Smart Phone Not Needed TY Princess

[billco]

7 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

The big disappointment at that time was because people were so excited to do a "happy dance" when that packet arrived. It symbolized that the upcoming cruise was real.

 

All it did require of the Personalizer was to use it to print out luggage tags and boarding passes.

 

However, at the time they did this, many people did not have home printers. But Travel Agents were more than happy to print out these items for their customers.

I guess it was important.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/175439-pre-cruise-info-packet/

For me, I liked it when they went all digital, just as I like going to the Medallion App now.

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by billco

[memoak]

2 hours ago, billco said:

Will your "$100/year flip phone ( with large buttons) for emergencies while travelling" tell emergency services your location? Will it notify your preselected contacts?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076

Will it provide the EMT your Medical ID?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207021

I cancelled my landline long ago. As a stroke survivor I have a strong need for an iPhone and an Apple watch with cellular to enable quick access to emergency services in case the need arises.

if the worst happens will emergency services have quick access to your wishes as an organ donor?

As far as the Medallion App is concerned, it is part of an evolving technology that will be the standard in years to come. my memory isn't that good these days but I seem to recall complaints from people when Princess went from mailing packets to peole in favor of the Personalizer.

Yeah but an app which doesn’t work well is worse than no app. And this piece of poo is terrible

[billco]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Yeah but an app which doesn’t work well is worse than no app. And this piece of poo is terrible

I would have agreed a month ago, but it does seem to be improving almost daily. I’m looking forward to hear reviews from the first cruises.

[memoak]

1 minute ago, billco said:

I would have agreed a month ago, but it does seem to be improving almost daily. I’m looking forward to hear reviews from the first cruises.

We have an iPhone 7 which the app works off and on and an iPhone 12 where it won’t work at all. We are totally tech savvy so it is them not us

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, billco said:

I guess it was important.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/175439-pre-cruise-info-packet/

For me, I liked it when they went all digital, just as I like going to the Medallion App now.

 

 

I don't mind going to the Medallion App. I just don't like that it doesn't work for so many folks. It didn't work for me until I goosed the dev team to fix my issues. It took a bad review, an email, another email, and a follow up on my review, but they seem to have taken my "squeaky wheel" approach to heart because the thing now works for me.

 

Like you, I like tech. If you can remember my posts from when the Medallion program was first being rolled out it was obvious that I looked forward to the Medallion from the beginning.

 

The app works for me now and I'm grateful - although you won't find me champing at the bit to make dinner reservations months in advance.  I feel for those who are still having problems and don't understand why the thing shouldn't work with slightly older phones and OS versions.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Thrak

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

Kinda snarky answer. That archaic system where people "talk" to each-other, don't look at a phone in the restaurant, car, walking, people who don't need to entertain themselves with games every idle minute and so on....................People who don't need instant gratification. There's a whole world out there that doesn't require technology and sometimes tech isn't all that wonderful. Imagine a world without identity theft, robo calls, personal service. Skidroe is stress free without trying everything under the sun to get  that APP which  barely/rarely works.

👍

 

And how about the archaic feeling of actually having a book in your hand?

[Roberto256]

22 hours ago, billco said:

Will your "$100/year flip phone ( with large buttons) for emergencies while travelling" tell emergency services your location? Will it notify your preselected contacts?

 

 

I thought all current phones had to report location on E911 calls.

 

Of course the success of the things you mentioned is predicated on a well designed, well tested,

functioning app(s).

 

 

[billco]

31 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

 

I thought all current phones had to report location on E911 calls.

 

Of course the success of the things you mentioned is predicated on a well designed, well tested,

functioning app(s).

 

 

https://www.safety.com/calling-911/

Recent updates to the Android and iPhone operating systems have dramatically improved smartphones’ ability to automatically share exact locations with emergency dispatchers, but this technology doesn’t cover non-smart phones or ones that are out of date. 

I also wear an Apple Watch with Fall Detection Technology and several other health features.

https://www.medicalalertadvice.com/articles/how-does-the-apple-watch-series-6-with-fall-detection-technology-compare/

Edited June 26, 2021 by billco

[memoak]

20 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I don't mind going to the Medallion App. I just don't like that it doesn't work for so many folks. It didn't work for me until I goosed the dev team to fix my issues. It took a bad review, an email, another email, and a follow up on my review, but they seem to have taken my "squeaky wheel" approach to heart because the thing now works for me.

 

Like you, I like tech. If you can remember my posts from when the Medallion program was first being rolled out it was obvious that I looked forward to the Medallion from the beginning.

 

The app works for me now and I'm grateful - although you won't find me champing at the bit to make dinner reservations months in advance.  I feel for those who are still having problems and don't understand why the thing shouldn't work with slightly older phones and OS versions.

I like tech as well but I do not like being required to carry something on me that can trace my location.  Feels like too much big brother to me

[Thrak]

Just now, memoak said:

I like tech as well but I do not like being required to carry something on me that can trace my location.  Feels like too much big brother to me

 

If you carry your phone in "regular life" you are already fully trackable and most likely are being tracked. If you have a FB account you will likely be asked to "check in" or whatever. Phones track you - the Medallion only tracks location on the ship. I really couldn't care less about that tracking. Yep, I'm on the ship.

[awhcruiser]

On 6/25/2021 at 3:28 PM, memoak said:

Downloading is one thing getting it to work is another

 

On 6/25/2021 at 3:28 PM, memoak said:

Downloading is one thing getting it to work is another

I haven't had problems getting it to work.

Edited June 27, 2021 by awhcruiser

[riffatsea]

Just waiting to see what happens for cruises this summer

My objection is the "Must use" coercion!

I have other apps that I choose to u se

So f as r my ta has not gotten a definitive response about not using this app

We have a wait and see attitude at the moment

 

[Roberto256]

On 6/25/2021 at 8:34 PM, billco said:

I would have agreed a month ago, but it does seem to be improving almost daily. I’m looking forward to hear reviews from the first cruises.

 

There are daily posts here from people having problems with the app.

 

On the other hand, there are very frequent posts from people having problems with princess.com,

or with their passwords, etc.

 

It's clearly not something princess is good at.

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Roberto256

[Anubi]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:20 AM, caribill said:

 

 

Collin Steinke, Director, Customer Relations csteinke@princesscruises.com

Lorna Warren, VP Guest Services lwarren@princess.com

Jan Swartz, President jswartz@princesscruises.com

Mario Siebaldi, Senior VP Product Development msiebaldi@princesscruises.com

FYI - the Lorna Warren email bounced back.  

[billco]

54 minutes ago, Roberto256 said:

 

There are daily posts here from people having problems with the app.

 

On the other hand, there are very frequent posts from people having problems with princess.com,

or with their passwords, etc.

 

It's clearly not something princess is good at.

 

 

 

There are lots of posts on the support forums for every major web site from people having problems. Like it or not, the issue is that Princess has put all their eggs in the MedallionClass basket. Princess Cruises has become a MedallionClass cruise line. People looking to book a cruise would do well to find out what that means before booking a Princess MedallionClass cruise. Princess has gone to a lot of trouble to provide information about their transition to a MedallionClass cruise line. Time will tell if the strategy works and if MedallionClass technology is an a attraction that causes people to choose Princess over other cruise lines.

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ocean-medallion/

https://www.youtube.com/princesscruises

https://www.facebook.com/PrincessVPSales

[downsmead]

The problem with that rationale billco is that it will turn off existing, probably long term, Princess cruisers but will do little to attract new cruisers I doubt. People will not pick Princess because of it’s Medallion technology. I would suspect it is not high on the list of criteria for most. Most lines are offering an on board app, so at first glance it may not appear to be that different!

[JF - retired RRT]

On 6/24/2021 at 6:42 PM, ontheweb said:

OK, I have now watched it. Princess was our favorite cruise line, but now I never expect to sail with them again.😢

 

All this smartphone stuff is a turnoff. How are we going to even know when are boarding time is? And all this reservation for dining instead of just walking into anytime is a total turnoff. You can make your dining room reservations even a year in advance; really who does anything like that? And dancing is very important to DW, and they said no dancing or classes.

Aside from the smart phone stuff...

There's a work around if you don't have/want to use a smart phone. You can call and your info will be entered for you.

Boarding times are being limited now (but may/should go back to the "old" way once the pandemic precautions are lifted).

You don't have to pick dining times. From what I've read and others have been told - walk up dining will still be available.

Once the first cruises sail and prove that cruising vaccinated is safe 🙏 🙏. There will almost certainly be a gradual loosening of restrictions.

 

[Blondilu]

I don't like phone apps.  They are usually more trouble than they're worth.  And I don't see the need to fix what isn't broken.  On the other hand, I get that Princess wants up their game in some exiting way.  Maybe with the intention of attracting new, younger passengers.  Or maybe just to stand out from the herd, so to speak.  And Thrak is right.  The cat is out of the bag as far as tracking.  Just go to HomeDepot.  Before you even get home there's an email asking you how your experience at HomeDepot was.  Sometimes I think it's funny and other times I think it's creepy.  Mostly it's creepy.

 

At this point when the cruise lines need all the passengers they can get to try and make up for lost time, I can't see Princess alienating anyone.  It only makes sense to allow the "old" and the "new" to coexist for the time-being.

[Roberto256]

2 hours ago, billco said:

There are lots of posts on the support forums for every major web site from people having problems. Like it or not, the issue is that Princess has put all their eggs in the MedallionClass basket. Princess Cruises has become a MedallionClass cruise line. People looking to book a cruise would do well to find out what that means before booking a Princess MedallionClass cruise.

 

My observation: businesses which act like they don't need customers generally are successful...

...at having none.

 

[billco]

1 hour ago, downsmead said:

The problem with that rationale billco is that it will turn off existing, probably long term, Princess cruisers but will do little to attract new cruisers I doubt. People will not pick Princess because of it’s Medallion technology. I would suspect it is not high on the list of criteria for most. Most lines are offering an on board app, so at first glance it may not appear to be that different!

Actually, I agree with you. While the technology is nice, I really don't know what the market would be. For myself, we have five Princess cruises booked with cruise fare 100% FCC. Following the last cruise, we have a river cruise and then an NCL cruise booked. NCL had become our favorite cruise line before the pandemic, so I am not sure we would be doing any more Princess cruises. I have always been a big fan of the latest technology and gadgets, but there isn't that much in MedallionClass to make me continue to choose Princess over other cruise lines. Now if they could figure out how to have high speed internet in Northern climates or make it easier to plug my iPad into the cabin TV so I can stream Netflix...

Edited June 27, 2021 by billco

[JF - retired RRT]

3 hours ago, Anubi said:

FYI - the Lorna Warren email bounced back.  

Huh! It worked for me about a week ago. Got an almost instant response. Now waiting to see if my small issue gets fixed.

[maggie777]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Huh! It worked for me about a week ago. Got an almost instant response. Now waiting to see if my small issue gets fixed.

Bounced back for me also. The others worked.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Huh! It worked for me about a week ago. Got an almost instant response. Now waiting to see if my small issue gets fixed.

 

Maybe it only bounces back on big issues.

[caribill]

3 hours ago, billco said:

There are lots of posts on the support forums for every major web site from people having problems. Like it or not, the issue is that Princess has put all their eggs in the MedallionClass basket. Princess Cruises has become a MedallionClass cruise line.

 

There have been very few posts pre-Pandemic shutdown complaining about the onboard use of the Medallion app.

 

Basically were happy to use it for the features it offered that worked and saw as insignificant the features that did not. Or not using it at all if that was the desire.

 

So having all ships MedallionClass is not the problem.

 

The problem is pre-cruise with the new required use of a smart device to submit almost all needed information and forms.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Aside from the smart phone stuff...

There's a work around if you don't have/want to use a smart phone. You can call and your info will be entered for you.

 

 

Only some of the information can be entered that way. Some mandatory forms cannot.