Medallion app underwhelms

[Rick&Jeannie]

I firmly believe that a BIG MAJORITY of the issues come from the initial data migration that was done when the app was first launched.  Many people had issues at that point and pretty much it took a real person on the support end to look at your actual data and tweak whatever the issue was.  This was my experience...I had to send an email detailing almost a dozen issues that I was seeing to the support team.  About a week after I sent the email almost every issue I had reported was magically fixed for me.  This was not the case for everyone, I know...but it was for me and one only has to look back through the hundreds of posts that allude to this.

 

I also believe that for new cruisers who did not have a previous account with Princess the process goes much smoother since they are not having to deal with corrupted, migrated data.

 

There are certainly exceptions to what I've said above...but my background in IT leads me to believe that this was/is the case.

[fshagan]

5 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

Have you tried an update on your phone?

 

Yep, my phone is up to date. Reinstalling MA helped quite a bit. It's still probably the worst app I've had on my phone in quite a while.

I work for a software company and we just developed an iOS and Android app for our own application, and even our little app cost over a quarter million to implement. So I understand the complexity of getting an app to work on multiple OS versions, and the reluctance Princess has to just scrap it after spending (probably) over a million dollars on it. It's especially hard on Android, since on most Android phones you are dependent on the OEM (Samsung, etc.) to update the OS, so you have to make it backward compatible.

[fshagan]

21 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

Make sure to give feedback at the app store about what a piece of junk software the Medallion app is.

Thanks for reminding me to do this! Just left a one-star review with a brief explanation of the issues I've faced so far.

 

I hope our time on the ship isn't compromised by this app. If it is, I suspect we'll take another hiatus from Princess until it's fixed.

[fshagan]

19 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

 Have you tried just entering first and last name ( delete the middle name)? I recently helped 4 travelers get their medallions set up and that was the only way I could get it to accept the passports. 
 

Also I had the same issue with the camera on their android phones that you mentioned. I ended up using my iPhone to scan their passports in.  

 

I tried all sorts of things. It did accept our first names and last names (alone, without the middle name) after deleting the app, rebooting the phone, and reinstalling. It's also marginally faster. I left a review on the Play store with my phone model, Android version and build number in case they go through the reviews (the Play store administration gives them several tools to look at to see how well the app is doing among all users).

[fshagan]

6 hours ago, Grego said:

For those of us that had no problems entering information into the upcoming 5 bookings as well as the two voyages we have had since November, we find the registration and check in process a breeze and a great improvement over the past procedure.  Once on board we have used the app very frequently during the day to check on activities, dining menus, chatting with our travel companions and locating them if necessary, ordering drinks to be delivered, checking port guides, our shipboard account, deck plans and make any changes to our dining plans.

A great tool if you want to use it.  If not, that's OK too.  After all, it would be cruising like we did in the past which I loved as well.

 

Android or iOS phone?

 

If I had to venture a guess, I'll bet you are using an iPhone instead of an Android phone.

[FlaMariner]

Good suggestion to check out the reviews.......

 

App is rated 4.7 out of 5 yet 99% of the reviews are negative.  Very strange. The only redeeming benefit of checking the ratings out is to realize, just like on here... "it's not just me".  LOL>

[Shelly97060]

4 hours ago, fshagan said:

I left a review on the Play store with my phone model, Android version and build number in case they go through the reviews (the Play store administration gives them several tools to look at to see how well the app is doing among all users).

 

Here is the email address for concerns or issues with the App if you or anyone else needs it:

 

askoceanmedallion@carnival.com

 

When you email them include your issue, device type, operating system, booking number and your date of birth ( they use the booking number and date of birth to do quick access to your booking through the app). If you don’t get a reply in a week forward the email to them again and ask for an update on your issue.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Shelly97060

[brisalta]

10 hours ago, Coral said:

I have a love/hate relationship with the app. BTW - I work in technology.

 

I hated setting the app up before my cruise. I think it is a piece of junk.

 

During the cruise - I had a difficult time finding things. They were not where I expected things to be. Not grouped well.

 

Though when I did use it for things I did find - I did see potential. I liked finding my friends on the cruise (location) and ordering a drink and having it delivered.

 

I see potential but right now it is in beta form.

 

It is not beta it is pre-alpha.

[brisalta]

10 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I firmly believe that a BIG MAJORITY of the issues come from the initial data migration that was done when the app was first launched.  Many people had issues at that point and pretty much it took a real person on the support end to look at your actual data and tweak whatever the issue was.  This was my experience...I had to send an email detailing almost a dozen issues that I was seeing to the support team.  About a week after I sent the email almost every issue I had reported was magically fixed for me.  This was not the case for everyone, I know...but it was for me and one only has to look back through the hundreds of posts that allude to this.

 

I also believe that for new cruisers who did not have a previous account with Princess the process goes much smoother since they are not having to deal with corrupted, migrated data.

 

There are certainly exceptions to what I've said above...but my background in IT leads me to believe that this was/is the case.

 

If they did data migration the question is why? If there was a legitimate reason to migrate data then they did a very poor job of it.

 

 

[cruisingrob21]

On 1/22/2022 at 11:29 AM, fshagan said:

Just reserved our first Princess cruise in 10+ years, and we're looking forward to cruising with them. But I have to admit the Medallion app isn't giving me the warm fuzzies this morning.

 

• It is slow on my fairly new Moto G+ phone. Really slow. As in 15 seconds to change screens.
• Data entry is slow. It can take 3 - 4 seconds for a keypress to react and fill in the text boxes.
• Cannot scan our passports, as it insists on using the front camera on the phone (and overrides the usual icon that changes it to the rear camera).
• It won't accept manual entry of our passport information as it rejects our first name as not matching our profile, even if we combine it with middle name as it appears on our passports.
• Even the "Tell us how we're doing" screen cannot be filled in as the keyboard covers it.

 

Is there a secret way to fill this information in on the website instead of this app? I'm sure it cost them multi-millions to develop, and I can appreciate the beauty of it when it finally paints the screen, but it really is very clunky.

Same/similar phone, same slow/sluggish response.

 

Best tip I found is to open your web browser when connected to the wifi and type in yourshipname.princess.com (ie if you are on the Ruby, type "ruby.princess.com") and it will quickly take you a homepage of sorts that show the current patter activities, access to onboard account, a chat function (that is not integrated with ocean medallion, but still works), and access to medallion net login.  This was much faster for me and 90% of what I needed to access was all on that main page rather than the disorganized mess the ocean medallion app is.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, brisalta said:

 

If they did data migration the question is why? If there was a legitimate reason to migrate data then they did a very poor job of it.

 

 

 

The app has many more functions than the Personalizer did, so at the least an expansion was needed to accommodate all the new options.

 

As an example, take dinner. The old data base needed to accommodate four main dining room options:

1) Anytime dining

2) Early traditional dining in aft dining room

3) Early traditional dining in a center dining room

4) Late traditional dining

 

I have no knowledge how this was in the data base, but all it would take is 2 bits in a data word.

 

Additional data would include requested table size.

 

But the app data base now requires knowing a dining room preference for each evening of the cruise along with the time for each evening. This does not fit into 2 bits and thus requires a data base redesign.

 

And dining is just one aspect of all the new capabilities the app is supposed to handle.

[Jadn13]

The app once on board has proven very useful. Keep an open mind. 

[brisalta]

13 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The app has many more functions than the Personalizer did, so at the least an expansion was needed to accommodate all the new options.

 

As an example, take dinner. The old data base needed to accommodate four main dining room options:

1) Anytime dining

2) Early traditional dining in aft dining room

3) Early traditional dining in a center dining room

4) Late traditional dining

 

I have no knowledge how this was in the data base, but all it would take is 2 bits in a data word.

 

Additional data would include requested table size.

 

But the app data base now requires knowing a dining room preference for each evening of the cruise along with the time for each evening. This does not fit into 2 bits and thus requires a data base redesign.

 

And dining is just one aspect of all the new capabilities the app is supposed to handle.

 

All they had to do was add another table with appropriate columns with a key reference in the database.

(Before I retired I used to be on an R&D team of a database application that was used for far more complex systems than princess has and used for population size databases).

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by brisalta

[PrincessLuver]

9 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

The app once on board has proven very useful. Keep an open mind. 

This was our experience too......

[fshagan]

22 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

Good suggestion to check out the reviews.......

 

App is rated 4.7 out of 5 yet 99% of the reviews are negative.  Very strange. The only redeeming benefit of checking the ratings out is to realize, just like on here... "it's not just me".  LOL>

 

The feedback in negative reviews is very useful to the developers. I go through the reviews for our app at the company I work for each week, and negative comments are sent to management.

 

Most people who rate an app with five stars don't leave a comment. They just rate the app and get back to work. People who are ticked off will be more vocal about it. And to be honest, that's what I prefer when looking at my company's reviews. I don't need another "you guys rock" statement as much as I need info I can hand to our developers to get fixed.

[Bruin Steve]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:18 AM, Grego said:

For those of us that had no problems entering information into the upcoming 5 bookings as well as the two voyages we have had since November, we find the registration and check in process a breeze...

It works great...until it doesn't...

We, too, had no problems inputting info into the app for our past medallion sailings...and no problem INITIALLY inputting for our upcoming April Majestic cruise...

 

BUT, since inputtng all of that stuff, I realized that I needed to renew my passort...Don't really have to for this cruise, but we're leaving for Europe shortly after and, for that one, we need to have passports with at least six months left until expiration...and I wouldn't have sufficient time to have them process the application in between...SO, I got a new passport--that arrived today.

 

I went into the Medallion app--and was able to change my passport number and expiration date...BUT, there is also a photo/scan of my OLD passport there--and NO WAY to erase/replace it.  I called Princess and they said, yes, there is no method in the app for changing it.  Just bring your new passport with you on the ship...and you MAY not have any problems checking in or on the cruise!

[dreams_of_travel]

26 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

It works great...until it doesn't...

We, too, had no problems inputting info into the app for our past medallion sailings...and no problem INITIALLY inputting for our upcoming April Majestic cruise...

 

BUT, since inputtng all of that stuff, I realized that I needed to renew my passort...Don't really have to for this cruise, but we're leaving for Europe shortly after and, for that one, we need to have passports with at least six months left until expiration...and I wouldn't have sufficient time to have them process the application in between...SO, I got a new passport--that arrived today.

 

I went into the Medallion app--and was able to change my passport number and expiration date...BUT, there is also a photo/scan of my OLD passport there--and NO WAY to erase/replace it.  I called Princess and they said, yes, there is no method in the app for changing it.  Just bring your new passport with you on the ship...and you MAY not have any problems checking in or on the cruise!

 

Exactly re: it works until it doesn't.

 

That passport issue is a bit shortsighted on their part.  Yes, passports are good for ten years, but what if someone, just like you, needs a new one. They should have thought about the need to update it.  Also, I imagine that the kids who are traveling may need to update theirs more often with passports only being good for five years for them.  

[caribill]

17 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

 

That passport issue is a bit shortsighted on their part. 

Hard to tell where the lack of foresight lies.

 

Did someone at Princess write a spec without this and no one was allowed to deviate from the spec?

 

Was there just a general spec and the developers did not realize that any of the data or images loaded might need to be changed by the user?

 

Did the testers of the app (I assume there were some although the results indicate there may not have been) not have enough experience to realize this was a problem?

 

Other?

[dreams_of_travel]

All good points.  We may never know. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[fshagan]

You can update the passport data, but not update the image of the passport you initially uploaded? That doesn't matter. The data is what matters, not the image.

 

After initial scanning, the image serves no purpose, except perhaps to show you what you uploaded.

[fshagan]

On 1/23/2022 at 11:55 AM, fshagan said:

Thanks for reminding me to do this! Just left a one-star review with a brief explanation of the issues I've faced so far.

 

I hope our time on the ship isn't compromised by this app. If it is, I suspect we'll take another hiatus from Princess until it's fixed.

 

And we returned from our cruise. We had things we liked, and things we didn't like as much, but certainly within the range of issues we have with any line, and so Princess would be on our list for future cruises.

 

But not with the Medallion App.

 

The first problem happened within minutes of getting on the ship's wifi. All of my dinner reservations were gone. And the app wouldn't work for making new reservations.

 

We went to the IT help station.  I was able to get mine to navigate better with their help (log out, reboot phone, log back in using your cabin number instead of your name). It did speed up a bit after that, but was still painful to use. I was irritated any time I wanted to see our folio, make dinner reservations, see a map of the ship ... so many things.

 

Because the Princess experience is so dependent on the app we won't sail with them again until we hear it works for everyone's phones. Nothing personal against Princess cruises, just an annoyance that distracts too much from our vacation.

 

 

 

[Kiran]

3 hours ago, fshagan said:

 

And we returned from our cruise. We had things we liked, and things we didn't like as much, but certainly within the range of issues we have with any line, and so Princess would be on our list for future cruises.

 

But not with the Medallion App.

 

The first problem happened within minutes of getting on the ship's wifi. All of my dinner reservations were gone. And the app wouldn't work for making new reservations.

 

We went to the IT help station.  I was able to get mine to navigate better with their help (log out, reboot phone, log back in using your cabin number instead of your name). It did speed up a bit after that, but was still painful to use. I was irritated any time I wanted to see our folio, make dinner reservations, see a map of the ship ... so many things.

 

Because the Princess experience is so dependent on the app we won't sail with them again until we hear it works for everyone's phones. Nothing personal against Princess cruises, just an annoyance that distracts too much from our vacation.

 

 

 

Had a bad experience with Medallion app  (especially for MDR reservations  being list) and nonfunctional  cabin tv on a 2 week cruise in April on Emerald Princess

 

Having a much better experience presently on Caribbean Princess

App mostly works and cabin tv is flawless

was able to set up a standing reservation for 4 for a private table

prefer private table as i have to raise my voice for my mom to hear me

 

It was not as easy to get a private table for 2 as wished on April cruise for Wedding Anniversary

[cruzin4us]

I'm one that personally loves the app.   Anytime I've had it not work properly I try the 2 following things:

1.  Reboot my iphone

2.  Reinstall the app

 

We've had no problems getting all our information loaded and I love being able to set up my Specialty dining in advance.

 

Once onboard, I love the ability to check out all the drinks on the drink menu and being able to order from anywhere on the ship.   

 

So, not everyone hates the app......

[fshagan]

4 hours ago, cruzin4us said:

I'm one that personally loves the app.   Anytime I've had it not work properly I try the 2 following things:

1.  Reboot my iphone

2.  Reinstall the app

 

We've had no problems getting all our information loaded and I love being able to set up my Specialty dining in advance.

 

Once onboard, I love the ability to check out all the drinks on the drink menu and being able to order from anywhere on the ship.   

 

So, not everyone hates the app......

 

I think the people that hate the app are the ones that it doesn't work for. There may be a small number of people who don't want to carry / use their cell phone all the time on vacation, but I'll bet they are a very small minority.

 

What kind of phone do you have? Everyone I asked who was having problems was using an Android phone so I'm assuming it works well on iPhones.

[fshagan]

8 hours ago, Kiran said:

Had a bad experience with Medallion app  (especially for MDR reservations  being list) and nonfunctional  cabin tv on a 2 week cruise in April on Emerald Princess

 

All of our reservations were wiped out as soon as we connected to the ship's wifi. We met several other people this happened to as well. I was able to log in and make a single reservation for that day on subsequent mornings.

 

We also hate being tied down to a specific time for dining. Our favorite is Freestyle on NCL because you truly do not need reservations for the MDR and we have never waited more than 5 minutes for a table for two. Princess' "Dine My Way" dining is not the same at all, as even with reservations we had to wait most nights for 15 minutes or more to be seated, and were constantly asked if we would share a table. Had the reservation system worked through the app it wouldn't have been as big an irritant for us. No other line does as well as NCL in this area (possible exception is Virgin, which we haven't sailed yet.)

 

For the most part, after the first day the cabin TV worked well. But things you can find on other lines are not available on the cabin TV, such as viewing your folio to see current charges. We were never able to see any dining reservations on the TV (image attached).

 

Other things were minor annoyances, such as no printed ship maps, making you rely on the app or the ship maps near the elevator. Many things like this, which are minor, just added up to make the experience less than optimum.  Still better than going to work, and we enjoyed the cruise, but we feel we have better choices.