No mobile phone

[Solent Richard]

2 hours ago, Ardennais said:

No, I didn’t go off track.

 

There are two issues as I see it anyway. 

One - how confident/competent is the passenger in using mobile technology, and to what extent does he/she have the required hardware?

Two - does the so-called app behave itself and work in all areas of the ship?

 

Now you might not have had any problems. Good. You say that the vast majority haven’t had any problems. Good. (But we must be careful when looking at P&O’s own definition of vast majority as per Paul Ludlow’s statement following the Arvia maiden!). I will be sailing on Iona next month and I also hope that I don’t encounter any real problems with the booking system. Small niggles I can cope with, they wouldn’t spoil my holiday. 
 

I fully sympathise with the posters who are evidently worrying about the app etc. They all want to enjoy their holiday. 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good one.  I trust you have the means to fully enjoy as we did...

 

 

...and...

 

 

[Gettingwarmer]

2 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Have a good one.  I trust you have the means to fully enjoy as we did...

 

 

...and...

 

 

Does the above mean you joined the Coral MDR at 7.17 with 3 guests in front of you in the queue but you weren’t called till 8.44

[Tablelamp]

For Solent Richard,

too much for my brain to bother with when I’m on holiday

[Ardennais]

1 hour ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Have a good one.  I trust you have the means to fully enjoy as we did...

 

 

...and...

 

 

Yes, I have the latest iPhone, both of us do actually. 
 

The screenshots are useful and give us an idea of what to expect. However I notice that you sailed during term time in December 2021, and wonder how many passengers were sailing at that point during the pandemic.  We will be sailing during half term - the only time we were able to squeeze in a week because of other commitments. I expect the ship to be close to full and hope that the ‘app’ works smoothly. 

[Solent Richard]

15 hours ago, Gettingwarmer said:

Does the above mean you joined the Coral MDR at 7.17 with 3 guests in front of you in the queue but you weren’t called till 8.44

Actually No. They were screen shots on different days. I just uploaded them at random from my iPhone for my cruise blog.

[Gettingwarmer]

35 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

Actually No. They were screen shots on different days. I just uploaded them at random from my iPhone for my cruise blog.

Thanks. That is good to know. 

[Sheila127]

On 1/24/2023 at 1:05 PM, Sheila127 said:

I believe you can only book at Reception, not on TV.

Having had recent experience  I did initially feel irritated that I had to access an app for booking restaurants, shows etc. But having used it I actually found it really useful and easy to use!

[zap99]

14 minutes ago, Sheila127 said:

Having had recent experience  I did initially feel irritated that I had to access an app for booking restaurants, shows etc. But having used it I actually found it really useful and easy to use!

Plenty of restaurants have QR codes on the table instead of menu's. I prefer that to some sticky old piece of card. 

[Tablelamp]

They need to replace the card then, otherwise some of us would have no idea what was on offer.

[CaptainPedantic]

Like Sheila127 we were also irritated at the thought of having to do this - but once we tried it for the first time and found how easy and convenient it was, we were actually quite impressed. And we were definitely in the "club dining only" camp before this cruise.

[davecttr]

For passengers who don't wish to or those who have difficulty using smart phones P&O need to provide an alternative. Having experienced Marellas onboard app I started using their onboard portals. These are large screen devices that you access with your cruise card. You can do most things that the P&O app does except virtual queues. Reservations and tickets are printed out. The MDR uses pagers and it works OK.

[davecttr]

29 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Plenty of restaurants have QR codes on the table instead of menu's. I prefer that to some sticky old piece of card. 

Simple answer. can I see a printed menu please, i can't read a QR code.

[zap99]

1 minute ago, davecttr said:

Simple answer. can I see a printed menu please, i can't read a QR code.

These days, not all folk want to be given a piece of card with sticky blots and other customers germs on. I prefer a QR code. You will recall in recent times, paper menu's were discouraged.

[davecttr]

Peoples requirements differ and should be catered for.

[Ardennais]

I think that another point to consider is familiarisation. Many posters here cruise several times a year and become accustomed to the apps etc. Same with eating out and QR codes. They are useful, I use them myself and the children can use them in half the time! However, if you only cruise once a year, it could be a different story. If I were cruising on Princess this afternoon, it would take me a day or two to get used to the Medallion again, and probably longer for my husband because he doesn’t use ICT for hours on end every day as I do. 

[Ardennais]

Oops, no idea how that happened!

[Clodia]

I love it!

[Tablelamp]

If you don’t have a smart phone you cannot use the app anyway.

[davecttr]

24 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

If you don’t have a smart phone you cannot use the app anyway.

Works on a tablet though you probably don't want to carry it around with you. My problem is the touch screen on a smart phone is too small for my old hands. My mobile phone is a dumb one with big buttons.

[Cruisemeister2002]

I must admit due to having a cruise in the very near future I find getting all documentation, apps and everything else associated with having a cruise these days more of a chore than a pleasure. It used to be that tickets and labels were sent to you. Now you have to print them off. Covid passes need endless proof of identity. You need a lateral flow test 3 days before the cruise with proof of who you are and the date visible. We used to receive information on excursions in a brochure, now it's online. Where some excursions such as DisneyWorld included tickets to the park only a coach to and from the park is provided, but of course charged for. Therefore unless you want to queue to get in you have to go online and obtain tickets where a day pass for The Magic Kingdom is in excess of £150 per person. You need to take masks and hand sanitiser with you. How long before they switch the engines off and send passengers to the depths of the ship where you are invited to place an oar through holes in the hull and row yourself to a destination. Don't forget to pack clothing suitable for this task. 

[Tablelamp]

Oh, are the tickets for the excursions you have booked online not left in your cabin?

[Sheila127]

16 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

Oh, are the tickets for the excursions you have booked online not left in your cabin?

Mine were in the cabin on arrival.

[Tablelamp]

When was this, recently?

[yorkshirephil]

9 minutes ago, Tablelamp said:

When was this, recently?

Ours were in our cabin in December.

[Tablelamp]

I’ve not cruised since Covid.  Now finding that technology has overtaken me. Pleasure in anticipating the cruise has gone.. it has become WORK.