My pre-cruise experience with the Medallion app

[caribill]

OK, the Medallion app has been around a while but not on any of my digital devices.

 

It is not that I am a Luddite. We have a number of digital devices, all of which the powers that be decided that the App could not be used on. Some the App was not designed for and some had older operating systems than the App was compatible with.

 

But recently we acquired new Android digital devices that the App can run on. But I still did not rush to install the App. Having read of all the trials and tribulations of the early adopters of the App, I wanted to wait until just before my next Princess cruise to download it so it would be as up-to-date and (hopefully) as bug free as possible.

 

But two needs convinced me to bring the App into my life yesterday. We have a B2B booked (two booking numbers) for late spring and I wanted to purchase an Internet package and also set up the DMW dinner reservations for both segments. A Princess Internet package cannot be purchased through the Personalizer, so I tried to book it via phone at 1-800-Princess.

 

However, booking it that way required paying full price now and getting the 50% off due to Captain's Circle status refunded as OBC 6 months from now. The rep even checked with a supervisor but was told paying full price now was the only option. Nope, not going to do that as on another thread someone posted they could used the App to book their Internet package and only pay the 50% rate.

 

I also called Princess (separate call) to set up DMW dinner reservations for the two segments. Wanted to simply book a table to share at the same time in the same dining room for the 33 days. The helpful rep said she could do this, but had to book each night separately instead of with one request for each segment. Having read on Cruise Critic that the best chance to get the same waitstaff each night (and possibly the same table) was to do it with a single request, not by booking each evening separately. So I said thanks for her help, but not to proceed.

 

So now it was finally time to grab the App by the horns or whatever one grabs it by in order to download it.

 

It was easy to find in the App store and easy and quick to download. I signed in using the booking number for one of the segments instead of a user name and password as I was unsure if my Princess sign-in info would work with the App or if I needed to set up a different user name/password. (I still do not know that, so any voice of experience about that would be appreciated.)

 

And then I was very surprised about how well the App worked for what I wanted.

 

I easily and quickly found how to book the Internet package I wanted. Although I signed in with the booking number for the first segment, I was offered the ability to book the package for each segment with the Captain's Circle status 50% discount immediately applied. No need to give Princess a 6-month loan before getting 50% back as OBC.

 

That accomplished (and verified using the Personalizer on a desktop PC), I moved on to using the DMW path to set up the dinner reservations. Again, easy to find on the App to do this and easy to do it with a single request instead of 33 individual requests like the phone rep wanted to do.

 

In the past we almost always had Traditional dining. We like having the same shared table with the same dining companions that had been assigned to our table and the same waitstaff throughout a cruise. Also liked that Traditional dining took the guesswork out of picking a time to dine that would mesh well with Princess Theater show times. Also liked that after the organized chaos of the first evening, we could walk directly to out assigned table when the dining room doors were opened for our seating. (I realize that DMW makes no promises about having the same table, the same waitstaff or the same dining companions or even having a table available at your reserved time.)

 

Anyway, another pleasant surprise. The App recognized we are on a B2B and allowed us to make a single request for all 33 evenings instead of doing it by segment. (The Internet package required it being booked for each segment separately.)

 

Another surprise, and not a good one (which was not the fault of the App), is that the time I picked (in the hope that it would mesh with the showtimes) no longer had any tables to share available, only tables for just the two of us. For a 33 day voyage, we had hoped to be able to share a table with others. Also looking at times 20 minutes and 40 minutes both earlier and later than our selected time, shared tables were also not an available option. (Shared tables were available at some other times outside of when we wanted.) So, we then easily picked a dining room with an individual table for the entire cruise.

 

(Six months before the cruise I am surprised that shared tables were not available in either dining room around the time we wanted. The ship is nowhere close at this time to being fully booked. Before DMW, people could request a table for 2, but because there were so few tables for 2, not everyone had their request satisfied. I am not sure how Princess now has a scarcity of tables to share but numerous tables for two available.)

 

Having easily accomplished my two goals for using the App for the first time, I did one more thing, downloading the port guides for every port on the itinerary. I will really miss having the printed guides as they are a pain to read on a small screen. I hope somehow we can get them printed when on the cruise.

 

So to summerize:

o I easily downloaded the App.

o I easily booked an Internet package for each segment with the appropriate discount.

o I easily made a DMW reservation for the entire cruise

 

I am thankful for the pioneer users of the App who struggled to make the App work for them. Thanks to them, it works (so far) pre-cruise for me.

[PacnGoNow]

10 hours ago, caribill said:

OK, the Medallion app has been around a while but not on any of my digital devices.

 

It is not that I am a Luddite. We have a number of digital devices, all of which the powers that be decided that the App could not be used on. Some the App was not designed for and some had older operating systems than the App was compatible with.

 

But recently we acquired new Android digital devices that the App can run on. But I still did not rush to install the App. Having read of all the trials and tribulations of the early adopters of the App, I wanted to wait until just before my next Princess cruise to download it so it would be as up-to-date and (hopefully) as bug free as possible.

 

But two needs convinced me to bring the App into my life yesterday. We have a B2B booked (two booking numbers) for late spring and I wanted to purchase an Internet package and also set up the DMW dinner reservations for both segments. A Princess Internet package cannot be purchased through the Personalizer, so I tried to book it via phone at 1-800-Princess.

 

However, booking it that way required paying full price now and getting the 50% off due to Captain's Circle status refunded as OBC 6 months from now. The rep even checked with a supervisor but was told paying full price now was the only option. Nope, not going to do that as on another thread someone posted they could used the App to book their Internet package and only pay the 50% rate.

 

I also called Princess (separate call) to set up DMW dinner reservations for the two segments. Wanted to simply book a table to share at the same time in the same dining room for the 33 days. The helpful rep said she could do this, but had to book each night separately instead of with one request for each segment. Having read on Cruise Critic that the best chance to get the same waitstaff each night (and possibly the same table) was to do it with a single request, not by booking each evening separately. So I said thanks for her help, but not to proceed.

 

So now it was finally time to grab the App by the horns or whatever one grabs it by in order to download it.

 

It was easy to find in the App store and easy and quick to download. I signed in using the booking number for one of the segments instead of a user name and password as I was unsure if my Princess sign-in info would work with the App or if I needed to set up a different user name/password. (I still do not know that, so any voice of experience about that would be appreciated.)

 

And then I was very surprised about how well the App worked for what I wanted.

 

I easily and quickly found how to book the Internet package I wanted. Although I signed in with the booking number for the first segment, I was offered the ability to book the package for each segment with the Captain's Circle status 50% discount immediately applied. No need to give Princess a 6-month loan before getting 50% back as OBC.

 

That accomplished (and verified using the Personalizer on a desktop PC), I moved on to using the DMW path to set up the dinner reservations. Again, easy to find on the App to do this and easy to do it with a single request instead of 33 individual requests like the phone rep wanted to do.

 

In the past we almost always had Traditional dining. We like having the same shared table with the same dining companions that had been assigned to our table and the same waitstaff throughout a cruise. Also liked that Traditional dining took the guesswork out of picking a time to dine that would mesh well with Princess Theater show times. Also liked that after the organized chaos of the first evening, we could walk directly to out assigned table when the dining room doors were opened for our seating. (I realize that DMW makes no promises about having the same table, the same waitstaff or the same dining companions or even having a table available at your reserved time.)

 

Anyway, another pleasant surprise. The App recognized we are on a B2B and allowed us to make a single request for all 33 evenings instead of doing it by segment. (The Internet package required it being booked for each segment separately.)

 

Another surprise, and not a good one (which was not the fault of the App), is that the time I picked (in the hope that it would mesh with the showtimes) no longer had any tables to share available, only tables for just the two of us. For a 33 day voyage, we had hoped to be able to share a table with others. Also looking at times 20 minutes and 40 minutes both earlier and later than our selected time, shared tables were also not an available option. (Shared tables were available at some other times outside of when we wanted.) So, we then easily picked a dining room with an individual table for the entire cruise.

 

(Six months before the cruise I am surprised that shared tables were not available in either dining room around the time we wanted. The ship is nowhere close at this time to being fully booked. Before DMW, people could request a table for 2, but because there were so few tables for 2, not everyone had their request satisfied. I am not sure how Princess now has a scarcity of tables to share but numerous tables for two available.)

 

Having easily accomplished my two goals for using the App for the first time, I did one more thing, downloading the port guides for every port on the itinerary. I will really miss having the printed guides as they are a pain to read on a small screen. I hope somehow we can get them printed when on the cruise.

 

So to summerize:

o I easily downloaded the App.

o I easily booked an Internet package for each segment with the appropriate discount.

o I easily made a DMW reservation for the entire cruise

 

I am thankful for the pioneer users of the App who struggled to make the App work for them. Thanks to them, it works (so far) pre-cruise for me.

Your Princess sign in on the website is the same as the Princess App that  you downloaded.

 

I’m surprised that you can’t book shared tables with the DMW.  You may want to look at that again.

I’ve booked individual DMW for each night and the whole cruise. Makes no difference.  I have found each ship operates a little differently for seating in the MDR’s.

 

Book the time and MDR that you prefer and shared, if you can.  If you can’t booked shared, recheck that.  It may change or not be updated yet.  If you can’t get shared, then upon arrival on the first evening, speak to the DR manager, tell them you prefer shared and they can change it in the system.  However, if you dine with a group the first night, if they agree, you can all ask to be seated at the same table every night.  Some ships will do it, others, not as easy.  
 

I’m glad you finally took the plunge!  It’s actually a great App, just took a long time to improve and update.  The designing stage was lengthy!  😁

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

11 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

The designing stage was lengthy!  😁

One of the major problems IMO is that the designing stage was not nearly long enough as they got so much wrong.  Also, the testing stage was woefully inadequate.  The debugging and fix phase has turned into the longest of all.

[caribill]

27 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

I’m surprised that you can’t book shared tables with the DMW.  You may want to look at that again.

 

 

It was available for some times, but not anywhere near the time we wanted.

 

When I had tried to make the reservation with the Princess rep, she also said that shared was not available at the time we wanted.

 

 

30 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Your Princess sign in on the website is the same as the Princess App that  you downloaded.

 

 

Thanks for that information.

[caribill]

19 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

One of the major problems IMO is that the designing stage was not nearly long enough as they got so much wrong.  Also, the testing stage was woefully inadequate.  The debugging and fix phase has turned into the longest of all.

 

To me a major problem is that actual cruisers were not involved in any design review.

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, caribill said:

 

 

 

Welcome to my world.  LOL.

 

Yes, MedallionNet is broken out and offered for each segment of your full voyage.  Doesn't affect pricing, but also means you could have single device one trip and 4 on another, etc.

 

Some points consider on DMW. 

• When you elect a Shared table, you have no input nor information on what size of table is being allocated.  In fact, it may not even be the same size each night. 
• Also, there is no guarantee that anyone else the System randomly assigns to your table is interested in the same thing as you. 
• Nowhere in DMW do guests get to indicate whether they want same table and waiters for the entire voyage.  Or I really mean same Tablemates.
• The feature option to book for the entire voyage is a time-saver.  That said, there is no full-voyage delete, so you will have to delete each individual night if the need arises.  As far as I can tell and understand, the System is not necessarily assigning the same table just because this option is used versus individual bookings.  All it is looking for is open inventory space at the selected time slot.

 

 

You did not mention the ship, not that I know what is going on on all the ship by any stretch, but it could be some changes are happening that we guests are being kept in the dark about.  It is impossible to know if some shared table inventory is being kept back or it was a temporary situation you encountered.  You can always keep trying an re-book dining if you see something more attractive.

 

You mentioned "both dining rooms".  It seems that often one of the DR's is held out of DMW.  In our case, it was the one having Club Class.  With one DR held out of the system until voyage underway, it can be used to handle walk-ups or on-board requests.  CC Dining does not take up the whole space of a mid-ship DR, so they can use the remaining space to seat regular guests.  In at least some cases, they are going to use the aft DR to handle a lot of the Private same time requests or more of the Traditional type requests (my sense of things).  

 

I do think that at least some - if not most - of the DR mgmt teams are trying to accommodate guests who want same table and waiters.  This works especially well for Private party tables.  I observed both a mixed group at a large table remaining the same in composition and arrival time.  I also observed a larger table being filled around the same time, but with random guests.  

 

I think all you can do is setup the best thing you want in DMW and then get with DR mgmt for your preferred DR once on board and discuss what you want.  They may well accommodate you there or suggest an alternate DR.  

 

What they cannot help you with is if all tablemates you start off with are looking for the same thing, or whether some are transient on that night and will be doing something else later.  But, you might make a connection with one or two other couples and then maybe DR mgmt can keep you together.  It is extra work and effort in the system to put different groups together. 

 

You might try - if made a connection - sharing booking numbers so you set each other up as Travel Companions.  Then, see of you can setup a new res with your newly created dining party and either ask for Private space or Shared.  Now, your dining party is locked in together.  This is like a self-serve option with less help from DR mgmt.  OTOH, a good DR host, who can work their system, can put your cabin numbers together at a particular table.

 

Good luck.

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Steelers36

[caribill]

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

• When you elect a Shared table, you have no input nor information on what size of table is being allocated.  In fact, it may not even be the same size each night. 

 

I agree. I think it is a major design flaw. Some people prefer shared tables for four or six [people which have faster dining times than tables for eight.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

• Also, there is no guarantee that anyone else the System randomly assigns to your table is interested in the same thing as you. 

 

Of course that was also true for Traditional dining. But with TD we have made some longtime friends that we met at our TD tables.

 

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

You mentioned "both dining rooms".  It seems that often one of the DR's is held out of DMW.  In our case, it was the one having Club Class.  With one DR held out of the system until voyage underway, it can be used to handle walk-ups or on-board requests. 

 

It is one of the Princess ships that only has two MDRs and both were offered.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

I think all you can do is setup the best thing you want in DMW and then get with DR mgmt for your preferred DR once on board and discuss what you want.  They may well accommodate you there or suggest an alternate DR.  

 

 

That is our plan.

 

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Good luck.

 

 

Thanks.

[damiross]

18 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

To me a major problem is that actual cruisers were not involved in any design review.

You think the actual users of a program should be involved in the design review?  What a concept!  (Just kidding - it seems like so many programs today are based on what the programmers think is good and not what end users actually need.)

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

One of the major problems IMO is that the designing stage was not nearly long enough as they got so much wrong.  Also, the testing stage was woefully inadequate.  The debugging and fix phase has turned into the longest of all.

 

If only there had been a year or two break in cruising, where these problems could have been found and fixed,

with little impact on paying customers...

 

[LynnSD]

We were on a three week Med cruise in September.  We had pre-reserved a table for 2, but still every night they asked if we were willing to share.

  If you meet people you want to eat with every night, you can arrange that with the people who guard the door; but if you are just looking for a shared table you shouldn’t have an trouble.  

[Coral]

One warning - and it depends on the ship and if you care on this.

 

Most "table for twos" get sent to this area where there is long bar seats on one side, chair on the other and these tables for two seem to be 2" from the next table. 

 

So we did have our desired time for a table for 2 - it was at this style table which I did not want to do (and with the amount of COVID on our ship, I am glad we didn't). We worked with someone (not sure what they are called anymore) and had to change our dining time (either much earlier or later) to get a table away from this. Technically we got a Table for 3 due to the location to the wait staff's area.

 

I just did not want to sit at this style of table and wish Princess would get rid of them.

[Mike45LC]

Caribill, welcome to the brave new world!  It was great reading an upbeat post!

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

I agree. I think it is a major design flaw. Some people prefer shared tables for four or six [people which have faster dining times than tables for eight.

 

 

 

Of course that was also true for Traditional dining. But with TD we have made some longtime friends that we met at our TD tables.

Actually, when people used to elect TD at a larger table size than their cabin needed, I think it was understood you had fixed tablemates for entire voyage.  That doesn't mean everyone would stick to the scheme for full voyage, but it was the expectation

 

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

It is one of the Princess ships that only has two MDRs and both were offered. 

I had wondered.  We were on Island in early Nov (Coral is the other one).  Both DR's were offered from the get-go.  IDK whether because it was a single voyage we had booked, but I had FAR less issues with DMW for this trip.  CC dining is on Deck 5 now.  We were able to secure same table and waiters for the voyage on Deck 6 (party of 4 from 2 cabins).  In fact, we ended up at same table we had for 2 mths in 2018.  Coincidence.

 

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

 

 

That is our plan.

 

 

Thanks.

 

[wrongwaywatson]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

One warning - and it depends on the ship and if you care on this.

 

Most "table for twos" get sent to this area where there is long bar seats on one side, chair on the other and these tables for two seem to be 2" from the next table. 

 

So we did have our desired time for a table for 2 - it was at this style table which I did not want to do (and with the amount of COVID on our ship, I am glad we didn't). We worked with someone (not sure what they are called anymore) and had to change our dining time (either much earlier or later) to get a table away from this. Technically we got a Table for 3 due to the location to the wait staff's area.

 

I just did not want to sit at this style of table and wish Princess would get rid of them.

I agree with you!  These are the most awkward tables in the entire dining room!  You are closer to the people sitting next to you than if you were sharing a table with them.  If you are sharing  a table, you comment and talk to the people at the table.   In those 2 tops, you need to pretend that you can't hear what they are saying.  It is all just very awkward.  We sat at one once and said never again.  We went to the buffet the rest of the nights or to specialty dining.  We don't like to do shared dining, either.  I know some people love it and enjoy it, but we did not.   Now, we usually travel with one or two other couples and we can easily get a table for 4 or 6.  But those 2 tops need to go!