Schonert said:

Love the idea of having it shipped to the Hotel, as they cannot ship outside of the US.

 

I wonder if it would be worth it to have them shipped to a UPS store just over the Border for our trip in May, leaving from Vancouver.  It would take around an hour each way to drive there.

Only you can decide that.

[caribill]

13 hours ago, Schonert said:

Love the idea of having it shipped to the Hotel, as they cannot ship outside of the US.

 

I wonder if it would be worth it to have them shipped to a UPS store just over the Border for our trip in May, leaving from Vancouver.  It would take around an hour each way to drive there.

 

It seems to me to be more convenient to just pick it up at check-in time.

 

Are they even willing to ship it to an address other than the one they have for you in their computer system?

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

Are they even willing to ship it to an address other than the one they have for you in their computer system?

When you enter the order info for shipping Medallions and any accessories (none for me, thank you), you are able to enter a shipping address - as long as the Country remains "United States".  I'd also recommend giving the hotel front desk a call to make sure okay with them.  I can also mention that I had the option with FedEx, after the parcel was shipped, to re-direct it to a nearby FedEx drop location as an alternate (didn't do that).

[Gabrielle R.]

Here is a question I have.  I  saw that our upcoming Caribbean Princess cruise wants to do the staggered boarding.... If you're on decks... you board at noon, the next 12:30..... etc... Since I have filled out all the information, I'm supposed to get the medallion before  we leave, AND we are platinum..... does it matter what time  we show up?  

 

I'm guessing that if we get there before noon, we will sit in the 'platinum' boarding area until we are cleared to go..... So... anyone out there have experience with this?

THANKS!

Gabrielle

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Gabrielle R. said:

Here is a question I have.  I  saw that our upcoming Caribbean Princess cruise wants to do the staggered boarding.... If you're on decks... you board at noon, the next 12:30..... etc... Since I have filled out all the information, I'm supposed to get the medallion before  we leave, AND we are platinum..... does it matter what time  we show up?  

 

I'm guessing that if we get there before noon, we will sit in the 'platinum' boarding area until we are cleared to go..... So... anyone out there have experience with this?

THANKS!

Gabrielle

Yes, if you are checked in prior to boarding commencing, you wait in a designated area and you will have a group letter code.  Once boarding begins, they call one group after the other.

 

You can show up anytime.

[pablo222]

On 11/30/2019 at 9:57 AM, Doug R. said:

If and when Princess stops the free first drink promotion you will hear the usual suspects moaning about "Another Princess Cutback."

 

Followed by the usual cheerleaders and apologists claiming their's is the only opinion that matters...

 

I do like this pre-emptive bashing, though.

No reason to wait until there is actually a comment to mock...

 

 

 

[CruisinFinsUp]

We just tried to set up our accounts.  

Of the 4 of us, ( two cabins, two booking numbers)

-one could not get it to work at all. 

-one of us kept getting errors for the passport scan before it finally worked on the 4th try

-the other two it worked ok. 

 

Being Canadian we can't get the medallions delivered to us anyways so we will leave the incomplete account for the folks at the pier to figure out.  

 

When I went to the casino and games sections in Medallion it directed me to download the other apps.  So I have 4 apps on my phone. I thought they had consolidated it to just one but I guess I misunderstood and they did not.  

 

Honestly, overall, so far I'm not impressed.