Random medallion question

[martinitime1]

I have a random question as we are finally doing our first cruise in a couple weeks. I do understand the whole concept of the medallion but have a question.

 

 Let's say we are sitting at the Crooners (been known to happen) and the bar is full. I order my martini , GG up 2 olives. How does the "system" know which medallion to charge? Does one have to surrender the medallion to bartender for the transaction as we did with the old cruise card?

[PacnGoNow]

4 minutes ago, martinitime1 said:

I have a random question as we are finally doing our first cruise in a couple weeks. I do understand the whole concept of the medallion but have a question.

 

 Let's say we are sitting at the Crooners (been known to happen) and the bar is full. I order my martini , GG up 2 olives. How does the "system" know which medallion to charge? Does one have to surrender the medallion to bartender for the transaction as we did with the old cruise card?

When the waiter comes over to you, he can see your info and takes the order. He would verify your name and can see your photo, so he knows it’s you. 

They don’t need to scan the OM, unless his device is not working. 

 

 

[NownZen]

1 minute ago, PacnGoNow said:

When the waiter comes over to you, he can see your info and takes the order. He would verify your name and can see your photo, so he knows it’s you. 

They don’t need to scan the OM, unless his device is not working. 

 

 

We did some in depth research on this in the various bars at different times. What we found out is that there was a mix of scanning the medallion or not. If it was quiet at the bar, it was ok. With crowds we sometimes had to have the medallion scanned (they bring the readers with them). A few times they just asked for the room number. There are two circuits in the medallion. The bluetooth works at a longer range but often does not work if it is inside your shirt against your skin. The scan up close is done with an NFC reader which only has a range of an inch or so. In either case, the reader should show your pictures for the server to verify.

[Tedferg]

I ordered drinks sitting at the bar when it was busy and it worked fine. Crooners would mention my name, the bar next to International Cafe, GS, would scan my medallion.

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, NownZen said:

We did some in depth research on this in the various bars at different times. What we found out is that there was a mix of scanning the medallion or not. If it was quiet at the bar, it was ok. With crowds we sometimes had to have the medallion scanned (they bring the readers with them). A few times they just asked for the room number. There are two circuits in the medallion. The bluetooth works at a longer range but often does not work if it is inside your shirt against your skin. The scan up close is done with an NFC reader which only has a range of an inch or so. In either case, the reader should show your pictures for the server to verify.

Interesting. We use our bracelets, so they usually worked very well.

 

[martinitime1]

Thanks to all for the info, makes sense.

[OccasionalSanta]

Be aware that the devices that read your medallion can basically "see" all nearby medallions. The server should also see your security picture and be able to verify that it is you, but twice when wife and I were in one of the stores someone else was at the register and the cashier initially asked if they were my wife or me.... I have also had extraneous charges on my bill from bar areas where I had passed by occasionally but never made purchases and from the MDR where they just took room numbers and got orders mixed up. So there are still mix-ups from time to time.

 

[Times Prince]

22 minutes ago, OccasionalSanta said:

Be aware that the devices that read your medallion can basically "see" all nearby medallions. The server should also see your security picture and be able to verify that it is you, but twice when wife and I were in one of the stores someone else was at the register and the cashier initially asked if they were my wife or me.... I have also had extraneous charges on my bill from bar areas where I had passed by occasionally but never made purchases and from the MDR where they just took room numbers and got orders mixed up. So there are still mix-ups from time to time.

 

Keep in mind that when ordering drinks in a dining room, the order is fulfilled and charged to the account from a bar location.  If you are verifying every charge, look for the right amount at the right time, but possibly a nearby location.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Also...(many people don't seem to realize this), there is a button in the app (at your order status screen I believe) where it turns your whole screen yellow (?) and you can hold your phone up in the air to notify any waiter/waitress who seems like they may be looking for you.  I have actually done this once when out on the pool deck with lots of people around.  They zeroed right in on me while almost 50 feet away and brought my order to me.