Princess Medallion Delivery

[Raxter54]

We are booked on the Ruby Princess out of Galveston for their Feb 19 2023 sailng. According to the Medallion app, I can order our medallions 12 days prior, which would be Feb 7. But, we are doing a "side by side" - we have to leave on Feb 10 to drive to Galveston to catch the Allure OTS on Feb 12. Which means we would need to get the medallions by Feb 9. Will the medallions get here by the 9th? Any opinions/experiences would be appreciated...

[JF - retired RRT]

2 minutes ago, Raxter54 said:

We are booked on the Ruby Princess out of Galveston for their Feb 19 2023 sailng. According to the Medallion app, I can order our medallions 12 days prior, which would be Feb 7. But, we are doing a "side by side" - we have to leave on Feb 10 to drive to Galveston to catch the Allure OTS on Feb 12. Which means we would need to get the medallions by Feb 9. Will the medallions get here by the 9th? Any opinions/experiences would be appreciated...

To be safe...choose "pick up at the port".

[Jase0581]

I believe that you can order the medallions up to 12 days prior.  For my cruise that embarked on June 19, I ordered the medallion on May 3.  I want to say it shipped on June 7 and I received it on June 10, so 9 days before the cruise.  With your time frame I agree that you should choose to pick it up at the port.

[beg3yrs]

Even if you try to get them shipped to your home and they don't arrive in time, it's no problem. They'll just make up new ones at the port. Takes a little longer but can be done.

 

Still, I agree with other posters, just pick them up at the port.

[Sea Hag]

I think that 12 days is the minimum they want you to order by. I've always ordered them two or three months out, and that's worked for me every time. 

[bofh]

You can order well in advance, but they will not ship until 2-3 weeks out and I don't recall if there's any control over shipping speed.  Since you don't have much control, I would second picking up medallions on embarkation day (or having them remade while you wait); but that also means you should avoid ordering any accessories (wrist bands, etc.) in advance because it all ships together.

Edited August 4, 2022 by bofh

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, Raxter54 said:

We are booked on the Ruby Princess out of Galveston for their Feb 19 2023 sailng. According to the Medallion app, I can order our medallions 12 days prior, which would be Feb 7. But, we are doing a "side by side" - we have to leave on Feb 10 to drive to Galveston to catch the Allure OTS on Feb 12. Which means we would need to get the medallions by Feb 9. Will the medallions get here by the 9th? Any opinions/experiences would be appreciated...

I always order them in advance usually around final payment time. Sometimes I order a year ahead of time!  I like to see that green lane status! Lol

 

You should get them 14 to 10 days before sailing. So, if don’t get them, just pick up at the port. It only takes a few more minutes.

Anyway, you need to order them to

get to the green lane status in the App, whether you click the box ship to home or pick up at port.

[mocha9]

We're going on a cruise in June, 2023, and I have already ordered mine.

[Italy52]

We just got our medallions for our 8/14 cruise.  I received notification that they were on there way and a link to track the shipping.  The medallions were stuck in Carson, CA for about 6 days.  I called Princess and inquired about the delay and was told that the medallions are sometimes held and later released for final shipping.  The arrival time Princess gave me was anywhere from 3-10 days before my sail date.

[Rick&Jeannie]

18 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

  The arrival time Princess gave me was anywhere from 3-10 days before my sail date.

We just received ours today for a sailing in 1 week.

[harryfat1]

As others have said, you can order your medallion in advance but they won't process your order until few weeks before your cruise.

 

If you pay extra to customize your medallion, you will see the charge hit your credit card 3 weeks prior to sailing  (there's no charge if you opt for the default Princess logo). Then in a few days after the payment, you will get an email notification on shipping status of the medallion.

 

We got our medallion on July 25 for our August 6 sailing - so the OCD/CDO/DCO/DOC in you can count the number of days on when you might get it...

 

One final note - Princess is in southern CA so you might need to factor in an extra day for the snail mail to get to Illinois as they ship via USPS (we are in northern CA).

[Rick&Jeannie]

18 minutes ago, harryfat1 said:

Then in a few days after the payment, you will get an email notification on shipping status of the medallion.

 

In (I think) 12 cruises with Princess (total) I believe we've gotten an email notification *maybe* twice.  

[SiliconCruiser]

The medallions are the least of your worries.  I lost my first one on the very first port call somewhere in Central America.  I contacted the ship to let them know as we were approaching the ship (when I became aware that I didn't have it.)   As we were on the pier approaching the ship, there was this nice young lady walking/running towards me (they already have your picture,) with my replacement medallion. holder, and lanyard.  And early on in the program (may still be the case) the medallions tended to die unexpectedly (worthless Chinese batteries and questionable quality control.)   But Guest Services will make you a new one in a few moments (a lot faster than you waited in the Guest Services line.)

[Raxter54]

Well, as much as I wanted to have the pleasure of opening the box and revealing our medallions at home, I think discretion indicates that I must bow to caution and have them delivered to the port 😞.  Now, I guess I'll need to figure out how to get a COVID test done while on the Allure....

 

Thanks to all for the input....

[bofh]

2 hours ago, harryfat1 said:

One final note - Princess is in southern CA so you might need to factor in an extra day for the snail mail to get to Illinois as they ship via USPS (we are in northern CA).

 

FWIW, ours shipped FedEx Express directly from Singapore on July 19 and were delivered in Texas on July 25 in advance of an August 6 sailing.  It seemed to clear customs quickly, but others said theirs waited for days, so I'd interpret this as one of the speedier deliveries (and no, I absolutely did not pay extra if that was even an option).

 

Mine was imported through customs in Alaska, so with all things logistics these days "it depends" on where it comes in and where you are.  If they imported in CA and you live in CA I could absolutely understand USPS.  I was actually surprised to see FedEx Express service for mine.

[HBCcruiser]

10 hours ago, Raxter54 said:

Now, I guess I'll need to figure out how to get a COVID test done while on the Allure

We took ours with us when we did a side-to-side cruise. We bought the Inspire EMed kits and wifi-called in the required 2 days prior to embarking on cruise number 2. It was very easy. If you decide to do that remember to pack the tests in your carry on luggage. If you pack them in your checked luggage the extreme temperatures may negatively impact the tests. 

[beg3yrs]

3 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

... If you decide to do that remember to pack the tests in your carry on luggage. If you pack them in your checked luggage the extreme temperatures may negatively impact the tests. 

Also pack them very carefully. Last cruise we had four boxes of the Optum proctored tests and two got a little crushed breaking the box seals (contents were fine). During the actual test one of the first things the proctor asks for is to see all sides of the box to make sure the seals are ok and the tests haven't been tampered with. Oh well, now we have two extra "home" tests.

[HBCcruiser]

13 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

Also pack them very carefully. Last cruise we had four boxes of the Optum proctored tests and two got a little crushed breaking the box seals (contents were fine). During the actual test one of the first things the proctor asks for is to see all sides of the box to make sure the seals are ok and the tests haven't been tampered with. Oh well, now we have two extra "home" tests.

This is why we prefer the Inspire tests. Several of the tests come in a hard box. Proctors do not care about the box because the individual kits are in a sealed bag. You open the sealed bag in front of the proctor instead of the box. Also, they allow you to test more than one person per session! Much easier to travel with  IMO. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[Allograft]

We're doing South America and Antarctica starting Dec 19, 2022 in Santiago (well, San Antonio to be precise), Chile. We plan on being in Santiago for about a week beforehand, so if they ship 12 days in advance, it's really unlikely that we'll get them before we leave. Plus, the app shows that the medallions aren't available for pick up at embarkation. 

 

Should I just order them to get in the green lane, and then ask them to make new ones there once we are checking in?

 

Also, it looks like people in this thread are discussing corona tests that you can carry with you to satisfy the testing requirement. Is there a thread that I can refer to for more details that people can point me to, please? We don't need a test to enter Chile, but I'm unsure if Princess will require one to board the ship.

[PacnGoNow]

9 hours ago, Allograft said:

We're doing South America and Antarctica starting Dec 19, 2022 in Santiago (well, San Antonio to be precise), Chile. We plan on being in Santiago for about a week beforehand, so if they ship 12 days in advance, it's really unlikely that we'll get them before we leave. Plus, the app shows that the medallions aren't available for pick up at embarkation. 

 

Should I just order them to get in the green lane, and then ask them to make new ones there once we are checking in?

 

Also, it looks like people in this thread are discussing corona tests that you can carry with you to satisfy the testing requirement. Is there a thread that I can refer to for more details that people can point me to, please? We don't need a test to enter Chile, but I'm unsure if Princess will require one to board the ship.

San Antonio is a small cruiseport and they have you wait in a small terminal and take you by buses to board the ship.  
I would still order them to ship to home, their is a possibility you could get them, if not they will give them to you onboard. They may ship these earlier than normal due to the fact there is not a pickup there.

 

I would carry the emed or optum proctored test with you to Santiago as you should be able to do this at your hotel before embarking.  You can get the link to order on the Princess website. Top of the website health protocols…etc.

They have not updated it yet for sailings from South America.  So recheck often.

 

I’m not sure you would easily find a testing place in the city.  
 

There are many links in this Princess forum about the different covid tests.  We used emed and they were easy if yiu have a great internet connection in your hotel. 
 

Caution about getting to the port of San Antonio.  Either take a Princess shuttle, if offered from a hotel or book a reputable transfer company or one that is recommended by your hotel. There are some tour companies that stop at a winery on the way to the port.  

 

 

Where can I get a viral COVID-19 test near me?

Contact your nearest health center^, pharmacy (including CVS^ and Walgreens^), state health department^, or the airport you’re flying from to learn more about their availability for COVID-19 testing.

For U.S. -based vaccinated guests, Princess also recommends a couple of options for FDA-authorized, medically supervised at-home antigen test kits.

Optum offers an at-home antigen test kit ($69.99 for two), which can be ordered and shipped to your door in three business days or less. These at-home tests include a virtual, video-supervised visit with an eMed Certified Guide through telehealth services. These guides will help you properly administer the test and verify the results within 15 minutes. The lab result report is delivered via email and can be printed or displayed on your mobile device during check-in. Place your order about two weeks before boarding. Order your Optum test kit online^.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by PacnGoNow

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

San Antonio is a small cruiseport and they have you wait in a small terminal and take you by buses to board the ship.  
I would still order them to ship to home, their is a possibility you could get them, if not they will give them to you onboard. They may ship these earlier than normal due to the fact there is not a pickup there.

 

I would carry the emed or optum proctored test with you to Santiago as you should be able to do this at your hotel before embarking.  You can get the link to order on the Princess website. Top of the website health protocols…etc.

They have not updated it yet for sailings from South America.  So recheck often.

 

I’m not sure you would easily find a testing place in the city.  
 

There are many links in this Princess forum about the different covid tests.  We used emed and they were easy if yiu have a great internet connection in your hotel. 
 

Caution about getting to the port of San Antonio.  Either take a Princess shuttle, if offered from a hotel or book a reputable transfer company or one that is recommended by your hotel. There are some tour companies that stop at a winery on the way to the port.  

 

 

Where can I get a viral COVID-19 test near me?

Contact your nearest health center^, pharmacy (including CVS^ and Walgreens^), state health department^, or the airport you’re flying from to learn more about their availability for COVID-19 testing.

For U.S. -based vaccinated guests, Princess also recommends a couple of options for FDA-authorized, medically supervised at-home antigen test kits.

Optum offers an at-home antigen test kit ($69.99 for two), which can be ordered and shipped to your door in three business days or less. These at-home tests include a virtual, video-supervised visit with an eMed Certified Guide through telehealth services. These guides will help you properly administer the test and verify the results within 15 minutes. The lab result report is delivered via email and can be printed or displayed on your mobile device during check-in. Place your order about two weeks before boarding. Order your Optum test kit online^.

 

 

Covid testing forum:

 

[PacnGoNow]

2 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Covid testing forum:

 

 

9 hours ago, Allograft said:

We're doing South America and Antarctica starting Dec 19, 2022 in Santiago (well, San Antonio to be precise), Chile. We plan on being in Santiago for about a week beforehand, so if they ship 12 days in advance, it's really unlikely that we'll get them before we leave. Plus, the app shows that the medallions aren't available for pick up at embarkation. 

 

Should I just order them to get in the green lane, and then ask them to make new ones there once we are checking in?

 

Also, it looks like people in this thread are discussing corona tests that you can carry with you to satisfy the testing requirement. Is there a thread that I can refer to for more details that people can point me to, please? We don't need a test to enter Chile, but I'm unsure if Princess will require one to board the ship.

Helpful forum South America:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/47-south-america/

 

Also join your roll call and share information with others.

 

[Allograft]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

Caution about getting to the port of San Antonio.  Either take a Princess shuttle, if offered from a hotel or book a reputable transfer company or one that is recommended by your hotel. There are some tour companies that stop at a winery on the way to the port.  

 

 

 

Thanks for the pro-tip

 

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

Helpful forum South America:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/47-south-america/

 

 

Nice

 

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

Also join your roll call and share information with others.

 

 

Want to know a funny? I started the roll call for the cruise...but no one else chimed in. Maybe it's just us?

 

[PacnGoNow]

41 minutes ago, Allograft said:

 

Thanks for the pro-tip

 

 

Nice

 

 

Want to know a funny? I started the roll call for the cruise...but no one else chimed in. Maybe it's just us?

 

Wow.  The roll calls do seem to be sparse these days. 

[PacnGoNow]

48 minutes ago, Allograft said:

 

Thanks for the pro-tip

 

 

Nice

 

 

Want to know a funny? I started the roll call for the cruise...but no one else chimed in. Maybe it's just us?

 

Join this one.  More people doing the b2b with your cruise.  You will have a great cruise!