Ocean Medallion App - Part 3

[LHARTWICK]

Just returned from the Ruby and have a Medallion question I'm sure someone can answer.  We had an erroneous charge show up on our account - a charge from one of the bars.  We never purchased drinks on this cruise.  Our only purchases were for one gift shop item and having the gratuities added to our onboard account. My only guess is that I happened to be walking by this bar, my account popped up on the computer, and the bartender charged it to my account by mistake.  Guest Services kindly removed the charge.  Is there a way to prevent this from happening, such as keeping your Medallion in an RFID wallet to prevent the signal from transmitting to the computers?  I heard other passengers commnent that they were having to keep an eye on their daily charges as well. And maybe I'm way off base as to how the Medallion connects to the computer - LOL!

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, LHARTWICK said:

Just returned from the Ruby and have a Medallion question I'm sure someone can answer.  We had an erroneous charge show up on our account - a charge from one of the bars.  We never purchased drinks on this cruise.  Our only purchases were for one gift shop item and having the gratuities added to our onboard account. My only guess is that I happened to be walking by this bar, my account popped up on the computer, and the bartender charged it to my account by mistake.  Guest Services kindly removed the charge.  Is there a way to prevent this from happening, such as keeping your Medallion in an RFID wallet to prevent the signal from transmitting to the computers?  I heard other passengers commnent that they were having to keep an eye on their daily charges as well. And maybe I'm way off base as to how the Medallion connects to the computer - LOL!

It can happen.  It happened to us 1 time out of 8 cruises.  So, when you walk up to a bar or MDR, etc…they can see your information.  Extremely helpful if you’re grabbing a coffee or drink.

 

 Your info must have come up, instead of the one placing an order.  They normally ask your name before they charge your medallion.  

 

I just check our folio every day or 2. If they just verify the name or cabin number, before the charge, this would not happen.

 

[LHARTWICK]

13 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

It can happen.  It happened to us 1 time out of 8 cruises.  So, when you walk up to a bar or MDR, etc…they can see your information.  Extremely helpful if you’re grabbing a coffee or drink.

 

 Your info must have come up, instead of the one placing an order.  They normally ask your name before they charge your medallion.  

 

I just check our folio every day or 2. If they just verify the name or cabin number, before the charge, this would not happen.

 

My thoughts exactly - thank you for confirming.  😁

[wp bob]

medallion app keeps trying to charge $10 shipping for free medallion even though i booked Oct 2022 under old plan which had free shipping in place. Cannot bypass this section

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, wp bob said:

medallion app keeps trying to charge $10 shipping for free medallion even though i booked Oct 2022 under old plan which had free shipping in place. Cannot bypass this section

Sounds like this last update over the weekend may have implemented the medallion shipping charge into the App.

 

I was hoping they would only charge if you ordered accessories. 
 

Did you try to order it on the website version of the App?

 

LMK

 

To me, it sounded like if you buy accessories you would be charged $10 for as many accessories as you wanted.  Written poorly!

Delivered to Your Door

Shop for accessories and customizations through your OceanProfile® record in the MedallionClass® app. You can also find accessories on board in our OceanFront™ store. Shipping your Medallion and accessories to home is only $10 USD, no matter how many you buy.

Edited February 15, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[jsn55]

On 2/13/2023 at 9:33 AM, memoak said:

Each to their own but even at home we never eat before 7:30. We act the same on board and we are US West Coasters

The only reason we dine early is that it's better for our health.  On a recent 2-week cruise, neither of us gained a pound.  We had a light breakfast and would be hungry by late afternoon, so hustled up some food between 5 and 7.  Our evening meal was really a treat every day, and we had whatever we pleased.  I remember the days of wining and dining at 830 (people who booked early seating were unfathomable to us) and that was great at the age of 40.  But now, not so much.  

[caribill]

17 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

on regal i got an upsell to a suite so i got the chance to try this so i did twice. both times the service was very slow. even to get initial drinks. 1st time we were sandwiched in between other people and continued to experience poor service. decided to try another nite. got a slightly better table but still bad service. even heard the table next to us complaining. i truly dont see the allure of it and i'd never pay for club class.

 

Sorry your experience was not as good as ours.

Our waiter, assistant waiter and headwaiter in Club Class were extremely attentive and the food/beverages were brought to the table in a very timely manner. Even the one time we had to be seated in another waiters area, out reglau CC waitstaff came by to see how we were doing that evening.

[caribill]

7 hours ago, wp bob said:

medallion app keeps trying to charge $10 shipping for free medallion even though i booked Oct 2022 under old plan which had free shipping in place. Cannot bypass this section

 

It is not when you booked the cruise. It is when you order the Medallion. If you ordered after mid-December, the shipping charge applies no matter when you booked or when the cruise will be.

 

There was a window of only about a week between when the shipping charge was announced and when it was put into effect. WIthin that window I ordered the Medallions for a cruise upcoming ion May. I rebooked the cruise for a lower price and that Medallion order was cancelled and if I want the Medallions shipped to my home now, there will be a charge.

 

Previous to the recent price increases to the Plus and Premier packages, Princess expected 75% of passengers to book with one of those packages and thus would be exempt from the shipping charge.

 

I cannot predict if the recent price increases will mean more than 25% of passengers will now have to pay shipping charges or pick them up at check-in.

 

When checking in for a recent cruise having received the Medallion at home and being in the "green lane" check-in was quick and required very little time. I don't know how having to pick up the Medallion at check-in will change this. Maybe (just speculation) if you do not have the Medallion sent to your home, you can no longer be considered being "green."

[caribill]

14 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

Just returned from the Ruby and have a Medallion question I'm sure someone can answer.  We had an erroneous charge show up on our account - a charge from one of the bars.  We never purchased drinks on this cruise.  Our only purchases were for one gift shop item and having the gratuities added to our onboard account. My only guess is that I happened to be walking by this bar, my account popped up on the computer, and the bartender charged it to my account by mistake. 

 

Often servers who walk around and take drink orders do not get the info from your Medallion, but ask for your cabin number. If someone gives the wrong cabin number by mistake or the server does not write down what was said correctly, the charge will go to the wrong person...and that could be what happened to you.

[caribill]

5 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Sounds like this last update over the weekend may have implemented the medallion shipping charge into the App

 

Did you try to order it on the website version of the App?

 

Yes, and they wanted a shipping charge.

[cruisingaussies]

Thanks for all the replies on Club Mini Suite dining, two good one not!  We only booked it because we found a good price but are glad we'll be seated, hopefully with no delays, in a small part of the dining room.  We enjoy meeting other people, so having the same people in that part most evenings should also be a bonus.

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

It is not when you booked the cruise. It is when you order the Medallion. If you ordered after mid-December, the shipping charge applies no matter when you booked or when the cruise will be.

 

There was a window of only about a week between when the shipping charge was announced and when it was put into effect. WIthin that window I ordered the Medallions for a cruise upcoming ion May. I rebooked the cruise for a lower price and that Medallion order was cancelled and if I want the Medallions shipped to my home now, there will be a charge.

 

Previous to the recent price increases to the Plus and Premier packages, Princess expected 75% of passengers to book with one of those packages and thus would be exempt from the shipping charge.

 

I cannot predict if the recent price increases will mean more than 25% of passengers will now have to pay shipping charges or pick them up at check-in.

 

When checking in for a recent cruise having received the Medallion at home and being in the "green lane" check-in was quick and required very little time. I don't know how having to pick up the Medallion at check-in will change this. Maybe (just speculation) if you do not have the Medallion sent to your home, you can no longer be considered being "green."

I had a booking and it was repriced also recently also.  It did not cancel my OM order. So, still have free shipping.  
 

Unless they have made a change on the App, you CAN still…get in the green lane

IF you order the OM, shipping or port pickup.  This could affect…

cruises out of ALL ports except the US if they didn’t turn into a green lane.

 

After this last update, there are more errors on the App relating to the OM and DMW.  I’ve been trying to find out the exact changes and errors to report, but many do not return to advise us.

 

This is a small charge for guests, but annoying.  I hope this doesn’t slow down the check in process.  It could, for those ports that have one line for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[memoak]

23 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

It can happen.  It happened to us 1 time out of 8 cruises.  So, when you walk up to a bar or MDR, etc…they can see your information.  Extremely helpful if you’re grabbing a coffee or drink.

 

 Your info must have come up, instead of the one placing an order.  They normally ask your name before they charge your medallion.  

 

I just check our folio every day or 2. If they just verify the name or cabin number, before the charge, this would not happen.

 

This happened pre Medallion also. We have always checked our folio every few days since 1990

[wp bob]

friends on the same cruise, booked the same time and were not charged shipping when they ordered their medallions 2 weeks ago.  totally inconsistent

[PacnGoNow]

10 minutes ago, wp bob said:

friends on the same cruise, booked the same time and were not charged shipping when they ordered their medallions 2 weeks ago.  totally inconsistent

Do they have the beverage package? Are they Elite?

[caribill]

11 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

I had a booking and it was repriced also recently also.  It did not cancel my OM order. So, still have free shipping. 

 

 

\My repricing required a new booking number. Thus everything attached to the old booking was cancelled including the order for the Medallions, pre-paid Internet at the old rate and DMW reservations.

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

\My repricing required a new booking number. Thus everything attached to the old booking was cancelled including the order for the Medallions, pre-paid Internet at the old rate and DMW reservations.

Okay, I thought that might be the case.

Thanks for clarifying.

[luvdaislands]

On 2/13/2023 at 11:23 PM, Steelers36 said:

 

Sorry... I should have qualified my remarks.  I was writing about a Private table as opposed to a Sharing table.  The latter is more of a problem if you expect the same tablemates for the voyage.

 

I am not sure how often that worked out in "the before times".  I have read about couples not showing up, etc.  And then folks have SD plans and so forth.  Of course, sometimes a diverse group "clicks" and it can work well.  Regardless of that, it is impossible for the DMW App to put a diverse group together and have it booked for an entire voyage at the same table. 

 

Personally, I miss true Maître Ds who know how to run their dining rooms and cater to their guests, not the current 'seaters' who direct you to a table. That worked very well with fixed seating's which Princess has opted to eliminate- IMO to enhance their bottom line. As previously posted, after the current sailing this 'Elite' level member of many years will be booking elsewhere.

[Steelers36]

4 minutes ago, luvdaislands said:

Personally, I miss true Maître Ds who know how to run their dining rooms and cater to their guests, not the current 'seaters' who direct you to a table. That worked very well with fixed seating's which Princess has opted to eliminate- IMO to enhance their bottom line. As previously posted, after the current sailing this 'Elite' level member of many years will be booking elsewhere.

The DR Mgr's should be quite adept at handing table requests.  There is also a "host" and I have found many of them are good at working the application they use on a tablet to review and book tables.   There is still a "true" (using your term) MD - they have a new title:  Director, Restaurant Operations.  On two different ships last Fall, I has no need to escalate request or issue to the DRO as I found the DR Mgr's to be quite accommodating when asked nicely.

[luvdaislands]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The DR Mgr's should be quite adept at handing table requests.  There is also a "host" and I have found many of them are good at working the application they use on a tablet to review and book tables.   There is still a "true" (using your term) MD - they have a new title:  Director, Restaurant Operations.  On two different ships last Fall, I has no need to escalate request or issue to the DRO as I found the DR Mgr's to be quite accommodating when asked nicely.

I've read too many posts by passengers having issues with DROs not being capable of handling seating issues and/or referring them to the Purser desk instead. To my knowledge other lines still offer fixed seating or anytime dining and I'll continue booking with them (as on my December Carnival cruise or Celebrity). This also eliminates the issues with the Princess app whose problems are ignored for years instead of being fixed. I yearn for the good ole days when Maître Ds (yes MDs) instead of computers prepared seating assignments taking age, etc. into account.

[caribill]

34 minutes ago, luvdaislands said:

Personally, I miss true Maître Ds who know how to run their dining rooms and cater to their guests, not the current 'seaters' who direct you to a table. That worked very well with fixed seating's which Princess has opted to eliminate- IMO to enhance their bottom line.

 

I do not think they made any changes as a way to save money.

 

Someone at Princess probably really thought that DMW offered the opportunity to have both Traditional and Anytime offered and bookable via the app.

 

However, reality is that even booking for the same time in the same dining room every evening is no guarantee that you will be able to be seated at that time and certainly no guaranty that you would get the same waitstaff or the same table each evening.

 

Some people have been able to make arrangements once on board to have the same table every evening, but this not anything that can be arranged in advance as TD did.

 

Also, with TD, Princess set the times so they would allow the meal to coordinate with show times in the Princess Theater. With DMW, the passenger must guess months in advance of the cruise what the showtimes will be so they can select an appropriate time to eat.

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, caribill said:

 

I do not think they made any changes as a way to save money.

 

Someone at Princess probably really thought that DMW offered the opportunity to have both Traditional and Anytime offered and bookable via the app.

 

However, reality is that even booking for the same time in the same dining room every evening is no guarantee that you will be able to be seated at that time and certainly no guaranty that you would get the same waitstaff or the same table each evening.

 

Some people have been able to make arrangements once on board to have the same table every evening, but this not anything that can be arranged in advance as TD did.

 

Also, with TD, Princess set the times so they would allow the meal to coordinate with show times in the Princess Theater. With DMW, the passenger must guess months in advance of the cruise what the showtimes will be so they can select an appropriate time to eat.

On the other hand, before DMW we could only dine in the Aft MDR for TD.

 

We only could pick a time, early or late, not a specific dining room.  Not different times, unless you did anytime dining and wait in line. 
 

I like what flexibility they are trying to give us.  It’s worked for us using a table for 2 and speaking to the DRO or the DR managers.  Seems a little chaotic the first night, but it also was similarly chaotic pre DMW.

It has taken time for the staff to get used to this setup and seems to be working better now.  
 

 

[luvdaislands]

4 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

I do not think they made any changes as a way to save money.

 

Someone at Princess probably really thought that DMW offered the opportunity to have both Traditional and Anytime offered and bookable via the app.

 

However, reality is that even booking for the same time in the same dining room every evening is no guarantee that you will be able to be seated at that time and certainly no guaranty that you would get the same waitstaff or the same table each evening.

 

Some people have been able to make arrangements once on board to have the same table every evening, but this not anything that can be arranged in advance as TD did.

 

Also, with TD, Princess set the times so they would allow the meal to coordinate with show times in the Princess Theater. With DMW, the passenger must guess months in advance of the cruise what the showtimes will be so they can select an appropriate time to eat.

All of your points confirm my dissatisfaction. I'll only add that previously fixed seating on 50+ cruises worked very well on Princess & other lines. I've always been seated at the same tables nightly with others whose company was enjoyed- or the MD changed my table. The fixed times precluded waits and show time issues were overcome.

[mlgb]

On 2/14/2023 at 10:44 PM, caribill said:

 

It is not when you booked the cruise. It is when you order the Medallion. If you ordered after mid-December, the shipping charge applies no matter when you booked or when the cruise will be.

 

There was a window of only about a week between when the shipping charge was announced and when it was put into effect. WIthin that window I ordered the Medallions for a cruise upcoming ion May. I rebooked the cruise for a lower price and that Medallion order was cancelled and if I want the Medallions shipped to my home now, there will be a charge.

 

Previous to the recent price increases to the Plus and Premier packages, Princess expected 75% of passengers to book with one of those packages and thus would be exempt from the shipping charge.

 

I cannot predict if the recent price increases will mean more than 25% of passengers will now have to pay shipping charges or pick them up at check-in.

 

When checking in for a recent cruise having received the Medallion at home and being in the "green lane" check-in was quick and required very little time. I don't know how having to pick up the Medallion at check-in will change this. Maybe (just speculation) if you do not have the Medallion sent to your home, you can no longer be considered being "green."

A few days I ago, I ordered the Medallian for pickup at checkin (Vancouver) and am "green". There was a shipping charge on the app for mailling.

Edited February 16, 2023 by mlgb

[BobAnne]

Another stupid Medallion App question: I have downloaded the app and started registering various check list items for my upcoming cruise. The person i am travelling with has not been able to do the same. When they put in our Cruise Booking number it states that cruise booking number is already claimed. Can we not both login and register on separate apps?