Times Prince

As a retired engineer (Dell), let me clarify some common industry terms: INTRANET and INTERNET. INTRANET is contained within a facility, in our case a ship. This is what the Medallion App uses onboard, and using local resources within the ship only there is no charge to the user. "Onboard internet" is actually Intranet. INTERNET goes outside of the facility to the general World Wide Web. This is what the MedallionNet feature does, and using external resources (i.e. satellite) is assessed a cost to the user. --------------- Back to my original questions, I am aware that the Medallion App works on cell phones in airplane mode with wifi enabled. That is not an issue, other than the inconvenience of having to carry around a cell phone whilst on vacation. When not onboard ship it accesses the Internet for OceanReady, but once onboard it accesses Intranet, where the other Ocean features are available. My main concern was whether I could access the Internet from a Kindle Fire once I had paid for the MedallionNet service. The answer, kindly provided by everyone, is that access to the Internet is provided by a login gateway from ANY device, which is similar to the way things were prior to the branding of MedallionNet. The login gateway simply requires a valid, paid for, ID and password, similar to the Name/Cabin Number and Password previously required prior to the MedallionNet branding of this feature. The big difference here appears to be that the MedallionNet feature needs to be purchased using the Medallion App, whereas in the past it was enabled/purchased using one's initial login from a device being used to access the Internet. Unfortunately the free Platinum/Elite benefit of internet minutes is no longer available

Thanks, everybody! It looks like we're good to go using our Kindle Fire and our Android phones. One more question - Can one purchase MedallionNet access for just a day while onboard? Our next cruise is 16 "days", and the full package is $120. We only need internet access for a couple of random days, maybe around day 6 and day 11.

We are scheduled for a lengthy (>14 day) cruise for which we were going to use our Kindle Fire 8 (2020 release) for books, daily apps, and email Prior to MedallionNet we have had no issues with attaching to the Internet, using the Silk Browser, or downloading books or email on our Kindles using allotted Platinum+ benefit minutes. I have done a search on Cruise Critic and find 1. A couple of posts where people have talked with Princess IT, finding the Kindle Fire and its connectivity and Silk Browser are NOT SUPPORTED by MedallionNet. 2. There is no Medallion App for Kindle (I verified this myself) 3. Some posts have claimed there were no issues using their Kindle / Fire(?) I know we can load up some books pre-cruise, but we have other requirements that necessitate check-in or download every couple of days. Also my existing travel laptop is Windows 8, so also might not be compatible. With the Elite pricing MedallionNet clocking in at $120 per device login, having a Kindle that won't log in to their system renders MedallionNet worthless to us. So, what is the true situation? a) Is the Kindle Fire compatible with MedallionNet for logging into the system for internet access? b) Am I stuck buying a couple of new laptops, iPads, or tablet PCs?

The "per device" is actually a "per login" where one can be logged into the system on only one device at a time. That device can be a phone, laptop, Kindle, or Internet Cafe computer - the issue is that only one can be active with your login credentials. I am pretty sure that logging into someone else's credentials using the Medallion app might not work. So your son might not be able to use his phone with your credentials, but needs to use your phone if you are trying to "share". Other devices ... who knows?

That's our experience as well. The change was made well prior to 2019. We still get OBC back, and the $100 down is our deposit. Still seems like a good deal to me. Here's a quote from a FCC letter from 2015: Effective Date: May 6, 2015 Book By Date: May 4, 2017 This letter confirms that we have received payment for deposit* in the amount of 100.00 USD towards a future cruise with Princess. Upon making your new booking, the appropriate shipboard credit will be applied.* Future Cruise Length Per Person Shipboard Credit* 17 + Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite 11 - 16 Days $75 Inside, $75 Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite 7 - 10 Days $25 Inside, $25 Outside, $50 Balcony, $50 Suite 3 - 6 Days $15 Inside, $15 Outside, $25 Balcony, $25 Suite

Totally agree with you about going back to free minutes for Platinum/Elite as an option to the packages. I feel like my loyalty benefit was removed.

I've had very mixed impressions to meet & greets on Princess. The best one was for a group where we had become friends here on Cruise Critic, going far beyond just sharing tour information - everyone showed up, and it was like family. I've arranged a couple, and found that the typical time allotted (1st sea day, shortly before lunch) was also when the Captain had a staff meeting. The Cruise Director usually shows up, and can be really interesting. Embarassing to me was telling Princess we had 40 or so people from our roll call (confirmed) then having only 15 show up, so if you commit, please follow through. And remember, you can't work details about private excursions during the M&G. Bottom line, though, it is the mix of people on your Roll Call who can make or break the fun at a M&G, and you can pretty well tell in advance if these are people you want to engage with.

We are on Ruby Princess in a couple of months. Do you know if one can purchase internet by the day? We're Elite and have never used the allotted minutes per cruise, so the unlimited internet package is a waste of money, so I am trying to research cheaper alternatives, yet still be able to check in with home 3-4 times during the cruise.

Thanks. Seeing as we are over 70 and have luggage in hand, we'll go for other alternatives.

We are arriving in SF, pier 27 at the end of our cruise. What is the alternative to the F line going down the Embarcadero to the BART station? I didn't see one on the Muni map.

Keep in mind that when ordering drinks in a dining room, the order is fulfilled and charged to the account from a bar location. If you are verifying every charge, look for the right amount at the right time, but possibly a nearby location.

If your CCL shares are under a joint name (like mine and my wife's) the shareholder benefit will only appear for one of us. For my family it only appears under my name. That's just a possibility for why one person might not see it. Just in case, check the booking(s) for others in the cabin.

Princess did the $1 deposit thing as a promotion for new cruises with Galveston as the home port. We booked a Panama Canal cruise for 2023. Our FCC had expired with Covid isolation, so having to only invest $2 was great. Also with that little down, no reason to get insurance until final payment. It is a win-win for us. I'm guessing that cruise lines have to escrow deposits, so whether it is $1 or 20% doesn't hit the bottom line.