Wasn't Cruising Easier Pre-Medallion?

[Outerdog]

Of the 18 posters who have expressed an opinion about the Medallion and the app:

 

Favor Medallion: 14 or 78%

Oppose Medallion 4 or 22%

 

About 3 or 4 other posters didn't make it quite clear what they thought.

 

Small sample, but statistically valid? You decide.

 

[Outerdog]

2 minutes ago, DrSea said:

IMHO, it's a little disingenuous to say that the app isn't needed to cruise when staff ask you to use the app for everything,

 

Perhaps.

 

But that same disingenuousness is used by the hand wringers when they imply that they are being forced to use the app.

[DrSea]

43 minutes ago, desertdwellingsailor said:

I love this discussion. True story. In October my wife and I went on our first Princess Cruise with her brother, his wife, and her parents. The rest of them had been on 5-7 princess cruises pre covid and they were showing my wife and I the ropes as newbies. But they were completely lost with the app which came naturally to both of us. We do have computer science degrees. 🙂

 

So, we had to help them get all the green lane stuff going and when we got on the ship and I used the app to have a coffee drink brought to me they were mystified. It was funny because they were trying to arrange everything and show us the ropes but the tech threw them for a loop. And it wasn't that they aren't smart. Her brother is a CPA and his wife a professional musician. But they were thrown by the new stuff like having to pick a time to embark which is nearly impossible in the app.

 

Clearly the user interface of the app and web site are poor. But at the same time the app has some good features. I like being about to chat with the crew from my phone instead of waiting in line at some counter. And I ordered a bunch of stuff from the app on my two Princess Cruises. And I like how the medallion lets the crew know it is me and makes embarkation faster.

 

Anyway, I totally get why people don't want to use an app and Princess could make it easier to use. But it has some value for me.

 

Bobby

Embarkation is lightning fast on any all cruise lines after the pandemic regardless of the cruise line. The medallion doesn't affect this at all. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

I have absolutely NO issues at all with the physical medallion.  Medallion or cruise card...potayto-potahtoe

 

Once on board...the medallion is tolerable.  It's primarily pre-cruise where all the issues are.

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie

[memoak]

3 minutes ago, DrSea said:

IMHO, it's a little disingenuous to say that the app isn't needed to cruise when staff ask you to use the app for everything, including booking reservations for dining, making complaints to customer service, or just asking for more towels. 

 

When I try cruising without downloading the app, I get eye rolls and sighs from the staff. 

You are not forced to make dinner reservations, you can go to guest services to make a complaint. I only use the app to do the safety video and check folio. The medallion does everything else I need no rolling of eyes.   The app is really not necessary 

[DrSea]

51 minutes ago, memoak said:

But they don’t realize that even without the medallion they are being tracked by cameras 

There aren't cameras everywhere. I know this bc some guests assaulted my guests when I wasn't around. We couldn't prove it bc there wasn't any cameras. Princess kind of said too bad and turned a blind eye to it despite us making a report to security.

[kywildcatfanone]

Yes, but now they have data on your habits for every second you are near your ship.  Marketing gold

[DrSea]

4 minutes ago, memoak said:

You are not forced to make dinner reservations, you can go to guest services to make a complaint. I only use the app to do the safety video and check folio. The medallion does everything else I need no rolling of eyes.   The app is really not necessary 

 

7 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

Perhaps.

 

But that same disingenuousness is used by the hand wringers when they imply that they are being forced to use the app.

It is and it isn't. 

 

If you want an early dining reservation and everyone jumps in and books it on the app, then you're out of luck by the time you go to the host and ask for an early time. You're going to have to wait. Some would say that the app is necessary and others wouldn't depending on how you view this scenario. 

 

And staff rolls their eyes or sighs when I tell them I don't have the app. It's been my experience on multiple ships. Staff always remind me that I can use the app to do the same thing when I prefer to talk to someone about it. There is a lot of social conditioning by staff to use the app, which I think is what some ppl are objecting to when they say they are "forced" to. 

[DrSea]

4 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yes, but now they have data on your habits for every second you are near your ship.  Marketing gold

Exactly. It's insight to your cruising habits on an individual level. They didn't implement this million dollar system solely for our convenience only. 

[Outerdog]

12 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yes, but now they have data on your habits for every second you are near your ship.  Marketing gold

 

Okay, now they have data on the guy who's 15 cruises in with 3 more booked. Much of that data they already had with the traditional cruise cards and POS systems. Now they've got some more data about how I like to wander around the ship. What value is this "data" to them except for perhaps improving their future offerings: "oh look, about 0.2% of passengers ever enter the library and it takes up 5,000 sq ft of space, think we should do something else there?"

 

Or are you tin foiled up thinking their selling that sweet sweet pax movement data to a third party?

 

Or what exactly is your angle about data and "habits"?

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Outerdog

[kywildcatfanone]

31 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

Okay, now they have data on the guy who's 15 cruises in with 3 more booked. Much of that data they already had with the traditional cruise cards and POS systems. Now they've got some more data about how I like to wander around the ship. What value is this "data" to them except for perhaps improving their future offerings: "oh look, about 0.2% of passengers ever enter the library and it takes up 5,000 sq ft of space, think we should do something else there?"

 

Or are you tin foiled up thinking their selling that sweet sweet pax movement data to a third party?

 

Or what exactly is your angle about data and "habits"?

 

 

I didn't say anything about tin foil hat theories, just stating a fact about the medallion.

 

And no, you are wrong.  Before the medallion they only knew where you were and what you did when you bought something.  Now they know every step you take.  I never said anything about it being good or bad.  

 

And yes, I'm sure all that data is used to see what is popular and not on ships for future designs.  I'm going to guess the new Sun and Star designs are a result of a few years of data from thousands of passengers 

As well as every other cost increase item or change in the last few years.

[Outerdog]

1 minute ago, kywildcatfanone said:

And no, you are wrong.  Before the medallion they only knew where you were and what you did when you bought something.  Now they know every step you take.

 

Pretty sure that's exactly what I said.

[wineforhealth]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yes, but now they have data on your habits for every second you are near your ship.  Marketing gold

And what about your cell phones and Credit Cards or on line posts. Why does it matter at this point you make your own decisions.

 

i think the Medallion is great , much better than the a room key I used when I first started cruising. 

Edited September 11, 2023 by wineforhealth

[Ombud]

As far as their knowing where I am ... GOOD!! About an hour after getting onboard in Ketchikan I was told that I was exposed to Covid. Apparently I spent too much time near someone who was positive while sitting in the piazza. Now that's info I appreciate. (I tested negative)  FWIW I've never had it despite taking care of family members who were positive. But I like knowing I've been 'exposed'

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, Outerdog said:

Of the 18 posters who have expressed an opinion about the Medallion and the app:

 

Favor Medallion: 14 or 78%

Oppose Medallion 4 or 22%

 

About 3 or 4 other posters didn't make it quite clear what they thought.

 

Small sample, but statistically valid? You decide.

And the rest don't care enough one way or the other to comment on the thread

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, Outerdog said:

Of the 18 posters who have expressed an opinion about the Medallion and the app:

 

Favor Medallion: 14 or 78%

Oppose Medallion 4 or 22%

 

About 3 or 4 other posters didn't make it quite clear what they thought.

 

Small sample, but statistically valid? You decide.

 

 

Add one more who favors the app & medallion.   

 

Statistically valid?  I think more a consensus.  

[tserface]

Add me to the list of people who like the Medallion and the Apps.  I have apps on my phone for 3 cruise lines now and I like all of them.  I also use ShipMates app as well.

 

I also love the new tech on the ships like tag-a-longs and being able to play a pick up trivia game in the hallways.  We've had a lot of fun with this feature.  We've also used the delivery features and I love that I can see, approximately, where my wife is on the ship if I'm looking for her, or her me.

 

I figure if people don't want to use the app or Medallion they should be able to cruise without it, but I can't figure out why anyone would not want to use them.

 

These days, we're mostly carrying our phones around to use as a camera and book reader anyway.

[LittleFish1976]

20 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

Agree…wasn’t it simpler when you booked with a travel agent who gave you a small folder of plane ticket, cruise ticket etc ??

 

You chose your seating for meals, then had the excitement of seeing if you were sitting with an officer, on embarkation. Booked ‘trips’ in the first couple of days and paid for everything with cash .  

 

Yes I am showing my age…first cruise was 1969 !

My first cruise (that I was old enough to remember) was also in that year. Golden days. And no-one would have dreamt of not dressing properly for dinner! Lovely evening entertainment and happy days on deck. 

 

[Reina del Mar]

29 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

My first cruise (that I was old enough to remember) was also in that year. Golden days. And no-one would have dreamt of not dressing properly for dinner! Lovely evening entertainment and happy days on deck. 

 

My first cruise was on TSS Reina del Mar…where I acquired my Cruise Critic name. Nice to chat to you.

[LittleFish1976]

50 minutes ago, Reina del Mar said:

My first cruise was on TSS Reina del Mar…where I acquired my Cruise Critic name. Nice to chat to you.

Very poetic. Mine was the Arcadia (confusing that these names get recycled decade after decade). 30 days on board as a child was the best summer ever.

[Reina del Mar]

7 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Very poetic. Mine was the Arcadia (confusing that these names get recycled decade after decade). 30 days on board as a child was the best summer ever.

I was thirteen.

An amazing fortnight in the Med.,out of Southampton…

[leck57]

23 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

The Medallion and the wonky app seem to have only complicated booking and taking a cruise with Princess.  I've tried to work with the app, but I have little patience for having to enter information multiple times because it disappears the next time I open it.  And I do not like trying to decide what time and where I want to eat weeks, even months ahead.

 

 

I don't mind the Medallion and the App - could take it or leave it.

However I agree completely about the dining, even though that has nothing to do with the Medallion introduction. The dining changes are the result of some clown at Princess who had a bright idea. Like you, I don't want to decide in advance when I want to eat. I know that technically you don't have to book anything and can just turn up (remember anytime dining) but the last cruise I did that and the person at the reception desk in the dining room looks at you like you are the great unwashed when you tell them you haven't got a booking. They send on your way with a pager while you look over their shoulder at the massive number of unoccupied tables. More fool Princess - I just take my pager to the nearest bar, get another of my 15 allowed drinks and quaff away until my pager activates. I wouldn't have these pre dinner drinks if I went straight to a table so it costs them. Oh well.

[Cruisemeister2002]

16 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

Let's not kid ourselves here... Medallion Class is for the benefit of Princess. The fact that passengers may like it is a by-product.

 

Having everyone carry a medallion with them at all times when on board allows Princess to log passenger movements... to see the routes they take to get from A to B... to see how long they stay in any one location...  it is a mine of data that they can use to tune the passenger experience to maximise their profits.

 

That is it in a nutshell IMO.

 

But do I like it? Yes, I am happy for them to have my movement data for the benefits it gives me.

In reality isn't everything like this, to maximise profits. Who cares ? I certainly don't. The info they gain from me and the wife won't exactly be earth shattering. I could basically tell any cruiseline what I will do during my cruise. Eat, drink, sleep, wander around the shops, take very few shore excursions except for places I haven't been and even then it would depend on the cost, whether I could do it cheaper myself. Suffice to say I wouldn't wander that far away from the ship taking into account dangers and ability to return on time. Go to shows, talks and take in a few speciality restaurants. Wife probably buys a handbag (she always does) I look at the watches, but have tempered my need to buy one. Sit about on deck, weather permitting. Cups of tea, coffee and the odd cocktail or whiskey and canada dry. Get some duty free spirits and the wife has her eyes on some nice chocolates. Make use of the MDR's and generally have a great time. 

[SargassoPirate]

7 hours ago, Ombud said:

And the rest don't care enough one way or the other to comment on the thread

And once on board, Princess can tell exactly who simply uses the medallion as a door key and who uses the app and what for.  There's the data that they'll pay attention to.

 

For example.  There's a guest entertainer who as it turns out is not worth wasting 45 minutes of cruise time on and people start to leave.  They can tell.

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, DrSea said:

IMHO, it's a little disingenuous to say that the app isn't needed to cruise when staff ask you to use the app for everything, including booking reservations for dining, making complaints to customer service, or just asking for more towels. 

 

When I try cruising without downloading the app, I get eye rolls and sighs from the staff. 

Another good reason to no longer consider booking a Princess cruise (formerly my favorite cruise line.)