Interesting chat on Iona about the P and O app failing

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I haven't got time but  I have no doubt if I checked reviews for celebrity and princess there will be plenty of complaints about having to use apps and the apps failing  on there as well at times

 

If not I would be amazed

 

I can only repeat I've obviously been lucky and not only has the app worked fine the majority of time for me. It's worked all of the time. 

 

So far!!

 

 

Good on you. And yes loads have problems with those companies. I was using them as examples P&O aren't alone in the IT problems stakes.  The new ships on all lines are relying on them however. No point at all on keeping arguing about this. It is what it is 

[CarlaMarie]

I think we will have to agree to disagree on the app. If you haven't been impacted then you have been lucky and that is great, but you cannot suggest that the app works the majority of the time as there are far too many passengers impacted by it when it hasn't worked as it should. And when it does have a blip it is frustrating and can be stressful. To try and prove otherwise or blame passengers for it really isn't fair as you were not there at that time. To ask the restaurant manager is going a bit too far in my opinion. 

 

Everyone's experiences are valid. 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Again, different ships, different experience. I believe you sailed on Silhouette if I remember rightly, I sailed on Edge. One built for very recently one adapted for the technology. Proof technology isn't nevessarily the answer.  

 

The other folk have also made me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome to the point I was quite distressed.  I believe in fairly giving my experience if I think it's relevant and I think people picking only on negative facts are mischief making for the sake of it.  On the other hand it's very unkind to hold me alone responsible for a decision to cancel a holiday or say I'm getting special treatment because I emailed someone I know in Southampton, ironically at the suggestion of some of the very posters on here. 

I'm not having a pop at you MB,far from it . I value your contributions. Some folk pick up on every little thing.....massive queues at Southampton...what will all those frail people do...sitting in the sun for hours....turns out not much of a queue and it moved quickly. Those folk never come back to say....whoops sorry, got it wrong .

 

[cruising.mark.uk]

9 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Good on you. And yes loads have problems with those companies. I was using them as examples P&O aren't alone in the IT problems stakes.  The new ships on all lines are relying on them however. No point at all on keeping arguing about this. It is what it is 

Exactly.  Sometimes technology does not work quite as planned.  It is what it is.  But, people will no doubt keep arguing about it.  This thread has got a long way to run yet to catch up with the first pinned thread on the Princess Board, 'Ocean Medallion App - Part 3', which has 211 pages of comments, mainly about problems with the medallion and App.

[Interestedcruisefan]

11 minutes ago, CarlaMarie said:

I think we will have to agree to disagree on the app. If you haven't been impacted then you have been lucky and that is great, but you cannot suggest that the app works the majority of the time as there are far too many passengers impacted by it when it hasn't worked as it should. And when it does have a blip it is frustrating and can be stressful. To try and prove otherwise or blame passengers for it really isn't fair as you were not there at that time. To ask the restaurant manager is going a bit too far in my opinion. 

 

Everyone's experiences are valid. 

I agree but MB said above that P and O need to make sure the app works the majority of the time

 

My point is that it clearly does work the majority of the time?

 

Even on the cruises where it's failed?

 

And I think asking the restaurant manager made sense ?

 

His answers helped me at least

 

That wasn't to prove anything but simply to get his input into how often there are problems for him with the app

 

It's upto you to believe him or not

 

He might be a lucky restaurant manager the same as I am a lucky cruiser. Or he's not worked long enough yet

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[kalos]

Has anyone decided on a walk in ,only to find the restaurant manager has frozen.

 

Do you give him a refreshing swipe to see if he works again ?😉

 

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I agree but MB said above that P and O need to make sure the app works the majority of the time

 

My point is that it does work the majority of the time?

 

And I think asking the restaurant manager made sense ?

 

His answers helped me at least

 

That wasn't to prove anything but simply to get his input into how often there are problems 

 

It's upto you to believe him or not

 

He might be a lucky restaurant manager the same as I am a lucky cruiser

 

 

 

ICF we are all going round and round in circles here like dogs chasing their tails!  You haven't had any problems others have. I'm happy to say good on you for your luck, you on the other hand seem intent on prolonging the argument none of us have had a problem and everything works brilliantly.  I believe reliability should mean works at least 80% of the time for everyone who wants to use it.  You get 100% brilliant, my experience is 50% - see below why I give that rating.

 

As it happens for me personally it HAS worked perfectly when it's been operational on Arvia and my paid for wifi has been splendid.  However it hasn't been the case for all onboard here and as I said elsewhere it never even loaded for us on Britannia at Christmas and even the IT guys washed their hands of it on that occasion. So two cruises two different experiences with the same tool, therefore 50% reliability rating from me.

 

I was on QM2 a week or so back. I expected huge problems as I read continuously over on the Cunard board it doesn't work, wifi is crap etc etc.  Again, for me it worked perfectly absolutely no problems. That however doesn't mean I don't remember having to sit on the stairs in 2019 and 2020 to get my paid for wifi working or I didn't encounter others doing exactly that on our trip to Liverpool.

 

No one is right or wrong here, we are all just saying what we experience, hopefully so others are prepared and can have a better time.

 

I find your boundless enthusiasm a joy, but it's tiring to keep dragging this app business kn and just paves the way for certain naysayers to have one gigantic dig at P&O.  As I said I have comments on the app I plan to make when I'm home, hopefully constructive ones as I plan to put some thoughts on paper to P&O when I write my review and comment on the other well documented issues. 

[davecttr]

Working for the majority or even the overwhelming majority of the time is not good enough for  such an apparently vital system. It will damage their reputation if they don't fix it. I suspect they may be doing it on the cheap. Good computer people cost money and paying peanuts will get you monkeys.

 

I would have though each ship would have an app expert as part of its onboard IT team but i suspect it all has to go back through HQ. What happens if the system goes down at 11pm. Is there someone who is an expert available?

[Interestedcruisefan]

35 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Exactly.  Sometimes technology does not work quite as planned.  It is what it is.  But, people will no doubt keep arguing about it.  This thread has got a long way to run yet to catch up with the first pinned thread on the Princess Board, 'Ocean Medallion App - Part 3', which has 211 pages of comments, mainly about problems with the medallion and App.

Just 209 pages to go then!!

[cruising.mark.uk]

Just now, Interestedcruisefan said:

Just 209 pages to go then!!

It was an observation, not a challenge!

[Interestedcruisefan]

Just now, cruising.mark.uk said:

It was an observation, not a challenge!

 We will get their soon enough providing Wi-Fi doesn't go down on Iona next 24 hrs

[Megabear2]

16 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 We will get their soon enough providing Wi-Fi doesn't go down on Iona next 24 hrs

It's great reading. Actually the thing is useless landside, drove us to distraction trying to check in etc, but onboard absolutely brilliant - well on my two Regal Princess cruises and a staycation on Sky anyway.   I love the way US guests get aerated about what they call the "goddam thing".

 

I think Moley said P&O are to be Medallioned next - then we too can have 211 pages ...

Edited May 26, 2023 by Megabear2

[smokey01]

4 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

You can reserve tables for multiple nights direct should you wis

On Arvia in April I tried to do that and was told that it was not possible to do that and I was even told that their system didn’t enable them to take any bookings after 6.30pm. 

[Interestedcruisefan]

14 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

On Arvia in April I tried to do that and was told that it was not possible to do that and I was even told that their system didn’t enable them to take any bookings after 6.30pm. 

Restaurant manager at Coral said he could do it for tables upto 6 people.

 

7 plus have to use virtual queue but could walk in upto 6.30pm. 

 

How many`were your bookings for?

[Megabear2]

14 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

On Arvia in April I tried to do that and was told that it was not possible to do that and I was even told that their system didn’t enable them to take any bookings after 6.30pm. 

That is correct, exactly the same happening now.  I was told previously it is to use the "dead time" between 5.30pm and 6.30pm - that was on Britannia.  I think actually everyone has cottoned on to book those slots at home if you can for Arvia as once onboard they've been as rare as hen's teeth.  If you have one you never consider changing your plans and stick with it rigidly.  Same applies to Olive Grove and the American Diner.

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Restaurant manager at Coral said he could do it for tables upto 6 people.

 

7 plus have to use virtual queue but could walk in upto 6.30pm. 

 

How many`were your bookings for?

As I said above, doesn't matter if you are 1 or 10, after 6.30pm the app opens and you have to use it or queue for a pager.  The latter are the dining room queues I've been mentioning throughout - the queue to get in the queue so to speak.  Walk up between 5.30 and 6.30 does not happen, particularly on Celebration Night. You are held, given a pager or when they decide they can't take any more in the queue the app is marked as full and you have to find somewhere else. It's Celebration 2 tonight, I'll watch what happens. I'm in at 6.15 Zenith. Last time those trying to queue could get a pager but many never made it in and were escorted to someucalled Captains Table in the buffet or Olive Grove which served MDR menu instead of their own.  Tonight they've added Tandoori in tye Quays presumably to assist the buffet which struggled last week.

Edited May 26, 2023 by Megabear2

[smokey01]

3 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Restaurant manager at Coral said he could do it for tables upto 6 people.

 

7 plus have to use virtual queue but could walk in upto 6.30pm. 

 

How many`were your bookings for?

A table for 2. I think I asked 3 different people, one was on the phone number that you call if you don’t want to use the app. Note I have done 4 two week cruises on Iona and had no problems with the app. That said on at least 2 of those cruises it would have been covid restricted levels of passengers and the 4th time was end November/December so not a full cruise.

 

On Arvia April 16th cruise where I would have liked a table for 2 at 8pm I was unable to pre book and experienced queues every evening of over 130. For the first time I used the method I had previously read on this site of using my mothers phone as well as my own. Once or twice I got kicked off the queue for no reason I could fathom, I know you have to be careful and I only refresh the page to see how near I am. The queue went down very slowly and we frequently missed entertainment bookings. I do have to say I came off that cruise a little depressed. I have been cruising since the early nineties and remember how laid back they were and also I enjoy a leisurely drink on my balcony or in a bar, I didn’t get it on that cruise. I have 2 weeks until I pay for Iona in October and I am seriously thinking of cancelling as we have only paid a small deposit even though I am confident I won’t get the same problems. 
 

One thing I will say is that each and everyone of those 14 MDR evening meals (soup, appetiser, main and pudding) were truly scrumptious. So at the moment it is a battle between cancelling P&O and going back to RCL/Celebrity where I can get traditional late sitting dining but where in my mind the service is superior but the food is less to my liking than P&O.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

4 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Well either that's never happened to this restaurant manager on Iona or I've just been lied to?

 

I'm not going back to ask him though!!

 

Lol

Certainly the ordering app used by the waiters did go down for a short period on 2 nights on the MDR on our Feb cruise. The waiters were resorting to pen and paper for about 20 minutes, until it came back on line. i understood from the waiter that their system is linked to the passenger one, but don't know if that is correct.

[smokey01]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

 

I think Moley said P&O are to be Medallioned next - then we too can have 211 pages

When do you think it would happen, I loved medallion last year on Enchanted Princess?

[Sussexboy]

3 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

When do you think it would happen, I loved medallion last year on Enchanted Princess?

Will I have to grow a moustache and cultivate my chest hair? And motor down to Southampton in the jag?

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, smokey01 said:

When do you think it would happen, I loved medallion last year on Enchanted Princess?

That I don't know. Perhaps he'll drop by with an update of possible timing.  I agree, I really liked it once I got onboard. Bit of a pig to set up the first time, but the next two times it remembered me and I just switched cruises. I liked the fact all my cruises, past and present were accessible and relevant information copied itself in where necessary.

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Certainly the ordering app used by the waiters did go down for a short period on 2 nights on the MDR on our Feb cruise. The waiters were resorting to pen and paper for about 20 minutes, until it came back on line. i understood from the waiter that their system is linked to the passenger one, but don't know if that is correct.

Must have been on his days off !!

 

Lol 

 

Or he was being honest and he didn't lose his reservations as a result

[Gettingwarmer]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

That I don't know. Perhaps he'll drop by with an update of possible timing.  I agree, I really liked it once I got onboard. Bit of a pig to set up the first time, but the next two times it remembered me and I just switched cruises. I liked the fact all my cruises, past and present were accessible and relevant information copied itself in where necessary.

At least it is a proper App and recent improvements have made it better. I think it still has problems on older phones but we have always been good and working well for our next Princess cruise. 

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Or he was being honest and he didn't lose his reservations as a result

That may well be the case for him, he might not have been on Iona when others had the crash problems. I understand this losing several thousand reservations has been pretty unique even here on Arvia who have openly admitted and apologised for the problems when you approach them for assistance.

[Eglesbrech]

3 hours ago, zap99 said:

I'm sure they and P&O dealt with it. Tech problems happen BA cancelled 80 flights due to IT issues. I'm sure nobody is laughing, but I'm equally sure most folk will enjoy their holiday, having dealt with any issues.

 

But the point is they should not have to deal with it.  Why are Brits so ready to accept such poor service. The “ mustn,t grumble culture just annoys me, yes things happen but it doesn’t make it acceptable and particularly when it happens frequently like BA.

 

@Interestedcruisefan you are correct, the Princess app is pretty bad and we had many more issues with it than the P&O version.