Effective sailings beginning August 1, 2023: "Enhanced" OceanReady Check-in Process

[snoozecrooze]

 

 

Emphasis was made that checking in and inputting your information can certainly be done on a computer and not just the mobile app. More information below.

 

Emphasis was made that home delivery for medallions is "coming soon" for Canada; it's undergoing postal trial testing.

 

This basically means you don't want your Medallion delivered to your home OR you can't accept home delivery because you live outside of the US.

 

The fee for home delivery would otherwise be $10 USD.

 

(No more focus on arrival group!)

 

They said they learned from the feedback that no one follows the arrival groups they were designated anyways, and they wanted to reinstate the "freedom of boarding."

 

For the ones who don't want to deal with the mobile app:

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by snoozecrooze

[nasa1974]

Good info. Thanks. Waiting for it to drop in my email account.

[Steelers36]

At today's seminar for agents, Carmen Roig introduced the new Ocean Ready final screen layout and content coming August 1.  It is part of their simplification and improvement for the check-in process.

 

I couldn't get a screen shot, but perhaps later once seminar is over.  Instead of just the QR code that shows up when guest is Ocean Ready, the new screen contains:

 

1. Guest full name.

2. Ship Name

3. Deck and cabin number.

4. Boarding date.

5. A QR code.

6. An indication of Green/Blue Lane (Green simply meaning you have a Medallion ahead of time).

 

This new screen should appear beginning 11 days prior to start of cruise.

 

They showed a slide indicating Green, Blue and Gray processing.  The latter was for special needs.

You can go into any lane.

 

There was no mention of priority processing at check-in, but we all know it's there.

 

They seemed to imply that we will begin to see actual Green/Blue lanes for approaching check-in counters and with Green a way to quickly bypass.  No doubt you still see a check-in agent to scan Medallion and they will verify all is in order.  Doesn't sound much different. 

 

Blue Lane could be a piece if info missing such as security photo or need to collect Medallion.  This wasn't totally clear, so I am not sure if anything is really changing in the port terminals, but I am sure members here will report in August and after about any changes.  

 

As we know and are used to, you can be Green as long as have ordered Medallion and default to port pick-up. 

[macusr]

Arrival groups never worked for those with Elite/Platinum/Suite early boarding privileges anyway.  Glad to see them drop that.

[LACruiser88]

Fyi, another poster is beating you to the punch with all of the graphics...

[cr8tiv1]

 

I left out steps 1-4 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by cr8tiv1

[snoozecrooze]

Q: How many days before embarking can a guest check-in on OceanReady?

A: Have your birth date and deposit in. Then, you can start ASAP.

 

Also, if there are other very specific needs in addition to mobility issues, those guests can also use the Accessible Lane. Not many further details were given about the Accessible Lane, though.

[Steelers36]

Here is the slide:

 

 

BTW, I saw a 13 day note as well.  I wouldn't expect an exact number of days for this to show in advance of sail date and just expect it around the number of days indicated.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Steelers36

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, snoozecrooze said:

Q: How many days before embarking can a guest check-in on OceanReady?

A: Have your birth date and deposit in. Then, you can start ASAP.

 

Also, if there are other very specific needs in addition to mobility issues, those guests can also use the Accessible Lane. Not many further details were given about the Accessible Lane, though.

PCL has previously had accessible check-in IIRC.

[Steelers36]

13 minutes ago, snoozecrooze said:

 

I have tagged both our threads and reported to CC Admin to combine them and said I didn't care which title survived but there is no point in having two threads on this new news item.

[SCX22]

All a bunch of bologna to sell more Princess Plus/Premier packages.  Pre-purchase a package and get your Medallion shipped to your home (which sometimes might not make it in time) to get into the Green Lane.  Often times, the Blue Lane moves faster than the Green Lane because there are more agents assigned to the Blue Lane.  Also, there are ports like San Francisco where there is a separate line to pick up Medallions after checking in, so both lines move equally as fast.  P/E/S (with the known exception being Vancouver) have a separate line for them anyways.

 

Are the port agents going to start checking QR codes now?  If not, Princess should get rid of the QR codes too because they are as superfluous as the Arrival Groups.

[snoozecrooze]

14 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Also, there are ports like San Francisco where there is a separate line to pick up Medallions after checking in, so both lines move equally as fast. 

I agree, picking up the Medallions at the port has never been a hassle for us.

 

14 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Are the port agents going to start checking QR codes now

Also agree with this question. We have never been asked to show our QR code for as long as I can remember, but we've never had a big wait for check-in either. I feel like Princess has done a good job overall already and hopefully they keep simplifying things to avoid further confusion (like if we can scan that QR code to get through, then that should be it)

[Scougs]

So I'm now stuck with Blue Lane because I don't live in the USA?   Hmmmmm.

[SCX22]

4 minutes ago, Scougs said:

So I'm now stuck with Blue Lane because I don't live in the USA?   Hmmmmm.

 

Or Canada.

[memoak]

I have sailed from LA, SF, Vancouver and Seattle since the restart and have never seen any lanes anyplace 

[Gretchendz]

For those who prefer the information non-graphically:

Thanks to feedback from your clients, Princess guests will now enjoy a more efficient embarkation experience, starting Aug 1. We’ve simplified what it means to be Green, Blue or Accessibility Lane when guests get OceanReady using the Princess App and it centers around whether your clients have their Medallion shipped to their residence. Key highlights are summarized below. Download the OceanReady Flyer ❯ and OceanReady FAQs ❯ for all details, so you can advise your clients on the necessary steps to ensure an effortless embarkation.

• Green Lane – Guests who have completed all steps of the Travel Check list and have had their Medallion(s) shipped to them (U.S. and Puerto Rico only). With Green Lane, guests enjoy the most streamlined embarkation and board faster. Remember, if your clients book with Princess Plus or Premier, the $10 Medallion shipping fee is waived.

Please note that guests who were Green Lane but did not elect to have their Medallion(s) shipped to them, will now become Blue Lane for voyages departing after August 1st. However, if these guests are 13 or more days from their sailing date, they can still elect to have their Medallion(s) shipped to them to remain Green Lane using the Princess app. or the meb-based OceanReady at Princess.com ❯

• Blue Lane – Guests who may have completed some, none, or all of the Travel Checklist, but have elected to not have their Medallion(s) ship to them, will still enjoy streamlined check in, but will pick their Medallion(s) at the cruise terminal.
• Accessibility Lane – Guest with mobility or other accessibility needs will always have a lane available to them for a more streamlined check-in, regardless of OceanReady color designation.
• No more scheduled arrival times – Guest are no longer required to select an arrival group time as part of these enhancements. Guests can arrive within the published check-in window at a time that works for them. We strongly encourage guests to provide their travel arrangement information via OceanReady. The published check-in window is available in their travel summary.
• Updated Digital Boarding Pass: We’ve enhanced the boarding pass, available 11 days prior to sailing date in the Princess app. It now includes key guest information (deck, stateroom #, etc). The Arrival Group designation has been removed, per above.

[jwattle]

Gosh, I can tell who the TAs on the site are 😁

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, Gretchendz said:

Please note that guests who were Green Lane but did not elect to have their Medallion(s) shipped to them, will now become Blue Lane for voyages departing after August 1st. However, if these guests are 13 or more days from their sailing date, they can still elect to have their Medallion(s) shipped to them to remain Green Lane using the Princess app. or the web-based OceanReady at Princess.com ❯

This is another bonehead move by PCL.  It's all about charging guests more money - either for shipping or another reason to get them buying the cruise packages.  

 

If guest has done a Medallion order and its going to the pier for pick-up, that ought to still be Green Lane.  

 

7 hours ago, Scougs said:

So I'm now stuck with Blue Lane because I don't live in the USA?   Hmmmmm.

Well, apparently we aren't stuck there.  Carmen Roig herself got laughing about the colored lanes and confused guests and said just go to any lane and you get taken care of.  (All I care about is getting priority access and first group to board and could care less what the lane is to hand me a Medallion and check me in).

 

7 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Or Canada.

Yup, but shipping option is coming by August 1 (supposedly).

 

7 hours ago, memoak said:

I have sailed from LA, SF, Vancouver and Seattle since the restart and have never seen any lanes any place 

I agree.  Did not see colored lanes last Fall and picking up Medallion added seconds to the process.  The delineation for check-in was more around priority and non-priority which makes sense to me.  In today's seminar, there was nary a mention of Elite/Suite, etc, check-in.

 

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, jwattle said:

Gosh, I can tell who the TAs on the site are 😁

Not me, but did listen in to most of it as was curious what changes were coming.

[ceilidh1]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

Yup, but shipping option is coming by August 1 (supposedly).

 

 

They have been promising shipping to Canada for at least a year now...I'll believe it when I see it. Lol. I couldn't care less what colour I am, but would be mighty peeved to arrive at the port and be "held back" or "delayed" because Princess can't get it together to send me a medallion. It hasn't happened thus far, but with these changes, who knows? I'm already peeved that I'm paying for a "perk" (free shipping of medallion) that I can't use when I buy a package. It's like they are purposely trying to make me mad...ha ha.

[Justpackingmybags]

Living in the UK I’m used to having to collect my medallion on arrival at the port. It must add seconds to the boarding process. Am I going to let Princess’ inability to post a medallion outside of the USA (and maybe Canada) spoil my holiday? Not a chance 😎🍷

[calvin31]

7 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Or Canada.

We can’t get medallions shipped to Canada with these changes now can we?

[Sprocket]

13 minutes ago, calvin31 said:

We can’t get medallions shipped to Canada with these changes now can we?

 

No changes come into effect August 1st no definitive word yet (at least that I have seen) as to when we will be able to order them.  

 

[capriccio]

Port Everglades was already using the 'have the Medallion/don't have the Medallion' as the distinction for separating into lanes after security last week.  In our group of 8, my DH and I had our Medallions and didn't slow down at all.  We went right to an available check-in podium.  The other 6 in our group waited maybe 3 minutes in a line to be assigned a staffer at the check-in counter.  It worked very well for all - and this was at 11 am.  We spent more time in the line to enter the building (preferring to wait with our family, DH and I didn't use the elite entry line) than getting through the check-in process.

[Steelers36]

12 hours ago, calvin31 said:

We can’t get medallions shipped to Canada with these changes now can we?

 

12 hours ago, Sprocket said:

 

No changes come into effect August 1st no definitive word yet (at least that I have seen) as to when we will be able to order them.  

 

I suppose it depends how much you wish to believe Carmen Roig who is VP Marketing (or similar title).  I imagine we all will believe it when see it as it might be delayed.  Who knows?  And as I mentioned somewhere before, nothing was said as to anyone can order after August 1 (such as for a mid- to late-August voyage, or whether for new bookings after that date, etc.  One would think/hope that anyone can order after the launch date.  I'd look for a formal announcement since it is a good news item.  Maybe they will email all Captain's Circle Members living in Canada.