Ride-The-Waves

Following what feels like an eternity Internet is back as we near Halifax.  Day after departing Cobh we received two flyers: (1) “half” the ship is ill, don’t self-medicate, go to medical, and (2) internet won’t work for the next 5 days.  Both news unwelcome.  

MedalionNet is NOT the best internet at sea.  And, it appears to be more than just a northern location and more the selection of best satellite.  Maybe Princess is saving $$ by limiting band width... Captain’s announcement yesterday implied technical issues...  We had really rapid connections south of the Antarctic Circle on Fram.  

Still looking for real passenger benefits to the Medallion.  

Opening the cabin door works well.  Unless you don’t operate the door handle quickly enough.  Wait too long and the door remains locked which is only corrected by walking away and returning to activate the door procedure again.

Have not seen anyone, even waiting for a show to start, gambling on a PDA using the Medallion.  Will keep searching.

Waiting for a movie to start in Vista stopped at the Wheelhouse Bar for gingerale...  Barkeep asked if I had a drink package.  Nope.  He didn’t want to see the Medallion, just my cabin number and plugged that into his register which was 15-18feet away with at least half a dozen people nearby.  No receipt.  

Walked by a waiter in a passageway carrying a glass of bubbly and commented.  He responded after looking at his PDA that my first PDA ordered drink was free.  Appears his PDA read my medallion and advised I was among the unwashed as far as drinks were concerned.

Medallion has no added value in keeping people healthy.  And, so far procedures to reduce susceptibility across passengers appears unproductive.  “Guards” at the entrances to Horizon Buffet to watch people wash hands and hand you a plate and napkin with utensils.  However, no control over everyone handling self-serve utensils, no salt and pepper available, no sugar packages on the tables, etc.  I have been on ships with the nonovirus and they used very strict control over food, to include directives that only crew could serve you portions from the buffets.

Several more days and still no “silver bullet” endorsing the medallion over a cruise card.

On 9/11/2019 at 5:53 PM, kapsgp said:

If you receive your medallion in the mail you don't even need the screen shot of the QR  code. At check in you just scan your medallion and show your passport and you are good to go!

We received the medallions despite not completing all check-in items on line.  This resulted in processing through check-in at the pier.  Even many with fully completed on-line portfolios were required to check-in through the Princess reps.  This was Copenhagen.

In port Cobh today.  Good day yesterday in Dublin visiting the Guinness Warehouse.  Suffering from a cold caught in Scotland...

Returning to ship yesterday “lost” the medallion between security and xray.  I always have to empty pockets going through scanners - two knee replacements set off the warning.  Again, same as you do with a cruise card, the medallion must be placed up against a scanner to provide ID.  Replacement was easy at Guest Services and the new medallion has a stronger battery (opens cabin door from further away).

No medallion technology in Sick Bay.  Fill out the form the old fashioned way to include all your personal and shipboard information.  That is one area where data already collected by Princess could have sped up check-in.

Five days at sea coming up for opportunities to further find benefits to the medallion over a cruise card.  We don’t partake in “drink packages” nor spend time gambling.  Those seem to be the biggest boons for the medallion, and more for Princess and not the passenger.

Day touring northern Scotland was great.  Good weather (for Scotland).

Getting off and back on the ship with the medallion is no different from a cruise card.  Medallion must be placed on a sensor in front of the security person in both cases.  Security matches your security photo they took on embarkation, not your avatar, to your face.

Two ports next two days.  The upcoming five day pond crossing will likely provide more information on the medallion’s usefulness compared to a cruise card.

Two additional observations from yesterday:

People ordering drinks while waiting for the show to start in the theater had to provide their medallion to the waiter.  He then wrote down the number from the back of the medallion on a small pad before going for the drinks.  No different from using a cruise card - except you don’t  sign a receipt or get one.

Princess has eliminated their eco power feature in cabins.  Used to have to insert your cruise card in a slot on entering your cabin to activate power/lights.  Now a card is permanently in the slot and power on...  A step back to accommodate the medallion? 

Touring Scottish highlands today...😀

Inside elevators are door sized posters “encouraging” the use of the medallion for gambling.

This afternoon everyone had to process through the Vista lounge to be visually identified by a UK immigration official.  On arrival we had to place the medallion on a reader - just like you would with  cruise card.

Purchased two sodas at a bar and the bartender had to place my medallion on a reader on the “cash register” screen.  Just like a cruise card.  Guess now bartenders everywhere will want to bring me a soda!

it keeps getting better!

Day Three, 48 hours with The Medallion!

So far, no discernible  passenger benefit to The Medallion.  Yes, it unlocks the cabin door.  Not a real benefit and my spouse is concerned that the door remains unlocked after leaving the cabin (the screen shows it unlocked).

Advertising on the inside of elevator doors pushing all sorts of gambling using the medallion.  THE moneymaker from the medallion - if you have a compatible device.

Machines in the laundromat require tokens (we spent 10 days traveling Switzerland prior  to embarkation). Token machine requires medallion.  All token machines on every deck were non functional requiring purchasing of tokens from Guest Services.  Line for tokens included one elderly passenger venting at the Representative.

Safety muster required each of us to place medallion on a scanner.  Just like the cruise card.  If there is a valuable use for this technology it should be that it identifies your presence for the muster count.  Didn’t happen.

Tomorrow in port.  Will see how/if the medallion improves going ashore and returning...

23 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I don't think I've ever see a time where there wasn't a long wait on embarkation day. Why do you attribute it to the Medallions? 

 

Grumbling about being tracked? What effect did being tracked have upon them?

 

And this is because of the Medallion? 

Embarked Regal yesterday in Copenhagen. Check in line for those of uswith madallions was longer and significantly slower than for those without.  Medallion net a total failure. Over 30 minutes  “used” just trying to gain access.  30 minute wait at internet cafe which resulted in cancelling “250 free” minutes to purchase $10/day option.  Access to internet works slowly but no access to texting.  Back to standing in line this afternoon at the internet cafe.  The medallion itself is a joke.  Yes, it opens the cabin door.  But not much else.  Overheard one passenger say they were surprised as a store clerk address her by name and provided her with a receipt for something she had not purchased.  Thanks to the medallion.  This is a big step backwards from our Regal cruise last year.  Everyone grumbling about being “tracked.”  No one, so far, signing the medallion’s praises.  Most men just keep it in their pocket.  Women wear it as a necklace.  My spouse hates the size and refuses to wear it around her neck.  Oh, and they did provide a warning on checkin:  if you have a pacemaker DO NOT wear it around your neck!

For international flights EZAir has provided excellent airfares.  Domestic US not so much...

Might want to also try different routings and different sorigination airports.  Last year we booked Australia via EZAir from TPA connecting at LAX.  Good fare and routing - until a call rescheduling us for the TPA-LAX leg through ATL with a 45 minute connection (legal for ATL).  No way is that easily doable during storm season where delays can easily reach hours just waiting for t-storms to pass to enable taxiing at TPA.  "Discussed" with EZAir and they finally rerouted us starting originating MCO providing for a two-hour connection AND a reduction in price of $500 each business.  Worth the slightly longer drive to MCO over TPA.  More of concern was the return back through LAX connecting back to MCO.  LAX is a zoo!  The Virgin Australia flight to/fm Australia were wonderful!

Have you contacted Celebrity?  That is option 1.  In reality it likely depends on the hours local security, customs and immigration are open.  We did this with Azamara in Scotland and boarded about 8PM following a day of touring.  

On 8/20/2019 at 6:00 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

You have gone back 4 years – obviously Flyertalker has changed his avatar.  Maybe in response to my comment!

 Snarky!

Lots of good discussion and perspectives.  As some have articulated, its your money and you purchase what you desire...  And, speaking of costs I just randomly selected a 7-day 2020 Mediterranean Enchanted offering to understand the difference between a "Club Class" mini and a regular mini...understanding that location is also a factor.   The CC mini was $424 more expensive, per person, than the regular mini.  That's $60/day per person.  That's a lot of CC eating and enjoyment.  

The bottom line, as it always is with cruise lines, is profit.  Convincing, apparently easily, that its worth $60pp for Club Class by simply suggesting that you received "special" service over and above that received by those in similar "regular" cabin is a good profit maker for Princess.  $60pp is easily a good meal in a specialty restaurant and/or money towards a drink package, before and after dinner drinks, or maybe bottle of wine with dinner.  

Medallions arrived today!  Woo Hoo!  Dancing in the streets...  Not.  Its too hot out...

They say "Made in China!"  Will be subject to tariffs in the future -  cost of future cruises going up.

Came in a box which was difficult to open and had 3 additional small boxes with nothing inside.  Spouse not pleased this is "wearable."  Looks like she will give one of her necklace's a try, but having it around her neck will get old real quick.  Still think the optimum solution is to lock it in the safe wrapped in foil and use a cruise card which I can pocket easily in a small card carrying wallet that I can also use to carry cash for tips, etc.  That was so easy for going ashore.  Still have to go through in-processing at the pier since the app is stuck in its "do loop."  Plus now have to carefully carry them around Switzerland which we are driving before the cruise...

All this reminds me of the recent changes at Walmart and associated stores: self check-out.  More work for the customer while increasing prices for goods and services.  

Know this is coming: a universal under-skin microchip like used for pet identification.  Will,include all your data, credit info, drivers license, frequent flyer and global entry info, passport info. etc.  Drive by a "toll" booth and "big brother" will know if you are late with a power bill payment and haul you over for the cash!

10 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Yes I did, but what I don't need is somebody telling me why I made a bad decision.

Coasty, no bad decisions.  Just people offering their opinions.  Me and my spouse dislike anything to do with the MDR.  Too noisy, slow service, sometimes poorly cooked food.  Taking two hours for a meal no longer interests us.  Cost is not an issue for not using Club dining.  We were able to book full suites for next year's Enchanted Med and TA.  Comes with Club Dining.  Doubt if we will ever see the MDR.  Too many other good options for us.  Regards

On 12/25/2018 at 11:27 PM, Lucky TGO said:

 

My cousin call the number Friday. (1-844-525-0942)  She talked to a girl at Ocean Ready.

She is all set to go her Ocean Medallion will be mailed 2 weeks before the cruise.

I don’t know what else to tell you. Good Luck!!!

Tony  

 

 

Just received a robocall from Princess telling me I can order a Medallion for our upcoming September cruise!

Of course, I have already ordered the Medallion and its "scheduled" to arrive next week...  And, of course, I was unable to fully activate the new "Ocean Ready" app since it went into a "do loop" when I didn't purchase any expensive bracelets or lanyards during app activation.  Really would like to know (not really) why Princess can't tell that our medallions have already been ordered.  Not the type of care or service expected from Princess!  Not expecting much from the medallion once on board, especially based on pre-cruise operations.  Oh well, there is the option to lock them in the safe, covered in foil, and use the cruise card...

The expense of "club class" dining is excessive compared to using that same difference between a regular mini and a CC mini and eating in a specialty restaurant every sea nigh on a transatlantic.  Worse if you are in the Caribbean or Mediterranean.  The buffets on the Royal class ships are exceptional and offer wonderful dining options.  Plus, no waiting!

On 10/24/2015 at 9:34 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Maybe it's your signature that makes ALL your posts seem so negative. Have you looked at them as they are published? The first thing the eye is drawn to is a shouting face. That affects how the text above it is perceived. Just sayin'

His avatar appears to be a DC-6/7.  I don't get the comment.  Flyertalker has expertise based on decades of travel and millions of miles flown, and offers comments of value to cruisers.  I have been traveling since I was a pup - first cruise I remember was crossing the pond on a Cunard Queen (I think it was Queen Mary) in 1949.  Learned to swim in the pollen SS United States.  Have sailed a lot - 30 years US navy - and flown extensively both for official travel and vacation.  Visited all 7 Continents.  Even a worked a college Summer as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines!  Those were the days - handwritten tickets.  Easy.  Not so easy today especially when the airlines hold all the cards.

On 10/27/2015 at 11:41 AM, pinotlover said:

I've had two experiences with attempting to use Uniworld air. The first was going to Europe (Madrid and Portugal) and the second China.

 

For the Europe trip (economy class), their quoted price was essentially the same as buying direct from the airlines. I choose to buy direct.

 

For the China trip we wanted Business Class. Uniworld gave me a price of $2800 each higher than the price for buying direct. One of the other posters here had about the same experience for that trip. We obviously bought the tickets ourselves.

 

I will comment that for neither of these two trips was Uniworld offering any special air-cruise packages. Timing seems to be everything on getting the best deals.

Hello pinotlover!  Yes, that was a great trip!  

We, too, are back to working RT air for a 15-day European Uniworld cruise through France next Spring.  Somewhat frustrated that Uniworld "hides" their air fares behind the facade of "we are here to help" at a cost pf $95 each while ocean cruise lines have a website on which one can plug in alternatives, to include days and routings.  One would think that Uniworld, which gets most of its European business from the US and is a US company, would provide something similar.  And, after spending $20K for a cruise adding another $190 just to book air is a slap in the face.  Well, it is what it is.

Flyertalker is correct about the complexity of air travel and air fares.   Obviously airlines do this to maximize profit and to keep the majority of the flying public, at least those of us who are not "professional travelers" traveling for vacation, in the dark and guessing.  Its a case of house rules, and house wins using their rules.  As they say, each and every seat on a flight has a different price.  Finding the best price for your needs is not a fun game and can be very expensive if you "guess" wrong.

6 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

 

Business class tends to follow a different pattern; my (generalized) comments had to do with economy class.

 

Business fares have much more to do with actual business cycles (i.e. travel for work rather than leisure.)  In the case of business class, demand tends to peak much later in the ticket window as business travelers often don't know when they're going to need to travel, with far more "last minute" bookings then one sees in economy.

 

For example, transatlantic business class fares tend to be at their lowest when economy fares tend to be at their highest, i.e. mid-summer.  The airlines want to fill the business class seats because vacation time removes actual business flyers; every year around April-May you can see some terrific deals appear in business class between North America and Europe, for travel in, say, July and August.  There are also often sales for mid-winter travel from the US to Europe or Asia, if they take place at slow periods in the business world.  These sales are usually pretty limited in how long they last.

 

The same factors can be seen for other times and destinations.  If interested, one can lurk on the "premium fare deals" board on Flyertalk to see where's cheap and when.  https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals-740/

Thanks.  Great gouge!

Princess has been screwing up the booking process since they began "originating" cruise segments from different ports on the same cruise.  We are doing one in September which has 5 different start dates, two from the same port.  Confuses the booking clerks as well as those posting and commenting on CC.  Its truly horrible.  Over a month ago we booked a B2B on Enchanted and looking at options the cabin category we wanted was open on both segments but if we wanted to book the B2B, a cruise option offered by Princess, none were available.  Finally able to book the category and in fact the same cabin for both segments through our TA.  Princess appears to making this much more difficult than needed.

On 7/31/2019 at 1:40 PM, Gardyloo said:

There is almost never a big benefit by purchasing airfare when the ticketing window has just opened.  Prices tend to follow a fairly predictable pattern - start high, then fall slowly for several months, then climb through the last three or four months before flight date.  It has to do with the airlines' very sophisticated (and very secret) "revenue management" or "yield management" programs, which take numerous factors into account - competition, historic demand, even the price of fuel - and then revise their pricing day by day, even hour by hour, to ensure that the airline extracts the maximum profit out of every ticket.  

 

What I would do is start monitoring fares using something like ITA - http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ - and if you see something that you like, go for it and then don't look back.  

 

For example, if you were booking for early September this year (i.e. 10 months before your trip) you'd be looking at round trip fares on SAS via Copenhagen for around $770, or nonstops on American for just over $1000.  You could even get away as cheaply as $724 on Aer Lingus via Dublin if you were traveling two weeks from now.

 

Bottom line, early birds don't always get worms.  Sometimes they get cats.

 

 

 Generally good guidance and agree.  Exception being long-haul overseas flights.  Toured/cruised China/Tibet three years ago and jumped at an early R/T business fare from the US east coast for $3K.  Month prior to travel the same flight was $7K.  It pays to start watching early and understand the trends and prices.  Do that at the moment for R/T to CDG for a 15-day river cruise.  Google.com/flights (same as Matrix - different format) offers trends and brackets for consideration.  Note though that its not all encompassing - some airlines are to included.

5 hours ago, kearney said:

I am looking forward to sailing out of Tampa... not a bad drive from Atlanta.  The problem with Tampa and Port Canaveral is the distance from other Caribbean ports... so it is nice to see that they will be offering some longer cruises out of Tampa. I like being able to go to ABCs or Columbia...  The other problem with Tampa is the bridge which limits cruise ship size.

 

 I wonder if Celebrity is concerned about Iranian activity in the strait of Hormuz... not far from Dubai. Perhaps this is why the change in itinerary.

 

I would love to sail out of Savanah or Jacksonville....but again these cruises would have to be at least 10-11 days to get much past USVI.  We really really really hate flying.

Celebrity has already informed that the relocation of Connie has nothing to do with politics and the "activity" in the Strait of Hormuz/Persian Gulf.  Its a economic decision.  Cruise lines generally follow warnings promulgated by national governments and neither the US, not UK nor EU have issued anything concerning the Strait.  

We have to understand that cruise lines are in the business for profit.  Unprofitable itineraries are not sustainable, not matter how exotic or interesting to potential passengers.  We cruised Mumbai-Pireaus several years ago on Azamara Journey - great itinerary which included Dubai, Northern Arabian Sea and Red Sea transits, stops in Eilat and Aqaba, Suez, and Cyprus.  We did "lose" Safaga do to unrest in Egypt, replaced with Eilat.  Not a "fair' trade, IMHO.  

I think it was two years ago that Celebrity ended its ABC island cruises out of Florida's east coast on a Solstice class because of dwindling interest.  Employing the smaller "M" class Connie is a good business replacement for the larger Solstice class.  Plus, having Connie in Tampa provides Celebrity/Royal Caribbean with a great ship for quick access to Havana once Cuba reopens in 2021. 

On 8/15/2019 at 2:53 PM, ghstudio said:

 

I think you're right.....but my comments still apply to the fiefdoms....maybe that sailing will still happen.

 

ECCruise.....it's a bit confusing because the Florida west coast (tampa) is not a young area...many many retirees.....certainly not the demographic Celebrity has been coveting.  But there is a definitely a market for a higher quality cruise from Tampa and the Constellation fits. 

The Tampa metropolitan area has about 4.5million residents with an average age between 35-40, which fits Celebrity's target perfectly.  This age group has disposable income to spend on vacations and cruising.  Tampa also has one the top airports in the US.  It is located one hour away from the Orlando attractions and also offers major league football and baseball.  The real plus being its not as crowded as the east coast  and the cruise terminal/waterfront redevelopment is another driver.

One of the additional benefits of basing Connie in Tampa is near direct access to Cuba.  Its likely that Cuba will reemerge as a hot destination for cruising starting in January 2021 and Royal Caribbean would like to have a quality ship ready.  Its last offering, the Empress OTS, was too old and too small.  Easy switch to eliminate Labadee for Havana.