Discontinuing the Patter?

[CruzinNoony]

I read somewhere that they are discontinuing the Patter.  Tell me it isn't so.

[Sea Hag]

I'm sure a lot of folks enjoy it. I do read it, but I could definitely do without it on Medallion cruises.

[XBGuy]

It seems to me that there have been reports here on Cruise Critic that on some cruises the Princess Patter was not being delivered to passenger cabins.  However, it was available at the Guest Services Desk.  Whether this was a test is not clear to me.  My last cruise was January 2020 and I can tell you that the Patter was delivered to our cabin on the Star Princess.  Since nobody has cruised on Princess in over a year, we do not have any recent information.

 

Personally, I like the printed copy.  Others prefer having it on their mobile device.  There is no right or wrong.  Having printed copies available at the Guest Services Desk may be a reasonable accommodation.

[mjmalino]

7 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

It seems to me that there have been reports here on Cruise Critic that on some cruises the Princess Patter was not being delivered to passenger cabins.  However, it was available at the Guest Services Desk.  Whether this was a test is not clear to me.  My last cruise was January 2020 and I can tell you that the Patter was delivered to our cabin on the Star Princess.  Since nobody has cruised on Princess in over a year, we do not have any recent information.

 

Personally, I like the printed copy.  Others prefer having it on their mobile device.  There is no right or wrong.  Having printed copies available at the Guest Services Desk may be a reasonable accommodation.

I believe that they were delivered to our cabins on the Sky as well, but again, this was January 2020. I also remember the steward putting them on the bed because there wasn't a mail holder (for lack of a better word) in the doorway like on other ships.

[Ombud]

I had everything (patter & ads) held on 2019 cruises as I had it on the medallion. I would (must admit) stop at PSD for the port guides which i could never get separately. I appreciated those but if I can't wander then I don't need them either

[donaldsc]

I want a paper copy of the daily activities.  It is much easier to use and mark up.  In most instances, using an electronic version is easier but not in this case.

 

DON

[Mike45LC]

On my last cruise (Nov 2019, Royal, Mex Riv), I found the Medallion information as to activities to be woefully inadequate and wrong. 

 

Here are some notes from my Trip Report:

Tonight’s show is NOT listed in the d^%$ app!  When I looked again at 6:30, the 8:00 p.m. show was finally listed.  Only the 8:00 show appeared on the app, the 10:00 show still is not listed. 

 

Next day:  We got front row seats at 7:30 for 8:00 show. AJ Jamal (who is wonderful), NOT the Tribute to Ladies of Soul as advertised in the app.

 

I stopped relying on the app at that point, so my trip report doesn't note the ongoing errors.  

[rwilk1129]

I want my Patter and I do not want to carry a phone around the ship all the time. I do not wear cargo shorts with a bunch of pockets

 

[jeeper2]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I want a paper copy of the daily activities.  It is much easier to use and mark up.  In most instances, using an electronic version is easier but not in this case.

 

DON

I agree!  In addition to being easier to use, I have kept them for historical reasons.😊 As long as a hard copy is available, I will be happy.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

It would be nice if on day 1 the cabin steward would ask if you wish to have a hard copy or not, or even if during the check-in on the personalizer it asked if you prefer paper or digital (just like my electric, cable and cell phone companies offer for my bills)

[snoozecrooze]

15 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

It would be nice if on day 1 the cabin steward would ask if you wish to have a hard copy or not, or even if during the check-in on the personalizer it asked if you prefer paper or digital (just like my electric, cable and cell phone companies offer for my bills)

100% this, and maybe also allow us to select this option on the Medallion App.

 

Regardless, it would also be incredibly hypocritical of Princess if they continued to allow paper advertisements in the case that they do start to limit patter dispersal in this scenario. No one wins here with the absolute needless pile of waste and I hope the ads are gone for good.

[Sillyjilly]

1 hour ago, rwilk1129 said:

I want my Patter and I do not want to carry a phone around the ship all the time. I do not wear cargo shorts with a bunch of pockets

 

Exactly! I throw my phone in the safe and leave it there.

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

On my last cruise (Nov 2019, Royal, Mex Riv), I found the Medallion information as to activities to be woefully inadequate and wrong.

Same here.  I found that the paper and electronic schedules often disagreed.  If we could trust the electronic version, then fine.

 

IMO, the electronic version isn't as easy or "user friendly" with scrolling and tapping to get details (if there).  Being able to mark up aside, I always thought on recent cruises, that I would rather just have a PDF of the paper Patter in the Medallion app.  At least then, the info would be consistent, even if something was wrong.  You can see more at a glance with a document, than having to drill into individual activities.

 

Just my opinion on using it.

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Steelers36

[skynight]

We had a Patter on our medallion cruises. I expect this will be passenger choice. I find it much easier to read and circle events in the Patter then navigating a phone. I usually write my day's schedule on a slip of paper and carry it around. Much easier than carrying around a phone. Phone remains in the cabin safe.

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

It would be nice if on day 1 the cabin steward would ask if you wish to have a hard copy or not, or even if during the check-in on the personalizer it asked if you prefer paper or digital (just like my electric, cable and cell phone companies offer for my bills)

Great idea, I was going to post you could ask your steward when you met him or her on the first day to please deliver the Patter.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, Sillyjilly said:

Exactly! I throw my phone in the safe and leave it there.

And there are still a few of us who have managed to not own a smart phone.

[AF-1]

12 hours ago, rwilk1129 said:

I want my Patter and I do not want to carry a phone around the ship all the time. I do not wear cargo shorts with a bunch of pockets

 

Any of the large interactive screens around the elevators which are located on every deck;  have the patter on it.  You just touch and see everything in large print; easy to read.  I assume all cruise lines will be going to online patters or whatever the newsletters are called on different lines.  Think how much paper is saved per cabin, per day, per cruise, per year.  I would also assume for people that still love to read the daily patter;  guest services will most likely have a rack with daily patters for those who still want a paper copy.  This is my feeling which may or may not be correct.  

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, AF-1 said:

Think how much paper is saved per cabin, per day, per cruise, per year.

If they would eliminate all the ad's for everything they sell on the ship it would also save lots of paper but I doubt it that would be a consideration. 

[GonzoWCS]

Torn on this one....

[c-boy]

not me, I just ask my secretary what's up.

[skynight]

To me the timeline of events on the big and little screens are more difficult to navigate. Lets say I'm looking for trivia. I quickly scan the Patter for the word trivia and circle those events. That is just one example why hard copy is easier for us. I then scan for other activities and events of interest and circle them. Things I'm interested in are then noted on a small piece of paper I carry around.

Could this be done using a screen. Yes, but to me it's more difficult. 

[MamaFej]

Choice in this matter would be a wonderful thing. Getting rid of paper ads for "art" auctions, jewelery sales, the spa, etc. would absolutely save a great deal of unnecessary paper. I imagine the vendor partners would not be a fan of this. I further imagine that would lead to unblockable pop-up ads every time one used the medallion app. That would still be annoying, but without the waste factor. 

[sunsetme]

If you have been to any restaurants lately you will see they have eliminated the menus and gone to QR codes, it's maddening but cheaper and possibly safer. So I wouldn't be surprised if the paper Patter goes away.

[jwattle]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

not me, I just ask my secretary what's up.

I prefer "Countess" , "Sweetheart" or "Pootness" to "Secretary" 🥰

[Mike45LC]

As long as I can pick up a hard copy of the Patter at Guest Services, I am fine.  That is just as good for me as the steward leaving a copy on the bed.  I don't know how much harder it would make the stewards' jobs having to keep track of who wanted a hard copy and who didn't.  

 

I have noticed that the Patter has become far less user friendly over the past decade or so.  It used to have a Daily Schedule with ALL of the activities set forth in chronological order.  Then, they moved the shows from the chronological listing to separate blocks, making you search everywhere through the Patter for activities.  I have no idea how many activities I missed because I just didn't spot the "ad!"