Do they still have the old plastic cards or is everything the Medallion now?

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, MLBFan24 said:

I'll use the medallion, but on my May cruise, I'll attempt to also get a cruise card since I enjoy collecting them. Even if they deactivate the card, I just want the card for my collection.

My card was a blue blank ship card. No text info on it.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

Primarily for the ordering system. You can order a drink or other items via the app and they bring it right to you. They locate you via the Medallion. Virgin Voyages does the same thing. It's awesome.  I'm going to be using that quite often during our cruise on the Sky Princess. 

 

Additionally it's a great safety feature so if the rest of your party can't find you and there's concern that you're still in port or could have possibly gone overboard, they can see where your medallion is. 

If you throw your medallion overboard, are they going to call a muster because they think you have jumped or fell off the ship?

[voljeep]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

My card was a blue blank ship card. No text info on it.

I like that answer - and what Princess is doing

 

you want a card? - no problem - turn in your medallion and we will issue the blue blank ship card.

 

Perfect

[brisalta]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

Totally agree. But some individuals believe it to be some sort of plot to keep track of your whereabouts for nefarious reasons !

 

I suspect they are the same people who walk around with their cell phones turned on all the time with location turned on.😉

[startedwithamouse]

14 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

I suspect they are the same people who walk around with their cell phones turned on all the time with location turned on.😉

Exactly. They have an IP address, have a cell phone with tracking. Drive a car with tech. Yet, darn big brother isn't going to know which MDR they choose to dine in! 

[waltd]

We use the medallion all the time and we have yet to get any sort of upsell from using it.  I wish.   Wouldn't mind a few specials directed to us.  A lot to do about nothing, again.

[wowzz]

15 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

I suspect they are the same people who walk around with their cell phones turned on all the time with location turned on.😉

Although with cctv and facial recognition, ANPR cameras, gsp systems in their cars etc, their cell phones are the least of their worries.

[Stosh68]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

Totally agree. But some individuals believe it to be some sort of plot to keep track of your whereabouts for nefarious reasons !

 

The whole paranoia thing makes me laugh.

 

You're afraid of being tracked... so naturally your first thought is to book a cruise, because there's nothing more private or confining about being on a ship surrounded by miles of open ocean.  To get on the cruise, you have to provide a passport or some other valid form of ID and you've probably used a credit card to book said cruise.  Again, nothing that would allow your whereabouts to be easily determined.

 

Then, even if you don't have a medallion, the cruise card still generates a log of when you've opened your cabin door, and typically you're going to be spending at least 8 hours per day within this cabin, registered under your name, under your credit card backstopped by your passport.  This is good for keeping yourself from being tracked, even the FBI won't be able to locate you within the secrecy of your cabin.  Good on you!

 

Then you're likely going to be making dinner reservations, so the "man" is going to know where you are for another 60 to 120 minutes per day while you eat, not to mention anytime you give out your room number to get a drink, or charge other things to your cabin.  If you get off the ship, they will know, as well as the time you return to the ship.

 

We haven't even begun to discuss the hundreds of CCTV cameras watching and recording, and the onboard security staff that watches these cameras 24X7.

 

So yep, that RFID in the medallion is certainly cornerstone of the "five eyes" surveillance state, because nobody on the ship will be able to find you if you don't use it.

 

PS, don't ask for your cabin steward for the free robes.  It's well know that these contain microchips for tracking you in the spa and hot tubs.

[blondee419]

The medallions are great keepsakes, they're magnets. I have mine on my fridge. My old cruise cards? Have no idea where those things ended up, even though I intended to keep them. 

[donaldsc]

On 2/20/2023 at 2:47 PM, wowzz said:

Out of interest, why won't he use it ? It is so much more convenient than the cruise card, especially when opening your cabin door.

 

How is it easier.  If I have the card I wear it on a lanyard that I tuck in my shirt or drop it in my pocket and take out when I want to get into the room.  The card is totally flat so I don't even know that I have it on me. If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain.  I have not yet cruised on Princess post medallion so I don't yet know of any apparent advantages of the medallion but using it to open my cabin door is hardly a significant one.

 

Call me a luddite but as for now the medallion appears to be a solution looking for a problem.

 

DON

[Princessfan20]

6 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

How is it easier.  If I have the card I wear it on a lanyard that I tuck in my shirt or drop it in my pocket and take out when I want to get into the room.  The card is totally flat so I don't even know that I have it on me. If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain. 

 

Not true.  They have lanyards and many other ways people can attach Medallions to carry them effortlessly.  They are light weight and about the size of a quarter maybe  You do not have to take it out at all to open a door, order a drink or other things.  I am a believer in do not knock something if you have not tried it.  They are here to stay.

[donaldsc]

2 minutes ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

Not true.  They have lanyards and many other ways people can attach Medallions to carry them effortlessly.  They are light weight and about the size of a quarter maybe  You do not have to take it out at all to open a door, order a drink or other things.  I am a believer in do not knock something if you have not tried it.  They are here to stay.

 

We will see.  We are doing our 1st post medallion Princess cruise in July.

 

DON

[jaycruising]

8 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Just once I'd like to hear one good reason why people are leary about being tracked. 

Maybe there's something I should be concerned about after all.

People think they are much more interesting and that others care that much about what they are doing. I run into this all the time for work “I don’t want to install that as big brother will be watching me all the time”. TRUTH - big brother doesn’t have time to track you all the time, unless you are doing something wrong. 

6 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Hello.  I'll be new to Princess.  Um, why did you ask this about the casino in the context of the medallion question?  Does the casino have a different tracking method?  Traditional swipe card?

They use the medallion for the casino, I don’t believe the traditional card works in the casino. 

21 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

How is it easier.  If I have the card I wear it on a lanyard that I tuck in my shirt or drop it in my pocket and take out when I want to get into the room.  The card is totally flat so I don't even know that I have it on me. If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain.  I have not yet cruised on Princess post medallion so I don't yet know of any apparent advantages of the medallion but using it to open my cabin door is hardly a significant one.

 

Call me a luddite but as for now the medallion appears to be a solution looking for a problem.

 

DON

They being a lady who has no pockets often, carrying a card is an absolute pain in the a$$. I am not a lanyard person I feel like I am going to be chocked, again in my day to day life I have to use a card and am forever wondering where did I put it, or oh did you remember the card. With the medallion I just put it in a wristband (I bought from Amazon) and never had to worry about it, it was on me all the time and completely not intrusive and easy to access 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

7 hours ago, JGmf said:

 

Hello.  I'll be new to Princess.  Um, why did you ask this about the casino in the context of the medallion question?  Does the casino have a different tracking method?  Traditional swipe card?

You tap your medallion on the machine.  I’m not sure if the old cards still work with the slot machines.  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

How is it easier.  If I have the card I wear it on a lanyard that I tuck in my shirt or drop it in my pocket and take out when I want to get into the room.  The card is totally flat so I don't even know that I have it on me. If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain.  I have not yet cruised on Princess post medallion so I don't yet know of any apparent advantages of the medallion but using it to open my cabin door is hardly a significant one.

 

DON

The medallion is great when your hands are full and you want to open your cabin door.  The medallion unlocks the cabin door and then you just use your elbow to push the door open.
 

Also, the medallion comes with a complementary lanyard, if that’s what you want to use.   

Edited February 22, 2023 by MsSoCalCruiser

[neverbeenhere]

Google knows when you go to the bathroom and is watching. 
 

I haven’t found the medallion all that big of a deal. Not convenient for my cruise life, but not really a hindrance either. 
 

Card - Medallion don’t care. 

[Stosh68]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Call me a luddite but as for now the medallion appears to be a solution looking for a problem.

 

 

The medallion is more helpful for the staff, than it is for the guest.   The staff gets your room number, name and your photo to make it easy for them to know who you are, remember you etc.

 

However, for the guests I witnessed the following "benefits".

 

1) Yes, the door automatically unlocks.  Trivial  99.9% of the time, but I did do laundry one afternoon and my hands were full.  I didn't have figure out how to dig through my pockets and find the card with full hands, the medallion was on a band on my wrist and the door unlocked.

 

2) Muster drill.  Medallion knows your location to within a few feet.  So if somebody plays the muster drill video on the stateroom TV, everybody in your cabin with a medallion gets credit for watching it.

 

3) Maître d'.  When you walk up for your dinner reservation, they know who you are, what time your reservation is, and party and table size.  Many times I'd walk up, and get immediately greeted for dinner with "Welcome, XXX, your table for 2 is right this way, please follow me."

 

4) Drinks.  Order a drink on your phone, and the RFID allows the staff to pinpoint your location to within a few feet.  Sure, you can stand at the bar and order, but it's easier to just grab a chair/table on the deck, or anywhere within a large bar and the staff will find you.  Great for ordering drinks in the middle of trivia, bingo, slot machines etc.

 

5) Casino.  Hold up to slot machine, input your code and credits appear on the machine.   This could be a negative for some, lol.

 

6) Small children, or adults with memory issues lost or separated from family?  Pull up the app or any of the screens all over the ship and anyone you've give permission to view your location will be located on a ship's map.  Want to know if your teenagers are really at the pool, or are they in somebody's cabin playing spin the bottle?  Now you know.

 

7) Port calls.  Seemed to make determining if a guest left or had returned to the ship efficient for the crew.  Most everyone had their medallion on a lanyard, a wristband, a necklace or a lapel clip, so no waiting for everyone to dig through their pockets for a card or crew having to look up cabin numbers. 

 

8 ) Give aways.   Cruise Director had a presentation for "new cruisers" the first day.  As part of it, they did some random giveaways.   They knew who was in the room and randomed the items to those in attendance.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Stosh68

[cruzsnooze]

11 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Just once I'd like to hear one good reason why people are leary about being tracked. 

Maybe there's something I should be concerned about after all.

I hate the advertising. If you spend time in the shop they are harvesting the information. I would assume they don't harvest marketing info from cameras but only go to watch if something happens unlike the medallion which is used to market. Why does anyone need to know how much time someone spends in the laundromat? The bathroom? Sitting on deck? Because they want to see how to get more revenue. I don't need to  see myself pop up on a screen at the elevator. It feels invasive, it's not a conspiracy theory at all. 

[Princessfan20]

Obviously a lot of people take themselves way to seriously!

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

I hate the advertising. If you spend time in the shop they are harvesting the information

After various cruises with the Medallion I have not been subjected to any additional advertising.

Perhaps you could give some examples ?

[caribill]

15 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Just once I'd like to hear one good reason why people are leary about being tracked. 

Maybe there's something I should be concerned about after all.

 

I guess those people always keep their cell phone turned off when not cruising since a turned on cell phone is tracked wherever you are on land.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain.  I have not yet cruised on Princess post medallion so I don't yet know of any apparent advantages of the medallion but using it to open my cabin door is hardly a significant one.

 

 

a) When you receive the Medallion, it comes with a lanyard. However I just kept the Medallion in a pocket the entire cruise.

 

b) It unlocks your cabin door, but you still need to open the door.

 

c) When I cruised with the Medallion, I found the unlocking of the door to be the best benefit of having it. Very disappointed when I returned home and the door to the house did not automatically unlock when I approached it.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Stosh68 said:

 

The medallion is more helpful for the staff, than it is for the guest.   The staff gets your room number, name and your photo to make it easy for them to know who you are, remember you etc.

When we would order beverages in a lounge, the waiter asked for our cabin number. Much quicker for him than using a device to look at a bunch of pictures of people around him and then select the right person.

 

 

4 hours ago, Stosh68 said:

 

However, for the guests I witnessed the following "benefits".

 

2) Muster drill.  Medallion knows your location to within a few feet.  So if somebody plays the muster drill video on the stateroom TV, everybody in your cabin with a medallion gets credit for watching it.

 

No, the system knows the location of the Medallion, not your location unless you are in the vacinity of the Medallion. You could be out of your cabin the entire time the video is playing and the system would think you watched it if you left your Medallion in the cabin.(Someone else could be in the room to let you back in.)

 

 

4 hours ago, Stosh68 said:

5) Casino.  Hold up to slot machine, input your code and credits appear on the machine.   This could be a negative for some, lol.

 

The cruise card they would issue you probably also can be held up to a slot machine in the same way it is helf up to the display outside your cabin to unlock the door.

 

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, caribill said:

When we would order beverages in a lounge, the waiter asked for our cabin number. Much quicker for him than using a device to look at a bunch of pictures of people around him and then select the right person.

In our experience,  it was an even split between using our Medallions or giving our cabin number to the waiter. 

Interestingly,  the occasional mis-charges we had on our account, came from those times that we gave our cabin number out, rather than using the Medallion.  

[Torfamm]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

How is it easier.  If I have the card I wear it on a lanyard that I tuck in my shirt or drop it in my pocket and take out when I want to get into the room.  The card is totally flat so I don't even know that I have it on me. If I use the medallion I can't put it on a lanyard as easily so I am stuck w carrying it in my pocket which is a pain.  I have not yet cruised on Princess post medallion so I don't yet know of any apparent advantages of the medallion but using it to open my cabin door is hardly a significant one.

 

Call me a luddite but as for now the medallion appears to be a solution looking for a problem.

 

DON

The medallion actually comes on a lanyard. I like though that it is easy to wear on a wristband so it’s with me all the time - swimming, exercising etc are not great with a lanyard and I’m not crazy about leaving my key card lying around.
 

The hands free aspect is also helpful to me when opening doors and ordering at bars. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Torfamm