Ocean Medallion Coverage In Cruise Travel Magazine;

[SargassoPirate]

The July/August issue of Cruise Travel Magazine with a long letter to the editor about why the writer, an older adult, has no interest in the medallion, being glued to their device, losing the opportunities for personal interactions with crew and passengers, and being "tracked" by location and purchases information while on board - in short, losing some of the reasons he loved cruising.

 

 

[weedpindle]

Never stopped me interacting with other people on 5 OM cruises.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

The July/August issue of Cruise Travel Magazine with a long letter to the editor about why the writer, an older adult, has no interest in the medallion, being glued to their device, losing the opportunities for personal interactions with crew and passengers, and being "tracked" by location and purchases information while on board - in short, losing some of the reasons he loved cruising.

 

 

People are glued to their devices even without being on a Medallion ship.

[Potstech]

15 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

The July/August issue of Cruise Travel Magazine with a long letter to the editor about why the writer, an older adult, has no interest in the medallion, being glued to their device, losing the opportunities for personal interactions with crew and passengers, and being "tracked" by location and purchases information while on board - in short, losing some of the reasons he loved cruising.

 

 

Link to the article would be nice.

[Essiesmom]

Unfortunately, Cruise Travel isn't online.  Since it's copyrighted, I won't scan.  However, they do have a website and I think if you wait a few days until they load the newest issue, you can go to the bottom and click on Letters and read it.

 

https://cruisetravelmag.com/

EM

Edited July 6, 2019 by Essiesmom

[MissP22]

Our library has the magazine available but only for a period of 2 years.

[Doug R.]

More overreaction.

[Colo Cruiser]

Blah Blah Blah.......

Another hit and run review/letter.

[voljeep]

I was part of an onboard discussion focus group on our little 4 day cruise on the CB in May ( got a $ 50 OBC for attending a 45 minute discussion )

 

the  focus was mainly about the OM and how you were using it, at least in our group of 10 or so

 

1 person stated the were trying to use it for everything that was available and continuously were using their 'device' to access the various apps ...

 

a couple of people indicated they had used it a couple of times ... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't from their device

 

most  others were like .. meh ... it's a cruise card in a different shape ( as previously mentioned in other threads ) ... left their phones mainly in the safe ... I was a part of that group ...

 

Now , we were Ocean Ready , had the OM's in hand to board ... and boarding had

 never had gone easier ... but some of that 'may' have been due to the fact that we took an upsell to our one and only suite

 

this was in PE/FLL - the first cruise after the CB 'wetdock'

Edited July 6, 2019 by voljeep

[Steelers36]

The paraphrasing of the letter above sounds very familiar to something that was posted on a thread here in regards to Medallion.  

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Blah Blah Blah.......

Another hit and run review/letter.

 

Why discount the letter to Cruise Travel magazine just because it doesn't fit your paradigm?  Isn't that person's opinion just as valuable as anyone elses?

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

I was part of an onboard discussion focus group on our little 4 day cruise on the CB in May ( got a $ 50 OBC for attending a 45 minute discussion )

 

the  focus was mainly about the OM and how you were using it, at least in our group of 10 or so

 

1 person stated the were trying to use it for everything that was available and continuously were using their 'device' to access the various apps ...

 

a couple of people indicated they had used it a couple of times ... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't from their device

 

most  others were like .. meh ... it's a cruise card in a different shape ( as previously mentioned in other threads ) ... left their phones mainly in the safe ... I was a part of that group ...

 

Now , we were Ocean Ready , had the OM's in hand to board ... and boarding had

 never had gone easier ... but some of that 'may' have been due to the fact that we took an upsell to our one and only suite

 

this was in PE/FLL - the first cruise after the CB 'wetdock'

 

 

Thanks for sharing voljeep.  I suspect we will be in the "meh" group.  She Who Must Obeyed and I actually converse at the dinner table instead of staring at our devices.  We also keep them in the "do not disturb" mode so that we are not interrupted with a tone every time a text or email comes in.  We'll probably carry them with us on the ship as before, on airplane mode, to use the camera feature.

 

I predict we'll be underwhelmed with the medallions.

[AF-1]

Some people will like it and some won't.  Those who don't use their smart phones a lot; will take it or leave it. Those who grew up in the tech savy decade; they will like it or at least have the potential to like it.  Me.  I love it

Edited July 6, 2019 by AF-1

[Ep010835]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Why discount the letter to Cruise Travel magazine just because it doesn't fit your paradigm?  Isn't that person's opinion just as valuable as anyone elses?

 

Well, it is HIS cruise and HIS paradigm! 

 

We'll be part of the first group. Love OM and everything about it. Especially the MN component. 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Ep010835

[Colo Cruiser]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Why discount the letter to Cruise Travel magazine just because it doesn't fit your paradigm?  Isn't that person's opinion just as valuable as anyone elses?

Haha 😂 so you are dismissing my opinion? Funny guy. 🤔

[fishywood]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Why discount the letter to Cruise Travel magazine just because it doesn't fit your paradigm?  Isn't that person's opinion just as valuable as anyone elses?

 

Probably because based on your thread title a comprehensive report on the Medallion program--good bad or indifferent--written by an experienced travel journalist (with a link to said article) was expected.

 

A letter to the editor is not "coverage" of a topic. Just one person's opinion naturally colored by pre-existing personal biases. I will make no effort to seek it out either.

[XBGuy]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

I was part of an onboard discussion focus group on our little 4 day cruise on the CB in May ( got a $ 50 OBC for attending a 45 minute discussion )

 

the  focus was mainly about the OM and how you were using it, at least in our group of 10 or so

 

That sounds fun--and they paid you for it.

 

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

 

Now , we were Ocean Ready , had the OM's in hand to board ... and boarding had

 never had gone easier ... but some of that 'may' have been due to the fact that we took an upsell to our one and only suite

 

 

Can you come back here and explain how Medallion speeded up the boarding process?

 

We are going on our first Medallion cruise in September, and, as of now, I do not plan on futzing with the OM applications.

 

We are sailing out of San Pedro--a port with which I have a lot of familiarity.  There are a lot of steps involved with the boarding process.  I can see how some of them can be circumvented by the new technology.  Please tell me how close I am in the following evaluation:

 

1. Exit car at curb.  Hand checked luggage over to porter.
2. Walk to terminal entrance.  Show Boarding Pass (and Passport?} to port agent at the entrance.
3. Enter terminal.  Ride escalator up to the next level.
4. At the top of the escalator show Boarding Pass to Princess agent who directs me to the priority boarding check-in line.
5. Get in line and wait for available check-in agent.  (Has never taken more than a minute, or so.)
6. Check-in agent accepts our Boarding Passes, scans our Passports, walks away to fetch our card keys, ship maps, and boarding group placard.
7. Walk over to the security scanners.  Show card key to agent.  Wait in line a bit--usually 5-10 minutes.  Place carry-ons on the belt to go through the scanner, walk through the body scanner, pick up carry-ons on the other side.
8.  Walk over to the wine check station.  Open up my wine tote.  Let the Princess people count the number of bottles.  Sign chit for the corkage.
9. Find a seat in the waiting area and wait for my boarding group to be called.
10. When my group is called, follow the mass of people.  Give the boarding group placard to a Princess agent, get in line for Passport inspection.
11. At the door, give Passport to uniformed agent.  He/She looks at the picture, looks at me and wishes me a great cruise.
12. Step outside and start walking to the gangway.  Somewhere along the way we will meet the ship's photographers and will smile for a picture.  Or not, if there is a line.
13. Show our card key to the agent at the entry to the gangway.
14. Walk up the gangway to the promenade deck of the ship.
15. Get in line for security picture.
16. Get security picture.
17. Done.

 

Again, I have no experience with the Medallion, but I can see where, if I have done all the work, and have the Medallion in my pocket when I arrive at the terminal Steps 4, 5 and 6 can be eliminated.  I don't think Step 2 can be eliminated, but even if it was, the door will only allow one or two people to pass at a time.  The time you spend waiting in line for others in front (never more than a couple minutes) is much greater than the time it takes the agent to wave me through.

 

The security scanning function is one of the big bottlenecks in the boarding procedure.  I really don't see how the Medallion can alleviate that.

 

I'm not sure I understand how waiting for my boarding group to be called can be alleviated by the Medallion.  In fact, if I skipped Step 6, how do I support my claim that my group has been called?  There might, very well, be a good workaround that will be apparent to me in September.

 

Then there is the passport inspection at Steps 10 and 11.  I really believe those agents will still be expected to visually verify that the person walking through is the same person whose picture is on the passport regardless of whether the comparison is made from the physical passport or from a scanned image,

 

Step 13 might be sped up, a bit.  That will save five seconds, or so.

 

There might be an opportunity for time savings at steps 15 and 16.  On the other hand, if the passenger has scanned his own picture for the security picture, does not ship's security personnel have to inspect that picture and validate it?

 

So, anybody who has real Medallion experience, please jump in here, and criticize my evaluation.

[SargassoPirate]

2 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Haha 😂 so you are dismissing my opinion? Funny guy. 🤔

 

Ouch, skewered once again. 😅😅😅

[Steven_&_Daniel]

On 7/6/2019 at 2:06 PM, XBGuy said:

 

That sounds fun--and they paid you for it.

 

 

Can you come back here and explain how Medallion speeded up the boarding process?

 

We are going on our first Medallion cruise in September, and, as of now, I do not plan on futzing with the OM applications.

 

We are sailing out of San Pedro--a port with which I have a lot of familiarity.  There are a lot of steps involved with the boarding process.  I can see how some of them can be circumvented by the new technology.  Please tell me how close I am in the following evaluation:

 

1. Exit car at curb.  Hand checked luggage over to porter.
2. Walk to terminal entrance.  Show Boarding Pass (and Passport?} to port agent at the entrance.
3. Enter terminal.  Ride escalator up to the next level.
4. At the top of the escalator show Boarding Pass to Princess agent who directs me to the priority boarding check-in line.
5. Get in line and wait for available check-in agent.  (Has never taken more than a minute, or so.)
6. Check-in agent accepts our Boarding Passes, scans our Passports, walks away to fetch our card keys, ship maps, and boarding group placard.
7. Walk over to the security scanners.  Show card key to agent.  Wait in line a bit--usually 5-10 minutes.  Place carry-ons on the belt to go through the scanner, walk through the body scanner, pick up carry-ons on the other side.
8.  Walk over to the wine check station.  Open up my wine tote.  Let the Princess people count the number of bottles.  Sign chit for the corkage.
9. Find a seat in the waiting area and wait for my boarding group to be called.
10. When my group is called, follow the mass of people.  Give the boarding group placard to a Princess agent, get in line for Passport inspection.
11. At the door, give Passport to uniformed agent.  He/She looks at the picture, looks at me and wishes me a great cruise.
12. Step outside and start walking to the gangway.  Somewhere along the way we will meet the ship's photographers and will smile for a picture.  Or not, if there is a line.
13. Show our card key to the agent at the entry to the gangway.
14. Walk up the gangway to the promenade deck of the ship.
15. Get in line for security picture.
16. Get security picture.
17. Done.

 

Again, I have no experience with the Medallion, but I can see where, if I have done all the work, and have the Medallion in my pocket when I arrive at the terminal Steps 4, 5 and 6 can be eliminated.  I don't think Step 2 can be eliminated, but even if it was, the door will only allow one or two people to pass at a time.  The time you spend waiting in line for others in front (never more than a couple minutes) is much greater than the time it takes the agent to wave me through.

 

The security scanning function is one of the big bottlenecks in the boarding procedure.  I really don't see how the Medallion can alleviate that.

 

I'm not sure I understand how waiting for my boarding group to be called can be alleviated by the Medallion.  In fact, if I skipped Step 6, how do I support my claim that my group has been called?  There might, very well, be a good workaround that will be apparent to me in September.

 

Then there is the passport inspection at Steps 10 and 11.  I really believe those agents will still be expected to visually verify that the person walking through is the same person whose picture is on the passport regardless of whether the comparison is made from the physical passport or from a scanned image,

 

Step 13 might be sped up, a bit.  That will save five seconds, or so.

 

There might be an opportunity for time savings at steps 15 and 16.  On the other hand, if the passenger has scanned his own picture for the security picture, does not ship's security personnel have to inspect that picture and validate it?

 

So, anybody who has real Medallion experience, please jump in here, and criticize my evaluation.

We had everything set up before leaving home but did not receive our medallions in the mail. We got them during check-in. The only time saved was the 5 seconds it would have taken to get our photos taken at security as we boarded the ship. They scanned our medallions, saw we already had a security photo in the system (the one we took at home & uploaded). They thanked us and sent us on our way. Every other part of check-in was the same as before, even though we had everything in the system, including passport info (which they took again at check-in).

 

So taking all the time to set stuff up ahead of time only saves a few seconds at check-in. If you're a techie and enjoy doing it, go for it, but don't expect much benefit from it. If you're not a techie or just don't want to mess with it, you'll be only a few seconds behind those who did.

 

 

 

[pris993]

I don't think the medallion is about saving passengers any time at all along the way.. it is about making more money... cruise lines are in the business of making money.  

[Kingofcool1947]

Does Princess sell jewelry on board in the gift shop to attach/clip the medallion to?

 

[Colo Cruiser]

3 hours ago, pris993 said:

I don't think the medallion is about saving passengers any time at all along the way.. it is about making more money... cruise lines are in the business of making money.  

True dat.  

[MissP22]

10 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

Does Princess sell jewelry on board in the gift shop to attach/clip the medallion to?

 

They sure do -all overpriced in my opinion.

You can also make your own holder or buy other wristbands that will work from other sources. 

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, Steven_&_Daniel said:

We had everything set up before leaving home but did not receive our medallions in the mail. We got them during check-in. The only time saved was the 5 seconds it would have taken to get our photos taken at security as we boarded the ship. They scanned our medallions, saw we already had a security photo in the system (the one we took at home & uploaded). They thanked us and sent us on our way. Every other part of check-in was the same as before, even though we had everything in the system, including passport info (which they took again at check-in).

 

So taking all the time to set stuff up ahead of time only saves a few seconds at check-in. If you're a techie and enjoy doing it, go for it, but don't expect much benefit from it. If you're not a techie or just don't want to mess with it, you'll be only a few seconds behind those who did.

 

 

 

The last medallion cruise for us they even reused the photo taken from a previous medallion trip. Not that it saved any time since we were forced to wait in line with the rest of the people entering the ship.

[Cruising TBD]

I will not participate in the medallion for privacy reasons.

 

This is about a corporation wishing to increase revenue, period. Customer service benefits is bull.

 

A poster on these boards recently noted, they observed a staff member, with their tablet, standing beside them. On the screen was this persons information, room, home location, purchasing history and other personal information.

 

The poster was not pleased. Neither would I be.