Ocean Medallion App - Part 3

[Steelers36]

I think I should book a cruise for later this year just to see how the Princess App is misbehaving these days.  We have no intention to be sailing this year. 😉

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We booked around 1 November 2022 for our 19 March 2023 cruise. Final payment was around 20 December 2022. So i d think the medallions will be mailed to us. If not, no biggie.

 

 Doug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At some point when medallion is working on your phone, you can order them to receive them however you wish.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

4 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Since I have no trouble using a computer, I should have no trouble looking for info on a cabin TV.  If I spend an hour of concentrated effort to access every bit of info on my cabin TV, then the presentation is wrong.   I'm the pax, I should not need any kind of tutoring to use Princess system.  What you've stated is all true ... and you're illustrating my whole point perfectly.  Pax should not have to come up with 'workarounds' to achieve their goals.  Pax should not have to be concerned about the difference between the medallion and the medallion app.  Pax should not be forced to use an app if they are unfamiliar with their phone.  Actually, pax should not be forced to do anything on a cruise, the cruise is supposed to take care of the pax.

I totally agree with you! Guests are paying money for a relaxing vacation experience and when Princess gets the basics wrong (dining reservations, event listings, etc.) the onus should be on Princess to correct it and not put this hassle and anxiety on its guests to fix. During my last cruise after all of my dining reservations went missing on Thanksgiving day for the entire cruise, I wrote the Princess executive team and express this very issue to them and told them the app needs work.. Things that should be sacred such as dining times should not be a gamble while on vacation. I have over 25 years IT experience and I've never seen an app released from a major brand without proper QA testing and customer input.

Edited January 8, 2023 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[jsn55]

50 minutes ago, ATL_Miami_Cruiser said:

I totally agree with you! Guests are paying money for a relaxing vacation experience and when Princess gets the basics wrong (dining reservations, event listings, etc.) the onus should be on Princess to correct it and not put this hassle and anxiety on its guests to fix. During my last cruise after all of my dining reservations went missing on Thanksgiving day for the entire cruise, I wrote the Princess executive team and express this very issue to them and told them the app needs work.. Things that should be sacred such as dining times should not be a gamble while on vacation. I have over 25 years IT experience and I've never seen an app released from a major brand without proper QA testing and customer input.

And apparently this has been going on for YEARS.  Who knows what kind of cool stuff I missed on the cruise because there was no information?  I suspect you've not had a response to your communication to the exec team?

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

And apparently this has been going on for YEARS.  Who knows what kind of cool stuff I missed on the cruise because there was no information?  I suspect you've not had a response to your communication to the exec team?

I received a response from John Padgett and he apologized for the dining reservations deletions and said they were aware of the app issues and are working to resolve them and reduce the size of the app. Currently the app is around 400mb in size and nearly impossible to download using the ships wifi if version updates or reinstallation is needed. Only time will tell if they get all these issues sorted out. 

[PaperSniper4]

13 hours ago, jsn55 said:

At some point when medallion is working on your phone, you can order them to receive them however you wish.

Already selected the Medallions we wanted about a month ago. Also booked out MDR table and Crown Grill. We opted for the basic Medallion; no lanyards, bracelets, etc. So unless I hear differently from Princess, I will be anticipating seeing them in the mail.

 

Unlike a lot of folks here, I've had "luck" with the app for booking our MDR meals and specialty dining. Only issue I had was upon checking those reservations about a week later, they were changed from a private to a shared table. Might have been my mistake when booking, but I don't think so, as we always want a "private" table for two. (I know, I know; ship definition of a table for two is not the same as my definition of table for two, but that's a tale for another place). The Princess app is somewhat cumbersome IMO, but then so is Princess.com. Actually, any cruise line's site is cumbersome! <g> I was in IT for many years, and while my code was not always perfect, it beat the pants off most cruise line web sites IMO!😉

 

Doug

[PacnGoNow]

20 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

(scribble, scribble, scribble).  Making a note of this for future reference.  The Journey view didn't work for me at all on my last Princess cruise on the Majestic in April.  What you've said will help me on my next Princess cruise in three months.  Thanks!

It is much easier to read.  That’s what I do too.

[san diego sue]

So I was lucky for a long time, my appl actually worked. Just cancelled a cruise for July and rebooked another one for July. July's cancelled ones still showing  in appl.and the new one, isn't.

Fortunately the new one is on  my personalizer. So I thought , well just add the information on the web based.It is more screwed up than the Medallion Appl.

Since the very beginning the Appl. has showed us as Blue members even though Elite. When we have ordered  medallions, the order process always shows us as black medallion , they come to us correct so no big deal. I had tried to correct this and after several phone calls did give up. Well today , using the web based, got into my new booking, all screwed up, tried to order medallion and it is now being ordered as Blue. I didn't complete the order. Princess needs to get their act together and real quick .

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

5 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Already selected the Medallions we wanted about a month ago. Also booked out MDR table and Crown Grill. We opted for the basic Medallion; no lanyards, bracelets, etc. So unless I hear differently from Princess, I will be anticipating seeing them in the mail.

 

Unlike a lot of folks here, I've had "luck" with the app for booking our MDR meals and specialty dining. Only issue I had was upon checking those reservations about a week later, they were changed from a private to a shared table. Might have been my mistake when booking, but I don't think so, as we always want a "private" table for two. (I know, I know; ship definition of a table for two is not the same as my definition of table for two, but that's a tale for another place). The Princess app is somewhat cumbersome IMO, but then so is Princess.com. Actually, any cruise line's site is cumbersome! <g> I was in IT for many years, and while my code was not always perfect, it beat the pants off most cruise line web sites IMO!😉

 

Doug

 

The table reservation issue was definitely not your mistake. It happened to me as well and I discovered that bug in the app where if you choose the "book at the same time and day" option and select private table, it will show you your time and private table selection after you hit the confirm button. BUT as soon as you exit the dining screen and then go back in to see your MDR dining selections it will reflect a shared table on each day. I also notified Princess execs of this issue. The work around is to make individual MDR dining reservations for each day and select private table. That's the only way it sticks. My advice to all is to take screenshots of your reservations each month leading up to your cruise, luckily I did that and it was the only evidence I had that proved my dining reservations were deleted a day after boarding the ship.

[PaperSniper4]

1 hour ago, san diego sue said:

So I was lucky for a long time, my appl actually worked. Just cancelled a cruise for July and rebooked another one for July. July's cancelled ones still showing  in appl.and the new one, isn't.

Fortunately the new one is on  my personalizer. So I thought , well just add the information on the web based.It is more screwed up than the Medallion Appl.

Since the very beginning the Appl. has showed us as Blue members even though Elite. When we have ordered  medallions, the order process always shows us as black medallion , they come to us correct so no big deal. I had tried to correct this and after several phone calls did give up. Well today , using the web based, got into my new booking, all screwed up, tried to order medallion and it is now being ordered as Blue. I didn't complete the order. Princess needs to get their act together and real quick .

I am thinking of canceling our Mar 2023 Princess cruise, probably using the PVP FCAR clause, but maybe not; depend on what returns more money. My question is about your experience canceling and re-booking. Both Princess cruises, right? I assume you have not made final payment on either cruise, but you likely had a deposit for the June cruise. Did you cancel and re-book, or simply "slide" your vacation to another date so any deposits you made were just applied to the new cruise? Seems like that would be less trouble than going through the cancellation process to recoup that deposit.

 

 Doug

[PaperSniper4]

48 minutes ago, ATL_Miami_Cruiser said:

 

The table reservation issue was definitely not your mistake. It happened to me as well and I discovered that bug in the app where if you choose the "book at the same time and day" option and select private table, it will show you your time and private table selection after you hit the confirm button. BUT as soon as you exit the dining screen and then go back in to see your MDR dining selections it will reflect a shared table on each day. I also notified Princess execs of this issue. The work around is to make individual MDR dining reservations for each day and select private table. That's the only way it sticks. My advice to all is to take screenshots of your reservations each month leading up to your cruise, luckily I did that and it was the only evidence I had that proved my dining reservations were deleted a day after boarding the ship.

"...My advice to all is to take screenshots of your reservations each month leading up to your cruise,..."

 

Heh heh great minds think alike, eh? I do that all the time. I trust the info on apps, my phone, my tablet, etc about as far as I can toss a cruise ship. I always report to the cruise check and airline counter with a printed, paper copy of ANYTHING that is important. I guess I am old fashioned, but I've always had a backup plan....only had to use it once or twice. So it's worth the extra 15 of so getting ready for my trips.

 

 Doug

[san diego sue]

2 minutes ago, PaperSniper4 said:

I am thinking of canceling our Mar 2023 Princess cruise, probably using the PVP FCAR clause, but maybe not; depend on what returns more money. My question is about your experience canceling and re-booking. Both Princess cruises, right? I assume you have not made final payment on either cruise, but you likely had a deposit for the June cruise. Did you cancel and re-book, or simply "slide" your vacation to another date so any deposits you made were just applied to the new cruise? Seems like that would be less trouble than going through the cancellation process to recoup that deposit.

 

 Doug

My travel agent booked the new cruise then cancelled the other one. Just had FCD  and when cancelled went back into my account. She used another FCD to book the new cruise. (she booked the new one before cancelling the old one  and I think somehow that is why the medallion appl. is screwed up.Not her fault but programing issue on the appl.

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, san diego sue said:

My travel agent booked the new cruise then cancelled the other one. Just had FCD  and when cancelled went back into my account. She used another FCD to book the new cruise. (she booked the new one before cancelling the old one  and I think somehow that is why the medallion appl. is screwed up.Not her fault but programing issue on the appl.

There is always about a 2 day delay for App to be updated from POLAR reservation system. 

[PaperSniper4]

5 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

My travel agent booked the new cruise then cancelled the other one. Just had FCD  and when cancelled went back into my account. She used another FCD to book the new cruise. (she booked the new one before cancelling the old one  and I think somehow that is why the medallion appl. is screwed up.Not her fault but programing issue on the appl.

Ah,  thank you for that information. Helps with my decision.

 

 Doug

[Roberto256]

20 hours ago, ATL_Miami_Cruiser said:

Currently the app is around 400mb in size and nearly impossible to download using the ships wifi if version updates or reinstallation is needed. 

That is sad on so many levels.

 

I was going to ask what happened to 'the fastest internet at sea' ?

But I looked, and princess seems to no longer make that claim, although my

recollection is that they did recently.

 

They now have 'the best wi-fi at sea' !

 

"MedallionNet Wi-Fi sets the industry standard for internet at sea."

 

What has happened since this press release?

 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporations-medallionnet-to-set-industry-apex-for-wi-fi-bandwidth-capacity-at-sea-powered-by-ses-networks-300603933.html

 

400mb download should be nothing for a connection this awesome.

 

[BamaVol]

I got an iOS update for the app today.  I’m afraid to look.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Roberto256 said:

That is sad on so many levels.

 

I was going to ask what happened to 'the fastest internet at sea' ?

But I looked, and princess seems to no longer make that claim, although my

recollection is that they did recently.

 

They now have 'the best wi-fi at sea' !

 

"MedallionNet Wi-Fi sets the industry standard for internet at sea."

 

What has happened since this press release?

 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporations-medallionnet-to-set-industry-apex-for-wi-fi-bandwidth-capacity-at-sea-powered-by-ses-networks-300603933.html

 

400mb download should be nothing for a connection this awesome.

 

That was my understanding as well. On our 5-day Thanksgiving cruise it was very slow and we only sailed the gulf with stops at Cozumel and Costa Mya. I think they made that “fastest” claim back in 2018/2019 when they had a good amount of satellite capacity. Now with all the mega ships launched there’s a smaller allocation of bandwidth available to Princess and the upgraded SES satellites are delayed until later in this year.

 

https://spacenews.com/o3b-mpower-service-debut-pushed-later-into-2023/

[jsn55]

2 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

That is sad on so many levels.

 

I was going to ask what happened to 'the fastest internet at sea' ?

But I looked, and princess seems to no longer make that claim, although my

recollection is that they did recently.

 

They now have 'the best wi-fi at sea' !

 

"MedallionNet Wi-Fi sets the industry standard for internet at sea."

 

What has happened since this press release?

 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporations-medallionnet-to-set-industry-apex-for-wi-fi-bandwidth-capacity-at-sea-powered-by-ses-networks-300603933.html

 

400mb download should be nothing for a connection this awesome.

 

Royal Princess 12/22 SF to Hawaii ... the internet was much better than I thought it would be.  It 'faded & revived' all the time, but I was able to do internet research and deal with emails with little problem.  

[spersephone]

It wasn’t great, but it was usable. The app is definitely not as user friendly as it could be, nor are the tvs in the rooms. It took me the whole cruise to figure out some things because they’re not at all obvious. 

[BamaVol]

3 hours ago, BamaVol said:

I got an iOS update for the app today.  I’m afraid to look.

I looked. It’s broken.  I can no longer get to Cruise Personalizer. I sign in and the (continue) button is greyed out. 

[jsn55]

12 hours ago, spersephone said:

It wasn’t great, but it was usable. The app is definitely not as user friendly as it could be, nor are the tvs in the rooms. It took me the whole cruise to figure out some things because they’re not at all obvious. 

Selfishly glad to read this ... so many here on CC are quick to 'blame the OP' for issues caused by Princess.  I don't think that it's the pax' job to figure out how to use the system.  Anything that requires a video to use is obviously offered by  an IT Department which is lazy and/or incompetent.

[Roberto256]

18 hours ago, ATL_Miami_Cruiser said:

That was my understanding as well. On our 5-day Thanksgiving cruise it was very slow and we only sailed the gulf with stops at Cozumel and Costa Mya. I think they made that “fastest” claim back in 2018/2019 when they had a good amount of satellite capacity. Now with all the mega ships launched there’s a smaller allocation of bandwidth available to Princess and the upgraded SES satellites are delayed until later in this year.

 

https://spacenews.com/o3b-mpower-service-debut-pushed-later-into-2023/

 

Thanks for posting the link.

[Kamfish642]

I was able to reserve MDR for cruise using medallion app, but I've tried to go on and look at booking a specialty restaurant.  However, I get a response that simply says check bac closer to our cruise (which is on February 11).  Do I have to cancel MDR reservation first, and if so, will this cancel MDR for entire cruise?

[t&atravel]

20 minutes ago, Kamfish642 said:

I was able to reserve MDR for cruise using medallion app, but I've tried to go on and look at booking a specialty restaurant.  However, I get a response that simply says check bac closer to our cruise (which is on February 11).  Do I have to cancel MDR reservation first, and if so, will this cancel MDR for entire cruise?

@Kamfish642 you will get that message when you choose “explore dining options” in dine my way.  This function only works on board for menus and things.  Try selecting “view or book individual or daily reservations”.  Then choose the day you want for specialty dining and then select “+ add a reservation”.  At this point the choice for main dining room or specialty dining will come up.  

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

 

iOS Medallion app version 4.8.1 is now available.