MedallionNet and Kindle Fire Compatibility

[Times Prince]

We are scheduled for a lengthy (>14 day) cruise for which we were going to use our Kindle Fire 8 (2020 release) for books, daily apps, and email    Prior to MedallionNet we have had no issues with attaching to the Internet, using the Silk Browser, or downloading books or email on our Kindles using allotted Platinum+ benefit minutes.

 

I have done a search on Cruise Critic and find

1.  A couple of posts where people have talked with Princess IT, finding the Kindle Fire and its connectivity and Silk Browser are NOT SUPPORTED by MedallionNet.

2. There is no Medallion App for Kindle (I verified this myself)

3. Some posts have claimed there were no issues using their Kindle / Fire(?)

 

I know we can load up some books pre-cruise, but we have other requirements that necessitate check-in or download every couple of days. Also my existing travel laptop is Windows 8, so also might not be compatible.

With the Elite pricing MedallionNet clocking in at $120 per device login, having a Kindle that won't log in to their system renders MedallionNet worthless to us.

 

So, what is the true situation?

a) Is the Kindle Fire compatible with MedallionNet for logging into the system for internet access?

b) Am I stuck buying a couple of new laptops, iPads, or tablet PCs?

 

[Outerdog]

I haven't used a Fire on MedallionNet personally, but I'm a huge nerd and having used MedallionNet on iPads and Windows and owning a Kindle Fire, I can say with a high degree of confidence that there isn't really any reason the Fire should not work.

 

MedallionNet is just a captive portal like any other. You use a browser and navigate to medallion.net (or whatever it is, can't remember) and the portal forces you to the log in page. You enter the cabin number, last name, or whatever it asks you and the network registers the device MAC address and allows internet access.

 

Usually IT departments will say that a device is unsupported when the reality is that it is simply untested.

 

[Thrak]

I don't see why a Kindle shouldn't work with Medallion Net. As for working with the Medallion App... Highly unlikely.

[iamaqt2]

I've used both my Fire and Paperwhite successfully to connect to the Wi-fi.  My opinion is it's not the device who fails it's the user.  

[damiross]

I downloaded the app to my Kindle Fire 10.    There isn't a Fire specific version.  I downloaded it from the Google Play Store.

 

You will need to look up how to install Play Store onto a Kindle Fire.

 

I haven't seen any issues with it yet.  Disclaimer:  I am not on a cruise yet.

[Guest ldtr]

One way to connect a device is to go into a browser and use address login.com  on board ship that should enable you to connect even without the app.

 

Disclaimer:  Have not used it with any kindle hardware device though I have used it with an old android device that was not compatible with the medallion app

[Thrak]

18 minutes ago, damiross said:

I downloaded the app to my Kindle Fire 10.    There isn't a Fire specific version.  I downloaded it from the Google Play Store.

 

You will need to look up how to install Play Store onto a Kindle Fire.

 

I haven't seen any issues with it yet.  Disclaimer:  I am not on a cruise yet.

 

I didn't realize the Fire ran a version of Android that worked with the App. Since it really only "requires" Android 8 any device that runs that or higher "should" be fine. Sounds like you have it figured out. Good to learn.

 

Side note: I once (many years ago) bought my wife a Kindle Fire for a Christmas present but, before Christmas actually rolled around, her boss gave her an iPad for Christmas. D'Oh! We returned the Fire unopened.

[ericosmith]

Not sure about the paperwhite as you need a browser to log in and I've never tried to browse on one.  I was easily able to download books by turning on my phone hotspot and connecting the paperwhite to it.  No browser needed that way.

[MainePrincess]

I used my Fire tablet on my last cruise.  It worked fine for email, websites, etc.  I would switch to my phone for the Medallion app.

[damiross]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

I didn't realize the Fire ran a version of Android that worked with the App. Since it really only "requires" Android 8 any device that runs that or higher "should" be fine. Sounds like you have it figured out. Good to learn.

 

Side note: I once (many years ago) bought my wife a Kindle Fire for a Christmas present but, before Christmas actually rolled around, her boss gave her an iPad for Christmas. D'Oh! We returned the Fire unopened.

Just need to add an APK or two.  It takes about 15 minutes.

On your side note: You boss didn't like your wife?  If the boss did like her, you wife would have gotten a non-Apple tablet!  (I hate Apple products.  They are way overpriced and I hate that Apple doesn't allow the user to decided what to install on his devices.)

[Papa Yoda]

1 hour ago, damiross said:

(I hate Apple products.  They are way overpriced and I hate that Apple doesn't allow the user to decided what to install on his devices.)

 

Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.  

[L11]

4 hours ago, Outerdog said:

I haven't used a Fire on MedallionNet personally, but I'm a huge nerd and having used MedallionNet on iPads and Windows and owning a Kindle Fire, I can say with a high degree of confidence that there isn't really any reason the Fire should not work.

 

MedallionNet is just a captive portal like any other. You use a browser and navigate to medallion.net (or whatever it is, can't remember) and the portal forces you to the log in page. You enter the cabin number, last name, or whatever it asks you and the network registers the device MAC address and allows internet access.

 

Usually IT departments will say that a device is unsupported when the reality is that it is simply untested.

 

Outerdog's comments mirror my onboard user experience pretty much exactly (though I have no clue what he is talking about on a technical level). I do not usually travel with a computer, just my Kindle Fire. I have used it onboard as recently as November to check and answer email, download books, surf the net etc., always depending on speed, which can be pretty slow depending on the ship , time of day, number of users and sometimes I think on the flip of a coin. I don't recall the precise procedure but when you open your browser, you are prompted to give the info you need to get connected. Pretty simple.

 

I do not know if your Windows 8 computer is compatible or not. I do know you can upgrade it to Windows version 11 fairly easily  (though you may have to upgrade first to version 10 then go to 11 from there-I am sure someone more technically inclined can give better advice on this).

 

Good luck!

[mtnesterz]

12 hours ago, Times Prince said:

So, what is the true situation?

a) Is the Kindle Fire compatible with MedallionNet for logging into the system for internet access?

b) Am I stuck buying a couple of new laptops, iPads, or tablet PCs?

Kindle Fire is Android based, open source. Anyone with sufficient resources, like Amazon, can put an overlay over it. What works, or doesn't, on Android, would be the same for Kindle Fire. As far as WiFi on the ship, meaning email and such, just log on as you would any other. It must be said you would need to buy service. You no longer receive free Platinium/Elite minutes.

The question at hand is the Medallion App. The problem is how to get it from the Play Store.

Here is a thread with instructions:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2773853-princess-medallion-app-for-amazon-kindle-fire-tablet/

You mention a tablet PC. As of last year, there was not an Medallion App for Windows. This would not answer your needs at all. Also, if you are not accustomed to Apple products, the learning curve for an iPad may be daunting. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by mtnesterz

[L11]

Just to clarify my response above, I did NOT have Medallion functionality just by logging in to my browser as I described. All I was able to do was internet surf, check email, etc. For the Medallion stuff, I used my iPhone. If you have an Android phone, you can get the Medallion app on that. Mtnesterz has given you good advise if you want the Medallion app on your Kindle. Me, my needs are basic. The phone was easy and enough for me.

[Rick&Jeannie]

13 hours ago, ericosmith said:

Not sure about the paperwhite as you need a browser to log in and I've never tried to browse on one.  I was easily able to download books by turning on my phone hotspot and connecting the paperwhite to it.  No browser needed that way.

This is what I did on a recent cruise where I realized that I did not have anything new downloaded.  Fumbled around trying to do it directly on the Kindle...no joy!  Then it hit me to just do the hotspot bit.  Rather slow given the poor state of satellite signal but it finally completed.

[Thrak]

17 hours ago, damiross said:

Just need to add an APK or two.  It takes about 15 minutes.

On your side note: You boss didn't like your wife?  If the boss did like her, you wife would have gotten a non-Apple tablet!  (I hate Apple products.  They are way overpriced and I hate that Apple doesn't allow the user to decided what to install on his devices.)

 

Actually her boss loved her. (She does very good work.) That iPad was the only Apple device ever to disgrace our home. I'm with you regarding Apple. Their "You will do it my way!" attitude is very annoying and their devices are crazy expensive. PC and Android are the way to go for me.

[Times Prince]

Thanks, everybody!

It looks like we're good to go using our Kindle Fire and our Android phones.

 

One more question - Can one purchase MedallionNet access for just a day while onboard?

Our next cruise is 16 "days", and the full package is $120.  We only need internet access for a couple of random days, maybe around day 6 and day 11.

[Rick&Jeannie]

5 hours ago, Thrak said:

Their "You will do it my way!" attitude is very annoying and their devices are crazy expensive. PC and Android are the way to go for me.

Amen Brother!  Equally annoying is that whole two-factor auth they force you to do when you just want to tweak something! 😠 DW has an iPhone; constantly makes fun of me when I occasionally have issues with my Galaxy phone.  I just smile and nod my head...

[caribill]

22 hours ago, L11 said:

 

 

I do not know if your Windows 8 computer is compatible or not. I

 

Windows 8.1 can be used to access MedallionNet.

[caribill]

15 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

 

The question at hand is the Medallion App. The problem is how to get it from the Play Store.

Here is a thread with instructions:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2773853-princess-medallion-app-for-amazon-kindle-fire-tablet/

You mention a tablet PC. As of last year, there was not an Medallion App for Windows. This would not answer your needs at all. Also, if you are not accustomed to Apple products, the learning curve for an iPad may be daunting. 

 

The App is not needed to access MedallionNet from a computer, a smart phone or a tablet.

[caribill]

7 hours ago, Times Prince said:

 

One more question - Can one purchase MedallionNet access for just a day while onboard?

Our next cruise is 16 "days", and the full package is $120.  We only need internet access for a couple of random days, maybe around day 6 and day 11.

 

Yes.

[mtnesterz]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The App is not needed to access MedallionNet from a computer, a smart phone or a tablet.

But that was not the point. MedallionNet does access the onboard internet. The Medallion App is used to access Dine My Way, book excursions,  order drinks or food... They are two different things.

The OP's question #2 concerned using the Medallion App on a Kindle device and it it needs to be loaded on the device. There are work arounds to get it on a Kindle device, but no development for a version for Windows (that I know of). So, yes, someone could access the internet on the ship with a Windows device, but they could not use those functions within the App. The OP mentions wanting to buy a tablet PC. That would have been a disappointment for them.

[WatchHill]

We were on the Enchantment in November and my sister was using her Kindle on which she had loaded a few  books to read, purchased via her home computer. Frustrated that she could not download  she took her Kindle to the IT support people who said that even the crew need to go ashore to find a good WiFi option. When we got to St Thomas, we went to Emerald and the bar tender gave her the pass codes, and the hotel staff helped her log in and complete the installation so she could read her books. Nice tip to bar tender for a great pina colada, too.  Note to self: Don't just purchase via computer - be sure to completely download at home  to avoid disappointment. 

 

Not super impressed with Princess IT, good for checking email and accessing whats app to chat with family at home.

 

Darcy

[Times Prince]

9 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

But that was not the point. MedallionNet does access the onboard internet. The Medallion App is used to access Dine My Way, book excursions,  order drinks or food... They are two different things.

The OP's question #2 concerned using the Medallion App on a Kindle device and if it needs to be loaded on the device. There are work arounds to get it on a Kindle device, but no development for a version for Windows (that I know of). 

As a retired engineer (Dell), let me clarify some common industry terms:  INTRANET and INTERNET.

INTRANET is contained within a facility, in our case a ship.  This is what the Medallion App uses onboard, and using local resources within the ship only there is no charge to the user.  "Onboard internet" is actually Intranet.
INTERNET goes outside of the facility to the general World Wide Web.  This is what the MedallionNet feature does, and using external resources (i.e. satellite) is assessed a cost to the user.

---------------

Back to my original questions, I am aware that the Medallion App works on cell phones in airplane mode with wifi enabled.  That is not an issue, other than the inconvenience of having to carry around a cell phone whilst on vacation.  When not onboard ship it accesses the Internet for OceanReady, but once onboard it accesses Intranet, where the other Ocean features are available.

 

My main concern was whether I could access the Internet from a Kindle Fire once I had paid for the MedallionNet service.  The answer, kindly provided by everyone, is that access to the Internet is provided by a login gateway from ANY device, which is similar to the way things were prior to the branding of MedallionNet.  The login gateway simply requires a valid, paid for, ID and password, similar to the Name/Cabin Number and Password previously required prior to the MedallionNet branding of this feature.  The big difference here appears to be that the MedallionNet feature needs to be purchased using the Medallion App, whereas in the past it was enabled/purchased using one's initial login from a device being used to access the Internet.  Unfortunately the free Platinum/Elite benefit of internet minutes is no longer available

Edited January 23, 2023 by Times Prince

[Times Prince]

6 hours ago, WatchHill said:

We were on the Enchantment in November and my sister was using her Kindle on which she had loaded a few  books to read, purchased via her home computer. Frustrated that she could not download  she took her Kindle to the IT support people who said that even the crew need to go ashore to find a good WiFi option.   ...

 

Darcy

I've found that, even at home, when I download books on a Kindle Fire, I need to actually open the book and "read" a page or two to ensure the books are actually on the device.  Since Amazon changed their download policy requiring a "push" delivery from their site rather than a request from the Kindle the actual download of multiple books is a little "iffy".