Brother in law refuses to use medallion app

[rdsqrl]

3 hours ago, Times Prince said:

I would be surprised if ship's security didn't have the capability to take a photo at embarkation.  

I did not do anything in the app prior to boarding -- had to check-in and get medallion at the pier, etc.  And so when I boarded, I expected Security to take a photo, same as in the past.  They did not!  Instead, they used the nearly 3-year-old photo taken of me boarding the Emerald, my last cruise just before the pandemic.  Completely different hairstyle, so not sure how useful it was for identification purposes.  I'm wondering if that's now the photo that's going to be attached to me forever.  

 

(No, I refuse to upload my own photo on the app.  Unless and until Princess puts me on their payroll, I'm not doing the stuff their staff is actually being paid to do.) 

[Mike45LC]

People are again confusing the medallion app and the medallion itself.

 

Your brother-in-law does not need to use the medallion app for anything. He doesn’t even need to download it to his phone, he does not need to use or possess a “smart phone.“ he can completely ignore the existence of a Medallion app.

 

The medallion app is useful for ordering food and beverages, for which I do not use it. I order my beverages from a bar or cocktail waitress, and I get my food myself from the food venue.  I have never used room service on a ship — I don’t like stinking my cabin up with food.

 

The physical medallion your brother-in-law will need to use, unless he gets a physical card instead. The two are kind of interchangeable. The physical medallion will unlock his cabin door, will identify him and his shipboard account for any purchases, beverages, etc. It will also identify him whenever he leaves or returns to the ship.  The physical medallion is linked to his photograph for Security.

 

I was initially very reluctant to accept the physical medallion, but I’m over it by now. After all, the security cameras already track me completely, so the physical medallion doesn’t steal much privacy.

[cr8tiv1]

43 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

People are again confusing the medallion app and the medallion itself.

 

Your brother-in-law does not need to use the medallion app for anything. He doesn’t even need to download it to his phone, he does not need to use or possess a “smart phone.“ he can completely ignore the existence of a Medallion app.

 

The medallion app is useful for ordering food and beverages, for which I do not use it. I order my beverages from a bar or cocktail waitress, and I get my food myself from the food venue.  I have never used room service on a ship — I don’t like stinking my cabin up with food.

 

The physical medallion your brother-in-law will need to use, unless he gets a physical card instead. The two are kind of interchangeable. The physical medallion will unlock his cabin door, will identify him and his shipboard account for any purchases, beverages, etc. It will also identify him whenever he leaves or returns to the ship.  The physical medallion is linked to his photograph for Security.

 

I was initially very reluctant to accept the physical medallion, but I’m over it by now. After all, the security cameras already track me completely, so the physical medallion doesn’t steal much privacy.

 

The medallion IS ABLE to function just like the cruise card: 

It will open you door.

It will get you on and off the ship. 

It can "pay" for your purchases and drinks.

 

On the Medallion APP, he is able to turn off the "find me" locator so the medallion will not show where he is to his friends friends.

 

You can "chat" with him through the Medallion APP, but he doesn't need to respond.

 

His security photo will be on the cruise card or the medallion.  It is a required function to get on and off the ship.  Has he cruised before?  Is he able to understand that Princess will track him when he goes in and out of the room or off the ship?  If he buys anything from the stores or bars?

 

Bottom line, he can stick with the cruise card, but it won't change the information Princess will gather from him.  @Mike45LC did a good job in his post.

[SCX22]

You can get the Medallion completely deactivated at Guest Services.  They will exchange it for an ENGRAVED, personalized cruise card, so you can totally leave the Medallion behind.  I end up doing this because I find the Medallion too big to carry around and I don't silently scream "tourist" in port. Not one to carry a bag (man purse/backpack), so finding a place to hide the Medallion is a problem for me.  The cruise card fits neatly into my wallet and into my pocket.  Funny thing is, I never get asked for my stateroom number upon ordering when I have the full version of the cruise card.  The crew just asks me to tap my card onto their device.  Also, when I had the Medallion completely deactivated, my location always showed I was in my stateroom on the Medallion App when my shipmates tried tracking me on the app.

 

If you decide you want a hybrid Medallion and cruise card, the cruise card will be blank and you can use it to unlock your door, but you cannot use it as a your ID for getting on and off the ship.

 

Upon blatantly asking my cabin steward, all of the crew's Medallions are for tracking purposes only. They are issued cruise cards as their IDs for getting on and off the ship.  The cabin stewards have a master key card that is activated to open the staterooms they are servicing for the sailing.  My point in this is that the Medallion is a gimmick invented for guests and to keep tabs on the crew.

[brisalta]

30 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

You can get the Medallion completely deactivated at Guest Services.  They will exchange it for an ENGRAVED, personalized cruise card, so you can totally leave the Medallion behind.  I end up doing this because I find the Medallion too big to carry around and I don't silently scream "tourist" in port. Not one to carry a bag (man purse/backpack), so finding a place to hide the Medallion is a problem for me.  The cruise card fits neatly into my wallet and into my pocket.  Funny thing is, I never get asked for my stateroom number upon ordering when I have the full version of the cruise card.  The crew just asks me to tap my card onto their device.  Also, when I had the Medallion completely deactivated, my location always showed I was in my stateroom on the Medallion App when my shipmates tried tracking me on the app.

 

If you decide you want a hybrid Medallion and cruise card, the cruise card will be blank and you can use it to unlock your door, but you cannot use it as a your ID for getting on and off the ship.

 

Upon blatantly asking my cabin steward, all of the crew's Medallions are for tracking purposes only. They are issued cruise cards as their IDs for getting on and off the ship.  The cabin stewards have a master key card that is activated to open the staterooms they are servicing for the sailing.  My point in this is that the Medallion is a gimmick invented for guests and to keep tabs on the crew.

 

If you are tapping your cruise card on the device it indicates it has a passive near field device in it otherwise known as an RF ID tag.  Guess what? The Medallion readers all over the ship have both bluetooth and near field device readers.

[brisalta]

8 hours ago, malba2366 said:

That's his choice.  Let him deal with it at check in...surely it will not be as smooth as if he takes pictures of the passport and enters it into the princess app. 

 

You can enter passport details manually in the Medallion App. You do not have to take a picture of the passport.

[cr8tiv1]

Sure, he can do without a medallion.  I'm speculating here.  Never tried it so don't have exact scenario.  With his cabin mate have a medallion and checked in using the Medallion APP?  Will he have a boarding time?  Will he have pre-ordered or pick up at port medallion?

 

• Stand in a line to get to an agent in the terminal.

• Show the agent your passport and other documents that weren't loaded on to the app.

I am not sure they have "ready made cruise cards" at the desk.  They will have his medallion waiting for him if it was not sent to the house.

• Stand in line to have security take his photo.

• Stand in line at the Customer Service Desk to turn his medallion (that got him on the ship) for a cruise card.

 

I hope you aren't checking in with him.  Get on the ship faster, have fun, and enjoy embarkation lunch.  Let him enjoy his desire to go medallion-less.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

His security photo will be on the cruise card or the medallion.

 

No, it will not be on either of these.

 

The only information on both of these is an ID number which is linked by reading devices to the ship's computers which have the photo and all of the other passenger information on it.

[caribill]

9 hours ago, debster11 said:

My brother-in-law is one of those who thinks everyone is watching. He refuses to allow access to his photos and camera.

 

I assume your brother-in-law never uses a cell phone on land since that is tracked more than he would ever be tracked on a cruise ship.

[SCX22]

21 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

If you are tapping your cruise card on the device it indicates it has a passive near field device in it otherwise known as an RF ID tag.  Guess what? The Medallion readers all over the ship have both bluetooth and near field device readers.

I guess my point was the cruise card is still more efficient because the crew would not even ask me for my stateroom number when ordering.  With the Medallion, speaking from my experience, the waiters will still ask for a verbal confirmation of your stateroom number.  With the card, that verbal exchange never happened.  Just tapped to pay for what ever I need to pay for like a credit card.

 

But yeah, the cruise cards are all RFID embedded.  Devices that use magnetic strips are obsolete on Princess shops.  I like the cruise card because, for me, it's easier to tote around in my wallet.  I don't want to have to wear non-clothing items, unless it's a watch--automatic and not smart.  Also the magnetic field is less with the cruise card; already have too much exposure with cell phones now a days.

 

If Princess was really savvy, they would develop a way to have your cell phone as the main device to do everything on the ship.  Major hotels chains and transit agencies have adapted to this technology.

[SCX22]

31 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Sure, he can do without a medallion.  I'm speculating here.  Never tried it so don't have exact scenario.  With his cabin mate have a medallion and checked in using the Medallion APP?  Will he have a boarding time?  Will he have pre-ordered or pick up at port medallion?

 

• Stand in a line to get to an agent in the terminal.

• Show the agent your passport and other documents that weren't loaded on to the app.

I am not sure they have "ready made cruise cards" at the desk.  They will have his medallion waiting for him if it was not sent to the house.

• Stand in line to have security take his photo.

• Stand in line at the Customer Service Desk to turn his medallion (that got him on the ship) for a cruise card.

 

I hope you aren't checking in with him.  Get on the ship faster, have fun, and enjoy embarkation lunch.  Let him enjoy his desire to go medallion-less.

It really adds minimal time to your check-in to have done nothing prior.  Then you don't have to deal with the Green Lane not showing on the app bologna that is always a topic on this forum.  This is speaking from having the experience of checking in my great grandma the old fashioned at the port because she doesn't own a cell phone.

 

Cruise lines wouldn't design a convoluted check-in system because they are working against time at the port.  The have to process thousands of people and only have a finite amount of time do it and get the ship ready to sail by the published departure time.

 

Remember in the old days before all this technology, the port agents had to check everyone in, one by one, the old fashioned way?  If they were able to do so back then and achieve and an on time departure, what would prevent them from doing that in today's world?

 

Also, not quite sure what the rush to be on the first on ship is about.  There was only one true first passenger on the ship and that was the first guest to step foot on the ship on the inaugural sailing.  You'll have ample time to enjoy the ship on your vacation.

[caribill]

38 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Also, not quite sure what the rush to be on the first on ship is about.  There was only one true first passenger on the ship and that was the first guest to step foot on the ship on the inaugural sailing.  You'll have ample time to enjoy the ship on your vacation.

 

Two possible reasons:

o Want to get to Sanctuary as fast as possible to book time there.

o Want to eat embarkation lunch in the dining room before it closes to new entry at 1:30 PM.

 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

No, it will not be on either of these.

 

The only information on both of these is an ID number which is linked by reading devices to the ship's computers which have the photo and all of the other passenger information on it.

Thank you for the technical explanation.  Maybe I should have phrased it differently.  Both the card and the medallion will have access to his security photo (and other information).  Therefore, both work similarly.  
 

Is that more accurate?  Love it when others fill in the missing gaps in my thinking. Fingers, brain, and wording do not always sync.  

[caribill]

6 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Both the card and the medallion will have access to his security photo (and other information).  Therefore, both work similarly.  
 

 

absolutely correct

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, SCX22 said:

I end up doing this because I find the Medallion too big to carry around and I don't silently scream "tourist" in port. Not one to carry a bag (man purse/backpack), so finding a place to hide the Medallion is a problem for me.  The cruise card fits neatly into my wallet and into my pocket. 

If your pocket is big enough to hold a wallet, it is certainly big enough to hold the medallion, which is no more than an inch wide.

Just checked - medallion is slightly over an inch in diameter and 1/4 inch in depth. How is that "too big" ?

Edited March 13, 2023 by wowzz

[Coral]

4 hours ago, SCX22 said:

You can get the Medallion completely deactivated at Guest Services.  They will exchange it for an ENGRAVED, personalized cruise card, so you can totally leave the Medallion behind.  I end up doing this because I find the Medallion too big to carry around and I don't silently scream "tourist" in port. Not one to carry a bag (man purse/backpack), so finding a place to hide the Medallion is a problem for me.  The cruise card fits neatly into my wallet and into my pocket.  Funny thing is, I never get asked for my stateroom number upon ordering when I have the full version of the cruise card.  The crew just asks me to tap my card onto their device.  Also, when I had the Medallion completely deactivated, my location always showed I was in my stateroom on the Medallion App when my shipmates tried tracking me on the app.

It is the size of a fat quarter. It should fit in a pocket easily. 

 

While I can think of several reasons for not wanting a medallion - carrying it around is not one of them. I guess as one who has to carry around fobs and keys every day for work - this is minimal. 

[wowzz]

22 minutes ago, Coral said:

While I can think of several reasons for not wanting a medallion -

Apart from those people with a pace maker, I'm not sure I've seen a single rational argument for not wanting to use a Medallion. 

[Coral]

27 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Apart from those people with a pace maker, I'm not sure I've seen a single rational argument for not wanting to use a Medallion. 

I completely agree. I don't remember if those with pace makers can carry them in their pocket or not. I forgot where that discussion led by those who were advised by their doctors what to do.

 

Though I think the technology is over-rated. I am fine with a cruise card but whatever..... I pick my battles.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Coral

[CapnCrews]

10 hours ago, rdsqrl said:

(No, I refuse to upload my own photo on the app.  Unless and until Princess puts me on their payroll, I'm not doing the stuff their staff is actually being paid to do.) 

 

Did you say the same thing to the State Department when they forced you to get your own photo done for your passport?

[HotRoot]

We have not cruised Princess since this Medallion stuff started.  My cruise card is always in my husband's pocket.  Does this still work with a Medallion.  Is there any need for me to actually have it in my possession?  

[wowzz]

40 minutes ago, HotRoot said:

We have not cruised Princess since this Medallion stuff started.  My cruise card is always in my husband's pocket.  Does this still work with a Medallion.  Is there any need for me to actually have it in my possession?  

As long as you are with your husband, you do not have to have it with you. Obviously if you want to order a drink, open your cabin door etc, and you are on your own, then you need to have your Medallion with you.

[Roberto256]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

No, it will not be on either of these.

 

The only information on both of these is an ID number which is linked by reading devices to the ship's computers which have the photo and all of the other passenger information on it.

I was going to reply the same, but I knew that would cause the poster to bash me.

 

It would be a big security hole if the picture were on the medallion, or card.

A clever passenger could change it to whatever they would like.

 

[kywildcatfanone]

Not an issue, but will take a bit more time to process.

[cruzsnooze]

17 hours ago, debster11 said:

Is it mandatory to use the medallion. My brother-in-law is one of those who thinks everyone is watching. He refuses to allow access to his photos and camera. Does he somehow bypass this? I apologize if this has already been asked.

It's no problem and takes no time at check in. Many people don't use the medallion because it has a magnet that can interfere with implants like a pacemaker. He can get a regular cruise or if he takes the medallion he can put it in a rfid blocker sleeve so he won't be tracked.

[wowzz]

22 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

so he won't be tracked.

If that's what he wants to believe, fine. Obviously,  if Princess want to track him, they can anyway via the cctv system.

Why is he worried about being tracked anyway ?