Get ready for Ocean Medallion Class™

[ProvoAggie]

I've just been googling this topic of rfid (rfid by another name is still rfid) and found that most new Android smartphone have an NFC (near field communication) capability. I assume this is to support the electronic wallet concept being touted now. There are apps in the play store that you can install on your Android smartphone that will read the data stored on most rfid and nfc devices such as credit cards and medallions, even the ID rfid chip in your dog or cat's neck which just consists of a number to identify that device. As I said in another post, the medallions are not smart as their description leads you to believe. The smarts are in the software run on their ship board network.

After watching the CES Keynote from this morning, it appears that the Medallions don't work off of RFID as many speculated. Each Medallion instead uses Bluetooth Low Energy for longer range communications and NFC for short range communication.

[caribill]

The medallion doesn't contain room information. If you lose the medallion and someone else finds it they have no way to know which room it goes to. What are they going to do?

 

Like the cruise card, the medallion does not show your cabin number. But it does have your name on it.

 

To find out the cabin number it belongs to, go to your cabin phone and call the Operator and ask to be connected to the cabin of the person's name on the medallion.

 

Once connected, the little screen on the cabin phone will let you know what cabin number it is.

 

The same could be done with a lost cruise card today.

[nukesubsailor]

I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps it'll tie into a smart phone app somehow to give turn by turn instructions?

I can see people now walking around searching for someplace on the ship like their looking for Pokemon. :D

 

Oh great! It is bad enough trying to get through the crowd by the photo area on deck 7 of the pre-Royal class ships, now everyone will be walking or standing around looking at their phones. I wonder how many people will fall down a stairway.

[Thrak]

After watching the CES Keynote from this morning, it appears that the Medallions don't work off of RFID as many speculated. Each Medallion instead uses Bluetooth Low Energy for longer range communications and NFC for short range communication.

 

For anybody who wants to watch the keynote speech mention above it is located HERE.

[nukesubsailor]

And how is the on board message service working out for everybody> You cannot even get a daily menu on the thing after all these years of it "working"

 

And don't forget the "on demand" TV that they were going to roll out to the entire fleet over the next year right after the Royal Princess went into service.

[sloopsailor]

You are fast! I was removing that bit of commentary from my post while you were posting.

 

I just retired from an IT position with the state. I've been using tech and computers since before there was a graphical web. I used local BBS systems and then wangled an Internet account from the local university - not just anybody had Internet access - and then had to start learning UNIX in order to navigate the all-text Internet. I guess I just really don't fear technology or the changes it brings.

 

Some of us don't fear technology or the changes it brings. It's that we have been around so long that we have become quite proficient in living our lives without it most of the time. Big difference. I survived for all those years without most of the technology that some can't seem to get by without. I think I can survive a few more years. :D

 

I don't have a Facebook account, either. Does this mean I don't really exist???? ;)

Edited January 5, 2017 by sloopsailor

[OzKiwiJJ]

I just retired from an IT position with the state. I've been using tech and computers since before there was a graphical web. I used local BBS systems and then wangled an Internet account from the local university - not just anybody had Internet access - and then had to start learning UNIX in order to navigate the all-text Internet. I guess I just really don't fear technology or the changes it brings.

 

Ahh! Those were the good old days, indeed! I remember them well ;) :D

 

My only "fear" with this technology is whether Princess will actually roll it out fully featured as claimed, or whether it will end up as a mess. Their first attempt at Princess@Sea, where you needed to load an app on your device, wasn't great. The app kept crashing all the time. The browser version was much better.

[JF - retired RRT]

Included in the cost of the cruise. You don't have to use the medallion if you don't want to do so. The cruise will cost you the same either way.

 

This was posted on one of my roll calls: https://shipmonk.co.uk/2017/01/05/ocean-medallion-wont-be-big-brother-says-princess-cruises-boss/

1) no cost

2) everyone gets one (i.e. no card available)

3) you can opt out of "most" of the options.

[linanles]

Some of us don't fear technology or the changes it brings.

 

I worked in electronics and computing my whole working life and I don't fear technology. I fear the people controlling it. :eek:

 

I don't have a Facebook account, either. Does this mean I don't really exist???? ;)

 

You, me and a whole lot of people don't have Facebook accounts. We just live in a parallel universe called Utopia. ;);)

[floridalover5623]

I'm just wishing here, but wouldn't it be nice it they included a phone app to show the location of other people you want to find on the ship, provided you have their RFID code. :)

No more having to check that stupid silent notification on your phone 20 times a day.

[sloopsailor]

I'm just wishing here, but wouldn't it be nice it they included a phone app to show the location of other people you want to find on the ship, provided you have their RFID code. :)

No more having to check that stupid silent notification on your phone 20 times a day.

 

When you have been married as long as my wife and I have, we prefer NOT to find each other on the ship! :D

 

Seriously, we will usually do our own thing and meet up later for dinner. Sometimes we'll do things together, but after this many years, we are quite comfortable letting our significant other have some time to themselves. ;)

[PTMary]

Some of us don't fear technology or the changes it brings. It's that we have been around so long that we have become quite proficient in living our lives without it most of the time. Big difference. I survived for all those years without most of the technology that some can't seem to get by without. I think I can survive a few more years. :D

 

I don't have a Facebook account, either. Does this mean I don't really exist???? ;)

 

LOL!! Like you, I have been around so long that to me technology is sometimes nice, but certainly not a necessity.

 

I remember the phone on the kitchen wall of our house with it's party line. Ours was one long ring, two short rings, and one more long ring. A fun evening was sneaking in on the calls our neighbors got.

 

I remember our first TV was more round than square, deeper than it was wide, and was in all the colors we wanted, as long as they were black, white and shades of gray. And on all three of the channels we could get with out antenna on the roof.

 

I remember the high beam switch on my first car was a button on the floor operated by my foot. The most advanced safety device on it were the drum brakes that usually would stop in time, depending on how hard you stood up on the pedal. The only airbag in it was when Aunt Mildred rode in the back seat. She never could stop talking.

 

I remember air conditioning was opening the windows on a windy day. Heating was dependent on how well we loaded the fireplace and kitchen stove with firewood.

 

I remember cameras were so large that many came with tripods to support them.

 

I remember when social media was an envelope with a hand written letter inside - and in beautiful cursive, not ugly block letters.

 

I remember...... well, I could go on and on, much like we old geezers have a tendency to do.

 

I seriously wonder how many hours these millennials would survive if their smart phones stopped working, or their Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, texts couldn't be accessed. Or if their iPods broke.

 

Me? I would be OK. After all, I was perfectly fine without all of this newfangled technology for decades. I certainly can be again. ;)

Edited January 6, 2017 by PTMary

[Woobstr112G]

Actually you don't have to use the medallion if you don't want to do so. Its plainly stated in the release info. Those who are afraid of the technology or uncomfortable with it are free to continue on as they have in the past. Princess will happily issue you a standard cruise card.

 

Seems simple enough.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ddled]

I can already do this stuff with a card-what I object to is paying for it so some people can play with the latest techno diversion. It should cost those who want it and use that money on fares-how is that for a fantasy?:mad:

[Thrak]

Some folks here, myself included, have (either in this thread or one of the others on this subject) stated that, from what the press release said, if you don't want to use the medallion you don't have to use it. However...

 

After watching about half (so far) of the keynote address I have seen the new door locks and such and there is no option - at least with the locks I have seen in the video so far - to open the door without using the medallion. That would seem to be in conflict with the previous press release info.

 

Given the number of people who may not want to use this tech that may be a problem. The way they describe the simple act of opening the door shows that your medallion is read, a signal goes through the wiring to the central server (or servers), identifies your medallion as authorized for that particular door, and then sends back a signal which releases the latch. Given the past history of the Princess tech teams I can't imagine there would be any issues. (Now removing tongue from cheek.)

 

Can you imagine a system outage where a large number of passengers can't get into their cabins? You need your meds but they are locked in a cabin you can't access. Not a good scenario. Of course I would imagine they have thought of this and have redundancies built into the system but it does give one more thing for people to worry about.

 

Like others above. I don't have a facebook account nor did I ever have a myspace or any other type of social media account. Cruise Critic is about as close to "social media" as I get. I use a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, a smartphone, etc. but, again like some others above, I did fine without them for a very long time and can do without them when necessary. Although I do admit to trying to highlight a word in a paper book to lookup a definition of some esoteric word. :) D'Oh!

 

Even though I don't need all the tech I have I still look forward to trying this new system.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Thrak

[johnmik1]

When you have been married as long as my wife and I have, we prefer NOT to find each other on the ship! :D

 

Seriously, we will usually do our own thing and meet up later for dinner. Sometimes we'll do things together, but after this many years, we are quite comfortable letting our significant other have some time to themselves. ;)

 

I am with you.After 41 years we don't need to be together 24/7 but still enjoy each others company.

[easyboy]

Actually you don't have to use the medallion if you don't want to do so. Its plainly stated in the release info. Those who are afraid of the technology or uncomfortable with it are free to continue on as they have in the past. Princess will happily issue you a standard cruise card.

Good to be given that option. Does it mean that the existing door lock mechanism will not be removed to use with the cruise card?

[riclop]

Medallion will mean higher prices.

[diane.in.ny]

Although I do admit to trying to highlight a word in a paper book to lookup a definition of some esoteric word. :) D'Oh!

 

.

 

OMG, I thought I was the only one who did stuff like that. I was reading a paper book and tapped the edge of the book to turn the page. :D

[tgwabd]

Carnival will no longer use key cards, they are being replaced with electronic medallions that are programmable, and you can be tracked, Yay!

 

http://www.uniglobecarefreetravel.com/view-vacation.html?id=carnival-s-ocean-medallion-streamlines-guest-experience

[Thrak]

Watched the CES keynote speech. From what I saw you will need to use the medallion in order to open your staterooom door. Not what was implied in the press release.

 

As for costing more... I wouldn't be surprised to see prices go up but then they seem to do that anyway.

[deborahjo]

Yuck.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Colo Cruiser]

Carnival will no longer use key cards, they are being replaced with electronic medallions that are programmable, and you can be tracked, Yay!

 

http://www.uniglobecarefreetravel.com/view-vacation.html?id=carnival-s-ocean-medallion-streamlines-guest-experience

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2438338

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2438318

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2438540

[Thrak]

Yep. It looks that way. In an earlier press release they implied that didn't have to use the medallion if you didn't want to do so but I saw the new locks in the CES keynote presentation and there is no option for a cruise card. It definitely looks as if you will need to use the medallion to unlock your cabin door.

[tgwabd]

if you have the phone within 4 feet, and even when you are home, read your app agreement, you gave permission for it to track you.