Medallion app underwhelms

[fshagan]

Just reserved our first Princess cruise in 10+ years, and we're looking forward to cruising with them. But I have to admit the Medallion app isn't giving me the warm fuzzies this morning.

 

• It is slow on my fairly new Moto G+ phone. Really slow. As in 15 seconds to change screens.
• Data entry is slow. It can take 3 - 4 seconds for a keypress to react and fill in the text boxes.
• Cannot scan our passports, as it insists on using the front camera on the phone (and overrides the usual icon that changes it to the rear camera).
• It won't accept manual entry of our passport information as it rejects our first name as not matching our profile, even if we combine it with middle name as it appears on our passports.
• Even the "Tell us how we're doing" screen cannot be filled in as the keyboard covers it.

 

Is there a secret way to fill this information in on the website instead of this app? I'm sure it cost them multi-millions to develop, and I can appreciate the beauty of it when it finally paints the screen, but it really is very clunky.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Lots and lots of threads here on the medallion app for registration. 
 

Princess disabled the website registration. 
The medallion app doesn't work for everyone. Rarely works well. 
Princess promised to open a new registration portal on the website in fall of 2021.  Never happened. Still waiting.  
 

The workaround is to print everything you need and goto the pier early embarkation day and checkin like its 2002.  That still works fine and they will give you your new round room key (now called medallion) at the pier.  
 

Its nuts.   Then Princess promoted the guy behind the medallion rollout to President of Princess.  
 

 

[fshagan]

2 hours ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

Lots and lots of threads here on the medallion app for registration. 
 

Princess disabled the website registration. 
The medallion app doesn't work for everyone. Rarely works well. 
Princess promised to open a new registration portal on the website in fall of 2021.  Never happened. Still waiting.  
 

The workaround is to print everything you need and goto the pier early embarkation day and checkin like its 2002.  That still works fine and they will give you your new round room key (now called medallion) at the pier.  
 

Its nuts.   Then Princess promoted the guy behind the medallion rollout to President of Princess. 

 

Thanks. I did get the passport numbers into the app for each of us finally. Removed several other apps including the Medallion app, rebooted the phone, and then reinstalled the Medallion app. It then would recognize our first names and I could enter the passport info. So slow that it took about 20 minutes each, but I got it done.

 

I'll probably wait until we get to the pier to finish all of the check in items.

[brisalta]

4 minutes ago, fshagan said:

 

Thanks. I did get the passport numbers into the app for each of us finally. Removed several other apps including the Medallion app, rebooted the phone, and then reinstalled the Medallion app. It then would recognize our first names and I could enter the passport info. So slow that it took about 20 minutes each, but I got it done.

 

I'll probably wait until we get to the pier to finish all of the check in items.

 

Make sure to give feedback at the app store about what a piece of junk software the Medallion app is.

[dreams_of_travel]

I got a post cruise email this week, and strongly replied in several places how horrible the Medallion app was for me.  I've been on two Medallion cruises, and this second one, I couldn't get the daily schedule to load, let alone be able to order food/drink from my location. (it could never "find" me).

I was unable to finish check-in using the app, and it was no problem to do it at the pier. 

 

The whole registration via the app was probably the worst choice they could've made IMO.

 

[brisalta]

2 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I got a post cruise email this week, and strongly replied in several places how horrible the Medallion app was for me.  I've been on two Medallion cruises, and this second one, I couldn't get the daily schedule to load, let alone be able to order food/drink from my location. (it could never "find" me).

I was unable to finish check-in using the app, and it was no problem to do it at the pier. 

 

The whole registration via the app was probably the worst choice they could've made IMO.

 

 

The most galling thing about the Medallion app fiasco is that the person that pushed it was promoted to President of Princess Cruise Lines.

[dreams_of_travel]

1 minute ago, brisalta said:

 

The most galling thing about the Medallion app fiasco is that the person that pushed it was promoted to President of Princess Cruise Lines.

So I've read.  I cannot fathom how that was possible since the app is such a mess.  I'm not impressed with the giant screens all over the ship that "assist" passengers, either.  Those are missing important info like opening and closing times on venues/shops.  Of course, the developers never actually used the app in the way that passengers would.  They developed it in a void, within their minds about functionality.  Bad move! 

[Shelly97060]

5 hours ago, fshagan said:

• It won't accept manual entry of our passport information as it rejects our first name as not matching our profile, even if we combine it with middle name as it appears on our passports 

 Have you tried just entering first and last name ( delete the middle name)? I recently helped 4 travelers get their medallions set up and that was the only way I could get it to accept the passports. 
 

Also I had the same issue with the camera on their android phones that you mentioned. I ended up using my iPhone to scan their passports in.  

Edited January 23, 2022 by Shelly97060

[mtnesterz]

6 hours ago, fshagan said:

Is there a secret way to fill this information in on the website instead of this app? 

Not that I'm aware of but you are far from alone in wanting to.

Just rock-it old school. Show up at the pier with all your passports, papers, or QR codes in hand or on your phone. They are fully aware, from many others, that it doesn't work. They still will input your information for you.

Edited January 23, 2022 by mtnesterz

[Ombud]

15 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

Not that I'm aware of but you are far from alone in wanting to.

Just rock-it old school. Show up at the pier with all your passports, papers, or QR codes in hand or on your phone. They are fully aware, from many others, that it doesn't work. They still will input your information for you.

Yep. That's what I'm doing in April. After getting it to work in August & December, it doesn't work with latest update

[brisalta]

4 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

So I've read.  I cannot fathom how that was possible since the app is such a mess.  I'm not impressed with the giant screens all over the ship that "assist" passengers, either.  Those are missing important info like opening and closing times on venues/shops.  Of course, the developers never actually used the app in the way that passengers would.  They developed it in a void, within their minds about functionality.  Bad move! 

 

I also think the developers never tested it on real phones but used a software simulator or just one model of phone.

The developers are also clueless about ship/travel terminology which is designed to be unambiguous.

For example instead of using embarkation and disembarkation they use the ambiguous arrival and departure or is that departure and arrival.

Edited January 23, 2022 by brisalta

[MissP22]

Although very frustrating and after many hours of playing with my android Galaxy phone I finally loaded all the information. (with some help from a Princess rep)

It shouldn't be that hard and I really think it's trying to build the medallion app to work with every model phone available. 

 

[Grego]

12 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

 

 

The whole registration via the app was probably the worst choice they could've made IMO.

 

For those of us that had no problems entering information into the upcoming 5 bookings as well as the two voyages we have had since November, we find the registration and check in process a breeze and a great improvement over the past procedure.  Once on board we have used the app very frequently during the day to check on activities, dining menus, chatting with our travel companions and locating them if necessary, ordering drinks to be delivered, checking port guides, our shipboard account, deck plans and make any changes to our dining plans.

A great tool if you want to use it.  If not, that's OK too.  After all, it would be cruising like we did in the past which I loved as well.

[JF - retired RRT]

15 hours ago, fshagan said:

 

Thanks. I did get the passport numbers into the app for each of us finally. Removed several other apps including the Medallion app, rebooted the phone, and then reinstalled the Medallion app. It then would recognize our first names and I could enter the passport info. So slow that it took about 20 minutes each, but I got it done.

 

I'll probably wait until we get to the pier to finish all of the check in items.

You might get phone calls or emails to "complete your info or your cruise will be cancelled"...ignore them. They don't cancel you, if you haven't completed the Medallion app info.

[awhcruiser]

15 hours ago, fshagan said:

 

Thanks. I did get the passport numbers into the app for each of us finally. Removed several other apps including the Medallion app, rebooted the phone, and then reinstalled the Medallion app. It then would recognize our first names and I could enter the passport info. So slow that it took about 20 minutes each, but I got it done.

 

I'll probably wait until we get to the pier to finish all of the check in items.

Have you tried an update on your phone?

[awhcruiser]

58 minutes ago, Grego said:

For those of us that had no problems entering information into the upcoming 5 bookings as well as the two voyages we have had since November, we find the registration and check in process a breeze and a great improvement over the past procedure.  Once on board we have used the app very frequently during the day to check on activities, dining menus, chatting with our travel companions and locating them if necessary, ordering drinks to be delivered, checking port guides, our shipboard account, deck plans and make any changes to our dining plans.

A great tool if you want to use it.  If not, that's OK too.  After all, it would be cruising like we did in the past which I loved as well.

Agreed.  I had no problems entering anything and can't wait to use the app onboard!

[PrincessLuver]

14 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

So I've read.  I cannot fathom how that was possible since the app is such a mess.  I'm not impressed with the giant screens all over the ship that "assist" passengers, either.  Those are missing important info like opening and closing times on venues/shops.  Of course, the developers never actually used the app in the way that passengers would.  They developed it in a void, within their minds about functionality.  Bad move! 

Maybe it's the app that is not the mess?   We and members of our family had no problem.....it worked fine on several of our cruises......

[Ombud]

Ok. Now I've finally gotten most of it to work .... on my summer 2022 cruise. Worked great on my August '21 cruise, no OceanNow on my December '21 cruise (but Navigators said that was a common issue for non-iphones), but still won't clear my medallion pay step for the April '21 cruise. For me, chat, app support staff, fix it ticket staff. They did manage to clear that step for the summer cruise though. So I'm seeing them at the port. 

[nslatin]

I could not get our info input using my ANDROID phone, but had no problem using my APPLE Ipad.

 

[Ombud]

1 minute ago, nslatin said:

I could not get our info input using my ANDROID phone, but had no problem using my APPLE Ipad.

 

Thank you!!!! Maybe I'll borrow his iPhone today (if he comes over) and see if that's it.  Yes I'm stubborn & it shouldn't be this hard 

[coloradocruisers101]

Just adding my thoughts.  Went on our first Medallion cruise in November after many cancellations.  We as well had no problems.  Check in was a breeze, on ship in 10 minutes, able to order drinks, food on the app.  I was thrilled how smooth everything went.  Not sure if some of the problems have to do with the type of phone.  We both have newer IPhones.  Next cruise is next month.  Will report back.  Happy cruising!

 

[tinkr2]

I can not even get it to accept my booking. It says I have no booking and then when I enter mine, it says this booking has already been claimed. I am very annoyed. I was excited and now just annoyed with this. I am a regular cruiser but never cruise Princess. pretty frustrated.

 

[dreams_of_travel]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

Maybe it's the app that is not the mess?   

That's a bit harsh.  When it works some of the time, how is that a user problem?  Glad it worked for you.  The app works until is doesn't.  As i stated somewhere above, it worked fine for me on an October cruise.  My January cruise was another story.   Not being able to load the daily schedule in the app has nothing to do with the user.  Either it loads, or it doesn't.  Nothing I could do to change that.  

 

I do know now to wait until about 60 days out from a cruise to input info, and about 30 days or less out to select embarkation time. YMMV

[Coral]

I have a love/hate relationship with the app. BTW - I work in technology.

 

I hated setting the app up before my cruise. I think it is a piece of junk.

 

During the cruise - I had a difficult time finding things. They were not where I expected things to be. Not grouped well.

 

Though when I did use it for things I did find - I did see potential. I liked finding my friends on the cruise (location) and ordering a drink and having it delivered.

 

I see potential but right now it is in beta form.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Coral

[wookie78]

4 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

Agreed.  I had no problems entering anything and can't wait to use the app onboard!

I also agree. No problems using on my Samsung phone, DH's old LG phone or my tablet. Used it before our cruise last week and all week long while cruising on all 3 devices. The crew chat feature is kinda cool too!