John Padgett named President of Princess Cruises

[billco]

14 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

99% of these comments are not flattering.  I am still trying to process this major announcement.  Only time will time.  I wonder if he is being given a beta test like the Medallion Class app?  Headhunters are hired to find the best and the brightest.  DUH....

 

Good luck to John.  I hope these comments are premature and he will bring substance back to Princess.  Let's start by making sure your loyalty customers are happy passengers.

 

For the time being, Princess needs to add a little bit of humor.  Maybe this was it?

I'm the 1%

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by billco

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

And I, for one, think that having a sound when a message or notice is received is a bad idea.

 

Imagine all the sounds during a lecture or a show or a movie or a religious service or during dining as various people receive a message with a sound that disturbs other people.

 

And the annoyance in a darkened theater as people bright out their lighted digital devices to read the message and respond.

That possibility is there for anyone with a device connected to the internet.  Emails, IM's, WhatsApp, FB, etc might all make a noise.  The habit on the ship should be the same as on land - there are times the phone needs to be on vibrate or mute. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, billco said:

I'm the 1%

 

I listened/watched both videos.  Both took place some time in the past. 

 

I gather Elastic Path helped CCL and Padgett tie the wearable Medallion to commercial transactions in a new way.  But to the guest, it isn't much more than tapping the cruise card and also replaces the 4-digit folio code used in the past.  Not discounting this at all - just thinking this is what I gather Elastic Path helped do.

 

The second video was interesting and I am all-in on the vision and the personalized vacation experience, etc.  This video was made long before the latest functionality add-ons to the MC App.  His one slide that was too small to really see well in the video was covering the entire guest experience from booking a cruise to taking it and then arriving back home again.  So, I think it is good that they have been considering the entire arc of the guest experience and interaction with Princess. 

 

However, I thought it was most interesting what Padgett said from about the 24:50 mark on.  This is where he spoke about making guests do something and how they might resist.  "Do No Harm" he said.  Well, I'd say many guests feel that he went 180 degrees against his own mantra when functions were eliminated from the Personalizer and moved to an App with restricted device operability and mal-functioned for guests. 

 

I realize they are working through that and trying to get it right, but a lot of damage seems to have been done along the way.  I am sure it wasn't intentional - it probably was not intentional to screw up the dining experience either.  

 

So, I continue to be all-in with the vision, but the execution in the past year has been rampant with miscues and issues.

[rwilk1129]

Rewarding John for screwing up the Princess good reputation? I don't get it.

[Skai]

R.I.P.

PRINCESS CRUISES 

1965-2021

"Monkeys at the helm"

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Skai

[cruisequeen4ever]

I can see from a business standpoint why they would choose the person who developed their “way of the future” technology to run the company. At the same time, I do hope he keeps Princess on course with its tried and true experience that makes us feel like we’re coming home when we step aboard and maintains a feeling of being at sea. In other words, I hope Princess stays Princess with just some enhancements. 

 

I know that the Medallion has not been perfected, and many are frustrated with it; my own husband had some frustrating experiences with it pre-pandemic. In concept though, it’s an outstanding innovation, and someday it will be mastered. When it is, it will majorly enhance my vacation experience onboard. I for one am super excited to order food and have it delivered to me on my lounger by the pool; handling issues from my lounger rather than trekking to Pax Services will be really convenient. I have played slots from bed while my hubby naps. A drink was successfully delivered to me in Princess Live during a game show. I can see the benefits; we just have to hang in there while they are hopefully working hard at perfecting it. 
 

 

[2 cruises a year]

3 hours ago, rwilk1129 said:

Rewarding John for screwing up the Princess good reputation? I don't get it.

Denial is a wonderful thing. 🙃

[Tedferg]

56 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I for one am super excited to order food and have it delivered to me on my lounger by the pool; A drink was successfully delivered to me in Princess Live during a game show.

Don't take this as a criticism of you, but I have not the slightest interest in those things. I wonder how many people do. Compare that with the trauma that has been visited on all passengers by this inept implementation. I will repeat what so many have said so many times. Why not leave things as they were on Personalizer and let Medallion App be used by Pax interested in these things.

[Mike45LC]

2 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I for one am super excited to order food and have it delivered to me on my lounger by the pool; handling issues from my lounger rather than trekking to Pax Services will be really convenient. I have played slots from bed while my hubby naps. A drink was successfully delivered to me in Princess Live during a game show. 

I don't need the Medallion or app to order a drink and have it delivered.  This is what cocktail waitresses are for.  As for the rest of your itemized features, no thanks.  I'll eat at a dining venue, and I will gamble in the casino.

[c-boy]

[TNTLAMB]

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

I don't need the Medallion or app to order a drink and have it delivered.  This is what cocktail waitresses are for.  As for the rest of your itemized features, no thanks.  I'll eat at a dining venue, and I will gamble in the casino.

And yet one of the major parts of the Medallion program is "Dine My Way " that accomplishes just that

[2 cruises a year]

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

I don't need the Medallion or app to order a drink and have it delivered.  This is what cocktail waitresses are for.  As for the rest of your itemized features, no thanks.  I'll eat at a dining venue, and I will gamble in the casino.

And interact personally with a real person. Oh my goodness.

[jwattle]

3 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

I don't need the Medallion or app to order a drink and have it delivered.  This is what cocktail waitresses are for.  As for the rest of your itemized features, no thanks.  I'll eat at a dining venue, and I will gamble in the casino.

Not to be a jerk, but let's call them cocktail "servers"...🥂

[avalong]

In recent years I've been cruising with other lines after many years of cruising exclusively with Princess. Just yesterday I decided to give Princess another try because there are offerings round-trip from Los Angeles which would involve no airplanes for us(too chaotic right now). I very nearly pulled the trigger when I remembered the Medallion thing. No way.

After reading some of the comments on this thread I kind of got the impression that maybe you could cruise without using Medallion if you wished. Is that the case? Or are you forced to use it?

[caribill]

8 hours ago, avalong said:

 

After reading some of the comments on this thread I kind of got the impression that maybe you could cruise without using Medallion if you wished. Is that the case? Or are you forced to use it?

 

Basically the Medallion functions as a cruise card. So at a minimum you use the Medallion to log on/off the ship, unlock your cabin door and charge purchases. If they will issue you a cruise card once on board, then you are not forced to use the Medallion, but there is no problem using the Medallion for these three basic purposes.

 

You are not required on board to use the Medallion for any of the features the Medallion app offers.

 

Pre-cruise the app (but not the Medallion itself) is utilized for entering in much of the basic cruise information required to check-in for the cruise. However, Princess says that this info will soon be available to be entered via the Personalizer again. In the meantime, if necessary the info can be given to check-in personnel at the cruise terminal on embarkation day.

[CruisinFinsUp]

I think we are forgetting the Princess side of the Medallion.  
 

They didn't develop it just for passengers.  Its for crew and corporate and marketing.  They are collecting data on everyone - where we are on the ship, what we are doing, and where we are and are not spending $$$.  Its not just about the passengers.  Even the cruise cards now have the trackable chip in them. 

I'm sure they are tracking crew behaviour as well. 
 

THAT is the real reason for having the Medallion.  Data that they can use to both 1. alter on board offerings (reduce things not utilized, increase others), changing the way we get through the ship to encourage spending (think of the grocery store and how they put stuff at the end of the aisles to get you to buy them) 

and

2. market more specifically / targeted to each of us depending on our past behaviour.  (I don't say preferences as my behaviour is not always reflective of my preferences!🤣) .

 

The Medallion project was sold to Princess as a net benefit to them due to the data collection.  
Data is marketing gold.    

Companies don't spend the amount of money it cost to implement this without a significant upside.  The net cost has to be positive.  

Princess believes Medallion will increase on board revenue significantly.  

So Padgett got promoted.  

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by cruisintoddler

[Roberto256]

On 10/14/2021 at 3:28 AM, caribill said:

And the annoyance in a darkened theater as people bright out their lighted digital devices to read the message and respond.

 

My pet peeve...

 

When people hold up their lighted phone to record what's happening on stage.

 

I'm sure recording a performance like that is against the rules.

 

But, only for the folks the rules apply to.  😞

 

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

I do consider the features of the Medallion to be optional. I can sit at a physical slot machine and play or play on my phone. I can show up at the dining room in person to request to be seated, or I can make my wishes known on the app. Yeah, some of the functions have to be used for check-in, Muster, dinging on and off the ship, and paying for things, but the last 2 tasks I mentioned already required the cruise card, so this doesn’t add anything as it’s a replacement for the cruise card. To me, the Medallion simply is an enhancement of an otherwise still awesome cruise experience. My last cruise pre-pandemic was aboard the sweet little Pacific Princess, and I still had an amazing cruise without the Medallion. I sure prefer having it, though!

[Crzn-Life]

John Padgett is the new president of Princess. He's the guy responsible for the Medallion app and he's being rewarded for this fiasco by being promoted!! Apparently Princess doesn't read CC or if they do, they don't care what the complaints are about it.

[lx200gps]

2 minutes ago, Crzn-Life said:

John Padgett is the new president of Princess. He's the guy responsible for the Medallion app and he's being rewarded for this fiasco by being promoted!! Apparently Princess doesn't read CC or if they do, they don't care what the complaints are about it.

I guess you didn't notice the big thread on this that has been running for days?

[cr8tiv1]

5 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

 

My pet peeve...

 

When people hold up their lighted phone to record what's happening on stage.

 

I'm sure recording a performance like that is against the rules.

 

But, only for the folks the rules apply to.  😞

 

 

 

Most performances are copyrighted...so yes, it would be against the rules.  But we all DO know about rules and who follows them.  Even Live theater performances staged on land are having a difficult time enforcing the no video taping law.

[Mike45LC]

6 hours ago, cruisintoddler said:

I think we are forgetting the Princess side of the Medallion.  
 

They didn't develop it just for passengers.  Its for crew and corporate and marketing.  They are collecting data on everyone - where we are on the ship, what we are doing, and where we are and are not spending $$$.  Its not just about the passengers.  Even the cruise cards now have the trackable chip in them. 

I'm sure they are tracking crew behaviour as well. 
 

THAT is the real reason for having the Medallion.  Data that they can use to both 1. alter on board offerings (reduce things not utilized, increase others), changing the way we get through the ship to encourage spending (think of the grocery store and how they put stuff at the end of the aisles to get you to buy them) 

and

2. market more specifically / targeted to each of us depending on our past behaviour.  (I don't say preferences as my behaviour is not always reflective of my preferences!🤣) .

 

The Medallion project was sold to Princess as a net benefit to them due to the data collection.  
Data is marketing gold.    

Companies don't spend the amount of money it cost to implement this without a significant upside.  The net cost has to be positive.  

Princess believes Medallion will increase on board revenue significantly.  

So Padgett got promoted.  

 

I am sure that this was sold to Management as a huge wealth of data to be mined.  But Princess already knows exactly how much I spend at the bars (or how many drinks I order, if I am on package), the specific bars and the times (before a show or activity, during a show or activity, etc.),  what I am buying at the various shopping venues, whether I am using the coupons and discounts advertised in the Daily Patter, etc., etc. 

 

They have passenger counts at the pool and bars and dining rooms -- maybe every hour.  (One business I am involved with takes hourly line counts.)   Without the Medallion's tracking, they might not know if I specifically am one of the people dozing in the sun at the pool or playing ping-pong or playing cards in what used to be a library, but they will know how many people are at Trivia , how many are in the gym and how many are watching karaoke.  

 

They know how many of each dish in the dining room get ordered.  They know how much of each food item gets taken in the buffets. 

 

They have so much surveillance that they can track anyone's specific whereabouts on-board every moment of the day and night.  So I do not know what additional data the Medallion can gather for them.  But I am sure that that is the ultimate purpose of the thing.  

 

If it weren't for the door unlocking, I would probably decline to carry a Medallion around the ship.

 

 

[Roberto256]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Most performances are copyrighted...so yes, it would be against the rules.  But we all DO know about rules and who follows them.  Even Live theater performances staged on land are having a difficult time enforcing the no video taping law.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear...

 

My annoyance is a lighted phone held up in my sight-line by someone seated closer to the stage.