kamelia

May have stumbled onto explanation for why future cruises were dropped from profile on new app: you can no longer access future cruises using the app once onboard, not even by logging in using booking number. Went to OceanFront to ask why I cannot use the app to book my dining reservations for my May cruise. Same Navigator, same obfuscation. “Of course you can book them, you just have to go to the web version of the app.” I couldn’t help myself, I looked him square in the eyes and asked, “so just how helpful is this app?” As @SCX22 suggested, he immediately jumped to defense mode, saying that too many people were using the app to change their dining reservations and it messed up the booking system, so that’s why it’s no longer possible to access future cruises. SMH. On a MUCH happier note, we saw a couple of Southern Right Whales off in the distance about 20 minutes ago, a wonderful reminder of why I cruise. 🤗

OceanFront Navigator onboard assures me my loyalty level is “being fixed right now,” and “of course the Shoreside Transactions is a choice” - he was not at all willing to listen to my explanation that removing my credit card authorization meant the app indicated I had not completed the check-in process, and as I’m now onboard, I could not walk him through the steps so he could see it for himself. I was looking up the booking number for my May cruise to use it to show him, but he dismissed that idea, telling me he needed a booking number for a cruise in the next two weeks to be able to test it. ??? Have to admit, that’s a new twist on creative IT responses, and I’ve certainly heard quite a few over these past couple of years. Bottom line: wait for the next update.

I’m on Sapphire. I’m wondering if the reason you may not be seeing it for Sun is due to same issues others have been posting about with all dining reservations?

New App: Journey and Dining Reservations Just fumbled onto this. Choosing Journey takes you to two tabs, My Journey and Ship Schedule. My Journey presents a brief synopsis of the ship schedule for the day, and if you scroll down to the bottom of that page and click on Show Entire Ship Schedule that does bring up the whole day’s activities, as expected. However, if you then go back to My Journey, voila, there are the dining reservations! No shore excursions and no specialty wine tasting we booked yesterday, but hopefully including those activities will be coming in a future update. Using sapphire.princess.com is no longer available as a back-door method to get to ship activities.

I’ll see if I can get any further info on this.

Wait time was not long, BUT please remember this was in Buenos Aires so other ports are likely to be completely different.

I am onboard and can share experience embarking Sapphire Princess in Buenos Aires. When we arrived at the check-in area, we were asked, “are you green or blue?” - the only other option was “Guests Requiring Assistance,” no Platinum/Elite/Suite designation. At the desk, we were asked for our room number and passports. No QR code, no app, no credit card, nothing else. Our Medallions were provided and we were directed to the port shuttles for transportation to the ship. For the person who asked about whether or not names had been removed from the door displays, there has been a change, yes. First name and first initial of surname only. Note: still not “preferred name” even though that field is still included in the new app. JourneyView does not include either DMW or SD reservations, but you can see them under Home -> Reserve Dining and then look for the calendar with a heart in it in the upper right corner. My Shipmates is included now that we’re on the ship. (I only have one DH traveling with me - his Past Trip doppelgangers apparently decided to stay home this time.) He is not likely to use the messaging feature between us so I’ll leave that for someone else to check out. I am still showing as “New to Princess” on the new app but was given my Elite Medallion at check-in, so did not have to have it switched out. Both of us were Blue in the old app, but DH is Elite in the new app even though I am not. Re Shoreside Transactions: Payment Methods on the new app brings up this message: ”You can manage payment methods only before the start of your journey. All the charges are added to your default payment method.” I will go to Guest Services in the next couple of days to make sure our accounts are linked, and also ask for any information about how Shoreside Transactions impact my onboard account. If there are any other questions, I’ll do my best to get accurate replies. 😊 Edit to add: I thought I should have mentioned that a) we were already in the Blue Lane having chosen port pick-up for the Medallions, and b) I had removed the Shoreside Transactions authorization several days before we left, so my check-in reverted to incomplete. That decision did not have any impact on check-in, but if I find it causes dominoes to fall elsewhere, I will certainly post about it here.

My invoice is settled to my credit card on file which I have authorized Princess Cruises to use for my shipboard account.

I noticed this and wondered if it was now only available when you and your travel companions are actually onboard. I will let you know what I find out tomorrow.

I do not recall having to present my credit card when checking in at a cruise terminal in recent years, so I don’t expect to be asked to authorize shoreside transactions when I check in tomorrow. Once onboard, I will go to Guest Services when they are not busy to see if they have any way of seeing that information on their computer system. I’ll post what happens tomorrow with checking in, but it may be a few days before I have any further information about what I find onboard.

I can tell you it is not greyed out for either Europe or South America itineraries.

I would expect just the opposite. Medallion shipping costs (and Specialty Dining) should be considered as onboard transactions. Effy, Diamonds International and Senor Frog shoreside transactions.

I’ll find out on Thursday and plan on reporting back then 😊

More experimenting, more disconcerting results. I used DH's account to log into the new app this morning and it shows we are BOTH and our credit card has been authorized for Shoreside Transactions under his name. Logging in to the new app using my data showed I am still not ready to sail as only 6 of 7 items have been completed when I removed the credit card from Shoreside Transactions yesterday. If I am the lead passenger with the ability to authorize a) Shoreside Transactions (which I chose not to) and b) his ability to make charges to the credit card on file, how is it possible that he can be authorized to make Shoreside Transactions? Is anyone else able to replicate this? Also confirmed that the new app is still connected to old corrupt data. I was able to access his account using a previously identified misspelling of his name (think Steven spelled as Steeen) and there was no problem using that to bring up his reservation, intriguingly with his name spelled correctly and showing his Elite status. 🤔 I can also log in using his name spelled correctly. SMH.

Having or not having the Medallion was definitely the deciding factor for which line you were directed to. I have not been out of PE for the past two years, but I do not recall ever being asked to show the app or QR code either there or any other port we've cruised from since it was rolled out. When we have had our Medallion, they have scanned that, but still needed to check our passports. When we have not had our Medallions, they still looked at our passports and then went to collect the Medallions to give to us.

Will be happy to! 😊

Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. I was trying to access my June cruise data to see if the way to print the luggage tags could be seen on the app prior to final payment, and now the app will only allow me access to my cruise that's on Thursday. I have logged out, closed the app, rebooted my device and tried two different booking numbers and it is STILL coming up with the one that's in three days. So, would this be because I'm three days out, or because I am no longer Ready to Cruise having disabled that authorization earlier today? I'm done. I'll show up in the Blue Lane on Thursday - where I expected to be because I didn't have the Medallions shipped to my home - and deal with having to provide my credit card, make sure our onboard accounts are linked and spend my cruise monitoring the portfolio. Yep, this app sure is making my cruise memorable! 🤷‍♂️ Just as an aside, there are no vendors that accept MedallionPay on this itinerary - thank goodness I was able to access the list to figure that out. 🤣

@Thrak mentioned the same virtual credit card and I am hoping he will weigh in with his experience if he's had a chance to check it out already.

Yes, but I've ordered them for port pick-up as we don't have a package and it's not worth $10 to me just to have them in hand when we arrive at the pier. (Not even the sake of beta testing. 🤭)

Rather than confirming at check-in, go to Guest Services at your leisure once you're onboard. As long as you've got it straightened out before you disembark you should be okay. I've always found that the lead passenger can see both folios, but the authorized user can only see his/her own, so I don't believe that would be a reliable indicator. At this point, I cannot remember if I was conscious of not being able to see his on that particular cruise, so can't rule it out.

Nice that you spotted it when you did! 😊

From experience, there may be a wrinkle other than being in the Blue Lane when choosing to withhold your credit card information from Shoreside Transactions section to be aware of. We did not find out until after disembarking that choosing to uncheck the box for Radiqal meant our onboard accounts were not linked. Even though each account was settled to the same credit card we had registered when we checked in at the pier, because they were not linked, the non-refundable OBC in DH's account was not applied to offset my charges. We did finally get resolution over a year later, but it was a nuisance, and ever since I have gone to Guest Services to be sure that the accounts were linked. Just thought worth mentioning if it helps someone else avoid the same pitfall.

It posted, if that's what you're testing.

Actually, there has been a change: the team decided to "improve" the Shoreside Transactions aspect in the new app - they have added a whole list of vendors who participate in MedallionPay. Surely that information would be way more important to me to have ready access to in the app rather than a list of my upcoming cruises. 😝

With regards to luggage tags, choosing that tab takes you to the web page of your Princess.com online reservation, so the steps for printing them out haven't changed. That's the same thing as choosing the Excursions tab from the app, you're redirected to the online reservation to complete that task there as well. As far as the timing of when that tab becomes available, I can tell you it's there for my cruise in four days, but not for the cruise in 132 days. Interesting... noticed I was "Ready to Sail" for the cruise that's 132 days out so I dug a little deeper into that and discovered that my credit card has been authorized (not by me) for Shoreside Transactions. So, I tried Steelers36's suggestion of removing the credit card from Shoreside Transactions. The card is still listed for my Onboard Transactions, but I am no longer ready to sail as only 6 out of 7 items have been completed. When I looked at DH's reservation, there are no separate tabs for online or shoreside, and the card data appears as the default under his Payment Methods, so he's still set to sail. And, his Elite status is showing correctly. Continuing my beta testing quest, I logged out of my profile, relogged in using my next cruise booking number, and sure enough, I am no longer "Ready to Sail" in 4 days as I now need to provide the credit card information for shoreside transactions. (Not happenin'!) Good thing I was already quite happy to be in the Blue Lane anyway. 🤣