Questions regarding Ocean Medallion if one doesn't have a cell phone...

[debjo]

Greetings to all,

   It has been a few years since we sailed on Princess, so we're not familiar with the Ocean Medallion program, apart from what we've read in the brochures.

   It seems that the program almost requires one to have a "smart" phone in order to use the Medallion features.

   Consequently, since we don't have a "smart" phone...how much will we actually benefit from this Medallion program...and how much will our next booked cruise & "Medallion" experience be hampered without having a "smart" phone? 

   We're looking forward to reading everyone's pearls of wisdom on this relatively new feature that Princess has instituted.   We haven't cruised since Covid began and look forward to sailing again.

Until later...

debjo 

[Steelers36]

26 minutes ago, debjo said:

Greetings to all,

   It has been a few years since we sailed on Princess, so we're not familiar with the Ocean Medallion program, apart from what we've read in the brochures.

   It seems that the program almost requires one to have a "smart" phone in order to use the Medallion features.

   Consequently, since we don't have a "smart" phone...how much will we actually benefit from this Medallion program...and how much will our next booked cruise & "Medallion" experience be hampered without having a "smart" phone? 

   We're looking forward to reading everyone's pearls of wisdom on this relatively new feature that Princess has instituted.   We haven't cruised since Covid began and look forward to sailing again.

Until later...

debjo 

You can register for your cruise using a new link from the Cruise Personalizer which replicates the pre-cruise registration in MC App.  They have not added dining reservations (yet???) to the website, so you cannot do that.  On board, you can use cabin TV to order food, drinks, or make dining res.  When you are around the ship, just do things the old way. 

[Alanr204]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that when on the ship you will still use the medallion to pay for drinks etc.  This functionality would not require a cellphone. 

[memoak]

22 minutes ago, Alanr204 said:

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that when on the ship you will still use the medallion to pay for drinks etc.  This functionality would not require a cellphone. 

That is correct. The medallion will let you buy things, open doors and gamble and drink at bars. No need for a phone

[Mud_Shark]

Medallion still opens your door, is your key to ordering anything on the ship, and is your security confirmation when you get off or back on the ship.  

I assume when you say you have no smartphone, you also don't travel with a tablet or I-Pad (Something that can make use of wifi)?  I brought my tablet with me.  It doesn't have a phone, but it does have internet and it worked fine with the medallion app.  Don't know if an I-Pad would also similarly be compatible, but would suspect so.

 

Don

[Thrak]

We have friends from BC who don't have smartphones and have no desire to own one. They are sailing with us in May and will do just fine. In a way they are lucky not to have smart phones as they would likely be frustrated trying to deal with the stoooooooooopid app. We're really looking forward to sailing with them again!

[cruisingrob21]

You can use the monitors all around the ship to pull up the same info you would find on a device.  I did that plenty because the app is very annoying.  Also, the cabin TV will have most everything you need on it.  I find most of the stuff in the app "fluff".

 

I still use the "<shipname>.princess.com" (ie. majestic.princess.com) in the web browser of my phone or tablet to see a quick and visible layout of activities for the day.  It's so much better than the app functionality.

[debjo]

MANY THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR INSIGHTS & EXPERIENCES!  We always gain the most insight and get our answers quickest from these message boards1

 

For Mud_Shark...we're really low-tech people and don't have any need for a "smart" phone.  We have a computer/internet at home, but no I-Pad or Tablet.   Even if we did have these higher-tech gadgets, we wouldn't be taking them on our vacation, as we really like to "get away from it all" on our cruises.  Even though we're pretty "un-plugged" at home, we really like to "un-plug" on a cruise vacation!  

 

For Thrak...glad to read there are still some folks, like your friends, who haven't moved into the "smart" phone age.  

 

For Steelers 36, Alanr204, memoak, and cruisinrob21...we're glad to read that the "medallion" can be used just like the old "cruise cards" and we'll be able to utilize the on-board monitors & cabin T.V. when & where necessary.  

 

With gratitude,

Debjo

[ChangeOrder]

9 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:.

 

I still use the "<shipname>.princess.com" (ie. majestic.princess.com) in the web browser of my phone or tablet to see a quick and visible layout of activities for the day.  It's so much better than the app functionality.

Thank you for that reminder! I had forgotten about that from the before times 🙂 Adding it to my browser now. 

[licram]

Can you get a regular cruise card to open the door and scan in and out from the ship? I’m old school not tech savvy.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, debjo said:

MANY THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR INSIGHTS & EXPERIENCES!  We always gain the most insight and get our answers quickest from these message boards1

 

For Mud_Shark...we're really low-tech people and don't have any need for a "smart" phone.  We have a computer/internet at home, but no I-Pad or Tablet.   Even if we did have these higher-tech gadgets, we wouldn't be taking them on our vacation, as we really like to "get away from it all" on our cruises.  Even though we're pretty "un-plugged" at home, we really like to "un-plug" on a cruise vacation!  

 

For Thrak...glad to read there are still some folks, like your friends, who haven't moved into the "smart" phone age.  

 

For Steelers 36, Alanr204, memoak, and cruisinrob21...we're glad to read that the "medallion" can be used just like the old "cruise cards" and we'll be able to utilize the on-board monitors & cabin T.V. when & where necessary.  

 

With gratitude,

Debjo

You sound like us. Glad we are not alone. I hope you also realize that you are not alone. And it sure took Princess long enough to reestablish the functionality of the personalizer to realize that there are people like us still out there.

[maggie777]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

You sound like us. Glad we are not alone. I hope you also realize that you are not alone. And it sure took Princess long enough to reestablish the functionality of the personalizer to realize that there are people like us still out there.

The personalised is not working for me. I can log in but cruises will not load. Called princess but no help given. 

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, maggie777 said:

The personalised is not working for me. I can log in but cruises will not load. Called princess but no help given. 

Why do I find that not surprising with the state of Princess IT. I guess the only thing they were successful at was removing the functionality of the personalizer, something they never should have done!

[fabby50]

8 hours ago, licram said:

Can you get a regular cruise card to open the door and scan in and out from the ship? I’m old school not tech savvy.

No, there are no cards anymore.  The Medallion takes the place of it.  There are two things:  the Medallion which is equivalent to the old card and the Medallion APP.  As said above, once you get in your cabin, you can use the television to do the things the Medallion APP does.

[Eaglecw]

You don’t need a smart phone, it’ total BS. We had our 7 year old granddaughter come over and we  downloaded the Medallion AP onto her phone and did everything we needed to do on her phone to go on our last cruise, got the green lane, ordered the little Medallions and they came about 2 weeks before the cruise, deleted the AP off her phone. Getting on the ship was a piece of cake, pulled out the little Medallion, they scanned it and we were on the ship. You can do everything you need to do on your TV in your cabin. If you want to buy something they’ll scan your Medallion. Everyone stresses over it but it’s not a big deal

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, fabby50 said:

No, there are no cards anymore.  The Medallion takes the place of it.  There are two things:  the Medallion which is equivalent to the old card and the Medallion APP.  As said above, once you get in your cabin, you can use the television to do the things the Medallion APP does.

Is that true? I remember posts where it was said that you could still get a card. Was that changed post Covid?

[fabby50]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Is that true? I remember posts where it was said that you could still get a card. Was that changed post Covid?

My relatives have been going on a Princess cruise just about every month since the restart, neither husband or wife use a smart phone.  They have been given a Medallion and do as I reported in my post. 

[ontheweb]

5 minutes ago, fabby50 said:

My relatives have been going on a Princess cruise just about every month since the restart, neither husband or wife use a smart phone.  They have been given a Medallion and do as I reported in my post. 

Do you know if they asked if they could get a cruise card?

[fabby50]

Just now, ontheweb said:

Do you know if they asked if they could get a cruise card?

They did on the first one back and were told it had been replaced by the medallion fleet wide.  I suspect this took place over time to the entire fleet.  They were booked on a couple of European cruises but switched to US departure ports, they are going to try Europe again I think next month.  We have been on the Grand, were told the same thing, and are going on the Majestic next month.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, fabby50 said:

They did on the first one back and were told it had been replaced by the medallion fleet wide.  I suspect this took place over time to the entire fleet.  They were booked on a couple of European cruises but switched to US departure ports, they are going to try Europe again I think next month.  We have been on the Grand, were told the same thing, and are going on the Majestic next month.

If enough passengers ask for a cruise card, I wonder if they will consider bringing them back the same way they have finally decided to bring back the functionality of the personalizer. I do realize that they do not like to admit that despite their claims, the medallion is not the greatest invention since white bread or maybe the wheel.

[georgiacat]

We do not have smart phones and do not plan to get one.  I was able to use the link on the Summary page (the one with the apps on it).  Under the black rectangles for apps there is a small blue link that says "try our web version".  It took several tries on different occasions, but I was able to successfully check in with everything except our photos (they can take those if they want them), and complete the health questions that have to be answered within 48 hours before boarding.  I even ordered those medallions (the free stuff).  I consider them the new "cards".  I will use them as such and enjoy my cruise as I did before this new technology.

 

In my opinion when I have had trouble signing into my Princess account to view my booked cruise, I have discovered that Princes has been changing something pertaining to my cruise:  ship, airline flights, etc.  Eventually, I get on.  I am practicing my patience.

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

If enough passengers ask for a cruise card, I wonder if they will consider bringing them back the same way they have finally decided to bring back the functionality of the personalizer. I do realize that they do not like to admit that despite their claims, the medallion is not the greatest invention since white bread or maybe the wheel.

 

I fail to understand why people insist they want a card. The Medallion does everything the card did plus it unlocks the door without having to pull out a card and stick it in the dang slot. The card offers zero advantage over the Medallion.

 

Yes, people have had some issues with the Medallion APP. Some have had major issues with it. So what? You don't need to use the app and it is a completely separate thing from the physical Medallion itself. I'm sure some people complained bitterly when they had to switch from a metal key to the card.

 

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I fail to understand why people insist they want a card. The Medallion does everything the card did plus it unlocks the door without having to pull out a card and stick it in the dang slot. The card offers zero advantage over the Medallion.

 

Yes, people have had some issues with the Medallion APP. Some have had major issues with it. So what? You don't need to use the app and it is a completely separate thing from the physical Medallion itself. I'm sure some people complained bitterly when they had to switch from a metal key to the card.

 

What's the big deal having to stick the card in the door to unlock the cabin? Question---if I walk past our cabin, will the medallion unlock it even though neither of us is entering leaving us with an unlocked cabin door of which we are unaware?

 

I want a card. Chalk it up to "different stokes for different folks".

[Grego]

15 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I fail to understand why people insist they want a card. The Medallion does everything the card did plus it unlocks the door without having to pull out a card and stick it in the dang slot. The card offers zero advantage over the Medallion.

 

Yes, people have had some issues with the Medallion APP. Some have had major issues with it. So what? You don't need to use the app and it is a completely separate thing from the physical Medallion itself. I'm sure some people complained bitterly when they had to switch from a metal key to the card.

 

True enough!

[Doug R.]

On 3/26/2022 at 9:57 AM, licram said:

Can you get a regular cruise card to open the door and scan in and out from the ship? I’m old school not tech savvy.

You can get a card at guest services; however, the medallion works just like the card if you choose not to use a smartphone features.