Wasn't Cruising Easier Pre-Medallion?

[SargassoPirate]

On 9/12/2023 at 1:06 AM, neeko said:

I totally agree. Have cruised 23 times with Celebrity with no need of a medallion  or an Iphone. Don't own one and don't plan on getting one. I will also go old school and if that does not work for us we will be going back to Celebrity. Wanted to try Princess but now not so sure

Don't worry about it.  Despite the changes, Princess is still an option for us, as is Cunard, HAL, RCL, Celebrity, and Viking. We choose by the itinerary and cost of the cruise.  They all have their plusses and minuses. 

 

After wasting time with the app on a couple of cruises after the restart, I returned to cruising the old school way.  I show up at the pier with my paperwork and get the medallion.  Thereafter, I use the medallion to open my cabin door and to charge purchases.  I don't use the app onboard either.  When I want a beverage, I order from a human being.  

 

 

(I cannot comment on reserving a dining time for the evening MDR since I don't eat much in the evening)

[BamaVol]

I have used the app to 1 find where my wife is located on the ship 2 quickly locate a bathroom 3 check my folio from anywhere on the ship 4 determine which event I want to attend next. Other things too I’m sure, that were impossible or less convenient before the medallion app. 
 

Prior to boarding, it’s a PITA. But I’m a big fan while I’m sailing. 

[Abercrombie2019]

We used the app to find a lost medallion.  The medallion had fallen out of a wrist band when we returned from an excursion.  The app brought us to within a few feet of where the medallion had landed.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I really like the Medallion system. Sure, there are some tech glitches and frustrations, and I can totally see how it would be challenging for some to use, but it is ultra convenient for me. I love ordering drinks with my phone exactly when I want to instead of having to wait to hope for a waiter to see me trying to get his attention. Now when my drink has an attempted delivery one deck down while I’m watching from above in the Piazza, that’s another story. 🤦‍♀️

[gilboman]

I like the medallion after returning from my first cruise with one. Yes the app could definitely use some improvements especially preboarding and some of the items are not located under intuitive headings.

 

but once we were on board and had full functionality and figured out where certain things were under in the app, it was a breeze and was super easy to do everything and i liked not having to use keycard to open door and ability to see where my wife is and easier to order things without having to whip my card out to scan. 

[gilboman]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:52 PM, leck57 said:

 

Oh you can but it's nothing like a smooth process that it once was.

how so? i showed up at dining room last week on my 10 day cruise on a day where i didn't have a reservation (or delete original because i wanted a different dining room). i just show up and they scan my medallion

 

how was it smoother before? you mean before when you told them your room number? 

[leck57]

56 minutes ago, gilboman said:

how so? i showed up at dining room last week on my 10 day cruise on a day where i didn't have a reservation (or delete original because i wanted a different dining room). i just show up and they scan my medallion

 

how was it smoother before? you mean before when you told them your room number? 

 

Moreso referring to the wait times and the fact that in the past they seemed to have many more tables available for walk ups. It seems some ships do it better than others. 

[mellon1]

When in the hospital recently for surgery waiting, I saw a sign that said about how your phone has so many germs...everything you touch is on the phone.  Hmmmm  Made me think everyone is using their phone ever touching everything doing ordering, etc.  I am sure everyone is not wiping their phone down.  Maybe why sickness spreads so quickly on the ships?  We aren't interested in using the phones.  Will just put in our safe and enjoy the beauty of the islands and scenery.  We will be home soon enough and back to the phone.  LOL  

[memoak]

1 minute ago, mellon1 said:

When in the hospital recently for surgery waiting, I saw a sign that said about how your phone has so many germs...everything you touch is on the phone.  Hmmmm  Made me think everyone is using their phone ever touching everything doing ordering, etc.  I am sure everyone is not wiping their phone down.  Maybe why sickness spreads so quickly on the ships?  We aren't interested in using the phones.  Will just put in our safe and enjoy the beauty of the islands and scenery.  We will be home soon enough and back to the phone.  LOL  

We use the phone every day to get up to the date news and sports scores. Also very easy to check on folio   We don’t order things on the app as we tend to drink at the bar to converse with bartenders and others and mostly just eat meals in the MDR or on shore during port days

[Torfamm]

On 9/12/2023 at 1:06 AM, neeko said:

I totally agree. Have cruised 23 times with Celebrity with no need of a medallion  or an Iphone. Don't own one and don't plan on getting one. I will also go old school and if that does not work for us we will be going back to Celebrity. Wanted to try Princess but now not so sure

Celebrity also has an app. I love being able to use it for check-in, unlocking my door, checking menus, making reservations, booking shore excursions etc. Like Princess, passengers aren’t required to take advantage of it, but for many of us, the convenience is a real positive.

[Cruise Raider]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:27 AM, Torfamm said:

I may be in the minority, but I like the app. It’s not perfect but I really enjoy having it available both before and during a cruise

 

I definitely don’t miss the days of having to visit travel agents. I can remember how happy I was when online booking came along and I could do everything myself too. 
 

 

I am with you!  I am not a spring chicken so, I remember the days of going to the travel agent and getting the plastic folder with the tickets.  That was at least 4 decades ago.  Everything is so much easier now.  I hate waste and am so much happier with the medallion and the app, everything is digital, orders are done online, no more stacks of paperwork to sort through every day in my cabin.  
 

[Mike07]

3 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Celebrity also has an app. I love being able to use it for check-in, unlocking my door, checking menus, making reservations, booking shore excursions etc. Like Princess, passengers aren’t required to take advantage of it, but for many of us, the convenience is a real positive.

 

 You can also set the temperature of your cabin... which I really like.

 

 

[TheMichael]

I’m on team Medallion. There’s nothing like getting a drink at the bar and having the bartender simply say, “Here you go, I got you.” No fumbling for a card. Room door is unlocked when I get there. I know exactly where to meet my GF. 
 

When you think about medallions as cruise cards you never have to swipe or hand to anyone, their value becomes clearer. Their additional features (including virtual inability to lose them on the ship) are just icing on the cake. 

[kywildcatfanone]

12 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Celebrity also has an app. I love being able to use it for check-in, unlocking my door, checking menus, making reservations, booking shore excursions etc. Like Princess, passengers aren’t required to take advantage of it, but for many of us, the convenience is a real positive.

You can unlock your door from the app?  Someone mentioned change your room temp on the app?  I didn't know that.  Have my second Celebrity cruise upcoming.  Those two items might come in handy.

[Torfamm]

39 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

You can unlock your door from the app?  Someone mentioned change your room temp on the app?  I didn't know that.  Have my second Celebrity cruise upcoming.  Those two items might come in handy.

Those features are definitely available on Celebrity’s newer E-class ships. You can just scroll across the icons at the bottom of the app to find them. I am not sure if all of the older ships have been updated. The key feature is very much like the digital key in a hotel app, it has to be selected and held near the lock. It’s not quite as convenient as the medallion.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Torfamm

[BamaVol]

13 hours ago, mellon1 said:

When in the hospital recently for surgery waiting, I saw a sign that said about how your phone has so many germs...everything you touch is on the phone.  Hmmmm  Made me think everyone is using their phone ever touching everything doing ordering, etc.  I am sure everyone is not wiping their phone down.  Maybe why sickness spreads so quickly on the ships?  We aren't interested in using the phones.  Will just put in our safe and enjoy the beauty of the islands and scenery.  We will be home soon enough and back to the phone.  LOL  

Germs will not jump from your phone to your body.  Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose and eyes and you’ll be okay.

[SargassoPirate]

7 hours ago, BamaVol said:

Germs will not jump from your phone to your body.  Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose and eyes and you’ll be okay.

I clean my phone frequently not to protect just myself, but also to keep others safe as well. 😂😆

[TheMichael]

On 9/14/2023 at 5:35 AM, BamaVol said:

Germs will not jump from your phone to your body.  Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose and eyes and you’ll be okay.

 

Judging by other recent threads, the keeping-fingers-out-of-mouth part is a tough sell... 

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

Personally I love the medallion. Cut down a lot of stress on the holiday and is a reason to sail Princess again for us. One great thing for us- Having a 10 yr old I can let her find her own way back from kids club, or pop to the cabin & pick something up and know where she is. She can always find us on the big screens too (no phone for her. Yet).

 

I also thought the APP worked great…. On the ship! Pre sailing it was naff

 

For us personally it make everything easier But at no point did we HAVE to use the app. There were always staff offering to get drinks & screens to use as maps at every deck by every lift lobby. We still got the Patter on paper. You could book restaurant times on your TV or ask at the restaurant or make a phone call. The app isn’t essential at all.

 

why do some feel the need to ask for a card? use the medallion as a card. Have it on a lanyard or in a pocket, same as a card. It unlocks your door and lets you ‘pay’ for things, or make use of what’s included in your package. App honestly isn’t needed.

 

 

[MrSchwump]

20 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

why do some feel the need to ask for a card?

 

 

Because there are a lot of cranky people in the world who don’t like change. 

[voljeep]

26 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

why do some feel the need to ask for a card?

for there 'collection' of cruise cards

[Megamixer]

I think most of the people that are against the app and the medallion are more just pining for the "old way" of cruising - I frequently use the term "traditional cruiser".  I get the look and question "What is a traditional cruiser" but that's what I consider myself.  I miss the old days of traditional dining, a chocolate on my pillow along with the towel animal, getting a mint on the way out of the dining room, not worrying about making a reservation for the show, all those things.  But then I also miss paying for cable and getting all the channels without all the "tiers", not having to deal with kiosks in fast food places but times change and I attempt to adapt.  I can't recall having any problems using the app or the medallion on our last Princess cruise.  I did enjoy walking up to my cabin door and seeing "Welcome John" and having the door unlock.

Also there are still travel agents that do things the old way as much as they can.  Even though I tell her not to waste her time and money, our agent still prints out our itinerary and information from the cruise documents and she prints out and laminates our luggage tags then we get a big package in the mail.  Her company even uses an APP (gasp) with everything in it day by day including phone numbers for the airlines, hotels we've booked, travel insurance contacts etc.  I will admit to have a jewel of a travel agent and hope she doesn't retire while we're still traveling.

[Steelers36]

11 minutes ago, Megamixer said:

..............

Also there are still travel agents that do things the old way as much as they can.  Even though I tell her not to waste her time and money, our agent still prints out our itinerary and information from the cruise documents and she prints out and laminates our luggage tags then we get a big package in the mail.  Her company even uses an APP (gasp) with everything in it day by day including phone numbers for the airlines, hotels we've booked, travel insurance contacts etc.  I will admit to have a jewel of a travel agent and hope she doesn't retire while we're still traveling.

I'd rather a TA that doesn't go to that considerable expense and plow savings into my cruise fare discount.

 

Anyway, your post makes me think of the many airline and hotel Apps I use that work flawlessly and have been improved over time compared to Princess App experience.  No comparison (pre-cruise).

[Host CJSKIDS]

I for one love the technology and changes and find cruising to be much easier. Do I miss getting that plastic pouch delivered with my cruise documents, sure but handling everything on line and with an app is easy.  It's great to be able to see events happening prior to being on the ship and to tag things that I'm interested in.  Enjoy being able to make dining reservations a head of time.  

But then again, I also love using Disney's technology and use that frequently and love the bands used for everything. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I'd rather a TA that doesn't go to that considerable expense and plow savings into my cruise fare discount.

 

Anyway, your post makes me think of the many airline and hotel Apps I use that work flawlessly and have been improved over time compared to Princess App experience.  No comparison (pre-cruise).

 

One large difference in the airline and hotel apps compared to the medallion app is that there are major limits to what we can do on them.  One may book our tickets, boarding passes and changing seats or flights on airline apps or book rooms on hotel apps, there is not much more that the apps do for us.  Many hotels even move to text once you arrive for things rather than having you do them through the app.

I find the Princess app more interactive, allows us to see events going on, book dining, find ship mates, view photos, etc.  Heck we can even watch the muster drill on the app now which I like.  Much like the My Disney Experience app which updates throughout the day but has also had their issues it does offer us a bit more. 

 

I do agree with you on the TA, I'd rather have the cruise fare discount.