Dine My Way - new MedallionClass enhancement

[AF-1]

Once the Alaska sailings start up; we will see just how well the app works.  People will be giving feedback if its easy or a pain.  I think it will work out fine.

[skynight]

Anyone able to reserve for 2023 voyages. Keep getting error, try again messages. In the easy to use past you just selected your dining at booking and then did not worry about it until you sailed. Now it seems you have to keep working at it each day. To me not easier and seamless like promoted. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by skynight

[billco]

14 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

I watched the video and it sounded like fluffy BS to me. I think Princess actually believes that all those 40 somethings they show in the video are who their core constituency is, instead of 60, 70 and older somethings.

 

All of that using the app so easily and quickly, won't be easy or quick for the many passengers who aren't Smartphone proficient.

I don't think older people are as technology inept as they are often made out to be. 

[Cruzinnana47]

Called Princess yesterday re the problem with specialty dining credit only showing applied for one of us on the app for DMW on an upcoming cruise.  Was told by the rep (obviously "annoyed" by my question), that it was fine and that I was "overthinking it"....huh??  I said I would like to be able to see that our total specialty dining credits were applied and she obviously didn't want to hear it. 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that before the new app featuring DMW, you could see in your Cruise Personalizer on the Princess website any credits applied under your dining reservations.

 

I'm fine using technology to a point, but don't like it being forced on me.  Us old timers are doing our best, but are never going to be tech geniuses.

[skynight]

2 hours ago, billco said:

I don't think older people are as technology inept as they are often made out to be. 

Agree. Technology for technology purpose isn't very productive. I think it adds very little and probably more frustration to what is supposed to be a carefree vacation experience. The need for customers to have certain tech equipment wasn't a very smart business move. 

[capriccio]

A few days ago I was finally able to log on and update the required information for our upcoming cruises (March and July 2022, April 2023). All the cruises are with other traveling companions and I had no trouble adding them to a standing dinner reservation for the first two cruises (too early for the 2023 cruise).  I am flummoxed though by how to reserve our specialty dining promo for the July 2022 cruise.  I can reserve and pay for specialty dining for all of us but don't see how to designate it as using the promo we all have included. 

 

Has anyone been successful doing so? 

[mina]

15 minutes ago, Cruzinnana47 said:

Called Princess yesterday re the problem with specialty dining credit only showing applied for one of us on the app for DMW on an upcoming cruise.  Was told by the rep (obviously "annoyed" by my question), that it was fine and that I was "overthinking it"....huh??  I said I would like to be able to see that our total specialty dining credits were applied and she obviously didn't want to hear it. 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that before the new app featuring DMW, you could see in your Cruise Personalizer on the Princess website any credits applied under your dining reservations.

 

I'm fine using technology to a point, but don't like it being forced on me.  Us old timers are doing our best, but are never going to be tech geniuses.

Hi there -- I just went through this with three prepaid specialty dining reservations for two people. They disappeared off the personalizer and my trip summary and did not show in the app.  I had to escalate to senior folks in Customer Relations to get an email documenting that I had paid for these.  I also was treated pretty inappropriately two of the three times I called to request and the general reps refused to send me an email confirming the purchase. I did get an email confirming my reservations, but only after sending an email to the director of Customer Relations.  The final escalation rep told me that these will show in the medallion app once it is fully ready, but she understood why I wanted the written documentation.  

[billco]

40 minutes ago, skynight said:

Agree. Technology for technology purpose isn't very productive. I think it adds very little and probably more frustration to what is supposed to be a carefree vacation experience. The need for customers to have certain tech equipment wasn't a very smart business move. 

Maybe I should have used a different word than inept. I meant to say I think older people are more comfortable with technology than thought to be. Statements like asking the grandkids how to use a smart device drives me up a wall. Personally, I support the direction Princess is going 100%. If it works on my upcoming September cruise and the ones after that I'll be a happy camper. I look forward to accessing all the new features that will be available through the app or on the tv in my stateroom. It won't be the technology that drives me away from Princess. There are plenty of other reasons why I am considering other cruise lines.

[joepeka]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

A few days ago I was finally able to log on and update the required information for our upcoming cruises (March and July 2022, April 2023). All the cruises are with other traveling companions and I had no trouble adding them to a standing dinner reservation for the first two cruises (too early for the 2023 cruise).  I am flummoxed though by how to reserve our specialty dining promo for the July 2022 cruise.  I can reserve and pay for specialty dining for all of us but don't see how to designate it as using the promo we all have included. 

 

Has anyone been successful doing so? 

I would be interested in an answer/solution to this situation as well. I cannot see any option in the DMW section of the MC app to book a promo specialty restaurant - it wants a credit card and doesn't indicate we have two comp'd dinners even though the web site and the travel summary both show them. 😕

Edited June 29, 2021 by joepeka

[macnicol]

7 hours ago, Cruzinnana47 said:

Called Princess yesterday re the problem with specialty dining credit only showing applied for one of us on the app for DMW on an upcoming cruise.  Was told by the rep (obviously "annoyed" by my question), that it was fine and that I was "overthinking it"....huh??  I said I would like to be able to see that our total specialty dining credits were applied and she obviously didn't want to hear it. 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that before the new app featuring DMW, you could see in your Cruise Personalizer on the Princess website any credits applied under your dining reservations.

 

I'm fine using technology to a point, but don't like it being forced on me.  Us old timers are doing our best, but are never going to be tech geniuses.

 

[ProfMHC]

5 minutes ago, macnicol said:

 

Glad I didn’t bother calling Princess. It’s annoying enough that they won’t fix it despite all the complaints let alone being told you’re “overthinking it”. Sheesh. SMH 

[macnicol]

I had exactly the same issue yesterday. Called Princess and after being on hold for over 2 hours someone answered and I explained this issue. She said she could not override Medallion but would call the Medallion app support team and put me on hold. I waited for another 15 minutes and she came back and said she would transfer me to the Medallion app support team. I said OK assuming I would be in immediate contact with someone there. The phone transfer activated and the next thing I heard was "all support staff are busy with other customers, please be patient". I was on hold another 2 hours before someone answered. I was determined not to hang up. I explained this issue that only one of out Specialty Dining credits were applied to my reservation and we had a balance of $29. She looked at my reservation and confirmed that this is what happened but couldn't correct it. She filled out some form describing the app bug issue to submit to the programming staff to resolve and suggested I check back on the app in a few weeks to see if it had been corrected.  No Joy!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

17 hours ago, billco said:

I don't think older people are as technology inept as they are often made out to be. 

 

It depends on what you mean by "older". My parents are in their 90's. My father has been using computers since the late 1960s; he has no issues, but they don't have a Smartphone. Neither one has the dexterity to operate a Smartphone.

 

I can use Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, my bank account, my brokerage account, even my Jersey Mike account on either my Smartphone or my laptop, all perfectly integrated. What is so hard about integrating the Medallion app with the existing Personalizer? Even a modified version of the Personalizer.

[MamaFej]

Oh, no! 

I hear they are going to have those new-fangled electric lamps on ships post-CoViD! 

Why?!? My whale-oil lamp works just fine! 

And water that comes right out of a sink, without me having to pump it?!? Blasphemy! Are they going to send heated water to right to my cabin, instead of having me boil it in a cauldron before bathing?!?

 

Next thing you know, they’ll be having cruise cards with magnetic strips, instead of paper tickets! 
 

My, oh, my! Make the progress stop! 
 

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
 

 

[ProfMHC]

12 hours ago, macnicol said:

I had exactly the same issue yesterday. Called Princess and after being on hold for over 2 hours someone answered and I explained this issue. She said she could not override Medallion but would call the Medallion app support team and put me on hold. I waited for another 15 minutes and she came back and said she would transfer me to the Medallion app support team. I said OK assuming I would be in immediate contact with someone there. The phone transfer activated and the next thing I heard was "all support staff are busy with other customers, please be patient". I was on hold another 2 hours before someone answered. I was determined not to hang up. I explained this issue that only one of out Specialty Dining credits were applied to my reservation and we had a balance of $29. She looked at my reservation and confirmed that this is what happened but couldn't correct it. She filled out some form describing the app bug issue to submit to the programming staff to resolve and suggested I check back on the app in a few weeks to see if it had been corrected.  No Joy!

Thank you for your diligence and patience! Those of us with the same issue appreciate it! 

[skynight]

3 hours ago, MamaFej said:

 

My, oh, my! Make the progress stop! 

It isn't smart progress when you switch from a system that easily worked for all customers to a faulted system that works sometimes for only some, and requires customers to have certain equipment to even manage a vacation that they are paying the cruise company to provide without stress. It isn't progress when customer service departments can't even solve simple issues, handle your dining selections, as well as make changes or issue credits. Phone companies did not eliminate land lines when they introduced cell service. Land lines still work well. The cruise personlizer should not have been eliminated. 

[AF-1]

 Royal Caribbean and Celebrity went to smart phone apps post pandemic.  I have a friend on Celebrity this week.  He has no issues using the app for everything.  Maybe Princess needs to buy the software program they use and integrate it into their medallion class app

[billco]

6 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

It depends on what you mean by "older". My parents are in their 90's. My father has been using computers since the late 1960s; he has no issues, but they don't have a Smartphone. Neither one has the dexterity to operate a Smartphone.

 

I can use Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, my bank account, my brokerage account, even my Jersey Mike account on either my Smartphone or my laptop, all perfectly integrated. What is so hard about integrating the Medallion app with the existing Personalizer? Even a modified version of the Personalizer.

You make good points. I have no idea what led to the decision for Princess to go all in on smart devices. I suspect the pandemic had a lot to do with it. Requiring an app facilitates touchless checkin. Dexterity in use of a smart device isn't limited to the elderly. Advocacy from people with disabilities has been instrumental in the development of a myriad of accessible features that make smart devices available to just about everyone. The personalizer still has many features. It seems the main things moved to the app are checkin and dining. I can understand the checkin, not so sure about the dining.

[RRFan]

Does anyone know what the QR code we get in the App will be used for?  Will we hold that up for them to scan as we walk into check-in?  Just trying to figure out what that is for.  It seems that if every thing is done ahead of time (passports, pics, etc), all of that would be contained in our medallions and we just wear them up to the desk (check-in) and all of that would pop up on their screen.  Curious what we'll do with the QR code.

[cjmayes51]

Ok let me just as this straight out, is Traditional Dining on Princess dead. I booked a 26 day cruise on Regal for 2022 back on may 30th. Asked for late traditional dining and it showed on my confirmation and my online Princess account for a week, then it went away. I’ve read so much here and calling customer service, which was no help, most people on Cruise Critic are saying that TD is dead. The CS agent said I may be able to request it after I had paid foe the cruise, I’m not paying for a 26 day cruise early so I can book dining. So what is the real story or does anyone really know.

[Gettingwarmer]

24 minutes ago, RRFan said:

Does anyone know what the QR code we get in the App will be used for?  Will we hold that up for them to scan as we walk into check-in?  Just trying to figure out what that is for.  It seems that if every thing is done ahead of time (passports, pics, etc), all of that would be contained in our medallions and we just wear them up to the desk (check-in) and all of that would pop up on their screen.  Curious what we'll do with the QR code.

Not all people will have their medallions in advance. Maybe that’s why

[KeepCalmBearOn]

8 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Oh, no! I hear they are going to have those new-fangled

 

I think you miss the point entirely.

 

Actually, no. I know you miss it entirely.

[dreaminofcruisin]

52 minutes ago, cjmayes51 said:

Ok let me just as this straight out, is Traditional Dining on Princess dead. I booked a 26 day cruise on Regal for 2022 back on may 30th. Asked for late traditional dining and it showed on my confirmation and my online Princess account for a week, then it went away. I’ve read so much here and calling customer service, which was no help, most people on Cruise Critic are saying that TD is dead. The CS agent said I may be able to request it after I had paid foe the cruise, I’m not paying for a 26 day cruise early so I can book dining. So what is the real story or does anyone really know.

 

Since you booked in May, you should download the app and confirm that your dining was set up correctly. Due to your booking prior to the date the app was released with dining, you should be able to modify your dining if it is not correct. For Traditional Dining that people had already booked, Princess set it up for you to be the same each night. In my case, I had to correct it because Princess booked only my stateroom--3 of us and there are 7 of us in our party. I was able to add the additional people using their Booking Number. I then deleted the original reservations for a table for 4 and set up a table for 8 and included all 7 of us.

[JF - retired RRT]

4 hours ago, AF-1 said:

 Royal Caribbean and Celebrity went to smart phone apps post pandemic.  I have a friend on Celebrity this week.  He has no issues using the app for everything.  Maybe Princess needs to buy the software program they use and integrate it into their medallion class app

Oh gawd no!! They can't make it work right with only one thing to do. Can you imagine them starting over?😵

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, RRFan said:

Does anyone know what the QR code we get in the App will be used for?  Will we hold that up for them to scan as we walk into check-in?  Just trying to figure out what that is for.  It seems that if every thing is done ahead of time (passports, pics, etc), all of that would be contained in our medallions and we just wear them up to the desk (check-in) and all of that would pop up on their screen.  Curious what we'll do with the QR code.

Princess check-in agent can scan it to bring up your reservation file.  Not all will have Medallion in hand.