New on board app

[majortom10]

The worrying thing is Princess has been developing their Ocean Medallion App across their fleet slowly ship by ship for 2 years but are still having problems with their App so god knows what will happen if P&O have problems.

[P&O SUE]

Interesting. I often look at menus online before I go to a new restaurant but I’m not a big fan of looking at a menu on my phone and ordering that way but I guess if it’s just the hubby and I on a cruise it would be fine. When I’ve done it it’s been in a group of girlfriends and it’s a bit of an effort to sort out as we just want to chat not huddle round an app!

[Adawn47]

53 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

The worrying thing is Princess has been developing their Ocean Medallion App across their fleet slowly ship by ship for 2 years but are still having problems with their App so god knows what will happen if P&O have problems.

They have been known to have some hiccups on the odd occasion😉

Avril

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

They have been known to have some hiccups on the odd occasion😉

Avril

There is still problems now we are going on a seacation and downloaded the app and all we get is a picture of a blurred picture of the front of a ship and doesnt go any further. The same thing happens on my phone and tablet.

[Britboys]

2 hours ago, Pink-belle said:

Once upon a time I looked forward to not having a phone whilst on holiday.  Then that phone became my camera, so being able to be in airplane mode and just connect to the ship is like having a multi function camera.  
 

im hoping others view it the same way and I won’t have people chatting on their phones whilst I’m trying to listen to the pianist in the Crows Next.  

I'm one of those odd people that actually still uses a separate camera - it is digital though! 😄. I REALLY don't want to carry my phone around whilst on the ship.

[wowzz]

Basically, if the same as Princess, this means the end of traditional dining. No longer will you be allocated a table for the duration of your cruise, and make friends with your new table mates.

And those of us who like spontaneity,  and the ability to share tables with new guests every night with anytime dining will also be disappointed. 

People on the Princess forum are booking up tables in the MDR for their October 2022 cruises!

My own feeling is that this is a US driven decision, to try and get guests to pre-select everything in advance, so as to reduce labour costs. We will just continue to turn up at the MDR,  when we feel like it,  and ask for a table of 6 or 8, so as to meet new friends  (assuming that Roger and Port Royal are not on board!). 

Not my idea of progress I'm afraid.

[Snow Hill]

2 minutes ago, Britboys said:

I'm one of those odd people that actually still uses a separate camera - it is digital though! 😄. I REALLY don't want to carry my phone around whilst on the ship.

Not the only one, I use my digital camera for photos, does a better job than my phone which usually locked in safe when on board. 

[Purdey16]

54 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

There is still problems now we are going on a seacation and downloaded the app and all we get is a picture of a blurred picture of the front of a ship and doesnt go any further. The same thing happens on my phone and tablet.

Mine is like that blurred to begin with and wait 10 seconds then it kicks in but my husband’s is not working at all at the moment.

[ann141]

1 minute ago, Britboys said:

I'm one of those odd people that actually still uses a separate camera - it is digital though! 😄. I REALLY don't want to carry my phone around whilst on the ship.

i don't want to carry a phone round either but on our last cruise Princess introduced the Ocean Medallion half way through and I just wore it on a lanyard round my neck which I hope to do this time.I may download the app  before we go to check in etc but probably will do the same and just order drinks etc the old way but use the medallion as a room key or to see whats going on etc. I accept its helpful with preventing the spread of covid etc and also quick for those who want to use it but I shall just see how it goes.I might even be hooked by the end of the cruise!

[ann141]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Basically, if the same as Princess, this means the end of traditional dining. No longer will you be allocated a table for the duration of your cruise, and make friends with your new table mates.

And those of us who like spontaneity,  and the ability to share tables with new guests every night with anytime dining will also be disappointed. 

People on the Princess forum are booking up tables in the MDR for their October 2022 cruises!

My own feeling is that this is a US driven decision, to try and get guests to pre-select everything in advance, so as to reduce labour costs. We will just continue to turn up at the MDR,  when we feel like it,  and ask for a table of 6 or 8, so as to meet new friends  (assuming that Roger and Port Royal are not on board!). 

Not my idea of progress I'm afraid.

We shall also continue to just turn up at the MDR when we feel ready to eat rather than booking ahead.See you onboard! (In the queue perhaps!!)

[Britboys]

The other thing for me is that my style of cruising is simple and traditional, so the new app would have precious little benefit. I only cruise on Aurora or Arcadia, choose fixed dining and would only choose to eat in alternative dining twice - or at most - three times on a two week plus cruise. Any excursions I want to do are booked before departure.

I don't have a problem using a 'medallion' like Princess as it can be worn, rather than carried.

[wowzz]

16 minutes ago, ann141 said:

We shall also continue to just turn up at the MDR when we feel ready to eat rather than booking ahead.See you onboard! (In the queue perhaps!!)

I'm sure, but more likely in the bar!

[wowzz]

19 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I accept its helpful with preventing the spread of covid etc and also quick for those who want to use it but I shall just see how it goes.I might even be hooked by the end of the cruise!

To be fair, the Medallion was developed long before CV19 was around.

The P&O app is nowhere near as developed or sophisticated as the Princess Medallion system, and, given the cost of retro fitting, I can't see any of the P&O fleet getting a Medallion system. Even Our Vera  is not having a Medallion system being incorporated into the build. 

[ann141]

5 minutes ago, wowzz said:

To be fair, the Medallion was developed long before CV19 was around.

The P&O app is nowhere near as developed or sophisticated as the Princess Medallion system, and, given the cost of retro fitting, I can't see any of the P&O fleet getting a Medallion system. Even Our Vera  is not having a Medallion system being incorporated into the build. 

I read that the P and O was more to be used as a tracking device incase of an outbreak of covid to find out where you had been etc

[wowzz]

Just now, ann141 said:

I read that the P and O was more to be used as a tracking device incase of an outbreak of covid to find out where you had been etc

But, unless you carry your phone with you at all times, how will P&O track you? And I'm not sure the P&O technology is even that advanced !

On Princess,  you have to carry your medallion with you all the time, as you need it to enter your cabin, so you can be tracked. 

[ann141]

9 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But, unless you carry your phone with you at all times, how will P&O track you? And I'm not sure the P&O technology is even that advanced !

On Princess,  you have to carry your medallion with you all the time, as you need it to enter your cabin, so you can be tracked. 

I may be imagining it but I thought it was originally planned as a wristband or similar to wear round the ship without the need for a phone.Perhaps Molecrochip can advise?

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I may be imagining it but I thought it was originally planned as a wristband or similar to wear round the ship without the need for a phone.Perhaps Molecrochip can advise?

That technology is vastly more expensive than the app that P&O are advertising. 

Nowhere have they mentioned any tracking device.

However, who knows, but what P&O is talking about is basically a simple wifi app. I'm not even sure that you can access the app through the cabin tv's, which is certainly the case on Princess.

[Pink-belle]

I think the “device” and the app have been mentioned as two separate things.  
P&O had said about the virtual queues for this summers sailings, and this app must be their way of facilitating it. Will also help cut down other points of contact, menus and horizons etc. Plus interaction PSD for on board spending updates. 

 

the devices aren’t for tracking, they can’t track, they were to identify close contacts if there should be a positive case of Coronavirus. 

[jaydee6969]

The devices for tracking previously mentioned by P&O was a medallion on a card on a lanyard to be worn by all whilst on board.

 

The web based app is not a compulsory item to be used by all, you will be able to use alternative methods of booking dining etc on board via the pop-up desks mentioned by P&O.

[davecttr]

The 'device' probably uses similar technology to that used in the NHS Covid test and trace app except that it runs for the duration of the cruise and you can't switch it off so you are always in the 'venue'. If they get a case of Covid they can then then find out which devices meet the 'near enough' criteria without knowing exactly where the contact took place. They may be somewhat peeved if couples contrive to leave one of their 'devices' in the cabin 😉

 

It would work for Norovirus too

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The 'device' probably uses similar technology to that used in the NHS Covid test and trace app except that it runs for the duration of the cruise and you can't switch it off so you are always in the 'venue'. If they get a case of Covid they can then then find out which devices meet the 'near enough' criteria without knowing exactly where the contact took place. They may be somewhat peeved if couples contrive to leave one of their 'devices' in the cabin 😉

 

It would work for Norovirus too

But, at least on P&O,  there is no "device" as such, only smart phones belonging to individual guests.

[MX-Drew]

10 hours ago, ann141 said:

i don't want to carry a phone round either but on our last cruise Princess introduced the Ocean Medallion half way through and I just wore it on a lanyard round my neck which I hope to do this time.I may download the app  before we go to check in etc but probably will do the same and just order drinks etc the old way but use the medallion as a room key or to see whats going on etc. I accept its helpful with preventing the spread of covid etc and also quick for those who want to use it but I shall just see how it goes.I might even be hooked by the end of the cruise!

If the cruise that you "may download the app" is a Princess cruise, you will have too download the app as you can no longer check in via the website.

[ann141]

2 minutes ago, MX-Drew said:

If the cruise that you "may download the app" is a Princess cruise, you will have too download the app as you can no longer check in via the website.

I am happy to check in via the app.I just don't want to carry my phone round onboard unless necessary

[ToxM]

So what are you queues going to do if use of the app is mandatory?

 

It will definitely be interesting to see how the staycations work with this. Queues may be ok with 50% occupancy as I am sure the wait will be less, but a full ship with everyone else booking slots may mean queues will be quite long. 

 

I also don’t quite understand the concept of the pop up My Trip stations around the ship. I thought the whole point of the app was to minimise communal touching of things/queueing. Unless the pop ups are actually manned by a member of staff who will facilitate booking for people it just seems like a communal info station which will have lots of fingers touching it. 

 

Staycationers are going to have to be the brave cruisenauts into this new world for us all. I hope they are taking notes!

[joeecco]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

But, at least on P&O,  there is no "device" as such, only smart phones belonging to individual guests.

There is a device, separate completely to the My Holiday app, that is called OceanOrbit that other carnival brands are using too. It’s simply there version of contact tracing but alerting the crew of which passengers were in close contact if there is any positive cases. There is an article about it onboard Costa Smeralda too. 
P&O are yet to formally launch this to the press it seems but it was leaked on the website a few weeks ago but I cannot find it now to highlight so may have been taken off again until passengers are notified.