WIFI--One Device Question

[SuzieQ521]

Hello:

We have the Plus package for our Royal Princess sailing coming up soon which includes 1 WIFI-device per person (just for the first 2 people in the room). I know WIFI is not great on Alaska cruises so we will see how much it works...

 

My Question: If we were to do the WIFI on our tablets, then can we still have the regular Medallion app on our phones to message each other while on board  (I assume they still have the option where you can message fellow passengers for free?), order room service, book services, etc.?

 

Thanks!

Edited May 11, 2023 by SuzieQ521

[startedwithamouse]

14 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Hello:

We have the Plus package for our Royal Princess sailing coming up soon which includes 1 WIFI-device per person (just for the first 2 people in the room). I know WIFI is not great on Alaska cruises so we will see how much it works...

 

My Question: If we were to do the WIFI on our tablets, then can we still have the regular Medallion app on our phones to message each other while on board  (I assume they still have the option where you can message fellow passengers for free?), order room service, book services, etc.?

 

Thanks!

Yes, you're using the ship's Intranet to message each other, order services, food, etc.  There is a chat feature also. 

[wallyj]

Using the Medallion APP on the ship is not the same as using WiFi to access the internet. Since you have a one device plan, you can switch between the APP and the internet on the same device as noted earlier,  the APP uses the ships Intranet.

 

Note the message feature does not have ‘push’ notification so you need to check your messages to see if you have any, but if you have some other text or chat APP you could use this while you have your WiFi connection active. You can easily switch between devices if you have a smartphone and a tablet, etc., only one device active per account.

[SuzieQ521]

3 minutes ago, wallyj said:

Using the Medallion APP on the ship is not the same as using WiFi to access the internet. Since you have a one device plan, you can switch between the APP and the internet on the same device as noted earlier,  the APP uses the ships Intranet.

 

Note the message feature does not have ‘push’ notification so you need to check your messages to see if you have any, but if you have some other text or chat APP you could use this while you have your WiFi connection active. You can easily switch between devices if you have a smartphone and a tablet, etc., only one device active per account.

 

So basically we have to designate one device to be the one with the WIFI, correct? Or can I log in and out of WIFI between my phone and tablet?

 

Ideally, we will be surfing the web (if it works) on the IPAD and then using the message feature to communicate with each other on our phones (just while on the ship, the Intranet).

 

Thank you.

[bagney]

Yes, regarding Wi-Fi you log out of one device and connect to another device. So if you were logged onto WiFi on your tablet or laptop or phone and needed to be connected on one of your other devices, you simply log out of one and log in with another. In fact, I noticed in January on our cruise that if I was logged on Wifi with my tablet and wanted to use my phone to connect to Wifi, there is a place in the Princess App on the phone that will switch your WiFi connection to your phone (sort of an automatic log-out from the other device). Simple way to think about its a one-device plan allows you to be connected to one device at a time but it does NOT matter which device.

[Shelly97060]

5 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

 

So basically we have to designate one device to be the one with the WIFI, correct? Or can I log in and out of WIFI between my phone and tablet?

 

 

The system doesn’t care which of your devices you use as long as only one at a time is logged in.  For example if you are using your phone and then go to log in with your iPad it will ask you if you want to log off the device that’s currently connected ( your phone) and switch to the new device ( the iPad).

 

[wallyj]

39 minutes ago, SuzieQ521 said:

 

So basically we have to designate one device to be the one with the WIFI, correct? Or can I log in and out of WIFI between my phone and tablet?

 

Ideally, we will be surfing the web (if it works) on the IPAD and then using the message feature to communicate with each other on our phones (just while on the ship, the Intranet).

 

Thank you.

Yes, you do not need to be connected to the Internet to use the Medallion APP messaging feature, so you could use your phone to message AND be connected on your IPad surfing the internet, checking email etc. if you decide you want to connect to the internet on your phone, it will say another device is logged on, do you want to deactivate that device and activate this one. 
 

FYI, on some other cruiselines you assign WiFi to only one specific device and cannot switch among other devices, Princess allows you to switch among devices with only one device logged into internet at a time on the one device plan.

[cr8tiv1]

You have not mentioned if you have an android or an iPhone.  I have been told...not verfied....that iMessages can be sent and received while connected to the INTRAnet.  I do know that on occasions, my iPhone will ping to let me know that a message came through, while I was connected to the INTERnet on my iPad.  Not sure if that is because the iPad received the message and relayed it to the phone.  

 

Way too technical for me.  Also, other passengers without INTERnet connection on the ship have been able to send me iMessages for "free".

[SuzieQ521]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

You have not mentioned if you have an android or an iPhone.  I have been told...not verfied....that iMessages can be sent and received while connected to the INTRAnet.  I do know that on occasions, my iPhone will ping to let me know that a message came through, while I was connected to the INTERnet on my iPad.  Not sure if that is because the iPad received the message and relayed it to the phone.  

 

Way too technical for me.  Also, other passengers without INTERnet connection on the ship have been able to send me iMessages for "free".

 

Thank you. Good to know... We have Android phones but IPads also.

[SCX22]

You can connect unlimited devices to the ship's MedallionNet Wi-Fi network to use the Medallion App only.  Other apps will not function when connected to MedallionNet unless you purchase an Internet Plan, and if you want to use multiple devices, a Multi-Device Internet Plan.  So yes, you can have your tablet as the device with full service MedallionNet and have your phone connected to MedallionNet concurrently, but only to use the MedallionApp.

 

The exception is the iMessage App on Apple Devices, where iMessages (messages sent and received in blue bubble boxes) can be sent and received over MedallionNet at no charge.  SMS text messages in iMessage (messages sent and received in green bubbles) cannot be sent because these messages are sent via cellular signal, which MedallionNet is not.  Can't speak for Android because iMessage doesn't work on that platform and I don't own an Android device.

 

You will be able to message your companions onboard with the Ocean Compass function on the Medallion App.  Just note that your phone will not make an alert noise when you receive a message via Ocean Compass, so unless you are actively checking the Medallion App, you'll never know someone sent you a message.

[antsp]

The easiest thing to do is connect your phone to the ships WiFi, and then use it as a hotspot to tether all other devices of that. Obviously this only works if you are together 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

You can connect unlimited devices to the ship's MedallionNet Wi-Fi network to use the Medallion App only.  Other apps will not function when connected to MedallionNet unless you purchase an Internet Plan, and if you want to use multiple devices, a Multi-Device Internet Plan.  So yes, you can have your tablet as the device with full service MedallionNet and have your phone connected to MedallionNet concurrently, but only to use the MedallionApp.

 

The exception is the iMessage App on Apple Devices, where iMessages (messages sent and received in blue bubble boxes) can be sent and received over MedallionNet at no charge.  SMS text messages in iMessage (messages sent and received in green bubbles) cannot be sent because these messages are sent via cellular signal, which MedallionNet is not.  Can't speak for Android because iMessage doesn't work on that platform and I don't own an Android device.

 

You will be able to message your companions onboard with the Ocean Compass function on the Medallion App.  Just note that your phone will not make an alert noise when you receive a message via Ocean Compass, so unless you are actively checking the Medallion App, you'll never know someone sent you a message.

Excellent description.  For non-techie like me, a simpler explanation is:

 

blue bubble:  iPhone to iPhone.  “Magically” transmits through Medallion INTRAnet.  FREE

 

green bubble:  requires either INTERnet WiFi or cellular data and sends as a SMS text.  Usually android to android or iPhone to android.  

 

And then there is the rare occasion where my iPhone will display a green bubble when I send an iMessage to another iPhone.  Disclaimer:  I only use iMessage when I know the recipient has an iPhone.  Otherwise, I use Google Voice to send a SMS text to friends who own an Android.  I don’t try to use my iPhone iMessage app to send a text to an android phone.  Never seems to work, for me.

 

I am sure there is someone out there that can explain why iPhone to iPhone sometimes shows up green.  My tech support team (aka my kids) have tried to explain it to me, but I never remember why.)
 

I have used FaceTime and WiFi calling when connected to Medallion Net WiFi.  

[beg3yrs]

3 hours ago, antsp said:

The easiest thing to do is connect your phone to the ships WiFi, and then use it as a hotspot to tether all other devices of that. Obviously this only works if you are together 

Have you personally done this recently? IIRC I have tried something like this quite some time ago and was unsuccessful with an iPhone. The iPhone would not connect to WiFi for Internet service and simultaneously act as a hotspot. It would only be a hotspot if using cellular data for Internet.

[antsp]

Yes, every time I cruise, however I don't have a iPhone, so that may be the issue