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Ocean Medallion Question Thread - Part 1

Host CJSKIDS

By Host CJSKIDS,
in Princess Cruises

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mellon1

mellon1

Posted
Posted

Please help!  I don't have time to read this entire post for my answer and I know I will get a correct answer from you guys.  My BIL came back from the Crown in March and said that the future cruise consultant told him that by February 2020, cruise cards no longer will be used on the Crown, but the medallion only.  My questions:  We do not have the new phones, we have an old phone and don't text and when we get on the ship we put the phone in the safe, shut off.  We are on vacation and that is the last thing we want to do is be on the phone.  So, we cannot download the apps, etc.  Do we have to cancel our cruise for February 2020 on Crown because we have no way to download the app?  I guess we will have no way of knowing what is going on with the ship then either!  I am not happy and very nervous.  Final payment is coming due soon.  We are going for 30 days doing B2B2Bs.  Help!!!

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MissP22

MissP22

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, kitty2264 said:

So the medallion itself does not enough metal in it to set off the detectors?

Not at all. Other than the battery it has very little metal & their detectors are not set that sensitive to reject every little item. (like belt buckles) 

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Ride-The-Waves

Ride-The-Waves

Posted
Posted (edited)

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.

Edited by Ride-The-Waves
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voljeep

voljeep

Posted
Posted (edited)

reading thru multiple threads about the OM, and even having taken place in an on board discussion group on the CB , it seems that some loyal and even new cruisers are not part of the target market to use the features of the OM

 

I guess Princess knew that there would be collateral damage at an acceptable rate ...

 

Isn't this pretty common ???

 

Added Edit : we have been on the one OM cruise that I referred to above about the discussion group ... my wife and I had the OM in hand before boarding ... we are not "phone in hand all the time" type of people either and really ended up just using the OM almost like the cruise card ... it was just in a different 'form'

 

2nd Edit : we were booked on the Regal initial OM cruise rollout, but weren't in the selected few cabins to use the OM, so we cancelled both the 2 day and 4 day cruises with no problems from Princess ...

 

OK, done

Edited by voljeep
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leck57 Holiday Sharing Rare

leck57

Posted
Posted
On 9/13/2019 at 6:54 AM, mellon1 said:

Please help!  I don't have time to read this entire post for my answer and I know I will get a correct answer from you guys.  My BIL came back from the Crown in March and said that the future cruise consultant told him that by February 2020, cruise cards no longer will be used on the Crown, but the medallion only.  My questions:  We do not have the new phones, we have an old phone and don't text and when we get on the ship we put the phone in the safe, shut off.  We are on vacation and that is the last thing we want to do is be on the phone.  So, we cannot download the apps, etc.  Do we have to cancel our cruise for February 2020 on Crown because we have no way to download the app?  I guess we will have no way of knowing what is going on with the ship then either!  I am not happy and very nervous.  Final payment is coming due soon.  We are going for 30 days doing B2B2Bs.  Help!!!

 

Just relax. You don't need to do anything, just go to the pier and your medallions will be there. I actually went through the process of completing the Ocean Ready app for my recent Royal cruise and I took longer to board than those that had done nothing. I probably will not bother next time. I don't mind all the new techo stuff but in reality all I did on the last cruise was use my medallion to purchase stuff and open the cabin doors (exactly what you did with your cruise card) and I used my tablet to access Ocean Concierge, which is like the old princess@sea app. I used this to check my expenditure. I never used the other app to order drinks, track people down etc as I have no need or want to do that. When you are on board there are screens on all decks that you can place your medallion against that will show you where you are, deck plans, and what activities are on, however you don't use these if they don't interest you. I only really used them as a novelty factor and usually on sea days when I had nothing else to do.

You certainly don't need to cancel and when you get your medallion at boarding, and just use it like your cruise card in the past, you'll wonder why you worried. Just enjoy the cruise.

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AF-1

AF-1

Posted
Posted

mellon1, like leck57 said above;  relax.  Princess doesn't even ship medallions outside the United States. Think about how many people coming from Europe or Asia; who may be on your cruise.  Do you think they will cancel their cruises; because they don't have a medallion prior to boarding?  Of course not.  Even though they may fill out info online at home; anyone who is from overseas will have to wait until they reach the port to pick up a medallion.  Have a great cruse and don't sweat it.

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JerseyShore

JerseyShore

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 4/15/2019 at 8:20 AM, Host CJSKIDS said:

I thought it would be a great idea to have a sticky so everyone can put their questions in one place for any questions about the ocean medallion so others who have experienced it or have answers could help out rather than having many threads open.

 

This is a great way to share experiences and knowledge.  Plus maybe we can get some official answers on here at some point!

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Figured I would start with what I have experienced in regards to the medallion. 

 

I know one of the big questions asked if when the medallion sailings get added to the Ocean ready app.  It appears for now that it's somewhere around the 60 day mark.  Mine have been added on their own without having to add them myself.

 

Another question I have been seeing posted here with frequency is when when the medallion be mailed.  It appears for now that Princess is mailing them out so cruisers receive them around 2 weeks prior.  I know when you order the email received does say 2-4 week however.  

 

Also see people questioning whether or not you need your cell phone all the time to use the medallion.  Without carrying your cell phone, it does work for opening your door, charging at any venue like stores, bars and speciality restaurants as well as using in the casino.  You can also use the large screens that are around the ship to locate those in your party and other things. 

Perhaps other posters can share their latest experiences with it.

 

I've used in twice on the Regal and I'm using in next month on the Caribbean Princess and excited to see how much more it can do now. 

 

 

 

Edited by JerseyShore
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OzPilot

OzPilot

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, JerseyShore said:
6 hours ago, JerseyShore said:
  On 4/16/2019 at 1:20 AM, Host CJSKIDS said:

I thought it would be a great idea to have a sticky so everyone can put their questions in one place for any questions about the ocean medallion so others who have experienced it or have answers could help out rather than having many threads open.

 

This is a great way to share experiences and knowledge.  Plus maybe we can get some official answers on here at some point!

 

There is a thread where you do get official answers from a Princess person whose name is "AskOceanMedallion". Here's the link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2686541-exciting-ocean-medallion-app-news/page/8/

Edited by OzPilot
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zaks pack4

zaks pack4

Posted
Posted
On 9/13/2019 at 8:47 AM, Ride-The-Waves said:

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.  What 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.

Hope you are feeling better now;  I think we were on the same cruise with you, but we disembarked in Southampton on Tuesday AM.  It was a fabulous cruise, but we also thought we were coming down with "colds" a day or two before disembarking.  By Wednesday evening  (home in NJ) my husband was admitted to hospital with pneumonia in both lungs  and flu.  I am also sick with a "cold", but have been prescribed Tamiflu for 10 days as a preventive.  Friends we met on board are also both ill.  So, be careful, everyone wash hands frequently, and again, hope you are feeling well soon.

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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Posted

I need some help.  I have my first Medallion cruise coming in January (Sky b2b in the Caribbean).  I've downloaded the Ocean Ready App and put myself and my DW on it.  My one question about this, is that the "Cruise Personalizer" circle says it's still incomplete.  This is despite all of the information being in the personalizer.  The other circle that does not show complete is the "Pin Number" section.  I am at a loss as to how to figure this out.  My other question is do I have to install the app on DW"s cell phone?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.....

 

Bob

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Ride-The-Waves

Ride-The-Waves

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Posted

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.

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jennybenny

jennybenny

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Woobstr112G said:

I need some help.  I have my first Medallion cruise coming in January (Sky b2b in the Caribbean).  I've downloaded the Ocean Ready App and put myself and my DW on it.  My one question about this, is that the "Cruise Personalizer" circle says it's still incomplete.  This is despite all of the information being in the personalizer.  The other circle that does not show complete is the "Pin Number" section.  I am at a loss as to how to figure this out.  My other question is do I have to install the app on DW"s cell phone?

 

Thanks in advance for any help.....

 

Bob

I think the Personalizer portion becomes green after final payment, even if you have put all your information and credit card info in there... or it could be 75 days before sailing when the cruise documents can be printed from the personalizer?

Edited by jennybenny
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royalcruz

royalcruz

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Posted
1 hour ago, royalcruz said:

I just spent time setting up my app and ordered the medallions. However, I am not "OCEAN READY" because there is an exclamation point on the PIN code circle. I've set up the PIN code 20 times and it is always "completed" but then this happens. I give up. 

Fixed this PIN issue. I downloaded the app on our other phone Samsung Galaxy S5, signed in, and fixed it there. Then opened the app on my LG G5 phone and the PIN was showing as completed. So either that one function wasn't compatible on my LG  phone, or it fixed itself in the time between.

Nevertheless.... OCEAN READY NOW on both phones!!!

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