So you can't check-in to get a boarding pass online from a computer on Princess these days?

[dockman]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

Wow.....change seems really tough for a number of  cruisers.....I guess if some had their way Princess would be using an abacus to add up our folios at checkout.....

Change also seems really tough for princess who rolls out a new technology so full of bugs that there are 30+ pages of complaints questions on cruise critic alone which is no doubt a small fraction of actual cruisers.

 

So I can use my laptop to transfer money at the click of a mouse.  I can book flights, pick seats,  enter ID numbers, credit card numbers, emails and home address information, book and pay for hotels worldwide, watch movies on netflix, order myriads of products delivered right to my door...BUT I cannot enter basic cruise information like emergency contact, passport #, credit card number, etc into the same laptop because Princess technology won't allow it....not my idea of a well done tech rollout.

 

If these same guys had an abacus they would have altered it so it likely would no longer work.

Edited January 20, 2022 by dockman

[PrincessLuver]

39 minutes ago, dockman said:

Change also seems really tough for princess who rolls out a new technology so full of bugs that there are 30+ pages of complaints questions on cruise critic alone which is no doubt a small fraction of actual cruisers.

 

 

30 + pages of complaints on CC are meaningless.......how many pages of complaints were there when Princess changed how they serve BUTTER!!!!

 

The Medallion technology was first introduced at CES in Las Vegas in 2017 (5 years ago).  

 

We sailed on the first two Medallion ships which were the Regal and Caribbean in 2017 and 2018.  It has not been a fast rollout by any means and has really evolved from what it was capable of then to now.

 

We just got off the Majestic after 10 days and I never heard of anyone complaining about Medallion.  Most people seemed to like how seamless it made cruising.

 

It made almost all things we had to do on the ship more efficient and less time wasteful.

 

It is here to stay and worked flawlessly on our recent cruise...Cheers!! 😁

 

 

[mtnesterz]

4 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

Exactly.  I see this as the way of the future.  

I guess I don't have the patience to deal with the bugs that the younger crowd takes in stride.  And our experience on the Regal had daunting onboard Medallion bugs. I'd prefer they always offer at least a choice for passengers.

Edited January 20, 2022 by mtnesterz

[dockman]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

30 + pages of complaints on CC are meaningless.......how many pages of complaints were there when Princess changed how they serve BUTTER!!!!

 

The Medallion technology was first introduced at CES in Las Vegas in 2017 (5 years ago).  

 

We sailed on the first two Medallion ships which were the Regal and Caribbean in 2017 and 2018.  It has not been a fast rollout by any means and has really evolved from what it was capable of then to now.

 

We just got off the Majestic after 10 days and I never heard of anyone complaining about Medallion.  Most people seemed to like how seamless it made cruising.

 

It made almost all things we had to do on the ship more efficient and less time wasteful.

 

It is here to stay and worked flawlessly on our recent cruise...Cheers!! 😁

 

 

so 5 years and still full of bugs..frankly i do not care about the medallion at all....but to make it impossible to enter information online from a computer is down right dumb...complaints are not meaningless but a reflection of problems that a prudent ceo would address....but go ahead and cheerlead for princess all you want....

[gardenbunny]

This will never happen, but I wish Princess would publish the data collected from surveys on what people think of Medallion.  Curious to see if it would lean more to approve or disapprove!!

Princess has been promoting this system for years - the initial roll out was awful and the schedule to add to all the ships was woefully behind schedule.  You would have thought during the Covid pause they could have had the time to make it right.  

They have too much invested to quit - so I have no idea how they move forward.  Only thing good so far is the wifi.

Totally agree on ain’t broke don’t fix it…just look at what has happened with Disney and their new system - the negative reviews keep pouring in.

All I used the Medallion for was cabin entry!

[jimbo1683]

On 1/19/2022 at 10:33 PM, skynight said:

Agree Princess messed up thinking everyone has and wants to use a smart phone all the time. But, just bring your travel summary and all the required docs with you and you will be easily checked in at the pier.

They didnt mess up. They will have researched how many customers in their target market have a smart phone and weighed it up against the cost of maintaining multiple processes. Clearly their conclusion was that not enough people travel without a smartphone to warrant the time, effort and cost.

Edited January 20, 2022 by jimbo1683

[jimbo1683]

9 minutes ago, gardenbunny said:

This will never happen, but I wish Princess would publish the data collected from surveys on what people think of Medallion.  Curious to see if it would lean more to approve or disapprove!!

Princess has been promoting this system for years - the initial roll out was awful and the schedule to add to all the ships was woefully behind schedule.  You would have thought during the Covid pause they could have had the time to make it right.  

They have too much invested to quit - so I have no idea how they move forward.  Only thing good so far is the wifi.

Totally agree on ain’t broke don’t fix it…just look at what has happened with Disney and their new system - the negative reviews keep pouring in.

All I used the Medallion for was cabin entry!

Remember that this forum is an echo chamber of complaints and negativity a lot of the time. It doesn't represent the views of the majority as clearly if it did there would be no cruise industry.

 

Following this post I am sure there will be many comments along the lines of 'my medallion didn't work and I asked every other person on the ship and they all said it was <expletive> too'.

[PrincessLuver]

2 hours ago, dockman said:

so 5 years and still full of bugs..frankly i do not care about the medallion at all....but to make it impossible to enter information online from a computer is down right dumb...complaints are not meaningless but a reflection of problems that a prudent ceo would address....but go ahead and cheerlead for princess all you want....

I did not feel dumb using it.....it seems like a very smart way for Princess to go because everything is much faster and there is a lot less use of paper and staff time, for example....but somebody's aloha spirit seems a little off.....😁

[dockman]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

I did not feel dumb using it.....it seems like a very smart way for Princess to go because everything is much faster and there is a lot less use of paper and staff time, for example....but somebody's aloha spirit seems a little off.....😁

well bless your heart

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

I did not feel dumb using it.....it seems like a very smart way for Princess to go because everything is much faster and there is a lot less use of paper and staff time, for example....but somebody's aloha spirit seems a little off.....😁

Exactly!  So much more efficient.  But you'll always have the resistance to change people who feel the need to complain about everything. Thousands of people use the medallion app with no issue. Only a handful, if that, have a problem and run to online to post. 

[toofewcruises]

On 1/20/2022 at 7:33 AM, BabySarge said:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!  The system wasn't broke it worked just fine.  This "change" is someone trying to glory build for themselves.  I have no problem with change.  What I have a problem with is stupid and stupid change and a non working, partially working, bug filled app is a stupid change.

Actually, it worked just fine for me!  The Medallion is great, saves me from dropping things trying to open my door, can get service anywhere on the ship, including my cabin, don't have to stand in line to make purchases, everyone knows you, etc.  Many of Cruise Critic participants cannot handle change and that is unfortunate, because the world does not stand still.  Change will happen and you cannot stop it.  Yes, the app still has problems, but they are working on fixing the bugs.  It's a work in progress and this will make it eventually easier for everyone.  By the way, all of the cruise lines are moving in that direction...

[CruisinFinsUp]

On 1/20/2022 at 5:13 PM, gardenbunny said:

 

Totally agree on ain’t broke don’t fix it…just look at what has happened with Disney and their new system - the negative reviews keep pouring in.

 

Did you know that Princess hired the medallion app guy from Disney (he was one of the main guys behind the whole "magic band" )   and then promoted him to President after he "fixed" Princess too?   

 

https://www.fastcompany.com/3066933/how-the-minds-behind-disneys-magicband-are-remaking-a-38b-cruise-giant

[gardenbunny]

Yes I did - way back when Princess first began talking about their new Medallion idea and noted they hired  a former Disney person who worked on their systems, and I thought oh wow, this will be great.  Until it began - or rather tried to begin and failed - then tried again and again.  I think they got one of the lesser Disney engineers. 

And then promoted him!  Go figure

 

[cr8tiv1]

Passengers/posters need to separate the two (Medallion Class App and Medallion Button).  

 

Princess promised a web based computer access registration back in October.  It is now almost the end of January.  The medallion button and app can be used separately.  But they can also work in tandem.  

 

I booked a cruise on the Caribbean Princess which was suppose to be one of the first Medallion Class ship.  Duh....registered with the computer, no Medallion button, cruise card unlocked the door.  That was it.  Same on the Ruby.  Latest post pandemic cruise, had trouble with the APP, but received my button in the mail and could use button to unlock door and pay for specialty coffees.  I found it nice (but scary) that I "showed" up by face and name on crews' devices.

 

The Princess Cruise World would be great if they can get the computer web based program up and running AND use the Medallion Button on the ship.  If they want the app...so be it.  

[Roberto256]

On 1/20/2022 at 7:43 PM, startedwithamouse said:

 Thousands of people use the medallion app with no issue. Only a handful, if that, have a problem and run to online to post. 

 

How could you, or any gentle reader here, know this?

 

What's the total population of passengers using a medallion at this moment?

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

57 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Passengers/posters need to separate the two (Medallion Class App and Medallion Button).  

 

 

I was going to post the same.  Beginning with @PrincessLuver at Post #27, there seems to be a lot of confusion with using the Medallion on board, perhaps together with some of the App features versus the MedallionClass App PRE-CRUISE for registering, setting up info, making reservations.  

 

Totally different beasts.  Or rather one beast and one beauty, perhaps. 

 

The rollout of the MC App for pre-cruise purposes was nothing more than an unmitigated disaster, while they simultaneously erased online functionality that every travel organization I can think of has as standard functionality.  Sure, Princess has promised a web-based version after realizing their mistake.  First it was October, then November, then Q1 2022.  We are on the threshold of turning the calendar to FEB and no sign in sight for those that need it or would prefer it. 

 

Other design and functionality flaws persist for months after rollout that point back to a poorly managed project.  

 

I do hope they come through it and things have improved from the start, but still work to be done.

 

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

My wife and I just completed our first cruise using the medallion and the app. We are both 72, but aren’t afraid of change or technology. We loved the medallion and the app. Our cabin door unlocked as we got near the cabin. We ordered drinks using the app and they were delivered to where we were sitting in a few minutes. We ordered room service with the app and the order arrived quickly and correctly. I imagine those people who still desire a paper boarding pass still use them on airlines also. As others have stated you don’t need a smart phone to use the medallion, but do need it to order drinks and food delivered to where you are sitting. Don’t worry, you can still go old school and personally go to the bars and restaurants and get your own food and drinks and bring them back to where you are sitting. 

[brisalta]

On 1/20/2022 at 2:21 PM, jimbo1683 said:

They didnt mess up. They will have researched how many customers in their target market have a smart phone and weighed it up against the cost of maintaining multiple processes. Clearly their conclusion was that not enough people travel without a smartphone to warrant the time, effort and cost.

 

I doubt that very much that there decision was based on accurate research or how people actually perform tasks in daily life.

It is standard in the enterprise software space to offer multiple client front end types to the same back end. It is also standard practice to keep existing client facing software up and running.

In fact code is quite often written in such a way that the same code can generate multiple types of front end client software.

Been there, done that for software that runs on extremely largeccomplex datasets and is easily dynamically customized. This software is used by a long list of fortune 500 companies and governments.

Princess appears to have decided to go cheap and hire a team that does not seem to have the talent to understand what needs to be done or how to do it effectively.

 

[brisalta]

48 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

My wife and I just completed our first cruise using the medallion and the app. We are both 72, but aren’t afraid of change or technology. We loved the medallion and the app. Our cabin door unlocked as we got near the cabin. We ordered drinks using the app and they were delivered to where we were sitting in a few minutes. We ordered room service with the app and the order arrived quickly and correctly. I imagine those people who still desire a paper boarding pass still use them on airlines also. As others have stated you don’t need a smart phone to use the medallion, but do need it to order drinks and food delivered to where you are sitting. Don’t worry, you can still go old school and personally go to the bars and restaurants and get your own food and drinks and bring them back to where you are sitting. 

 

The problem with the Medallion app is being able to enter the information that is required before you even go to the port.

[brisalta]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

I was going to post the same.  Beginning with @PrincessLuver at Post #27, there seems to be a lot of confusion with using the Medallion on board, perhaps together with some of the App features versus the MedallionClass App PRE-CRUISE for registering, setting up info, making reservations.  

 

Totally different beasts.  Or rather one beast and one beauty, perhaps. 

 

The rollout of the MC App for pre-cruise purposes was nothing more than an unmitigated disaster, while they simultaneously erased online functionality that every travel organization I can think of has as standard functionality.  Sure, Princess has promised a web-based version after realizing their mistake.  First it was October, then November, then Q1 2022.  We are on the threshold of turning the calendar to FEB and no sign in sight for those that need it or would prefer it. 

 

Other design and functionality flaws persist for months after rollout that point back to a poorly managed project.  

 

I do hope they come through it and things have improved from the start, but still work to be done.

 

 

On top of that the person that was brought into Princess to champion what is a obviously a poorly managed project was promoted to President of Princess Cruise Lines. That upsets me as a Princess share holder.

Edited January 26, 2022 by brisalta

[brisalta]

On 1/20/2022 at 4:43 PM, startedwithamouse said:

Exactly!  So much more efficient.  But you'll always have the resistance to change people who feel the need to complain about everything. Thousands of people use the medallion app with no issue. Only a handful, if that, have a problem and run to online to post. 

 

Interesting to see all the negative reviews of the app in the play store. The reviews in the play store typically reflect only a fraction of the users. A lot of users with negative experience do not even bother to post reviews.

Edited January 26, 2022 by brisalta

[brisalta]

On 1/20/2022 at 4:43 PM, startedwithamouse said:

Exactly!  So much more efficient.  But you'll always have the resistance to change people who feel the need to complain about everything. Thousands of people use the medallion app with no issue. Only a handful, if that, have a problem and run to online to post. 

 

You are John Padgett and I want my $50 reward for finding you. /s

[PrincessLuver]

4 hours ago, toofewcruises said:

Actually, it worked just fine for me!  The Medallion is great, saves me from dropping things trying to open my door, can get service anywhere on the ship, including my cabin, don't have to stand in line to make purchases, everyone knows you, etc.  Many of Cruise Critic participants cannot handle change and that is unfortunate, because the world does not stand still.  Change will happen and you cannot stop it.  Yes, the app still has problems, but they are working on fixing the bugs.  It's a work in progress and this will make it eventually easier for everyone.  By the way, all of the cruise lines are moving in that direction...

 

Well said......I am just chuckling how something that is so simple to use is actually mind-blowing and unsettling to others....but they rant on and Princess is going to keep moving forward.....Oh Lordy!!  😇

[gardenbunny]

Agreed with majority and yes, App and Medallion are 2 different items.  Pre- board using App can be a challenge - sometimes it works, and sometimes not so much.

Medallion on board to open door - yes - nice feature.

Interactive screens all over the ship that show your picture to come over and “play” - not for me.

I noticed more times than not that the crew member could not get my Medallion to operate on his device and I would have to give him my cabin number to order something.

Now with unlimited wifi, no need to use the message option on the App.  DH and I texted just using our cell phones.  (Funny story - we went to the  Medallion desk for help on messages and the alert tone - he made some changes on my phone and he sent me a message and it alerted.  Then he set up DH phone and told him to message me - no message, no alert.  He tried several times and told us he did not know why it did not work)

I am sure many people will enjoy using it and that is fine. Whatever works.

It might take me some time (more than one cruise) to see if I can find something I might like to use.

 

[Mike45LC]

On 1/20/2022 at 2:13 PM, gardenbunny said:

All I used the Medallion for was cabin entry!

The Medallion worked pretty well as a cabin key.

 

I did try to locate my wife with the thing, and it failed miserably.   But a crew member was able to locate her using his phone and he told me where she was.

 

Nov 2019, on the Royal, the Medallion failed miserably in reporting scheduled events and activities.  I hope this has been fixed.