Medallions to replace cruise cards?

[floridalover5623]

 

 

I can look at my Patter in a second; at any location and in any light and it does not need a charged battery.

 

True, but can you unlock your cabin door or find other people on the ship with it?:cool:

[bUU]

Which is cheaper, more efficient and quicker?

Electronic distribution of information is more immediate, better able to account for late changes, and even better for the environment. Many of my faith's congregations have done away with paper newsletters in favor of electronic, specifically in the interest of environmental conscientiousness.

 

There is very little to say in favor of paper, other than offering paper placates those who doggedly oppose change.

 

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[JimmyVWine]

I sincerely doubt that the concept of random crew members helping you with their tablets will actually occur.

Nonsense. Carnival is not spending hundreds of millions of dollars so that things can remain the same. WDW is now full of tablet-carrying Cast Members who do all sorts of things that they didn't do before. From what I can see, Medallion Class sailing is going to take this to an even higher level. And let's not forget where the payoff is. Staff reduction. The digital system will allow Princess to decrease staff, retrain the remaining crew to perform more diverse functions, and ease that along with digital upgrades. The capital expenditure of this technology has to flow back in either overhead savings, increased passenger spending, or both. And they are counting on both. Remember the Golden Rule. No company spends hundreds of millions of dollars on changes and upgrades just to make the customers happy. They spend the money so that they can earn back more in return. Here, part of the return is a more diversely functioning workforce with less compartmentalization of tasks.

[JimmyVWine]

A passenger should be able to find out that information without having to locate a working digital device, sign in, and figure out how to navigate to the answers.

 

Exactly!...

I can look at my Patter in a second; at any location and in any light and it does not need a charged battery.

Your Patter tells you when the MDRs are open. It cannot tell you when your seating is. It can tell you the Crown Grill's operating hours. It cannot tell you when your reservation is. The Patter can tell you when you will pull into and out of port. It cannot tell you what excursion you have booked, where to assemble and at what time. And on and on and on. The Patter is static information. The Compass is dynamic information. It is much faster, much cheaper and much easier to use than whatever system you use now to keep track of all this information. What do you use now? Spreadsheets? Hand written notes? Folders of printed out confirmation pages? Remember the days when you had your airline tickets, rental car information, hotel bookings and cruise itineraries all printed out in folders? Now you put that all into TripIt. One easy place to see 100% of your travel information complete with barcode boarding passes. And now you rent a car by using your phone to scan a QR Code on the driver's side window of your car. And you open your hotel room door with a bluetooth signal from your phone. Every segment of the leisure travel industry is transitioning over to smartphones for ease of use. The cruise industry is simply "next".

[JimmyVWine]

The only solutions to that equation all involve new efficiencies. Passengers who want those old inefficiencies have to be prepared to pay a lot for them, i.e., choose a much higher grade cruise line rather than sticking with the same one as in the past.

 

Electronic distribution of information is more immediate, better able to account for late changes, and even better for the environment.

 

Exactly! Somebody who truly "gets it".

[bUU]

And I'm here at Walt Disney World watching the evolution of destination vacations in action. I'm not sure the cruise lines will implement all these changes soon, but I bet we'll see each and every one of them reach the cruise lines by 2025.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[Hdnwaters]

And I'm here at Walt Disney World watching the evolution of destination vacations in action. .

 

 

Love me some WDW! RFID chips are going to continue to evolve ..... they help find a lost pet, keep track of your vehicle on toll roads, open a security gate, and even take a video of you in a theme park! For cruise ships, it will be for improvements in the "process". It's coming, like it or not.

 

When visiting another major theme park in the Orlando area in January, we carried around a piece of copy paper with a barcode, go figure!?!?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Potstech]

Your Patter tells you when the MDRs are open. It cannot tell you when your seating is. It can tell you the Crown Grill's operating hours. It cannot tell you when your reservation is. The Patter can tell you when you will pull into and out of port. It cannot tell you what excursion you have booked, where to assemble and at what time. And on and on and on. The Patter is static information. The Compass is dynamic information. It is much faster, much cheaper and much easier to use than whatever system you use now to keep track of all this information. What do you use now? Spreadsheets? Hand written notes? Folders of printed out confirmation pages? Remember the days when you had your airline tickets, rental car information, hotel bookings and cruise itineraries all printed out in folders? Now you put that all into TripIt. One easy place to see 100% of your travel information complete with barcode boarding passes. And now you rent a car by using your phone to scan a QR Code on the driver's side window of your car. And you open your hotel room door with a bluetooth signal from your phone. Every segment of the leisure travel industry is transitioning over to smartphones for ease of use. The cruise industry is simply "next".

 

Currently travelling out of the country and so far both airlines have said they prefer paper boarding passes. Customs still requires a form in order to enter countries. Several peole where having problems withcell phone apps.

[JimmyVWine]

Currently travelling out of the country and so far both airlines have said they prefer paper boarding passes.

Because they haven't made the capital investment yet on better digital readers. Plus, foreign travel presents its own set of pitfalls with compatibility issues. Generally speaking airlines are going digital. When you make your airline reservation, they now charge you extra to speak to an agent. Why? Because they want you to do it on line. Result? Staff reductions with fewer agents working the phone lines. When you check in, there are only one or two agents working the counters unlike the past when there were half a dozen or more. Why? Because they want you to use a kiosk to check in and declare your luggage. Result? Staff reductions with fewer agents working the counters. Every travel provider has an app now that will allow you to go from A to Z with all of your travel needs. That trend is not slowing down any time soon.

[caribill]

True, but can you unlock your cabin door or find other people on the ship with it?:cool:

 

No. But nobody is complaining about using the Medallion for that.

 

But there should not be a need to have a digital device to access to learn what dining room and table you are assigned to. That is info which currently is on your cruise card.

[caribill]

A statement from CCL Corp about using the Medallion:

 

"Your medallion is also keyless entry to your room, but if you lose it and someone else picks it up, they can’t get in your room because we have multiple identification techniques."

 

Can anyone suggest how a lost medallion cannot be used to get into your cabin, at least before you report it lost and it is deactivated?

 

It has your name on it and it is not difficult to find out which cabin you are in.

[pablo222]

I sincerely doubt that the concept of random crew members helping you with their tablets will actually occur..

 

I think people will be cranky if they finish dinner, and are waiting for coffee ... while their waiter is helping someone at another table enter a spa reservation on a tablet.

[floridalover5623]

This may have been asked before but what if I leave home before receiving the Medallions? Where will I get them from? Pass Services desk?

I'm assuming I'll board just like in the past with printed boarding passes- just without any Medallion.

[JimmyVWine]

I think people will be cranky if they finish dinner, and are waiting for coffee ... while their waiter is helping someone at another table enter a spa reservation on a tablet.

 

But it probably won't be a waiter. One of the benefits of using medallion data to "take attendance" at various venues is to redistribute the workforce in real time. Right now, the ship assigns crew members to venues based on projected need. In the future, it will probably be based on actual need. So slower venues can afford to "lend" crew members to other busier venues so that the original staff is not overburdened. "Looks like the IC is empty right now. Have Ingrid head over to the exit of the MDR with a tablet and ask departing diners if there is anything they need." "Wow. The Neptune Pool area is packed. Send a couple of servers from the Outrigger area over to that area for a while."

[Musky Ike]

A statement from CCL Corp about using the Medallion:

 

"Your medallion is also keyless entry to your room, but if you lose it and someone else picks it up, they can’t get in your room because we have multiple identification techniques."

 

Can anyone suggest how a lost medallion cannot be used to get into your cabin, at least before you report it lost and it is deactivated?

 

It has your name on it and it is not difficult to find out which cabin you are in.

 

I had not seen that statement. Maybe face recognition software also? Even without a secondary ID check, a lost medallion would be no worse than a lost cruise card. Unless you want to loan your medallion to someone from another cabin to get into your room for some reason, this would seem to be a good idea.

[Musky Ike]

No. But nobody is complaining about using the Medallion for that.

 

But there should not be a need to have a digital device to access to learn what dining room and table you are assigned to. That is info which currently is on your cruise card.

 

Yes, I presume we would be given that information before or at check in. As you enter the dining room the system will know the table you are assigned so wait staff can easily direct you. It would also know if you are assigned traditional and trying to crash anytime:)

Edited March 9, 2017 by Musky Ike

[GUT2407]

Your Patter tells you when the MDRs are open. It cannot tell you when your seating is. It can tell you the Crown Grill's operating hours. It cannot tell you when your reservation is. The Patter can tell you when you will pull into and out of port. It cannot tell you what excursion you have booked, where to assemble and at what time. And on and on and on. The Patter is static information. The Compass is dynamic information. It is much faster, much cheaper and much easier to use than whatever system you use now to keep track of all this information. What do you use now? Spreadsheets? Hand written notes? Folders of printed out confirmation pages? Remember the days when you had your airline tickets, rental car information, hotel bookings and cruise itineraries all printed out in folders? Now you put that all into TripIt. One easy place to see 100% of your travel information complete with barcode boarding passes. And now you rent a car by using your phone to scan a QR Code on the driver's side window of your car. And you open your hotel room door with a bluetooth signal from your phone. Every segment of the leisure travel industry is transitioning over to smartphones for ease of use. The cruise industry is simply "next".

 

I still take that folder of documents, perhaps too many years in the IT world.

 

And unless and until everyone has a smart device (and I still know many that don't) and internet access that is reliable and at least cheap, preferably free, many others will do the same.

[Carolyn R]

Since the medallion will eliminate check in at the port, the savings in that respect will be huge.

[pablo222]

So slower venues can afford to "lend" crew members to other busier venues so that the original staff is not overburdened.

 

That currently happens in dining.

Head waiter in charge of busy venue

pages head waiter in another section,

and asks for help.

[pablo222]

Since the medallion will eliminate check in at the port, the savings in that respect will be huge.

 

I don't think you can bypass check-in.

Princess still has an obligation to check your travel documents (passports, visas, etc.) before they embark you.

 

Even if you have entered them in the personalizer beforehand, they have to insure that you actually have a passport (or whatever is required)

[Potstech]

Because they haven't made the capital investment yet on better digital readers. Plus, foreign travel presents its own set of pitfalls with compatibility issues. Generally speaking airlines are going digital. When you make your airline reservation, they now charge you extra to speak to an agent. Why? Because they want you to do it on line. Result? Staff reductions with fewer agents working the phone lines. When you check in, there are only one or two agents working the counters unlike the past when there were half a dozen or more. Why? Because they want you to use a kiosk to check in and declare your luggage. Result? Staff reductions with fewer agents working the counters. Every travel provider has an app now that will allow you to go from A to Z with all of your travel needs. That trend is not slowing down any time soon.

 

Sorry but I have never been charged more to make an airlines reservation just to talk to an agent. Everytime I use a kiosk I then have to talk to an another agent to finish checking in and to board the plane. I never use an airline app to get from A to Z and I travel quite often. Sorry about that.

[floridalover5623]

No. But nobody is complaining about using the Medallion for that.

 

But there should not be a need to have a digital device to access to learn what dining room and table you are assigned to. That is info which currently is on your cruise card.

I'm sure they'll be a paper in your cruise docs telling you which DR to go to.

[latserrof]

Through the app. Either this one after an update or a newly created one.

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/onboard-experience/activities/princess-at-sea/

 

Wi-fi, thanks.

[Thrak]

But it probably won't be a waiter. One of the benefits of using medallion data to "take attendance" at various venues is to redistribute the workforce in real time. Right now, the ship assigns crew members to venues based on projected need. In the future, it will probably be based on actual need. So slower venues can afford to "lend" crew members to other busier venues so that the original staff is not overburdened. "Looks like the IC is empty right now. Have Ingrid head over to the exit of the MDR with a tablet and ask departing diners if there is anything they need." "Wow. The Neptune Pool area is packed. Send a couple of servers from the Outrigger area over to that area for a while."

 

O...M...G... You are using logic and common sense. (Sorry. ;))

 

 

I agree totally with what you are saying. This technology has the potential to allow exactly what you are describing. People are freaking out about Princess knowing where they are and what they are doing. You are describing how that access can actually be of huge benefit to the passengers (as well as to the staff). Many thanks. :cool:

[cruiserking]

We've cruised several times recently on board Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas which features similar Wow Band technology.

 

Following our third and most recent run on Anthem two weeks ago, the wow band technology finally works really well.

 

However, unless the Princess Medallion is much higher tech, these bands typically just are helpful in unlocking your cabin and paying for drinks and ship board items.

 

You will still need to carry your ship sail card for debarking and embarking.

 

They are nifty and fun, but, I suspect it will take at least a year or two to iron out the kinks.

 

Jonathan