New on board app

[Monorail Orange]

I'm on the fence with this.

 

Its good that they are adopting the technology, but if it means that some things are phased out because of it then I'm not a fan.

 

I'm glad to see that they will allow you to access the wi-fi (limited capacity) for this. I don't use the internet on my phone, so I wouldn't be too chuffed in having to pay for it to view a menu on a cruise.

 

That being said... there are benefits, such as viewing your bill and booking excursions.

 

It also means that there's the benefit of less contact with menus etc. ... downside is those who use their phone all the time - and by that I mean even when using the "smallest room on the ship" (if you catch my drift).

But hey, they were already doing that before hand, so if it means I don't have to handle a menu that they've used, then great.

 

As someone pointed out, this could mean that fixed dining will be phased out, which is a real shame. I like the idea of it all set - I don't want to have the stress of booking an evening meal every morning.

I'm on my holidays ... time to sit back and relax, not faff about on the phone trying to get a reservation.

[jaydee6969]

32 minutes ago, joeecco said:

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. 

 

Found an old link posted elsewhere on this forum.  This was the link to a Costa version.

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Costa-Smeralda-debuts-contact-tracing-device

 

The cold house site does still mention it under the P&O landing page in the covid section.

[wowzz]

25 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

I'm glad to see that they will allow you to access the wi-fi (limited capacity

But only for Medallion access. You will not be able to access the internet.

[silversurf]

Can anyone please post a link for this app. I’m not very technologically minded and can’t find it on my App Store. I use an iPad Mini. Not got a smart phone.

Thanks in advance.

[davecttr]

30 minutes ago, jaydee6969 said:

 

Found an old link posted elsewhere on this forum.  This was the link to a Costa version.

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Costa-Smeralda-debuts-contact-tracing-device

 

The cold house site does still mention it under the P&O landing page in the covid section.

That's the one I was thinking about. An excellent idea.

Edited June 11, 2021 by davecttr

[HalifaxYorksCruiser]

14 minutes ago, silversurf said:

Can anyone please post a link for this app. I’m not very technologically minded and can’t find it on my App Store. I use an iPad Mini. Not got a smart phone.

Thanks in advance.

I understand that it is not a publicly available app. Once onboard you can access the app via a link. It only works when you are logged onto the ships wi fi but you don’t need a wi fi package. 

[davecttr]

46 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

That being said... there are benefits, such as viewing your bill and booking excursions.

 

It also means that there's the benefit of less contact with menus etc. ... downside is those who use their phone all the time - and by that I mean even when using the "smallest room on the ship" (if you catch my drift).

But hey, they were already doing that before hand, so if it means I don't have to handle a menu that they've used, then great.

 

As someone pointed out, this could mean that fixed dining will be phased out, which is a real shame. I like the idea of it all set - I don't want to have the stress of booking an evening meal every morning.

I'm on my holidays ... time to sit back and relax, not faff about on the phone trying to get a reservation.

I remember Marella saying phoning each other etc was NOT available because despite the very large bandwidth available people would, ( in my words) clog it up with endless drivel etc 😁

 

If you need to contact someone they have an onboard phone system !

[davecttr]

5 minutes ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

I understand that it is not a publicly available app. Once onboard you can access the app via a link. It only works when you are logged onto the ships wi fi but you don’t need a wi fi package. 

That's how I understand it. I have a cheap smartphone which I use for the NHS apps and some internet use but it does not have a phone SIM installed but works fine with any free WiFi . I also have a cheap PAYG mobile phone which allows for calls and text messages. I check it twice a day for texts.

[Britboys]

52 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

...As someone pointed out, this could mean that fixed dining will be phased out, which is a real shame. I like the idea of it all set - I don't want to have the stress of booking an evening meal every morning.

I'm on my holidays ... time to sit back and relax, not faff about on the phone trying to get a reservation.

I sail P&O almost exclusively when going solo. If they do phase out Fixed Dining across the fleet, I'll be phasing P&O out of my cruising plans...

[majortom10]

12 hours 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!!)

We are Freedom and that is what we usually do as it varies day by day what time we eat depending what is on. But looking at the new rules bought out only recently by Princess about Dine My Way you can book the same time every day, even at the same table and they also say you can book your time and table in MDR before you actually go on the cruise. Also you will not get a daily paper programme as it is on the App and you might have to book some programmes in advance and not just turn up. They say this is to avoid queuing so the enjoyment of eating when you are ready and a time convenient to you and just turn up seems to be diminishing or not happening at all. 

[Son of Anarchy]

1 hour ago, Monorail Orange said:

As someone pointed out, this could mean that fixed dining will be phased out, which is a real shame. I like the idea of it all set - I don't want to have the stress of booking an evening meal every morning.

I'm on my holidays ... time to sit back and relax, not faff about on the phone trying to get a reservation.

It's interesting how peoples' preferences differ.  We cut our cruising teeth on fixed dining, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  But over the last 5/6 years have leant more towards freedom.  However, partly due to our last experiences of freedom dining (queues, pagers etc) we decided that for our next Arcadia cruises we would revert back to fixed dining.   Both cruises booked at launch and have requested a two top.

 

We're due to be on Iona and Ventura before that, freedom dining.  We will see how it goes with the app for dining.  If all goes well, might request that we change our dining choices for Arcadia as both are long cruises and the flexibility will be good, just don't want to queue for a pager.

 

That said, I do hope that they don't remove fixed dining.  It's worked well for us in the past and I'm sure would work well for us in the future when cruising with friends.  Trying to get the gang together for freedom dining is like herding cats!

[ann141]

54 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

We are Freedom and that is what we usually do as it varies day by day what time we eat depending what is on. But looking at the new rules bought out only recently by Princess about Dine My Way you can book the same time every day, even at the same table and they also say you can book your time and table in MDR before you actually go on the cruise. Also you will not get a daily paper programme as it is on the App and you might have to book some programmes in advance and not just turn up. They say this is to avoid queuing so the enjoyment of eating when you are ready and a time convenient to you and just turn up seems to be diminishing or not happening at all. 

We will just turn up to the MDR the first night and see how it goes.If it takes ages to be seated then we will have to use the app but I'm not going to book any dining until we board.The cruise is only 7 nights so I shall see how we get on.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

We are Freedom and that is what we usually do as it varies day by day what time we eat depending what is on. But looking at the new rules bought out only recently by Princess about Dine My Way you can book the same time every day, even at the same table and they also say you can book your time and table in MDR before you actually go on the cruise. Also you will not get a daily paper programme as it is on the App and you might have to book some programmes in advance and not just turn up. They say this is to avoid queuing so the enjoyment of eating when you are ready and a time convenient to you and just turn up seems to be diminishing or not happening at all. 

The posts on the Princess forum indicate that the daily "paper" will still be available, although possibly you will need to collect it, rather than it being delivered to your door.

And, you will still be able to turn up in person at the MDR if you want to, without needing to make a reservation via the app.

I can't believe that many Americans on the Princess thread are going apoplectic because they are having trouble making table reservations for cruises in October 2022 ! They are terrified they won't be sitting down, ready to eat at 5 o'clock! 

[Monorail Orange]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

But only for Medallion access. You will not be able to access the internet.

That's fine with me, I don't want to be paying out for net access I don't want.

2 hours ago, davecttr said:

I remember Marella saying phoning each other etc was NOT available because despite the very large bandwidth available people would, ( in my words) clog it up with endless drivel etc 😁

 

If you need to contact someone they have an onboard phone system !

haha I'd not even thought about that.

 

Its not the bandwidth I was worried about. Its the fact that it encourages more people to be on their phones - and some mobile phones are not the cleanest.

 

1 hour ago, Son of Anarchy said:

It's interesting how peoples' preferences differ.  We cut our cruising teeth on fixed dining, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  But over the last 5/6 years have leant more towards freedom.  However, partly due to our last experiences of freedom dining (queues, pagers etc) we decided that for our next Arcadia cruises we would revert back to fixed dining.   Both cruises booked at launch and have requested a two top.

 

We're due to be on Iona and Ventura before that, freedom dining.  We will see how it goes with the app for dining.  If all goes well, might request that we change our dining choices for Arcadia as both are long cruises and the flexibility will be good, just don't want to queue for a pager.

 

That said, I do hope that they don't remove fixed dining.  It's worked well for us in the past and I'm sure would work well for us in the future when cruising with friends.  Trying to get the gang together for freedom dining is like herding cats!

That is true. It'd be boring if we'd like the same.

 

I'm not against freedom dining as an option, I just don't like the idea of it replacing fixed entirely.

Both have their place on a ship.

 

And as you said, trying to get a large party together (let alone to all agree on the time to dine) would be quite the task.

 

And as I said, I'm on holiday, its the time to releax, I don't want to have to be glued to my phone first thing in the morning to make sure I've got the reservation I want for the evening.

 

App wise, there are benefits to it - just so long as its not used as the reason for wholesale change for change sake.

[MX-Drew]

14 minutes ago, Monorail Orange said:

And as I said, I'm on holiday, its the time to releax, I don't want to have to be glued to my phone first thing in the morning to make sure I've got the reservation I want for the evening.

If the system works the same as Princess, you make a reservation for your first day and it asks if you want to apply that to everyday. So in your case you would only need to do it once for the cruise.

[daveoc]

Having looked at the new protocols am I right in thinking that you MUST have a mobile phone, not a tablet, to be able to receive the text result of the covid test they give you in the terminal before you are allowed to board?.

[Monorail Orange]

1 hour ago, MX-Drew said:

If the system works the same as Princess, you make a reservation for your first day and it asks if you want to apply that to everyday. So in your case you would only need to do it once for the cruise.

Ah now that's music to my ears! 😄

Thanks for clarifying that.

 

 

[jaydee6969]

16 minutes ago, daveoc said:

Having looked at the new protocols am I right in thinking that you MUST have a mobile phone, not a tablet, to be able to receive the text result of the covid test they give you in the terminal before you are allowed to board?.

 

Yes, you need a phone capable of receiving a text message.

 

The table can be used on board to access the web based app for bookings etc.

[Monorail Orange]

18 minutes ago, daveoc said:

Having looked at the new protocols am I right in thinking that you MUST have a mobile phone, not a tablet, to be able to receive the text result of the covid test they give you in the terminal before you are allowed to board?.

Surely those without mobiles could get their text results sent to a number of a ship's representative?

They'd have to wait in a separate area, so they can be notified.

 

Just guessing here.. I've not looked into any of the rules about testing to go on a ship.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Monorail Orange

[davecttr]

Yes, it appears a device capable of receiving a text message is needed. My simple PAYG will be just fine, must remember to recharge the battery.

[ann141]

7 hours ago, joeecco said:

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. 

I think thats what I read about and have confused it with the app

[sammyh25]

I don't believe this is an App at all and simply secure webpages that can only be accessed when you are on the ship and connected to the ship's WiFi Network. 

[Gettingwarmer]

1 hour ago, sammyh25 said:

I don't believe this is an App at all and simply secure webpages that can only be accessed when you are on the ship and connected to the ship's WiFi Network. 

Exactly, P&O have misnamed it on their website. 

[Denarius]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:59 PM, 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.

Neither do I, because on a sea day in warm climes I would have nowhere to put it when wearing swim shorts and a tea shirt. The phone stays in my cabin and only comes out when I go ashore.

[jh1809]

On 6/10/2021 at 3:38 PM, jaydee6969 said:

 

According to the latest update on P&O website, you go to your muster point on embarkation, scan your cruise card and go to your cabin and watch a video on the TV.

 

Web page updated today.

 

https://www.pocruises.com/cruise-with-confidence/preparing-to-sail

 

From that page: "Please ensure that your personal details (in particular your mobile phone number and address) are up to date on My P&O Cruises. We need your mobile number because your results from the COVID-19 test at the terminal will be delivered to your phone." I hope they aren't going to make having a mobile phone mandatory, as I don't have one.