MedallionClass™ problems

[cheeseclan]

I checked in for our Oct 14 cruise this past weekend.  I then downloaded the MedallionClass™ app onto my phone.  All good until I realized it has us sailing on the wrong date.  

My husband loaded the app onto his phone and same thing.

Monday I called the app help desk and she said she has to have IT work in it and I would hear back today.  That did not happen.

Will call them again tomorrow.  This is very frustrating as I cannot do anything else until this is fixed.

Anyone else have this issue?

[cheeseclan]

I can’t believe that we are the only ones that this has happened too!!

[CruiseVA]

TBH - I don't believe anything that that POS app tell's me. Last cruise I had it all setup with passports, photo's,etc. Got to the terminal to check -in and it showed my wife's photo on my Medallion. It took them 3 attempts to fix it 🙂

 

[AF-1]

Hang in there.  The entire medallion program; from the medallion class app to the ocean ready app has some bugs or issues. I know it is frustrating; but rest assure; Princess IT are working overtime; trying to fix the app issues.

[pms4104]

13 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Hang in there.  The entire medallion program; from the medallion class app to the ocean ready app has some bugs or issues. I know it is frustrating; but rest assure; Princess IT are working overtime; trying to fix the app issues.

I recognize that you are a huge OM cheerleader ... but when, if ever, will this program perform as promised and promoted?

 

After 5 years in development, and 2 years in the public eye ... and STILL problematic.

 

Maybe instead of working longer in OT, IT needs to work smarter. 

[Level six]

All I can say is Princess must be getting some big reward from the Medallion with the amount of money spent on it.  Think about it, they are gathering our personal information like never before. 

 

 It didn't work for drinks, sometimes didn't open the cabin door, took longer to get on and off the ship on our last cruise on the CB.  Forget about ordering drinks from you lounger, haha.  Several people on board dropped their medallion and it broke into pieces, when was the last time you saw a cruise card do that?  And, several people had to have theirs replaced due to the battery.  Plus, all the people in port walking around with their medallion around there neck is just not good because it totally says..'tourist'. 

 

I didn't even try to do it for checkin due to it not even having the Princess name on it anywhere(the app) and it was just as fast for me as those that had the medallion.  Just check in like regular. Why go to all the trouble of the app when you can check in just as fast as the medallion line?  

[wrongwaywatson]

I got my Medallion App loaded and my sailing is listed with a countdown and I uploaded my security picture and profile picture, but no where does it let me add in any travel documents, etc.  Is it because we are 73 days out still?

[AF-1]

3 minutes ago, pms4104 said:

I recognize that you are a huge OM cheerleader ... but when, if ever, will this program perform as promised and promoted?

 

After 5 years in development, and 2 years in the public eye ... and STILL problematic.

 

Maybe instead of working longer in OT, IT needs to work smarter. 

I can only report on my medallion experiences.   Yes I did have issues when I downloaded the ocean ready app 18 months ago.  I could not log in or set up the ocean ready app.  Called the medallion desk and my user name and password did not match what my cruise personalizer had; thus, I had to have Princess change it so both matched.  Once that was done; I was good to go with the ocean ready process.  Received medallions at home and used them for our cruise on Caribbean Princess in Feb.  For us, my wife and I; we had no issues onboard.  The medallions opened cabin doors, we ordered drinks at the pool, used it in gift shops, getting on and off ship.  I am a teckie; so I understand all the things that go with making the medallion program.  I feel bad for those who get frustrated when they can't get the ocean ready app to work properly; or they can't get the medallion to work on the ship.  I have no dog in this hunt.  I set up a ministry at my local church.  I help senior citizens with anything tech related.  I set up computers, laptops, cellphones, tablets, etc,  I will go to their homes and get them up and running.  When someone in my church has a tech issue;  they email or call me.  I will go over and help them out or talk them thru the issue.  That's why I try and help people on this forum.  That is my ministry;  it can be done on this forum or within my church.  I can only imagine how the IT medallion dept feels.  Just when they think the program is going to work; something gets messed up.  When they launched the new medallion class app last month; they were hoping for no major issues.  My empathy feels for them, and for anyone who continues to have issues with this program.  Have a wonderful day.  

[AF-1]

2 minutes ago, wrongwaywatson said:

I got my Medallion App loaded and my sailing is listed with a countdown and I uploaded my security picture and profile picture, but no where does it let me add in any travel documents, etc.  Is it because we are 73 days out still?

You should be able to upload your travel documents.  Are you using a smartphone or tablet?

[EllieinNJ]

2 hours ago, CruiseVA said:

TBH - I don't believe anything that that POS app tell's me. Last cruise I had it all setup with passports, photo's,etc. Got to the terminal to check -in and it showed my wife's photo on my Medallion. It took them 3 attempts to fix it 🙂

 

Same thing happened to us on our cruise we just returned from.  My picture on both medallions.

 

My DH medallion opened the cabin door without his taking it out of his pocket.  I walk a little bit slower so if he doesn't hold the door for me, my medallion won't open it again unless I hold it up to the medallion plate.

 

[Colo Cruiser]

10 hours ago, cheeseclan said:

I checked in for our Oct 14 cruise this past weekend.  I then downloaded the MedallionClass™ app onto my phone.  All good until I realized it has us sailing on the wrong date.  

My husband loaded the app onto his phone and same thing.

Monday I called the app help desk and she said she has to have IT work in it and I would hear back today.  That did not happen.

Will call them again tomorrow.  This is very frustrating as I cannot do anything else until this is fixed.

Anyone else have this issue?

We have 8 booked future cruises on Medallion ships. Everything seems to be working fine. I see them all in the app and have downloaded properly.

[pms4104]

20 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

I can only report on my medallion experiences.   Yes I did have issues when I downloaded the ocean ready app 18 months ago.  I could not log in or set up the ocean ready app.  Called the medallion desk and my user name and password did not match what my cruise personalizer had; thus, I had to have Princess change it so both matched.  Once that was done; I was good to go with the ocean ready process.  Received medallions at home and used them for our cruise on Caribbean Princess in Feb.  For us, my wife and I; we had no issues onboard.  The medallions opened cabin doors, we ordered drinks at the pool, used it in gift shops, getting on and off ship.  I am a teckie; so I understand all the things that go with making the medallion program.  I feel bad for those who get frustrated when they can't get the ocean ready app to work properly; or they can't get the medallion to work on the ship.  I have no dog in this hunt.  I set up a ministry at my local church.  I help senior citizens with anything tech related.  I set up computers, laptops, cellphones, tablets, etc,  I will go to their homes and get them up and running.  When someone in my church has a tech issue;  they email or call me.  I will go over and help them out or talk them thru the issue.  That's why I try and help people on this forum.  That is my ministry;  it can be done on this forum or within my church.  I can only imagine how the IT medallion dept feels.  Just when they think the program is going to work; something gets messed up.  When they launched the new medallion class app last month; they were hoping for no major issues.  My empathy feels for them, and for anyone who continues to have issues with this program.  Have a wonderful day.  

I respect your expertise and that thru your ministry you are so helpful to so many.

 

I fail to understand, however, how the OM continues to be buggy and glitchy no matter the time, energy and money put into the program  

[Colo Cruiser]

51 minutes ago, pms4104 said:

I recognize that you are a huge OM cheerleader ... but when, if ever, will this program perform as promised and promoted?

 

After 5 years in development, and 2 years in the public eye ... and STILL problematic.

 

Maybe instead of working longer in OT, IT needs to work smarter. 

Why the name calling because someone posts a positive opinion of their experience?

[pms4104]

I did not realize I was name calling ... more like acknowledging that member's positive endorsement of a problematic program and the workers who make it so 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Do you have to download the app and/or get the Medallion in advance or can you just go check in like in the past and get either  a Medallion or a card?

[idahospud]

31 minutes ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

Do you have to download the app and/or get the Medallion in advance or can you just go check in like in the past and get either  a Medallion or a card?

You can just go to check in as you have in the past. They will issue you a Medallion there. If you want a cruise card, once onboard head to Passenger Services desk and they can print you one.

[Level six]

28 minutes ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

Do you have to download the app and/or get the Medallion in advance or can you just go check in like in the past and get either  a Medallion or a card?

You can just go to the pier like before, no need for medallion.  I think you still have to get a medallion as part of check in, but several people on the last cruise hated it so much, they went to guest services and got a card.  But, you still have to use the medallion to get on and off the ship even if you have a card. 

[vampiress]

1 hour ago, pms4104 said:

I recognize that you are a huge OM cheerleader ... but when, if ever, will this program perform as promised and promoted?

 

After 5 years in development, and 2 years in the public eye ... and STILL problematic.

 

Maybe instead of working longer in OT, IT needs to work smarter. 

i work in technology.  the issues are in the grand scheme of things relatively minor.

 

they made some missteps at first trying to be too aggressive in roll out, i think they are doing much better now. pivoting to a new plan of action is the sign of good product management,  they realized it was more difficult than expected to roll out a new technology and slowed it to perfect it on the ships already installed.  it is a massive undertaking to train staff and change behaviors of passengers.  they have really made a highe campaign to help train staff and passengers.  think about when the iphone rolled out, no one felt it was important to have a smart phone, and now most people do.  its hard to see the benefits of a new technology at first.

 

also, when reading reviews on a new product, people are way more likely to post their frustrations than when everything works seamlessly.  take into account the types of cruise passengers using this new technology, older, less tech savvy, more resistant to tech.  this means you hear exponentially more about the "fails" than the success.

 

 

[drowelf]

Ok, a bit frustrated here and not finding any good information. Here are the details. 

 

We have our first cruise with Princess scheduled (August 2020). I downloaded the new Medallion App (never had the others). But how do I sign on to the App. Using my id (email) and password that I use to get on the Princess Website, results in a message that "the information entered does not match our records'. Ditto for trying to use my reservation number/name/birthday to get access.

 

Calling the help desk they said that since my cruise is not Ocean Ready yet (but is a Medallion Cruise), I can't sign-on, but that seems a little crazy. Do I need to create a new account for just the Medallion App? You can only use the app when your cruise is coming up? 

[san diego sue]

On my recent cruise on the Carribean Princess I didn't download the app in advance.

Getting to the pier, no lines, and got to checkin  and was given our medallions in a few minutes.

No photo was taken. Getting on the ship noticed that people were getting photos taken . Probably those who just received the medallions. My turn and no photo taken . I asked and they said already on it. How? Still don't know. The photo that showed up was not a recent one  but may have been one taken on the Caribbean Princess when we were on two years ago.We have cruised quite a bit since then . Wonder if our photos stay in Princess' system or just on the ship we sail. Hey, I loved it, looked two years younger.

[MissP22]

1 minute ago, san diego sue said:

On my recent cruise on the Carribean Princess I didn't download the app in advance.

Getting to the pier, no lines, and got to checkin  and was given our medallions in a few minutes.

No photo was taken. Getting on the ship noticed that people were getting photos taken . Probably those who just received the medallions. My turn and no photo taken . I asked and they said already on it. How? Still don't know. The photo that showed up was not a recent one  but may have been one taken on the Caribbean Princess when we were on two years ago.We have cruised quite a bit since then . Wonder if our photos stay in Princess' system or just on the ship we sail. Hey, I loved it, looked two years younger.

They reuse the same photo for a number of years. I don't know for how long but they used ours for a number of Medallion trips so far.

Maybe this year we'll get an updated picture?

Who knows? 

My DH said he's going to test the system & grow a mustache to force the issue. 😄 

[san diego sue]

38 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

They reuse the same photo for a number of years. I don't know for how long but they used ours for a number of Medallion trips so far.

Maybe this year we'll get an updated picture?

Who knows? 

My DH said he's going to test the system & grow a mustache to force the issue. 😄 

Our photo they used wasn't on a previous Medallion cruise. The last Princess cruise that was medallion was on the Royal and totally different photo.

[Level six]

They took our picture on the promenade while boarding on CB in August, not at the check in desk like they usually do.

 

I agree that not everyone is used to new technology and gets frustrated with change.  Just because I found it annoying does not mean I didn't understand how to use it or why Princess wanted it. 

 

Princess is collecting data about their passengers, that is it, plan and simple. Eventually they want to use that data to make more money, either by selling our personal information or by increasing revenue on the ship(like being able to gamble anytime, anywhere with the medallion).  And eventually it will replace some workers, much like the self check out does now.  Instead having 4-5 bartenders wandering around, people will order drinks with their app, there will be one person delivering drinks, princess saves by not paying 4 bartenders salary.  It will probably eventually move to the dining, much like fast food restaurants that have the screens to order without ever talking to anyone. In the future with the medallion when they figure it out, when you check in, there will not be 20-30 workers doing check in, it will be a scanner, replacing 20-30 check in staff, therefore, saving money and increasing revenue. 

 

It is not to make the cruising experience easier or better for passengers, it is to make money for Princess.  

 

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Level six

[pms4104]

8 minutes ago, Level six said:

They took our picture on the promenade while boarding on CB in August, not at the check in desk like they usually do.

 

I agree that not everyone is used to new technology and gets frustrated with change.  Just because I found it annoying does not mean I didn't understand how to use it or why Princess wanted it. 

 

Princess is collecting data about their passengers, that is it, plan and simple. Eventually they want to use that data to make more money, either by selling our personal information or by increasing revenue on the ship(like being able to gamble anytime, anywhere with the medallion).  And eventually it will replace some workers, much like the self check out does now.  Instead having 4-5 bartenders wandering around, people will order drinks with their app, there will be one person delivering drinks, princess saves by not paying 4 bartenders salary.  It will probably eventually move to the dining, much like fast food restaurants that have the screens to order without ever talking to anyone. In the future with the medallion when they figure it out, when you check in, there will not be 20-30 workers doing check in, it will be a scanner, replacing 20-30 check in staff, therefore, saving money and increasing revenue. 

 

It is not to make the cruising experience easier or better for passengers, it is to make money for Princess.  

 

 

And, as the number of staff and crew is reduced, does anyone imagine lower fares or enhancements to the passenger experience?

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, vampiress said:

i work in technology.  the issues are in the grand scheme of things relatively minor.

 

they made some missteps at first trying to be too aggressive in roll out, i think they are doing much better now. pivoting to a new plan of action is the sign of good product management,  they realized it was more difficult than expected to roll out a new technology and slowed it to perfect it on the ships already installed.  it is a massive undertaking to train staff and change behaviors of passengers.  they have really made a highe campaign to help train staff and passengers.  think about when the iphone rolled out, no one felt it was important to have a smart phone, and now most people do.  its hard to see the benefits of a new technology at first.

 

also, when reading reviews on a new product, people are way more likely to post their frustrations than when everything works seamlessly.  take into account the types of cruise passengers using this new technology, older, less tech savvy, more resistant to tech.  this means you hear exponentially more about the "fails" than the success.

 

 

 

As a retired IT systems project manager I want to thank you for writing a cogent and hopefully illuminating post about major system implementations. 

 

To those posters who say that the entire Medallion system is to benefit only Princess cruises:  Princess is a company answerable to their shareholders (I am not one but many post here) so of course data gathering for marketing, resource planning, and anything else that impacts the bottom line are all an objective.  But I do not think any company would intentionally try to annoy their customers (or a large portion of their customers) to the extent that they consider becoming former customers with new technology. 

 

I don't have any personal experience with the Medallion since it wasn't implemented on any of the ships we've been on in the last two years (Royal - October 2017, Ruby - July 2018,  Crown - December 2018, Sapphire - June 2019) and it won't be on our next (Pacific - October 2020) so I'll just keep following the Medallion related threads and hope for both ships' staff, passengers, and the design, implementation, and user support teams that progress is made working out the kinks and user support of the staff and passengers is a priority as long as it is needed (which, given that new to Princess passengers are on every cruise, will mean for a long time).

Edited September 12, 2019 by capriccio