Check-in/Princess Medallion

[majortom10]

7 hours ago, Merly said:

I have not been allocated a cabin number yet for my cruise in 60 days. If the medallion opens your cabin will I not be sent one until my cabin is allocated ?  I know on other cruise lines sometimes a cabin is not allocated until a day or two before sailing, or even at the pier. 
 

I have downloaded the medallion app but not yet completed the details. Final payment is due this week so I will complete it then.  

We are on Regal on 9th September and as far as I am aware through past experience Princess do not post out Medallion's prior to your cruise they are given to you at the port when you check in.

[Steelers36]

38 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

We are on Regal on 9th September and as far as I am aware through past experience Princess do not post out Medallion's prior to your cruise they are given to you at the port when you check in.

Americans have the option to have the Medallion mailed out about two weeks prior to sail date.  No other countries announced at this time even though they have promised this in the past ("coming soon" - LOL). 

 

ETA - I should clarify the above.  As long as you can give them a US address to send to, NP.  I sent ours last time to our pre-cruise hotel in FLL.   Asked hotel first.

Edited July 11, 2021 by Steelers36

[skynight]

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

When you call Ocean ready they will confirm this

844-525-0942

I spoke with Kevin and he told me there would be a dedicated crew member on board who would teach those who saw him how to down load the app and use it.  Princess does have a contingency plan for us tech dummies. He also told me I could call in around final payment for dining reservation (don't need I have CC) and get a boarding time assignment and input anything else that needs input. 

Now you have to go to school just to take a Princess vacation? What fun is that?

[kjg46]

26 minutes ago, skynight said:

Now you have to go to school just to take a Princess vacation? What fun is that?

Yes, they updated the muster drill to allow  more time for Folks to enjoy their cruise. NOW, "The Folks" will spend additional vacation time in the Medallion Class. People should be given a $25 OBC for attending such a class. Maybe that will provide an incentive for Princess to make  the check in process more user friendly or have a Q&A video pre-cruise.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

Seems pretty obvious that those passengers with MC App fully Green are going to be expedited and they are likely going to need a small team of specially trained  agents to process the guests who only have paper documents.  Seems little difference from pre-Covid when there was a line for those who had Medallions in-hand versus those who had to or chose to pick it up at the port terminal.

 

Pre-Covid there were no Princess employees processing the passengers at check-in, with all the check-in personnel being port employees who did work for all the cruise lines that came to the port.

 

I question how much special training these port employees will get in inputting all the newly required data at check-in. I also do not see Princess sending specially trained employees to all USA embarkation ports to assist.

 

I also wonder about the special lines that customer service personnel say will exist for those who have been unable to complete all required data entry pre check-in. Pre-pandemic there were already different lines depending on Captain's Circle status and full suite bookings. Will they double the number of lines so those who need help can get check-in by status? Or will they just have a single line for all who need the additional help?  Or ???

 

[caribill]

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

When you call Ocean ready they will confirm this

844-525-0942

I spoke with Kevin and he told me there would be a dedicated crew member on board who would teach those who saw him how to down load the app and use it. 

 

The on board dedicated crew member will be of no help to those who need the help pre-cruise or at check-in.

 

He/she will be of great help to those who need assistance once on board.

 

And, of course, the on board expert can be of no help if the person needing it has a smart device that the app is not designed to work on.

[voljeep]

9 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The on board dedicated crew member will be of no help to those who need the help pre-cruise or at check-in.

 

He/she will be of great help to those who need assistance once on board.

 

And, of course, the on board expert can be of no help if the person needing it has a smart device that the app is not designed to work on.

why can't the "on board experts" get off when the ship docks and help with check-in in the terminal(s) ?

[memoak]

6 hours ago, pms4104 said:

Totally unacceptable response ... after that, I'd likely move on (to another line) and not look back 

And give up my free laundry, mini bar setup, casino discounts and free balcony cruises with casino free play ?  I don’t think so. This is frustrating but somehow it will come to pass and we will cruise once again

[Dave from Ont]

7 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The on board dedicated crew member will be of no help to those who need the help pre-cruise or at check-in.

 

He/she will be of great help to those who need assistance once on board.

 

And, of course, the on board expert can be of no help if the person needing it has a smart device that the app is not designed to work on.

Agree 100%. This app ,if possible, should have been designed to work on all phones and tablets, or different apps for different iOS. Pick which app works on your device, download it and use it to check-in on. Keep online check-in presence available for those who cannot get their device to work with any of Medallion apps that are available or if they do not have a device. I am sure there will be some chaos at the ports for check-in if things don't get sorted properly. The quick check-in at port may not be that quick.

[caribill]

5 minutes ago, voljeep said:

why can't the "on board experts" get off when the ship docks and help with check-in in the terminal(s) ?

 

Theoretically he/she could, but an expert in onboard use would really need additional; training to also be a pre-board expert. Besides, the app would not be used at the check-in counter to input the missing and needed information.

 

Also, if he/she is assisting at check-in, he /she is unavailable to the boarding passengers who are anxious to seek the help to download and use the app so they can start using the app as soon as possible.

[caribill]

4 minutes ago, Dave from Ont said:

I am sure there will be some chaos at the ports for check-in if things don't get sorted properly. The quick check-in at port may not be that quick.

 

After years of working to make port check-in as quick as possible, Princess has now succeeded in making it take longer than ever before for people who do not have smart devices compatible with this fantastic app.

[voljeep]

Just now, caribill said:

 

Theoretically he/she could, but an expert in onboard use would really need additional; training to also be a pre-board expert. Besides, the app would not be used at the check-in counter to input the missing and needed information.

 

Also, if he/she is assisting at check-in, he /she is unavailable to the boarding passengers who are anxious to seek the help to download and use the app so they can start using the app as soon as possible.

let's get everyone on board ... then start helping those that need additional help once on board.

 

agree that 'the app' may not be used for the check-in process once at the port

[Merly]

4 hours ago, majortom10 said:

We are on Regal on 9th September and as far as I am aware through past experience Princess do not post out Medallion's prior to your cruise they are given to you at the port when you check in.

Thank you.

[Merly]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Americans have the option to have the Medallion mailed out about two weeks prior to sail date.  No other countries announced at this time even though they have promised this in the past ("coming soon" - LOL). 

 

ETA - I should clarify the above.  As long as you can give them a US address to send to, NP.  I sent ours last time to our pre-cruise hotel in FLL.   Asked hotel first.

Ok,thank you. 

[pms4104]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

And give up my free laundry, mini bar setup, casino discounts and free balcony cruises with casino free play ?  I don’t think so. This is frustrating but somehow it will come to pass and we will cruise once again

Everything in life is a tradeoff.

[caribill]

12 hours ago, Merly said:

I have not been allocated a cabin number yet for my cruise in 60 days. If the medallion opens your cabin will I not be sent one until my cabin is allocated ? 

 

The Medallion does not have your cabin number, so it can be sent (usually in the two weeks before your cruise) even if your cabin had not yet been assigned.

 

Basically all the information it has on it is a coded passenger ID number.

 

Whenever the Medallion is accessed on the ship, be it while getting on or off the ship, purchasing something, unlocking your cabin door, etc., the ship's computer looks at that passenger ID number and then knows what cabin number is associated with the Medallion.

 

If you are on a B2B and change cabins between segments, you do not get a new Medallion. The ship's computer is simply updated to know which new cabin the Medallion is associated with.

[Merly]

27 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The Medallion does not have your cabin number, so it can be sent (usually in the two weeks before your cruise) even if your cabin had not yet been assigned.

 

Basically all the information it has on it is a coded passenger ID number.

 

Whenever the Medallion is accessed on the ship, be it while getting on or off the ship, purchasing something, unlocking your cabin door, etc., the ship's computer looks at that passenger ID number and then knows what cabin number is associated with the Medallion.

 

If you are on a B2B and change cabins between segments, you do not get a new Medallion. The ship's computer is simply updated to know which new cabin the Medallion is associated with.

Thank you for the explanation. I have not sailed with Princess before so this medallion is all new to me. But this makes sense. 

[majortom10]

Post made in error.

Edited July 12, 2021 by majortom10

[RRFan]

On 7/10/2021 at 10:11 PM, PhillyCruiser said:

The person who shows up with a fully-paid-for cruise and no working app might be me.  I’m on the first cruise to Alaska on the Majestic Princess, two weeks from today.  I opened a ticket with Princess IT 3 weeks ago, and have heard nothing.  Let’s see what happens!

Please come back and let us know. I feel sure they will have a separate line (or multiple lines) for passengers who couldn’t complete check in beforehand because of app probs.  They also have a line for people who plan to pick their medallion up at check in. I will be interested to hear how smoothly check in goes!  

[ScratchTheRat]

So I'm pretty tech-savvy and I find the app to be a mess.

 

I'm trying to check in currently and it gets stuck on the "passage contract & COVID-19 Risk Notification and Acceptance" bit where it just cycles through "loading" and doesn't progress. Any hints and tips?

Edited July 13, 2021 by ScratchTheRat
change of info

[Condocat]

4 hours ago, ScratchTheRat said:

So I'm pretty tech-savvy and I find the app to be a mess.

 

I'm trying to check in currently and it gets stuck on the "passage contract & COVID-19 Risk Notification and Acceptance" bit where it just cycles through "loading" and doesn't progress. Any hints and tips?

Start praying....took me over a month!

[Jadn13]

4 hours ago, ScratchTheRat said:

So I'm pretty tech-savvy and I find the app to be a mess.

 

I'm trying to check in currently and it gets stuck on the "passage contract & COVID-19 Risk Notification and Acceptance" bit where it just cycles through "loading" and doesn't progress. Any hints and tips?

I had some issues and just deleted and then downloaded the App again. 

 

[tellis90245]

I've said this before on other threads. Those of us with weak eyes and fat fingers have a hard time entering lots of information into a phone app using a small screen we have a hard time reading. Using my iMac with a keyboard and a 21" screen was easier, faster, and less mistake prone.

It would be nice if Princess designed their systems for their customers, instead of designing a system and hoping their customers can use it.

[billco]

On 7/11/2021 at 11:02 AM, caribill said:

 

After years of working to make port check-in as quick as possible, Princess has now succeeded in making it take longer than ever before for people who do not have smart devices compatible with this fantastic app.

I don't think we will know the efficiency of the check-in process until people start checking in. Even if it is chaotic, why not give Princess some slack for the first few cruises.

Edited July 13, 2021 by billco

[maggie777]

2 hours ago, billco said:

I don't think we will know the efficiency of the check-in process until people start checking in. Even if it is chaotic, why not give Princess some slack for the first few cruises.

I don't believe that PCL deserves any slack for removing our ability to complete pre-cruise requirements on our home computers. many have a valid reason for doing it this way.