Does one HAVE to use the Medallion?

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Also using the medallion you want need to hand your card to the bartender their systems will pick yours up and the just push a button to charge your drink 

Or maybe the Medallion will pick up your card and charge you for someone else's drink. Better to make them use the card!

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

One benefit of the card key over the Medallion:  The card key does not have a tracking device built into it.   Why does the ship need to keep track of my location? I know they can track me using video monitoring, but they probably don't.  The Medallion insures that they do in fact track me.

 

"Well, they need to track you to be able to deliver food and drink."   No, they do not.  I don't order food or drink using my cell phone (the one time I tried, it was a complete fail).  This aspect of the Medallion is intrusive, in my never humble opinion.

 

If you have a card and a medallion and lock your medallion in the safe, will they think you never left the cabin?

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

The card key does not have a tracking device built into it.   Why does the ship need to keep track of my location?

There are a lot of operational uses that benefit the cruise line and the company.  They might not benefit you, but they don't harm you either.  I don't know if PCL is utilizing all of these benefits, but it could if it wanted to:

 

• Track the amount of time you spent in the casino to determine if you are someone they should contact regarding a discounted casino package for a future cruise.
• Track the specific shops that you went into and how much time you spent in each one.  If they detected that you were a fan of a particular shop, they could target market you with a 25% off coupon at that shop on your next cruise to entice you to book again.
• Track which dining venues you went to and how long you took on average to finish your meal.  That would help the cruise line better judge predicted arrival time and table turnover on a particular cruise. (Of course, they can't derive this information from only tracking you, but tracking everyone in the aggregate would allow them to make better predictions.)
• Track how many people are at a particular pool at any given time.  That would help them understand how many servers/attendants are needed in that area at any given time, and how many towels might be needed.  The people responsible for staffing can move employees around in real time to adjust to crowd levels in specific areas.  That saves in staffing costs as you don't need 100% staffing in all areas at all times when you can hire 90% of that number and move them around when and where they are most needed.
• Track how many people are in the theater at any given time, and what the drink ordering history is of those people to better predict staffing and bartender needs in real time. ("There are 700 people in the theater and past history shows that these 700 people are likely to order 1,300 drinks, 300 of which will be Coors Lites. Make sure the bar in that area has enough Coors!")

 

This is where the world is headed.  Big data in real time.  Businesses are just beginning to scratch the surface of this technology, but rest assured, they are working on it. Does it help you?  Well, if you are one of the Coors Lite drinkers in the theater and you can't get your beer because the bar ran out, it would have been nicer for you if Princess knew that you were in the theater, knew that you typically order Coors Lite while you watch the show, and that there was a short supply in the bar. As it is now, there are bartenders that will have your favorite drink already started as you approach the bar and greet you by name.  That is big data (on a micro scale) at work in real time.  For most people, it makes their vacation more enjoyable. 

Edited July 7, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[memoak]

19 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

There are a lot of operational uses that benefit the cruise line and the company.  They might not benefit you, but they don't harm you either.  I don't know if PCL is utilizing all of these benefits, but it could if it wanted to:

 

• Track the amount of time you spent in the casino to determine if you are someone they should contact regarding a discounted casino package for a future cruise.
• Track the specific shops that you went into and how much time you spent in each one.  If they detected that you were a fan of a particular shop, they could target market you with a 25% off coupon at that shop on your next cruise to entice you to book again.
• Track which dining venues you went to and how long you took on average to finish your meal.  That would help the cruise line better judge predicted arrival time and table turnover on a particular cruise. (Of course, they can't derive this information from only tracking you, but tracking everyone in the aggregate would allow them to make better predictions.)
• Track how many people are at a particular pool at any given time.  That would help them understand how many servers/attendants are needed in that area at any given time, and how many towels might be needed.  The people responsible for staffing can move employees around in real time to adjust to crowd levels in specific areas.  That saves in staffing costs as you don't need 100% staffing in all areas at all times when you can hire 90% of that number and move them around when and where they are most needed.
• Track how many people are in the theater at any given time, and what the drink ordering history is of those people to better predict staffing and bartender needs in real time. ("There are 700 people in the theater and past history shows that these 700 people are likely to order 1,300 drinks, 300 of which will be Coors Lites. Make sure the bar in that area has enough Coors!")

 

This is where the world is headed.  Big data in real time.  Businesses are just beginning to scratch the surface of this technology, but rest assured, they are working on it. Does it help you?  Well, if you are one of the Coors Lite drinkers in the theater and you can't get your beer because the bar ran out, it would have been nicer for you if Princess knew that you were in the theater, knew that you typically order Coors Lite while you watch the show, and that there was a short supply in the bar. As it is now, there are bartenders that will have your favorite drink already started as you approach the bar and greet you by name.  That is big data (on a micro scale) at work in real time.  For most people, it makes their vacation more enjoyable. 

Except if the start my drink whenI walk in and I want something different then they will be wasting booze. Generally they ask me if I want my usual. This is no change from pre medallion days when then general know me you the 2nd day. Their system pulls up your icon picture as well from the medallion 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by memoak

[JimmyVWine]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Except if the start my drink whenI walk in and I want something different then they will be wasting booze.

But is it ever really wasted?  And what is the cost of the waste?  Pennies?  The "cool factor" of the crew knowing who you are and what you like from 10 feet away far outweighs the premature pour that the bartender is sure to find another use for.  If I opened a bottle of wine for a table and the customer said that it wasn't to their liking (and assuming that the bottle was not "off, but it was my job to ensure that before even allowing them to taste it), that bottle became a "special wines by the glass" selection for the evening and it was my job to get the servers to find a good home for those 5 glasses of wine.  Really easy.  So nothing ever got wasted.  If a bottle was truly "off", it would be returned to the distributor for credit.  A good bartender can make sure that nothing is ever wasted.  I suppose if your favorite drink is Jack Daniels and carrot juice and he started mixing those before you arrived and you didn't want it, there might be a problem. But otherwise, he'll figure it out. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

But is it ever really wasted?  And what is the cost of the waste?  Pennies?  The "cool factor" of the crew knowing who you are and what you like from 10 feet away far outweighs the premature pour that the bartender is sure to find another use for.  If I opened a bottle of wine for a table and the customer said that it wasn't to their liking (and assuming that the bottle was not "off, but it was my job to ensure that before even allowing them to taste it), that bottle became a "special wines by the glass" selection for the evening and it was my job to get the servers to find a good home for those 5 glasses of wine.  Really easy.  So nothing ever got wasted.  If a bottle was truly "off", it would be returned to the distributor for credit.  A good bartender can make sure that nothing is ever wasted.  I suppose if your favorite drink is Jack Daniels and carrot juice and he started mixing those before you arrived and you didn't want it, there might be a problem. But otherwise, he'll figure it out. 

Once yo pour hard liquor over ice it begins to dilute. Bad form to serve a diluted. drink to anyone. 

[loerie]

3 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

If you bring all of your paperwork to the port, the staff at the port can complete your registration at the port.  Or you can have a technologically advanced person with a computer/internet to complete it for you in advance.  

 

Once you are on board the ship, the Medallion is just a small device you carry around with you or wear on a free lanyard that Princess will provide.  It is about the size of three fifty-cent pieces stacked.  That gizmo works as your electronic room key, and as your ID for your ship-board charge account [in the ship's stores, the excursion desk, specialty restaurants, for-fee ice cream and coffees, etc., casino].  It is also your ID for disembarking and re-boarding the ship.  You don't need to do anything with it,, just carry it around and present it upon request.  

 

You certainly do not need a cell phone.

 

Thank you-feel better now!

[JimmyVWine]

54 minutes ago, memoak said:

Once yo pour hard liquor over ice it begins to dilute. Bad form to serve a diluted. drink to anyone. 

The scenario you posited would entail the liquor being in contact with ice, (assuming it was poured over ice to begin with) for less than 10 seconds. No one would ever detect that. 

[Alanr204]

5 hours ago, wowzz said:

Are you sure ?

Not possible to get a card on the last cruises I have been on.

I asked at customer services out of interest. I can't see any possible benefit of a card over the Medallion.

We were given a key card when my wife and I both locked our medallions inside our state room.  A comedy of errors on our part. 

[Mike45LC]

59 minutes ago, loerie said:

Thank you-feel better now!

Relax and have a great cruise!  

 

Just think of the Medallion as your cruise card in prior years, if you were familiar with that.   No cell phone needed, and the pre-cruise registration can be done pier-side.   

 

And don't worry about Princess tracking you on board.  Unless someone is having an affair and is spending lots of time in places he/she shouldn't be going!!  When my wife was able to track me ... -- well, let's forget that!!!  I wish my wife would!!!  Just joking.  

 

[ROXIETHEHORSE]

5 hours ago, wowzz said:

And why is that an issue? 

I find it creepy to be “tracked”. 

[caribill]

15 hours ago, Zoey said:

My questions are 1) do you HAVE to use a cell phone for the Medallion stuff? and 2) if not, the surface of the medallion looks so small how do you even enter information onto it?

 1) You do not have to use a cell phone for anything connected with the cruise either before the cruise or during it. Yes, Princess does need to know certain information such as passport number, credit card number, emergency cfontacts, etc. But these can all be entered using your personal computer at home/work by signing in to Princess and going to your booking.

 

2) The only information on the Medallion is a code number that the ship's computer detect and connect that code number to information about you.

 

The Medallion is a combination hotel door entry card and a charge card for on board purchases. It also is used to scan you on to and off of the ship. It also can be scanned to identify you for other purposes such as signing on and off of a slot machine so you can get your money loaded into the casino computer system and later use the money at another machine or turn it into cash at the casino cashier. None of this involves using your cell phone or your computer.

 

If you want to use features such as ordering food/beverages, looking at ship maps, etc. which can be done with a cellphone, these features can be used (but you do not have to) on screens set up around the ship or on your cabin TV.

 

So do not let the use of a Medallion keep you from booking a Princess cruise. It is basically a glorified hotel room key.

 

 

[caribill]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

If you have a card and a medallion and lock your medallion in the safe, will they think you never left the cabin?

 

It is more fun to exchange your Medallion with your spouse's. Then the ship's computers will think he/she is where you are and vice/versa.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

I find it creepy to be “tracked”. 

 

Then you had better not have a cell phone when on land.

[NavyCruiser]

This gives me an idea.

I'll get an extra SeaPass card as soon as get onboard.

Go & leave my medallion on the treadmill in the Gym, so my wife thinks I'm working out 24/7.

Then freely roam the ship & use my card to buy drinks for my girlfriend...

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

I find it creepy to be “tracked”. 

Welcome to the  21st century.  If you carry a mobile phone or drive a car, you are being tracked.

[ontheweb]

Here's a question. I may have the world's worst sense of direction. Often, I will leave my cabin and turn one way only to realize I have turned in the wrong direction. I then have to double back, obviously walking past my cabin. So, as I walk past will the door automatically unlock? And if so, will someone else who happend to be nearby in the same corridor be able to access our cabin? This would not be a problem if the only way to open the cabin door was with your cruise card.

[d9704011]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Here's a question. I may have the world's worst sense of direction. Often, I will leave my cabin and turn one way only to realize I have turned in the wrong direction. I then have to double back, obviously walking past my cabin. So, as I walk past will the door automatically unlock? And if so, will someone else who happend to be nearby in the same corridor be able to access our cabin? This would not be a problem if the only way to open the cabin door was with your cruise card.

You should never retrace your steps.  Look at this as an opportunity to more fully explore the ship and learn new routes to the buffet and bars.  You should always have alternatives in mind in case your usual access route is blocked.

Edited July 8, 2022 by d9704011

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

You should never retrace your steps.  Look at this as an opportunity to more fully explore the ship and learn new routes to the buffet and bars.  You should always have alternatives in mind in case your usual access route is blocked.

That really does not answer my question about could someone else access our cabin as the door unlocks as we get near it even if we are not entering the cabin.

[d9704011]

Just now, ontheweb said:

That really does not answer my question about could someone else access our cabin as the door unlocks as we get near it even if we are not entering the cabin.

Yes, I understand that and ought not have gone OT on you.  I just figured you have nothing much better to do and you're just offering up a scenario to increase your post count.

[ontheweb]

2 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Yes, I understand that and ought not have gone OT on you.  I just figured you have nothing much better to do and you're just offering up a scenario to increase your post count.

Right, I am over 7000 posts from the 20000 club and have nothing to do but keep posting to reach that mark.

 

And I guess someone else getting access to your cabin is not something you consider a problem.

[d9704011]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Right, I am over 7000 posts from the 20000 club and have nothing to do but keep posting to reach that mark.

 

And I guess someone else getting access to your cabin is not something you consider a problem.

I guess I'm helping you out on your 20K quest.

 

Yes, I do believe inadvertently allowing a person access to your cabin is a problem.  My initial suggestion to keep walking away would preclude that but, of course, it doesn't respond to your specific concern.  I'll admit that I don't know the answer; probably best to solicit some experimental information from somebody currently using the Medallion onboard a Princess ship .

[wowzz]

In our experience, the door only unlocks when you are so close that you can physically touch the door handle. Similarly,  the door locks as soon as you move away from it.

Yes, in theory someone could push past you and enter the cabin just before the door locks, but that is not going to happen.

I think that for some reason you are trying to find a problem which does not exist.

[JF - retired RRT]

16 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

The Medallion insures that they do in fact track me.

Hmmm. Got something to hide?

[JF - retired RRT]

10 hours ago, ROXIETHEHORSE said:

I find it creepy to be “tracked”. 

Then be sure to not: carry a cell phone, turn on a computer, sign up for a grocery store "frequent shopper" card, drive a car (cameras everywhere). Likely more thing/places that track us and many more to come.