OCEAN MEDALLION

[Ep010835]

Still working on the other questions/answers. 

[Mike45LC]

Wow, thank you for all of this info.  For those f us who have not yet been onboard an Ocean Medallion enabled ship, it really helps to get first-hand info!

 

Now, let me get my foil hat ready for my next cruise.

[mcrcruiser]

Just hope that this gets all cleared up before the first of our 3 booked cruises .first one is Oct 4,2019 ,then Dec 5 ,2019 & finally April 29 ,2020  .seems to me this medallion thing should speed up embarkation process quite a bit ,we hope

[mthomp5]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Since you are a trustworthy individual and would not mis-use the information, it would be useful if you did hit stateroom for someone else's photo and let us know if it accepted or rejected the request.

 

If it accepts it, this is a much bigger security flaw than just letting a lost Medallion do this as it would mean any stranger could find out where anyone else they are following has a cabin.

This is a good test to do.  Hopefully, the programmers and testers have thought about this.

[Nightrythm]

On the safety issue. I feel like having a protocol in place could solve these concerns. 

 

For example, if I were to go and report my missing OM, the person at the desk would check and say, "where did you last use it?" If I tell them in the bar and it was used to access my room, then I stay put and they send security. They should even have the information showing someone accessed the kiosk to figure out where the room was.

[Ep010835]

6 hours ago, c-boy said:

Q ; are the kiosk's  multilingual ?

 

I’ve just now checked three separate Ocean Compass displays and none of them had a button to select other languages. Looks like for the present it’s English only. 

Clearly this is a work in progress. It’s hard for me to imagine that this isn’t a planned future enhancement. 

[onboard2005]

This entire system sounds great!  The displays are pretty cool and it sounds like the ships that it is working on are doing well.  It just sounds like it is taking a long time to get it all figured out.  It's a massive undertaking to install it on board.  I'm glad they still have the cruise card.  Thank you for all the info and the pictures!

[jwattle]

Any word on if the Enchanted is rolling out with Medallion enabled?

[c-boy]

14 hours ago, jwattle said:

Any word on if the Enchanted is rolling out with Medallion enabled?

Hey  who's that good lookin' man your with 

[jwattle]

36 minutes ago, c-boy said:

Hey  who's that good lookin' man your with 

I lovingly refer to him as "The Count"...You may have met him 

[c-boy]

28 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I lovingly refer to him as "The Count"...You may have met him 

I believe I played a round of golf with him @ Kaanapali 

[USCcruisecrazy]

On ‎11‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 5:55 AM, colville2002 said:

We were on the Carnival Horizon in April and they had a new elevator system with no buttons inside.  You pressed a button to call the elevator then indicated which floor you required and the system then told you which elevator to go to.  This seems a simpler system (for the elevators if not the users) to get the same effect.

 

We did experience quite a few people not knowing how to work them though, despite the TV screens with instructions on repeat.  My 3 year old son loved it 

This is actually not new technology.  They have used it for years in many larger hotels in Times Square in NYC.  It is a very smooth way to move people around when speaking about 40-50 floors...guess 10 floors or so on a cruise ship would work much the same way!  Nice!

[mnocket]

It seems to me that the fundamental difference is that if you lose your cruise card, someone who finds it is unlikely to get into your cabin because they don't know your cabin number - whereas with the OM they can get your cabin number from a kiosk and walk right in.

[Ep010835]

3 hours ago, mnocket said:

It seems to me that the fundamental difference is that if you lose your cruise card, someone who finds it is unlikely to get into your cabin because they don't know your cabin number - whereas with the OM they can get your cabin number from a kiosk and walk right in.

 

Yes. Precisely. 

 

(Please forgive the big font. Below is a cut and paste from a clipboard) 

First let me correct one statement I made in a post yesterday. I said the Ocean Compass Display Screens (OC) are located in ALL elevator lobbies. I should have said they are located in MOST elevator lobbies. For example, on Deck 7 in the aft elevator lobby is a HUGE activities  screen. However, if an OC isn’t within an elevator lobby, one can usually be found a few steps away. 

 

I spent a good bit of time yesterday with a senior Ocean Medallion (OM) IT crew member discussing how OC operates. 

It breaks down like this. 

I am issued an OM device. It’s either mailed to me prior to my cruise or I pick it up at the cruise terminal prior to embarkation. It’s programmed to know who I am along with my cabin number and loaded with whatever spending privileges I have. So far no different than a cruise card, right?

The cruise card and the OM device both open my cabin door. 

 

Now let’s look at the security concerns that have been voiced. When I walk up to an OC display screen with my cruise card nothing happens.  When I walk up to an OC display screen with my OM device my photo/avatar appears in the lower left-hand part of the screen. If I choose not to interact with the OC display, and just keep walking, in a few seconds my photo/avatar disappears from the screen. Kinda like I was never there. As people pass near any of the OC displays throughout the ship, their photo/avatar appears on the screen. It’s not the least bit unusual to see a dozen or more photo/avatars on the screen at any one time. Again, it’s just a function of an OM device being near an OC display.

 

If I choose to interact with the OC display and activate the “Stateroom” function or the “Shipmate” function, this is where it starts to get interesting. Let’s say I walk up to a screen, see my photo/avatar and want to interact with OC. I touch my avatar and when I do, a login option appears in the center of the OC display. See photo number one below for what logon looks like. At that point, I hold my OM device up to the blue reader located along the side of the OC display. See the second photo below to see what the reader looks like. As soon as the system recognizes my OM device, the reader turns from blue to green and it allows me to activate the “”Stateroom” function and/or the “Shipmates” function. 

 

If I activate the “Stateroom” function, it will show me both textually and with a visual display exactly how to get to my Stateroom. The visual display consists of a green path of moving arrows taking me right to the door of my cabin. 

 

If I activate the “Shipmates” function, the system pulls up all the passengers I’ve brought into my group of “Shipmates”. The photo/avatar of each of my “Shipmates” appears on the OC display screen. To locate a “Shipmate”, I tap on their photo/avatar and OC tells me where they are on the ship. 

 

Important!! Please remember that the “Stateroom” and “Shipmates” functions will NOT work unless the OM holder logs in via the reader pad on the OC display. 

 

So now let’s assume I lose my OM device and it’s found by someone with a nefarious streak.  If I’ve discovered the loss, reported it to guest services and they’ve deactivated it, all is well. If none of this happens and my OM device is in the hands of a crook, BAD things are about to happen for he is me! 

 

EVERYTHING I’ve described above is available to the perp. He/she can find out my name, locate my cabin, get detailed directions to said cabin and finally let himself in. 

 

Yesterday I discussed this with an OM IT supervisor. I was told they are acutely aware of the issue and are deciding how best to address it. Seems PCL legal is weighing in on it too and a decision is dependent on how these discussions come together. 

 

Let’s step back to Ocean Ready. This is the app where we input our personal information prior to a cruise. One of the fields is for a password. Interestingly, my profile contains (somewhere) my selected password but this element of my profile does not appear to be put to use anywhere within OM. 

 

Alternatively, a password could be added at the terminal during checkin. I was told that one solution being discussed is to insert a password verification step during the OM logon process. Again, see photo #1. Inserting a password step after I place my OM device to the reader would leave the aspiring bad guy completely unable to access any of these functions. 

 

So in summary, lose your OM and fail to report it, as the system currently stands you are very vulnerable. As soon as a password or some other challenge is programmed into OM, you should be reasonably secure. 

 

I apologize for all the words but this is a subject with lots of twists and turns.  

 

And then there’s the ability to get step-by-step directions from any OC display screen to any named point on the ship. But that’s another post.

[OCruisers]

  Hate to admit it but still don't fully understand everything about how the OM will work on our Carribean Princess cruise in January (not negative on OM ... just confused) BUT feel sure we'll be able to get help in using it on the ship when needed.

Thanks to ALL who have posted and have helped us sort of understand a bit.   

 

[Ep010835]

2 hours ago, OCruisers said:

  Hate to admit it but still don't fully understand everything about how the OM will work on our Carribean Princess cruise in January (not negative on OM ... just confused) BUT feel sure we'll be able to get help in using it on the ship when needed.

Thanks to ALL who have posted and have helped us sort of understand a bit.   

 

 

You're in really good company. The Princess OM IT people don’t fully understand it!

[Ep010835]

3 hours ago, Ep010835 said:

 

Yes. Precisely. 

 

(Please forgive the big font. Below is a cut and paste from a clipboard) 

First let me correct one statement I made in a post yesterday. I said the Ocean Compass Display Screens (OC) are located in ALL elevator lobbies. I should have said they are located in MOST elevator lobbies. For example, on Deck 7 in the aft elevator lobby is a HUGE activities  screen. However, if an OC isn’t within an elevator lobby, one can usually be found a few steps away. 

 

I spent a good bit of time yesterday with a senior Ocean Medallion (OM) IT crew member discussing how OC operates. 

It breaks down like this. 

I am issued an OM device. It’s either mailed to me prior to my cruise or I pick it up at the cruise terminal prior to embarkation. It’s programmed to know who I am along with my cabin number and loaded with whatever spending privileges I have. So far no different than a cruise card, right?

The cruise card and the OM device both open my cabin door. 

 

Now let’s look at the security concerns that have been voiced. When I walk up to an OC display screen with my cruise card nothing happens.  When I walk up to an OC display screen with my OM device my photo/avatar appears in the lower left-hand part of the screen. If I choose not to interact with the OC display, and just keep walking, in a few seconds my photo/avatar disappears from the screen. Kinda like I was never there. As people pass near any of the OC displays throughout the ship, their photo/avatar appears on the screen. It’s not the least bit unusual to see a dozen or more photo/avatars on the screen at any one time. Again, it’s just a function of an OM device being near an OC display.

 

If I choose to interact with the OC display and activate the “Stateroom” function or the “Shipmate” function, this is where it starts to get interesting. Let’s say I walk up to a screen, see my photo/avatar and want to interact with OC. I touch my avatar and when I do, a login option appears in the center of the OC display. See photo number one below for what logon looks like. At that point, I hold my OM device up to the blue reader located along the side of the OC display. See the second photo below to see what the reader looks like. As soon as the system recognizes my OM device, the reader turns from blue to green and it allows me to activate the “”Stateroom” function and/or the “Shipmates” function. 

 

If I activate the “Stateroom” function, it will show me both textually and with a visual display exactly how to get to my Stateroom. The visual display consists of a green path of moving arrows taking me right to the door of my cabin. 

 

If I activate the “Shipmates” function, the system pulls up all the passengers I’ve brought into my group of “Shipmates”. The photo/avatar of each of my “Shipmates” appears on the OC display screen. To locate a “Shipmate”, I tap on their photo/avatar and OC tells me where they are on the ship. 

 

Important!! Please remember that the “Stateroom” and “Shipmates” functions will NOT work unless the OM holder logs in via the reader pad on the OC display. 

 

So now let’s assume I lose my OM device and it’s found by someone with a nefarious streak.  If I’ve discovered the loss, reported it to guest services and they’ve deactivated it, all is well. If none of this happens and my OM device is in the hands of a crook, BAD things are about to happen for he is me! 

 

EVERYTHING I’ve described above is available to the perp. He/she can find out my name, locate my cabin, get detailed directions to said cabin and finally let himself in. 

 

Yesterday I discussed this with an OM IT supervisor. I was told they are acutely aware of the issue and are deciding how best to address it. Seems PCL legal is weighing in on it too and a decision is dependent on how these discussions come together. 

 

Let’s step back to Ocean Ready. This is the app where we input our personal information prior to a cruise. One of the fields is for a password. Interestingly, my profile contains (somewhere) my selected password but this element of my profile does not appear to be put to use anywhere within OM. 

 

Alternatively, a password could be added at the terminal during checkin. I was told that one solution being discussed is to insert a password verification step during the OM logon process. Again, see photo #1. Inserting a password step after I place my OM device to the reader would leave the aspiring bad guy completely unable to access any of these functions. 

 

So in summary, lose your OM and fail to report it, as the system currently stands you are very vulnerable. As soon as a password or some other challenge is programmed into OM, you should be reasonably secure. 

 

I apologize for all the words but this is a subject with lots of twists and turns.  

 

And then there’s the ability to get step-by-step directions from any OC display screen to any named point on the ship. But that’s another post.

 

Now if I were just smart enough to have added the photos I referenced with my original post, I wouldn’t be reposting all these words!

i apologize. 

 

Here are the two photos. 

 

[mnocket]

What's surprising is that facial recognition is quickly becoming a common technology.  If I can "logon" to my phone with it, it sure seems that Princess could use it to logon to Ocean Compass. 

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Ep010835 said:

(Please forgive the big font. Below is a cut and paste from a clipboard) 

It is easy to change the font size. Just select the text you want to change, clock on the "Size" box at the top of the post you are making and then select the size you want.

 

 

Important!! Please remember that the “Stateroom” and “Shipmates” functions will NOT work unless the OM holder logs in via the reader pad on the OC display. 

 

If ... my OM device is in the hands of a crook, BAD things are about to happen for he is me! 

 

EVERYTHING I’ve described above is available to the perp. He/she can find out my name, locate my cabin, get detailed directions to said cabin and finally let himself in. 

 

 

 

I am confused. You indicate the functions are not available unless you log in, but then say a perp can access the info without logging in. What am I missing?

[caribill]

2 hours ago, mnocket said:

What's surprising is that facial recognition is quickly becoming a common technology.  If I can "logon" to my phone with it, it sure seems that Princess could use it to logon to Ocean Compass. 

 

Facial recognition has come a long way, but it must be 100% accurate or there will be some very unhappy people who cannot accomplish what they want because they do not get recognized.

 

Some cities in China do have very advanced facial recognition software implemented and claim they can locate anyone in the city with 15 minutes. (If you are inside somewhere, they probably have a record of you entering that building.) And some cities in England monitor the streets and can identify someone from about a half mile away. I doubt Princess can afford the systems that can do these things.

[colville2002]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I am confused. You indicate the functions are not available unless you log in, but then say a perp can access the info without logging in. What am I missing?

I'm not on the ship but I believe that logging in is simply a function of holding the medallion to the reader, nothing more.

[Ep010835]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I am confused. You indicate the functions are not available unless you log in, but then say a perp can access the info without logging in. What am I missing?

 

IF the prep has your OM in his possession, he CAN log on as you (photo 1). 

All he has to do is to hold your OM device up to the reader (photo 2) then poof! He had logged on as you. 

This is the reason a security challenge such as a password needs to be added to OC. 

As long as you have possesion of your OM device, the perp CANNOT penetrate OC and do any harm to you. PROTECT your OM device!!

[Ep010835]

5 hours ago, colville2002 said:

I'm not on the ship but I believe that logging in is simply a function of holding the medallion to the reader, nothing more.

 

Precisely.

 

If you have an OM device in your possession, then as far as OC is concerned, you are whomever is the owner of that particular OM device. 

 

I have noticed that when a purchase is made using an OM device, the crew members seem really good about looking directly at me to confirm that I really do look to be the person whose photo appears on their screen. 

This is a nice security feature. Sort of a manual facial recognition feature that doesn’t happen with a cruise card. 

[Omega1]

1 hour ago, Ep010835 said:

 

Precisely.

 

If you have an OM device in your possession, then as far as OC is concerned, you are whomever is the owner of that particular OM device. 

 

I have noticed that when a purchase is made using an OM device, the crew members seem really good about looking directly at me to confirm that I really do look to be the person whose photo appears on their screen. 

This is a nice security feature. Sort of a manual facial recognition feature that doesn’t happen with a cruise card. 

On the CB recently, we sat at the bar and the bar staff greeted us by name - our medallions had been recognised and our images were on his screen. We didn't hand over the medallion or give a folio number to pay for the drinks, the bar staff must have simply assigned the bill to us (me).

A friend of ours had a cocktail from the Casino Bar added to their account in error. It occurred at the same time as they were walking through the casino to the theatre. The theory is, bar staff assigned the drink in error. If the theory is correct, it's important to keep an eye on your on-board account.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Ep010835 said:

 

IF the prep has your OM in his possession, he CAN log on as you (photo 1). 

All he has to do is to hold your OM device up to the reader (photo 2) then poof! He had logged on as you.

 

 

7 hours ago, colville2002 said:

I'm not on the ship but I believe that logging in is simply a function of holding the medallion to the reader, nothing more.

 

Thanks