Live from the Regal Princess First Ocean Medallion Cruise November 13 2017

[glamb]

I see ya leaving now. Have a wonderful cruise!!! Hope all goes well!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dides]

We get free Loyalty MedallionNet and an initial speed test shows 23Mbps download and 93Mbps upload with a ping of 578 milliseconds

 

This is a huge improvement

 

Sandra (and mostly Chris)

[hm9912]

Look forward to hearing about guests using Ocean Medallion! Bon Voyage!

 

This new badge reader was installed outside one of our three cabins on the last night of our cruise on November 4th

A RFID replacement cruise card was required to open the cabin door. I assume a medallion or a RFID card will work?

There is no more slot on the cabin doors to insert a card.

 

 

Medallion Conversion _3189 by Howard

I used an old AAA card to keep the lights on

DSC_2302 by Howard ,

 

 

Howard

[moresun]

Thanks for the info, and sharing the excitement :)

[kyjcs100]

Just watched the Crown pull out of its Berth - Shouldn't be too long for the Regal. Assuming the new AI allows the ship to leave ;p.

 

I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't let your ship leave yet.

[tothemall&beyond]

I was told by the concierge a couple days ago that the medallion will be tested on the rooms in the 200's-300's, but she didn't say which deck. She also said that about 100 people will have them.

 

We're on Marina in the 200's and our friends are on Riviera in the 200's for our Dec 10th cruise. We both will have *****.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Just chipping in here with our experience - we walked right through to collect our medallions at the terminal in a special line. Lots of excited "Navigators" waiting to check our details and hand over our box. They took our picture and gave us backup cruise cards. Quite thrilling when Arnold Donald and the chief innovator John Padgett were swept through at the same time. Then we were shown to the theatre where our tagalongs and first names popped up on a huge screen. A Navigator then helped us put on our wristbands and we could board immediately. Still had to scan our cruise card and take our picture again though!

 

The atrium was all decked out with Medallion launch hangings.

We went straight to our cabin on Marina deck but no luck opening the door with our medallions so had to use the cruise card method. Met an IT guy who said they were working on it. Marina deck cabins M201 to M243 seem to have readers outside their rooms.

 

We tried logging onto MedallionNet but couldn't find it until an hour later- wasn't launched until 12:30 apparently. Also couldn't login to SocialOcean again but they are working on that too. Have found Ocean Concierge which replaces the old at sea app via MedallionNet

 

We have since ordered 2 drinks each using the old cruise card so waiting to see what we can use later.

 

Bumped into Aaron the ACD from majestic who is also a navigator and he said we should be able to order menu items via here and now when it is launched.

 

Spotted some accessories to buy on deck 6 when we sail - a delicate chain necklace for 64.99 and a lanyard for 7.99.

 

Back to the cabin to relax before the intro session - our luggage has arrived and the steward says no need to take lifejackets to muster!!

 

Sandra and Chris

 

What's a "tagalong"??

[dides]

What's a "tagalong"??

A tagaong is like a little avatar you can customise when you download and activate the SocialOcean app on your phone. You can select a fish, turtle or seahorse currently. It's designed to follow you around the ship on the big touch screens.

 

Sandra

[MojoJones]

OK so I'm back....

 

Carolyn - muster station B is the art gallery / calypso cove / essence on deck 7.

 

Here's what we learned at the session this afternoon:

 

 

• Jan and John welcomed us and were very appreciative of us "volunteering" to be the test group.
  
• There are around 200 medallions active on this cruise.
  
• The goal of the medallion is to redefine the guest experience and to improve our overall vacation experience.
  
• The new port terminal was designed with the medallion technology in mind. I had an opportunity to speak with Mike who designed the terminal. Also a former Disney guy and you could tell by the way he interacted with the guests. They thought about the crew as well when they did the new terminal. There are charging stations that were not there on Wednesday of last week. Mike said there are around 8 right now and more are on order. This will also give the crew the ability to communicate with their families as they do have charging stations as well.
  
• When you board the Regal, you are now brought in to the Piazza and are guided around to the mid ship elevators. The goal is to create a more welcoming experience
  
• The staterooms will be getting new 4K TV's (if they aren't there already).
  
• The Medallion.Net launched at 12:30 today. So far, so good. Definitely faster than the Crown yesterday.
  
• If you have the medallion, the technology will allow for more personal greetings than those who do not.
  
• The door locks don't work yet but they will at some point this week. We're using our cruise cards instead.
  
• Princess is open to all feedback (both good and bad) and will use it to refine the medallion strategy.
  
• For those who are in a medallion cabin, you will be given a cruise card as well as they do not want you to spend your vacation waiting at the Passenger Services Desk for a medallion issue.
  
• There's a new sailaway experience. It's a fun video and they have now included to singers / dancers as well.
  
• New uniforms for several of the F&B staff - blue shirts instead of the green print ones OR the new medallion class polos (purple, blue, orange, & yellow). The crew is very excited about them.
  
• There are former Apple and Google developers who joined the Princess team to develop the technology.
  
• As we know, there's the new PlayOcean app. They're several other new things in the casino for the technology as well.
  
• The Pirate Queen PlayOcean game has been made in to a real card game in the casino.
  
• SocialOcean has been included at no cost to us. It will work in conjunction with Facebook Messenger / What's Up / iMessage as well.
  

• There are new room service menus coming as well to offer a more diverse experience.
  
• There are new items coming to the shop as well
  

They then opened it up to questions. I'll try to put it the best I can:

 

 

• QUESTION: Can the medallion know if an elevator is full or if someone presses the button and walks away? This may be something that we look at in the future as the technology continues to grow. They're aware that elevators are a big pain point for many passengers.
  
• QUESTION: When will this be rolled out to the other Princess ships? Will it meet the initially presented rollout timeline? Since the technology has never been done on a live ship, we've decided to do a phased rollout by muster station. We're using the cruises on 11/13, 11/15, and 11/19 to gather feedback from our guests. Once we get the feedback, we'll look at how fast we can roll out the readers to additional staterooms. All other ships are in a soft launch status with no definite launch dates.
  
• QUESTION: Will we be able to use the technology to hook up our phones to the TV to stream pictures? That's something that we are looking at doing in the future.
  
• QUESTION (Regal specific): Will it be live on the entire ship by December 3? No definite commitment yet. There's going to be a VIP (let's just say they call the shots for Princess) on the Regal later in December with their family. They're shooting for December 18 (or the closest sailing date).
  
• QUESTION: Can you commit to having the Royal ready by the end of March? We're not able to make any commitments yet. We need to make sure it's working properly first before rolling it out to other ships.
  
• QUESTION: Why did you do a medallion instead of a cruise card? It's new technology that allows for constant connectivity with the guest. The goal is to get constant feedback from the guests and to have it work seamlessly. Passengers need to engage with the experience to fully get the most out of it.
  
• QUESTION: Can we reuse our medallions on other cruises? The medallion holder can be reused but you will receive a new medallion for each cruise that has the technology.
  
• There are CEO's from companies who developed part of the technology on this sailing as well. They are part of the test group so they can see what happens and what does not.
  
• QUESTION: How is the crew reacting to the new technology? Last night they had a big crew party to celebrate the launch. The crew on the Regal was hand picked to be a pioneer on the new technology. They know that they need to be adaptive to the technology and they're all really excited to embrace the technology.
  

• There were four things that were components of why Jan pushed so hard for Princess to launch the technology:
  
• The team needs to be courageous.
  
• The team has to have humility and be able to try new ideas
  
• The teamwork exhibited by Princess team members. They are trying to put the passengers and crew at the center of all they do.
  
• Jan and her team are grateful to be part of the Carnival family since it can truly support the innovation through research and development.
  

There are more color options coming for the medallions in the future.

 

If anyone else who was there would like to chime in with something I may have missed - feel free! I tried to type as fast as I could but I'm on an iPad without a keyboard.

Kris

[Todd320]

OK so I'm back....

 

Kris

 

Outstanding post!

Thank you!

[MaxwellOz]

Thank you again. Please let us know if they say when they will be adding more medallion passengers to future cruises. (I'm on 11/26 and was not picked for a medallion)

 

I’m on that cruise too. Was never told by email anything. My cabin is 102. Why did they start at 200?

[Host CJSKIDS]

OK so I'm back....

 

Carolyn - muster station B is the art gallery / calypso cove / essence on deck 7.

 

Here's what we learned at the session this afternoon:

 

 

• Jan and John welcomed us and were very appreciative of us "volunteering" to be the test group.
  
• There are around 200 medallions active on this cruise.
  
• The goal of the medallion is to redefine the guest experience and to improve our overall vacation experience.
  
• The new port terminal was designed with the medallion technology in mind. I had an opportunity to speak with Mike who designed the terminal. Also a former Disney guy and you could tell by the way he interacted with the guests. They thought about the crew as well when they did the new terminal. There are charging stations that were not there on Wednesday of last week. Mike said there are around 8 right now and more are on order. This will also give the crew the ability to communicate with their families as they do have charging stations as well.
  
• When you board the Regal, you are now brought in to the Piazza and are guided around to the mid ship elevators. The goal is to create a more welcoming experience
  
• The staterooms will be getting new 4K TV's (if they aren't there already).
  
• The Medallion.Net launched at 12:30 today. So far, so good. Definitely faster than the Crown yesterday.
  
• If you have the medallion, the technology will allow for more personal greetings than those who do not.
  
• The door locks don't work yet but they will at some point this week. We're using our cruise cards instead.
  
• Princess is open to all feedback (both good and bad) and will use it to refine the medallion strategy.
  
• For those who are in a medallion cabin, you will be given a cruise card as well as they do not want you to spend your vacation waiting at the Passenger Services Desk for a medallion issue.
  
• There's a new sailaway experience. It's a fun video and they have now included to singers / dancers as well.
  
• New uniforms for several of the F&B staff - blue shirts instead of the green print ones OR the new medallion class polos (purple, blue, orange, & yellow). The crew is very excited about them.
  
• There are former Apple and Google developers who joined the Princess team to develop the technology.
  
• As we know, there's the new PlayOcean app. They're several other new things in the casino for the technology as well.
  
• The Pirate Queen PlayOcean game has been made in to a real card game in the casino.
  
• SocialOcean has been included at no cost to us. It will work in conjunction with Facebook Messenger / What's Up / iMessage as well.
  

• There are new room service menus coming as well to offer a more diverse experience.
  
• There are new items coming to the shop as well
  

They then opened it up to questions. I'll try to put it the best I can:

• QUESTION: Can the medallion know if an elevator is full or if someone presses the button and walks away? This may be something that we look at in the future as the technology continues to grow. They're aware that elevators are a big pain point for many passengers.
  
• QUESTION: When will this be rolled out to the other Princess ships? Will it meet the initially presented rollout timeline? Since the technology has never been done on a live ship, we've decided to do a phased rollout by muster station. We're using the cruises on 11/13, 11/15, and 11/19 to gather feedback from our guests. Once we get the feedback, we'll look at how fast we can roll out the readers to additional staterooms. All other ships are in a soft launch status with no definite launch dates.
  
• QUESTION: Will we be able to use the technology to hook up our phones to the TV to stream pictures? That's something that we are looking at doing in the future.
  
• QUESTION (Regal specific): Will it be live on the entire ship by December 3? No definite commitment yet. There's going to be a VIP (let's just say they call the shots for Princess) on the Regal later in December with their family. They're shooting for December 18 (or the closest sailing date).
  
• QUESTION: Can you commit to having the Royal ready by the end of March? We're not able to make any commitments yet. We need to make sure it's working properly first before rolling it out to other ships.
  
• QUESTION: Why did you do a medallion instead of a cruise card? It's new technology that allows for constant connectivity with the guest. The goal is to get constant feedback from the guests and to have it work seamlessly. Passengers need to engage with the experience to fully get the most out of it.
  
• QUESTION: Can we reuse our medallions on other cruises? The medallion holder can be reused but you will receive a new medallion for each cruise that has the technology.
  
• There are CEO's from companies who developed part of the technology on this sailing as well. They are part of the test group so they can see what happens and what does not.
  
• QUESTION: How is the crew reacting to the new technology? Last night they had a big crew party to celebrate the launch. The crew on the Regal was hand picked to be a pioneer on the new technology. They know that they need to be adaptive to the technology and they're all really excited to embrace the technology.
  

• There were four things that were components of why Jan pushed so hard for Princess to launch the technology:
  
• The team needs to be courageous.
  
• The team has to have humility and be able to try new ideas
  
• The teamwork exhibited by Princess team members. They are trying to put the passengers and crew at the center of all they do.
  
• Jan and her team are grateful to be part of the Carnival family since it can truly support the innovation through research and development.
  

There are more color options coming for the medallions in the future.

 

If anyone else who was there would like to chime in with something I may have missed - feel free! I tried to type as fast as I could but I'm on an iPad without a keyboard.

Kris

 

Kris,

 

 

thanks for all of the info! Enjoy!!

[DaveyCaper]

Well, it has been several hours since we have been able to let ourselves into our own cabin. After dinner, we were let in by a steward but they know about our problem so we will see how long before it works again.

 

Speaking of dinner, there was only anytime seating on this cruise (we requested early seating) but this is in no way a problem because the dining rooms are very empty. We went to Allegro (Deck 6 Aft - the one many people have trouble finding) and we walked right up and was seated immediately at 6:30. More empty tables than full ones. Dinner was lightning fast. The way back we noted the cabins without nameplates (non ***** cabins) and there were MANY!! There might be only 1,500 passengers on this ship (just a guess obviously). It feels like there are more employees than passengers - we joked about this with one of the ***** staff and he smiled and said that it might actually be the case.

 

Update on the internet - I am not checking numbers or anything but I have been live streaming satellite radio as I type this. I certainly could not do this with the old system. I will miss this internet when we are on the Royal on Wednesday.

 

Final note - the safety video on the TVs here have changed and it very entertaining. The cast of the Love Boat are involved and the whole video is very humourous while giving the usual information in a different way.

[MrMan]

For those worried that their loyalty would not be visible, there are lanyards where the piece that holds the medallion is your loyalty color.

 

Kris

 

 

As someone who is a consultant who lives on the road, with millions of airline miles, a little perspective - why would anyone give a rats a$$ what someone's status is. What a meaningless reflection of ones self worth. Why does one care or feel the need to share with the world that one gets warmed over canapés at an overcrowded event.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[MrMan]

As someone who is a consultant who lives on the road, with millions of airline miles, a little perspective - why would anyone give a rats a$$ what someone's status is. What a meaningless reflection of ones self worth. Why does one care or feel the need to share with the world that one gets warmed over canapés at an overcrowded event.

 

Ok rant over, and the new technology seems amazing.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dides]

Well don't try and buy a lanyard if the plastic holder colour doesn't match your loyalty status - they won't let you! We will be Elite in less than 48 hours and didn't think there was much point buying a grey platinum lanyard for such a short time so we went for black Elite lanyards instead. But the sales staff said no, not permitted. Quite comical especially as the crew will know your status electronically.

 

Sandra and Chris

Edited November 14, 2017 by dides

[tammigirl]

This makes me want to buy a silly lanyard and the use rose gold glitter vinyl to cover it. Let 'em wonder!

[Bettyboop66]

Thanks everyone for all of this information. I had a question about the internet if anyone can help. I think I remember reading somewhere that on our cruise that leaves 12/3 some of the passengers that weren't chosen for trying out the ***** would receive unlimited internet at the faster speed, based on your loyalty level. We are platinum, so we do get free minutes, but I wouldn't mind unlimited. I just can't remember where I read it. Thanks:D

[mcg1313]

Yes we are finally LIVE FROM THE REGAL PRINCESS,

 

Thank you Kris for your complete report on our meeting today with Jan and John.

 

I can't add anything that you folks have not (very well I might Add) reported.

 

Our experience so far has been positive. Claire and I (John) walked right on to the ship with only brief stops to put in our credentials. We are not part of the ***** (yet) but hope to be very soon. Like I said to John Padgett, I hope to be able to report from both sides of this adventure. Everyone (crew and the "***** Team ") is upbeat and friendly.

 

Jan Swartz is as charming as I knew she would be and John is a true innovator attempting to do the near impossible.

 

Are there bumps in the road ahead? Most certainly but it is my belief that John and his team (of which I have become an honorary member) WILL pave this road as quickly as possible. No promises as to when the technology will be rolled out to everyone. They are doing what no one has ever done before.

 

Remember: The difficult is easy and the impossible takes a little longer.

 

Good Luck Princess - We all wait with baited Breath...

 

John McGibbon

 

LIVE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL REGAL PRINCESS - Day 1 (of at least 27)

[UpcountryTravelers]

As someone who is a consultant who lives on the road, with millions of airline miles, a little perspective - why would anyone give a rats a$$ what someone's status is. What a meaningless reflection of ones self worth. Why does one care or feel the need to share with the world that one gets warmed over canapés at an overcrowded event.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Have you not seen all the OTHER perks you get with repeat cruises?

[coolcruiser777]

Is the Social Ocean app open to everyone even without a medallion? Are you able to message both passengers and people on land using iMessage/Facebook Messenger?

[Cancruizer]

Thanks for sharing. What an interesting thread - I am looking forward to hearing about your cruise :-)

[dides]

Is the Social Ocean app open to everyone even without a medallion? Are you able to message both passengers and people on land using iMessage/Facebook Messenger?

I believe so - we downloaded it before we got our medallion and it just hooked into our princess website account.

SocialOcean hasn't worked yet on the ship's Wi-Fi yet so can't confirm the messaging options but I think that is how they are selling it

 

Sandra and Chris

[timtrek]

What a great post. Thank you very much!

[timtrek]

As someone who is a consultant who lives on the road, with millions of airline miles, a little perspective - why would anyone give a rats a$$ what someone's status is. What a meaningless reflection of ones self worth. Why does one care or feel the need to share with the world that one gets warmed over canapés at an overcrowded event.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

In that case, should your millions of airline miles make me pay more attention to your post - quite the opposite. Why did you feel the need to qualify your opinion with the addition of all your travel experience - seems the same as those who you are maligning.