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

[mtnesterz]

16 hours ago, Thrak said:

I fail to understand why people insist they want a card.

There is a perception that the Medallion and the Medallion app are inseparable. The Medallion itself worked fine to get us on and off the ship, open the cabin door... However the app, both pre-boarding and on the ship, didn't work. To the point we reconsider our Princess loyalty.

It is easy to focus on a thing that can be held in the hand, but the app is the problem and that is hard to wrap one's head around.

To the OP. Get a tablet instead of a smartphone. They are equally maladroit dealing with wonky apps, but the screen is larger and easier to read.

[cruzsnooze]

I sailed in Feb on the Majestic and YES at guest services they have regular old cruise cards.  If you have a pacemaker or other device implanted you should not use any magnets and guest services will always have cruise cards for that reason and for anyone who wants one. 

[Thrak]

7 hours ago, ontheweb said:

What's the big deal having to stick the card in the door to unlock the cabin?

 

Apparently you have never returned to the cabin with two coffees and a plate of cookies for your wife. It's pretty awkward to open the door with the card. If you want a card and can get one then go for it. Of course you may find that the dang card has become de-magnetized and won't unlock the door. It's happened to me. On one cruise we missed our assigned dinner time as we returned from shore only to find that neither one of our cards would work.

 

It doesn't upset me at all that some folks insist they want a card. It certainly doesn't affect me in any way I can perceive. I simply don't understand the rational. People are different.

[Mike45LC]

For me, the pre-cruise check-in worked well.  But once on board, the Medallion.Net and Ocean.Net apps were horrible.  The Medallion Class "navigators" simply uttered the magic words "Connectivity issues" and that was that.   I could not access the daily activities (JourneyView), I could not order food and beverages, I could not locate my wife.  All I got was a rotating circle and the never-ending word "Loading."  

 

The Medallion did unlock my cabin door, and allowed us to get off and on the ship.  At least, if I was wearing it outside my shirt.  Most of the bartenders still asked me for my cabin number, so it was not working well for them.

 

As for using the TV, I turned the TV on for the mandatory Safety At Sea lecture and did not turn it on at all after that.  I could not figure out how to use that remote -- it is just like the one we have on the new TV at home, and I cannot figure out how to use that one either.  There are lots of bars on board, and having to give my beverage order to a wait person or bartender was not a problem for me.

 

There are issues far more important for me -- like inedible food!  

 

[Torfamm]

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Apparently you have never returned to the cabin with two coffees and a plate of cookies for your wife. It's pretty awkward to open the door with the card. If you want a card and can get one then go for it. Of course you may find that the dang card has become de-magnetized and won't unlock the door. It's happened to me. On one cruise we missed our assigned dinner time as we returned from shore only to find that neither one of our cards would work.

 

It doesn't upset me at all that some folks insist they want a card. It certainly doesn't affect me in any way I can perceive. I simply don't understand the rational. People are different.

Change is hard. Whether we are talking about the change from paper airline  tickets to e-tickets, online booking and check-in for cruises, or the need to print your own boarding passes and luggage tags, to getting an electronic boarding pass in an there have always been passengers who who were not comfortable with new processes or who have a problem and don’t want to adopt the new method. I imagine that in time this will all sort itself out in the same way that no one thinks twice about not getting a paper airline ticket.

[mpk]

36 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

Change is hard. Whether we are talking about the change from paper airline  tickets to e-tickets, online booking and check-in for cruises, or the need to print your own boarding passes and luggage tags, to getting an electronic boarding pass in an there have always been passengers who who were not comfortable with new processes or who have a problem and don’t want to adopt the new method. I imagine that in time this will all sort itself out in the same way that no one thinks twice about not getting a paper airline ticket.

 

Electronic tickets aren't always a walk in the park.  Some TSA checkpoints are in the deepest pits of certain airports, with no wifi or cell networks.  Frequent flyers learned to screenshot the ticket or use a digital wallet that works without connectivity.  Every new tech has one or more unforeseen issues that they either fix, or the traveler learns to work around.

 

On a lighter note, it's funny watching videos the last couple of weeks where passengers are amazed that servers remember their preferences only after one day.  Uh... no.... that's the Medallion identifying each cruiser and their order history to the restaurant / lounge /etc.  I was going to comment on the videos, but best to let the fantasy continue   🙂

[cruzin4us]

5 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Apparently you have never returned to the cabin with two coffees and a plate of cookies

 

I'm the coffee "go-getter" in the morning and I love the Medallion!

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Apparently you have never returned to the cabin with two coffees and a plate of cookies for your wife. It's pretty awkward to open the door with the card. If you want a card and can get one then go for it. Of course you may find that the dang card has become de-magnetized and won't unlock the door. It's happened to me. On one cruise we missed our assigned dinner time as we returned from shore only to find that neither one of our cards would work.

 

It doesn't upset me at all that some folks insist they want a card. It certainly doesn't affect me in any way I can perceive. I simply don't understand the rational. People are different.

No, neither situation is one I have ever encountered.

 

Neither of us have ever had a cruise card demagnetize. Does the medallion ever have connectivity issues when you want to unlock the door?

 

I don't ever drink coffee, so I would not have to be carrying two. I do sometimes bring a decaf coffee or tea and maybe a small snack to DW in the pool area, but that is it.

[cruzsnooze]

Just as clarification the cruise cards  unlock the door by holding it near the screen by your door. You can easily have it between your fingers while holding 2 cups of coffee or anything else. They do not have to be inserted into a slot, those are gone. 

[debjo]

"ontheweb" previously asked:  

"...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?"

This is something we wondered about too.  Does anyone have experience with this?  

 

As the OP, we're finding everyone's comments to be of great value.  Thanks to all for sharing the pros & cons about their experiences.  We've still got a lot of time before our booked cruise, so perhaps all these "bugs" will be worked out by then.  We still have no intentions of getting a smart phone or tablet...the less we have to lug around the better!  🙂

 

[Torfamm]

6 hours ago, mpk said:

 

Electronic tickets aren't always a walk in the park.  Some TSA checkpoints are in the deepest pits of certain airports, with no wifi or cell networks.  Frequent flyers learned to screenshot the ticket or use a digital wallet that works without connectivity.  Every new tech has one or more unforeseen issues that they either fix, or the traveler learns to work around.

 

On a lighter note, it's funny watching videos the last couple of weeks where passengers are amazed that servers remember their preferences only after one day.  Uh... no.... that's the Medallion identifying each cruiser and their order history to the restaurant / lounge /etc.  I was going to comment on the videos, but best to let the fantasy continue   🙂

You are thinking of boarding passes, not airline tickets. Paper tickets looked like this and are no longer available 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Torfamm
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[caribill]

7 hours ago, mpk said:

 

On a lighter note, it's funny watching videos the last couple of weeks where passengers are amazed that servers remember their preferences only after one day.  Uh... no.... that's the Medallion identifying each cruiser and their order history to the restaurant / lounge /etc.  I was going to comment on the videos, but best to let the fantasy continue   🙂

 

To be precise, the Medallion has only a reference number which is read by a nearby station.

 

The number is then sent to a main ship computer which has all that other info and then displays it to the server or other person you are dealing with.

[ontheweb]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:21 PM, debjo said:

"ontheweb" previously asked:  

"...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?"

This is something we wondered about too.  Does anyone have experience with this?  

 

As the OP, we're finding everyone's comments to be of great value.  Thanks to all for sharing the pros & cons about their experiences.  We've still got a lot of time before our booked cruise, so perhaps all these "bugs" will be worked out by then.  We still have no intentions of getting a smart phone or tablet...the less we have to lug around the better!  🙂

 

And over a day later, no one has answered the question that I asked and you are also interested in.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:48 AM, ontheweb said:

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?

The door re-locks, if you don't enter. Forget how long it takes, but not long.

Plus, how often do you walk down "your" hallway with no intention of going to your cabin?

[JF - retired RRT]

On 3/28/2022 at 9:02 AM, mtnesterz said:

To the OP. Get a tablet instead of a smartphone. They are equally maladroit dealing with wonky apps, but the screen is larger and easier to read.

It can't be just any tablet. From what I understand, the app only works with Chromebooks & ipads.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 3/28/2022 at 5:07 PM, mpk said:

On a lighter note, it's funny watching videos the last couple of weeks where passengers are amazed that servers remember their preferences only after one day.  Uh... no.... that's the Medallion identifying each cruiser and their order history to the restaurant / lounge /etc.  I was going to comment on the videos, but best to let the fantasy continue   🙂

Thanks!! I didn't know that. I was thinking about making a card to give to each "new" waiter with our preferences...no wine glasses/wine menu, tap water for me, ice water for DH, etc.

So, I don't have to do that??

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

The door re-locks, if you don't enter. Forget how long it takes, but not long.

Plus, how often do you walk down "your" hallway with no intention of going to your cabin?

Somehow, after reading all the medallion glitch comments, I don't trust them to always get it right.

 

I have the world's worst sense of direction. I have been known to start one way from our cabin and then turn around when I realized I was going the wrong way. That would take me past the cabin.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

It can't be just any tablet. From what I understand, the app only works with Chromebooks & ipads.

And I suppose Princess is working on it to make it compatible with other platforms. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Thrak]

6 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

It can't be just any tablet. From what I understand, the app only works with Chromebooks & ipads.

 

The app works fine on my Android phone (Samsung S10e with Android 12) but my Samsung tablet has maxed out at Android 7 and isn't compatible with the app. Not all "tablets" will work.

[mpk]

11 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Thanks!! I didn't know that. I was thinking about making a card to give to each "new" waiter with our preferences...no wine glasses/wine menu, tap water for me, ice water for DH, etc.

So, I don't have to do that??

 

Well, the info is available to them.  Whether or not they look and act upon it is another question  🙂 

[tonit964]

I have always saved all of my cruise cards. I like that they have the dates and ship name on them.

Excited to try out the Medallion in a couple of weeks but want to have the card as a souvenir so to speak.

Can I still get a card at GS?

[c-boy]

21 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Somehow, after reading all the medallion glitch comments, I don't trust them to always get it right.

 

I have the world's worst sense of direction. I have been known to start one way from our cabin and then turn around when I realized I was going the wrong way. That would take me past the cabin.

thank goodness there's technology being developed to help you and I out in the future 

[atexsix]

On 3/26/2022 at 3:15 PM, 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.

 

 

I'm new to Princess as well.  What on God's green earth is a medallion?  I know you can search tons of threads about it, but nobody ever seems to explain it.  Is it a crystal encrusted piece of bronze or what?  Sounds like something from an Indian Jones film.  Will it reveal the location of the Well of Souls at high noon? 

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by atexsix

[ontheweb]

41 minutes ago, c-boy said:

thank goodness there's technology being developed to help you and I out in the future 

LOL, my technological fix is my DW. She's the one who figured out I got us on the train the wrong way out of Livorno. She, along with the GPS, is my navigator when we drive somewhere I am not familiar with.

[arizonaperson]

8 hours ago, atexsix said:

 

 

I'm new to Princess as well.  What on God's green earth is a medallion?  I know you can search tons of threads about it, but nobody ever seems to explain it.  Is it a crystal encrusted piece of bronze or what?  Sounds like something from an Indian Jones film.  Will it reveal the location of the Well of Souls at high noon? 

 

This is what A Princess medallion looks like. Enables you to get on and off the ship and into your cabin. Just think of it as a hotel room key and or a cruise card.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by arizonaperson
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