Medallions to replace cruise cards?

[Colo Cruiser]

I haven't read all 15 pages, but if someone could answer. Last cruise, I took my Vera Bradly purse with me, we were on an 8 night cruise, I am very well aware about magnets vs any credit card.....KEY card demagnetizing when near a magnet. I was very careful about the placement of the card in my purse and aways put it on the side away from the magnet, BUT 5 times I had to go to PS to get a new card, as the previous one stopped working. Would the same prevail for these new Medallions?

 

 

Was it near your phone?

[myfuzzy]

Thanks all for your "kind" answers, I am technology disadvantaged and have no clue how anything works, I can't even put photos here on CC. :(

[myfuzzy]

Was it near your phone?

 

No way, once on the ship, its turned off and put into the safe until we are at the airport on the way home, to text the kids where we are.

[Lucky TGO]

Thanks all for your "kind" answers, I am technology disadvantaged and have no clue how anything works, I can't even put photos here on CC. :(

 

Welcome to my club :). When I have trouble with my computer. I just call the my grandson and yell help. :)

Tony

[myfuzzy]

Welcome to my club :). When I have trouble with my computer. I just call the my grandson and yell help. :)

Tony

 

The other day my 4 year old was over and needed help with HIS tablet, it needed wifi or whatever it is, so my DH is setting it up....he goes....I can do it from here :o

[latserrof]

According to AdWeek they're prepping a marketing campaign with "educational-but-compelling ads and content to get consumers to understand how the system works." /quote]

 

Thanks, interesting article, for those reading the tea leaves. More marketing-speak, contradictions. Confusion reigns!

 

http://www.adweek.com/digital/princess-cruises-is-using-sensor-based-technology-to-personalize-your-experience-onboard/

[latserrof]

According to AdWeek they're prepping a marketing campaign with "educational-but-compelling ads and content to get consumers to understand how the system works." /quote]

 

Thanks, interesting article, for those reading the tea leaves. More marketing-speak, contradictions. Confusion reigns!

 

http://www.adweek.com/digital/princess-cruises-is-using-sensor-based-technology-to-personalize-your-experience-onboard/

OK, I'm replying to my own reply, but can't resist because it's so perfect:

 

 

From the above AdWeek article, Princess pres Jan Swartz:

 

“We always serve warm cookies and milk at random points of the day,” Swartz offered as an example. “It’s a surprise-and-delight moment for our guests. We’ll send a [medallion] notification, ‘Hey, heads-up, warm cookies and milk are about to be ready.'”

 

Well, Jan, maybe it was a "surprise-and-delight" moment, but it will soon be another annoying (for some) intrusion on the @?#+ phone.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise in real time or through your device?

 

 

(And if the data supports it, they'll start charging for the cookies and milk.)

[easyboy]

Thanks, interesting article, for those reading the tea leaves. More marketing-speak, contradictions. Confusion reigns!

 

http://www.adweek.com/digital/princess-cruises-is-using-sensor-based-technology-to-personalize-your-experience-onboard/

Didn't know it will be mailed.

[SadieN]

Is she saying we don't need our phones/tablets to be notified about the cookies and milk or is it confused writing?

Is it like the Dumbledore's Army coins?

*****

Quoted from the article linked in the above post.

 

 

.......board the ship within minutes, open their room door without taking out a key, etc.”

 

“Some people don’t want to carry around their phones,” Swartz remarked. “A real-time algorithm will send them notifications about certain activities, some complementary, some for a charge. That algorithm gets smarter every minute. We have a team of people; we have over 70 technology vendors that contribute with everything from satellite connectivity to

contribute with everything from satellite connectivity to Compass, which is our digital interface.”

 

The data-based system will also inform service staffers about a customer’s likely wants and needs. “If you have a soy latte at 9 a.m. every morning, you won’t have to ask for it—we’ll be able to say, ‘Would you like your morning latte?'” she said. “People won’t be staring at a phone screen thanks to the Ocean Medallion, and you’ll be enhancing their experience.”

 

“We always serve warm cookies and milk at random points of the day,” Swartz offered as an example. “It’s a surprise-and-delight moment for our guests. We’ll send a [medallion] notification, ‘Hey, heads-up, warm cookies and milk are about to be ready.'”

 

Using the ship’s app, guests can also ping staff to come find them to fulfill a request. It’s all part of Swartz’s larger strategy to make her brand’s mobile customer service cutting edge in the world of data-based marketing.

[Lucky TGO]

Didn't know it will be mailed.

 

It was said right from the start on one of the promotions from Princess. It also said your name will be engraved on the back of the Medallion when you receive it.

Tony

[pablo222]

“A real-time algorithm will send them notifications about certain activities, some complementary, some for a charge. That algorithm gets smarter every minute. We have a team of people; we have over 70 technology vendors that contribute with everything from satellite connectivity to

contribute with everything from satellite connectivity to Compass, which is our digital interface.”.

 

And people here were crying that they would be disturbed if princess managed to add notifications to their messenger.

I think those people will find this very upsetting.

[bUU]

Well, Jan, maybe it was a "surprise-and-delight" moment, but it will soon be another annoying (for some) intrusion on the @?#+ phone.

Nonsense. This is straight out of the playbook of 1950s and 1960s Catskills resorts, except instead of sending such notifications in a subtle manner through the Medallion the Catskills resorts would blare such notifications through scratchy loudspeakers, which were generally far louder than reasonable because they couldn't afford enough of them to have them set for a reasonable volume yet still be audible throughout the resort.

 

As a matter of fact, one of the promises of such technology is that they afford us the opportunity to one day be able to do without announcements over the PA system of the ship.

 

And one of my big concerns about naysayers and others who will resist adopting and using new technology like this: That we'll all continue to be subjected to excess beckoning from the PA system, because of the perhaps few passengers who won't move with the rest of us into the 21st century.

 

If it was up to me, I'd say that such new technology is the way. Cruise lines should charge a surcharge for those without a suitable personal device (if necessary) and issue one to such passengers for the duration of the cruise, and have that approach replace all PA announcements not needed for safety. However, of course, the cruise lines are much more passenger-friendly than that, and will accommodate the naysayers and other technology-resisters for a good long time.

[crochetcruise]

Nonsense. This is straight out of the playbook of 1950s and 1960s Catskills resorts, except instead of sending such notifications in a subtle manner through the Medallion the Catskills resorts would blare such notifications through scratchy loudspeakers, which were generally far louder than reasonable because they couldn't afford enough of them to have them set for a reasonable volume yet still be audible throughout the resort.

 

As a matter of fact, one of the promises of such technology is that they afford us the opportunity to one day be able to do without announcements over the PA system of the ship.

 

And one of my big concerns about naysayers and others who will resist adopting and using new technology like this: That we'll all continue to be subjected to excess beckoning from the PA system, because of the perhaps few passengers who won't move with the rest of us into the 21st century.

 

If it was up to me, I'd say that such new technology is the way. Cruise lines should charge a surcharge for those without a suitable personal device (if necessary) and issue one to such passengers for the duration of the cruise, and have that approach replace all PA announcements not needed for safety. However, of course, the cruise lines are much more passenger-friendly than that, and will accommodate the naysayers and other technology-resisters for a good long time.

 

As a Legally Blind person who struggles with touch screen technology, I would be REALLY annoyed to be COMPELLED to have the added expense of hiring a compatible device and the stress of being FORCED to use it. I travel solo, so have no-one able to help me, I rely on myself.

 

Some people DO have valid reasons for not liking technology being forced on them-it is much easier for me to sit comfortably in a chair, using a prescribed magnifying device which gives me the equivalent of "Normal" eyesight to enlarge the print to receive the information.

[SteveH2508]

Any cruise line which charges to hire a device to be able to access the facilities will lose my (and many others) business.

 

How many pax will forget to charge their device?

 

I go on holiday to be disconnected from the real world and the reliance on technology. I want to see stuff and interact with people, not stare at a screen.

[bUU]

As a Legally Blind person who struggles with touch screen technology, I would be REALLY annoyed to be COMPELLED to have the added expense of hiring a compatible device and the stress of being FORCED to use it.

Of course cruise lines must comply with the ADA, and therefore any such changes to the offerings must do so as well. That's not in question. You are advocating for PA announcements, but how does that serve the needs of the legally deaf? My spouse relies on me to "translate" myriad audible instructions we encounter during travel.

 

The facilities offered must satisfy regardless of disability.

 

Some people DO have valid reasons for not liking technology being forced on them-it is much easier for me to sit comfortably in a chair, using a prescribed magnifying device which gives me the equivalent of "Normal" eyesight to enlarge the print to receive the information.

One of my best friends at work is legally blind. (As a matter of fact, she's currently recovering from a corneal transplant, so we're hoping that in the future she'll benefit from that.) She relies very heavily on technology because it improves her life. Screen readers, Braille PDAs and keyboards, and so forth have made it possible for her to operate in our team as if her disability was inconsequential.

[latserrof]

Is she saying we don't need our phones/tablets to be notified about the cookies and milk or is it confused writing?

Is it like the Dumbledore's Army coins?

*****

Article also says CCL has hundreds of ships (NOT!) and that "Princess Cruises’ guests can opt out of the program—perhaps they might feel it to be too Big Brother-like—by simply not bringing the medallion to their cruise." But the OCEAN FAQ on the Princess website says "you must carry a Medallion while onboard."

[latserrof]

Nonsense.

 

Please. Just because you do not understand or agree with another's viewpoint doesn't make that viewpoint any less valid. Certainly no need to label it "nonsense." How about a little low-tech courtesy?

[bUU]

Please. Just because you do not understand or agree with another's viewpoint doesn't make that viewpoint any less valid.

You're mistaken. Reread what you wrote. It insinuated that text messaging would result in intrusions that were somehow something new. I provided a clear reference, for which many of us have first- or second-hand knowledge, that intrusions - real intrusions - go back over 60 years. Moreover, the introduction of text messaging as a replacement for those real intrusions actually does the opposite of what you implied, from the standpoint of unequivocal comparisons based on objective fact, not subjective viewpoint. Smartphones and tablets can be set to emit a slight tinkle or even just vibrate to inform the owner that there is a message waiting - waiting - for them there. PA announcements do not wait until the recipients are ready to receive them but rather they demand everyone's immediate attention. They require everyone to stop talking with whoever they were talking with, interrupt their own discussion, because there's no way to carry on that discussion while a preempting announcement is blaring over the PA system. And even if there was, you'd then miss the announcement which very well may have been intended for you.

 

If you want to claim that the slight tinkle which can be put off to later, is somehow "intrusive" while the blaring PA announcement is not intrusive, I'd be very interested in understanding your rationale.

 

Everyone is entitled to a viewpoint - I agree with that completely. A viewpoint is akin to, "I don't like technology." However, that's not the same thing as asserting or denying objective facts and unequivocal comparisons. PA announcements make sense in the case of safety-related info. As I said above, they demand immediate attention of everyone. The only matters that warrant that are safety-related matters. There hasn't been a viable alternative until now. Now there is. But, again, I'd be very interested in understanding the evidence you are relying on for claiming that the slight tinkle which can be put off to later is somehow "intrusive" while the blaring PA announcement is not.

[Doug R.]

Any cruise line which charges to hire a device to be able to access the facilities will lose my (and many others) business.

 

How many pax will forget to charge their device?

 

I go on holiday to be disconnected from the real world and the reliance on technology. I want to see stuff and interact with people, not stare at a screen.

 

You can run and you can hide but pretty soon technology will catch up to you and you will no longer be able to resist.

[SteveH2508]

You can run and you can hide but pretty soon technology will catch up to you and you will no longer be able to resist.

 

This sums up a problem in today's world - people have lost sight of 'technology should be my servant - I shall not be a slave to technology'.

 

Technology is a tool which was supposed to make life better. Anyone remember 'the paperless office' and 'the increased leisure time' that computers would bring? Didn't happen - instead we became enslaved to the things ('computer says No' - 'The system won't allow it' - etc..)

 

It saddens me to see family groups out and about and each staring at their own tech rather than interacting and observing their environment (I saw a tourist family doing precisely this in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney recently).

 

Vacation time should be quality time with people and places - not tech time IMHO.

 

BTW - i used to teach IT and programming and I use the tech for my purposes - I will not let it dictate my whole life however.

[bUU]

This sums up a problem in today's world - people have lost sight of 'technology should be my servant - I shall not be a slave to technology'.

I feel that the worst bits of technology ever created were the door knocker, the doorbell and the telephone ringer. Anything that demands my immediate attention in order to be useful is evil.

 

It saddens me to see family groups out and about and each staring at their own tech rather than interacting and observing their environment (I saw a tourist family doing precisely this in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney recently).

That's a red herring. If it wasn't for the tech, that family would find some other way to live out the real problems that they clearly have in their relationships.

[latserrof]

You're mistaken....

 

(ellipsis mine)

 

 

 

Well thanks for setting us straight on that (and other stuff).

[SteveH2508]

bUU, to pick up on one of your examples: the telephone ringer. This is an example of where the technology can be your servant, not your master. It is called the answer machine or voice mail. We have a house rule - if the phone rings during a meal, the answer machine gets it. If it is that urgent a call we can pick up, or the caller calls back.

 

My family example is not a red herring - how many times do you see people at the same table in a restaurant staring at their phones rather than interacting with each other? (Perhaps you are also staring at your phone so you do not see them?;))

[bUU]

bUU, to pick up on one of your examples: the telephone ringer. This is an example of where the technology can be your servant, not your master. It is called the answer machine or voice mail. We have a house rule - if the phone rings during a meal, the answer machine gets it. If it is that urgent a call we can pick up, or the caller calls back.

We go one step farther. We turn the ringers off permanently. However, listening to voicemail is not an answer. It's inconvenient. It requires me to go to a phone dial a number which I could never remember enter a code and then listen. I want the messages to come to me convenient and exactly when I want them. So now when I get a phone call it goes directly to voicemail and then the voicemail is automatically transcribed, and the original audio and the transcription are sent to me by email or available to me on a website. Even my hearing impaired spouse can receive messages like this as long as people speak slowly and clearly so that the transcription software can transcribe what they say correctly.

 

Absolutely wonderful technology.

 

My family example is not a red herring - how many times do you see people at the same table in a restaurant staring at their phones rather than interacting with each other? (Perhaps you are also staring at your phone so you do not see them?;))

You misread what I wrote. What I said was that without the technology you were highlighting that family would have found some other way to avoid interacting with each other. The malady is not the technology. It's the people because people without a malady use technology for their benefit not to avoid interacting with others. Back when I was growing up people would bury their nose in a book to avoid interacting with the rest of their family during dinner. In extreme cases families simply would not come together. Johnny would get involved in all manner of activities after school over friend's house is just to avoid interacting with his family. Heck, for all we know this family is brought together by the technology in a way that they would not have been brought together otherwise. At least they're together in one place. If the malady manifested otherwise they may have not come to a way to be together.

 

So don't presume that we can tell anything about that Family and how much better or worse they would be with or without the technology. Their situation is their own. They haven't shared the details with you. You cannot guess what the alternative would have been.

 

 

 

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

[XBGuy]

Two things that I know right now about the new program:

 

 

1. Yes, I will have to carry the medallion around with me.
   
2. No, I do not have to carry a smart device around with me.
   

Until the actual rollout, everything else is, pretty much, speculative. New product announcements are, typically, filled with marketing hyperbole and, often, with misinformation. As good as much of our speculation, here, has been, and much of it has been reasonably well-informed speculation, until the actual rollout and we get reports from the initial users, nobody here really knows how this is going to work and what the true capabilities are.

 

That being said, here is my speculation. There will be issues with the rollout--40 years of professional experience makes that easy to predict. Some people will describe these issues as "annoyances." Some people will describe these issues as "disastrous."

 

I am now going to refill my popcorn bag. :D