Really Bad Experience with Princess

[mcrcruiser]

We have $934  in FCC which had ti be used on a cruise in 2022 or loose it ,Well we booked a cruise into a handicap balcony cabin .when I tried for over 6  hours to get help on how to down load "Ocean Ready " on to my  I Phone  there was No help . what I came to understand is that Princess hired a lot og new  & untrained  in this matter people  .Thwen I cam across some one at their corporate headquarters who directed me to the online  unfo where I could down load my passports emergency contacts  ie  .BUT ,when I came to the last step of placing our pictures on their wen=b site I  gave up 

 

 Summation ,I am 83 & many cruisers are older generation who have the time & money to cruise . however ,this technology  is way over our  heads &  with no knowledgeable people y Princess do they really  expect the older generation ro want to sail with them vas the others with the on line pre boarding methods ;especially as inflation eats into the publics ability to  spend these sums vs other   necessities   of living 

 

 Bottom line We threw away the $934  of  FCC  & booked with Holland America   using the standard on line  pre boarding web site  info . 

 

 when any one arrives at any cruise terminal  the security people will not let a person into the building unless they can present a boarding pass & pass port 

 

 We have done 87 cruise pre pandemic  &  never had this many problems with any cruise line  .Princess is now on my no cruise list of cruise lines 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by mcrcruiser

[Coral]

I agree there should be an alternative method.

[CineGraphic]

It's a shame that they've made the pre-cruise experience difficult for those who have cruised for decades without any such difficulties.

Enjoy your cruise with HAL!

[mcrcruiser]

16 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

It's a shame that they've made the pre-cruise experience difficult for those who have cruised for decades without any such difficulties.

Enjoy your cruise with HAL!

Thanks for your good wishes 

 

 imo with inflation raging les c& less  people will be able to  afford this type of vacation  .My logical question  for Princess management why did you introduce   such a hard method  to do pre boarding & then have no one qualified  to explain it to your customers    .just doesn't make any sense to me   .All I can wish for  is  a relaxing time we have left in life   

Edited October 8, 2022 by mcrcruiser

[azbirdmom]

27 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

 when any one arrives at any cruise terminal  the security people will not let a person into the building unless they can present a boarding pass & pass port 

 

The latter is true.  However, you no longer need a boarding pass.  If you haven't been able to complete the process on the app you can do so at the terminal.  Sorry this wasn't explained to you but I hope you have a nice cruise on HAL.

[wowzz]

Unfortunately no one at Princess told you that you do not have to do anything in advance. Just turn up at the port with your passport and vaccination/test documents if required,  and you are good to go. 

Everything such as emergency conracts, photographs etc can be done by the check in staff at the pier.

[PacnGoNow]

24 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have $934  in FCC which had ti be used on a cruise in 2022 or loose it ,Well we booked a cruise into a handicap balcony cabin .when I tried for over 6  hours to get help on how to down load "Ocean Ready " on to my  I Phone  there was No help . what I came to understand is that Princess hired a lot og new  & untrained  in this matter people  .Thwen I cam across some one at their corporate headquarters who directed me to the online  unfo where I could down load my passports emergency contacts  ie  .BUT ,when I came to the last step of placing our pictures on their wen=b site I  gave up 

 

 Summation ,I am 83 & many cruisers are older generation who have the time & money to cruise . however ,this technology  is way over our  heads &  with no knowledgeable people y Princess do they really  expect the older generation ro want to sail with them vas the others with the on line pre boarding methods ;especially as inflation eats into the publics ability to  spend these sums vs other   necessities   of living 

 

 Bottom line We threw away the $934  of  FCC  & booked with Holland America   using the standard on line  pre boarding web site  info . 

 

 when any one arrives at any cruise terminal  the security people will not let a person into the building unless they can present a boarding pass & pass port 

 

 We have done 87 cruise pre pandemic  &  never had this many problems with any cruise line  .Princess is now on my no cruise list of cruise lines 

 

 

So sorry for your troubles.  I wish they had directed you to the website version of the App or checkin.  You could have used that and brought all your other documents with you to the port. They do have a checkin area ready to help those who could not checkin on the App on their phone.

You can just print online, your travel summary and bring your passport, vax card and whatever documents you need and it only takes a few minutes to chevk you in.  Maybe too late now.

 

I wish you the best and a great cruise on HAL.

 

[mcrcruiser]

1 minute ago, azbirdmom said:

 

The latter is true.  However, you no longer need a boarding pass.  If you haven't been able to complete the process on the app you can do so at the terminal.  Sorry this wasn't explained to you but I hope you have a nice cruise on HAL.

Thanks for your best wishes   .Yes  no one at Princess that we talked with had any clue , I think that is a sad commentary about Princess management abilities  in training personnel 

[mcrcruiser]

Here is the problem  .How do you get into the building to see the cruise line personnel   . Every cruise terminal that we have  been to  required a boarding pass & pass port in hand to enter past the independent security company outside the cruise  terminal . No boarding pass & no pass port  = no entry has been our experience in 87 past cruises

Edited October 8, 2022 by mcrcruiser

[wowzz]

7 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Here is the problem  .How do you get into the building to see the cruise line personnel   . Every cruise terminal that we have  been yo  required a boarding pass & pass port in hand to enter past the independent security company outside the cruise  terminal . No boarding pass & no pass port  = no entry has been our experience in 87 past cruises

As has been said,  boarding passes are not issued any more. When you enter the terminal, your name is checked against the passenger manifest,  and you are then directed to the check in area. This is where your passport is checked.

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by wowzz

[Coral]

I think most of us agree that the medallion was poorly implemented and did leave some behind. They should make it clear that all are welcome, regardless of completing the online information on the app.

[loge23]

Take a look at the marketing, including the ridiculous dating contest show; Princess wants a younger demographic and they are not shy about letting their former demographic know that.

They will find that their longer cruises, a Princess main draw for many seniors, will go wanting for bookings if they alienate the senior crowd. 

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

 

 

 Summation ,I am 83 & many cruisers are older generation who have the time & money to cruise . however ,this technology  is way over our  heads &  with no knowledgeable people y Princess do they really  expect the older generation ro want to sail with them vas the others with the on line pre boarding methods ;especially as inflation eats into the publics ability to  spend these sums vs other   necessities   of living

 

 

 

 

 

I'm more than half your age, and I 100,000% agree with you. Princess caters to an older demographic which is cool --- but I was absolutely floored/shocked/dismayed when they expected older generations to exclusively use the app to check-in for a cruise.  Absolutely shocked.

 

For the record, I have one of the fastest smartphones on the market. It has one of the fastest Snapdragon processors they have. I think Gen 2 is being released about now with improved battery efficiency... I have Gen 1.  The app is STILL clunky and hard to use. Though, it has gotten better and overall flows easier from when the app was first released when Princess resumed post-COVID cruising.

 

For background the app was outsourced to Accenture that does IT development in parts of its practice. It's a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate than has around 200k-300k employees globally. That being said, a bulk of them are in southeast Asia where they can pay app developers pennies on the dollar.  So, you have a bunch of IT programmers in SEA that have probably never seen a cruise ship in their life, have no idea how the cruise industry works, writing code directed by project managers in their 20s over here in America with a 12 hour time zone difference and language barrier.

 

The app is embarrassing and Princess should be ashamed of itself. You get what you pay for.

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

As has been said,  boarding passes are not issued any more. When you enter the terminal, your name is checked against the passenger manifest,  and you are then directed to the check in area. This is where your passport is checked.

 

 

 

Truth be told, I don't know if that was ever a "thing".  I mean, for Celebrity and Princess... I always have everything printed up and in my suitcase and backup (multiple copies), and more often than not, they just ask for my name or stateroom number and never scan the boarding pass.  That's been my experience tho.

[pklein9747]

I find it interesting that you came on Cruise Critic to complain but didn't come here for help.  You are a seasoned traveler and a seasoned Cruise Critic user.  These forums are ALWAYS the first place I go to seek information or assistance.  You should have asked for assistance here and would have realized that you didn't need to use the app.

[wowzz]

20 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

but I was absolutely floored/shocked/dismayed when they expected older generations to exclusively use the app to check-in for a cruise

But they don't  !

You do not need to even download the app if you don't want to. You are making an issue out of nothing.

Just turn up with your passport. Not exactly difficult!

Edited October 8, 2022 by wowzz

[Mike07]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But they don't  !

You do not need to even download the app if you don't want to. You are making an issue out of nothing.

Just turn up with your passport. Not exactly difficult!

 

 

I agree, but did you miss all the threads and confusion here when cruising resumed post-COVID wrt the Medallion app?

 

A lot of people were under the false assumption that you needed the app to check-in and get your boarding pass, and the way Princess marketed it, it sure seemed like you did.

[suzyed]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have $934  in FCC which had ti be used on a cruise in 2022 or loose it ,Well we booked a cruise into a handicap balcony cabin .when I tried for over 6  hours to get help on how to down load "Ocean Ready " on to my  I Phone  there was No help . what I came to understand is that Princess hired a lot og new  & untrained  in this matter people  .Thwen I cam across some one at their corporate headquarters who directed me to the online  unfo where I could down load my passports emergency contacts  ie  .BUT ,when I came to the last step of placing our pictures on their wen=b site I  gave up 

 

 Summation ,I am 83 & many cruisers are older generation who have the time & money to cruise . however ,this technology  is way over our  heads &  with no knowledgeable people y Princess do they really  expect the older generation ro want to sail with them vas the others with the on line pre boarding methods ;especially as inflation eats into the publics ability to  spend these sums vs other   necessities   of living 

 

 Bottom line We threw away the $934  of  FCC  & booked with Holland America   using the standard on line  pre boarding web site  info . 

 

 when any one arrives at any cruise terminal  the security people will not let a person into the building unless they can present a boarding pass & pass port 

 

 We have done 87 cruise pre pandemic  &  never had this many problems with any cruise line  .Princess is now on my no cruise list of cruise lines 

 

 

Have you checked the dates on your Future Cruise Credits?  They have extended the expiration date on most of them.  You may still be able to use them.
You don't have a passport?  How on earth did you travel so many times?

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, suzyed said:

You don't have a passport?  

I think the OP does have a passport.

[dog]

Sorry to hear this again.

[Lady Arwen]

19 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Have you checked the dates on your Future Cruise Credits?  They have extended the expiration date on most of them.  You may still be able to use them.
You don't have a passport?  How on earth did you travel so many times?

They have a passport but no boarding pass and that’s what concerned the OP.

[Guest ldtr]

3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We have $934  in FCC which had ti be used on a cruise in 2022 or loose it ,Well we booked a cruise into a handicap balcony cabin .when I tried for over 6  hours to get help on how to down load "Ocean Ready " on to my  I Phone  there was No help . what I came to understand is that Princess hired a lot og new  & untrained  in this matter people  .Thwen I cam across some one at their corporate headquarters who directed me to the online  unfo where I could down load my passports emergency contacts  ie  .BUT ,when I came to the last step of placing our pictures on their wen=b site I  gave up 

 

 Summation ,I am 83 & many cruisers are older generation who have the time & money to cruise . however ,this technology  is way over our  heads &  with no knowledgeable people y Princess do they really  expect the older generation ro want to sail with them vas the others with the on line pre boarding methods ;especially as inflation eats into the publics ability to  spend these sums vs other   necessities   of living 

 

 Bottom line We threw away the $934  of  FCC  & booked with Holland America   using the standard on line  pre boarding web site  info . 

 

 when any one arrives at any cruise terminal  the security people will not let a person into the building unless they can present a boarding pass & pass port 

 

 We have done 87 cruise pre pandemic  &  never had this many problems with any cruise line  .Princess is now on my no cruise list of cruise lines 

 

 

I seem to recall that you already posted about this in another stream.

 

Good there are enough curmudgeons on Princess, maybe HAL needs a few more

[san diego sue]

And HAL has a Application for your phone too.

I recently booked a HAL cruise. Dealing with their website and cell phone application, Navigator, wished it were Princess' website and the now familiar to me  Medallion Appl. Believe me, Princess' website still the easiest to use.On HAL, trying to find anything near impossible. No where does it even list your OBC (maybe it does, but not apparent).

MCRcruiser, perhaps you should deal with a travel agent that can help you through the process.I live not far from you, not an agent, but could help you download the information. I am sure there are others in your area that would also be willing to help you. Call Princess and get your FCC extended then give Princess another try.

[dog]

18 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

And HAL has a Application for your phone too.

I recently booked a HAL cruise. Dealing with their website and cell phone application, Navigator, wished it were Princess' website and the now familiar to me  Medallion Appl. Believe me, Princess' website still the easiest to use.On HAL, trying to find anything near impossible. No where does it even list your OBC (maybe it does, but not apparent).

MCRcruiser, perhaps you should deal with a travel agent that can help you through the process.I live not far from you, not an agent, but could help you download the information. I am sure there are others in your area that would also be willing to help you. Call Princess and get your FCC extended then give Princess another try.

Agree.  I am feeling the same HAL.

got use to Princess app now that I’ve used it once.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

They have a passport but no boarding pass and that’s what concerned the OP.

There is no need for a boarding pass.