c25andeb Posted July 12, 2023 #1 Share Posted July 12, 2023 A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottygirl1 Posted July 12, 2023 #2 Share Posted July 12, 2023 1 hour ago, c25andeb said: A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. It pays to keep an eye on your account while travelling. I think you can check everyday? It's sad that someone would do this unless it was a genuine mistake. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beav1279 Posted July 12, 2023 #3 Share Posted July 12, 2023 28 minutes ago, Scottygirl1 said: It pays to keep an eye on your account while travelling. I think you can check everyday? It's sad that someone would do this unless it was a genuine mistake. Yes! My DH and I check out the account every evening just to make sure everything is good. Most cruise lines now give you that ability on your stateroom TV or on the app. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedferg Posted July 12, 2023 #4 Share Posted July 12, 2023 2 hours ago, c25andeb said: A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. We did this cruise earlier, June 13, waiters almost always asked for cabin number but always confirmed our name, 'Mr Edward?' I guess a cheat can just say Yes to the name check. Pity the waiter does not also ask for name as well as cabin number. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c25andeb Posted July 13, 2023 Author #5 Share Posted July 13, 2023 Everyone's name is clearly posted at the door of the cabin, so all you would need to do is go by the cabin, remember a name and number. This might cause Princess some negative reactions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c25andeb Posted July 13, 2023 Author #6 Share Posted July 13, 2023 I checked my account several times during the cruise, the charges were to my wife's account. She never left the cabin without me, so I didn't check her folio. We have three more Princess future cruises booked, I guess I'll be more vigilant from now on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgirl411 Posted July 13, 2023 #7 Share Posted July 13, 2023 14 hours ago, c25andeb said: A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. I don’t understand why you think this is a problem related to the medallions. I actually thought they provide better security about charges to your account. Normally when the bar staff come to you for your order, they will see your name and picture on their screen and then confirm it with you. Sometimes the wifi doesn’t always allow them to do that but it normally seems to work quite well. We were on Regal Princess last August and Emerald this December and it worked quite well. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Yaya_in_Oz Posted July 13, 2023 #8 Share Posted July 13, 2023 I've been on 3 cruises this past year, and in this part of the world they swiped my medallion for everything from water to cocktails. I do check my account most days. It seems odd that another passenger on quite a few occasions was able to get away with ordering drinks and not presenting a medallion. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted July 13, 2023 #9 Share Posted July 13, 2023 19 hours ago, c25andeb said: A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. THIS is why we always take a look at that bill a couple times during the week. We discovered this a few days in last summer. Went straight to guest services, showed we had Princess Plus & all was resolved immediately. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted July 13, 2023 #10 Share Posted July 13, 2023 4 hours ago, Yaya_in_Oz said: I've been on 3 cruises this past year, and in this part of the world they swiped my medallion for everything from water to cocktails. I do check my account most days. It seems odd that another passenger on quite a few occasions was able to get away with ordering drinks and not presenting a medallion. When ordering at the bar, all the nearby Medallion accounts pop up with pictures. If you look similar to someone at the bar, the busy servers may accidentally put it on the wrong account. It seems the majority of passengers get Princess Plus so it isn't a huge issue generally. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted July 14, 2023 #11 Share Posted July 14, 2023 We were on our 4th post covid cruise with Princess Plus last week and ran into an issue that, in retrospect, should not have been surprising. When checking our folio on two separate days, my DH had bar charges for the full price (plus gratuity) of a couple of drinks. Guest Services staff looked up the record and said that was because he exceeded the 15 drink allowance on those days. I looked very surprised and before I could say anything, he said "but you didn't drink hardly anything." Now I knew that was wrong too. When ordering drinks through room service or even at a bar and in the MDR as a couple, the wait staff wasn't assigning the drinks to each individual. Whoever gives the staff the cabin number gets recorded as ordering both drinks. So keep a close eye on your folios! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ldtr Posted July 14, 2023 #12 Share Posted July 14, 2023 On 7/12/2023 at 1:24 PM, c25andeb said: A word of caution about those medallions. We were on the Regal from June 25 - July 7, apparently, all someone has to do to get free drinks is to tell the waiter a cabin number and it gets charged to whoever is in that cabin! When we got home I saw our credit card statement and knew it was too high. Someone had charged drinks and bar charges and our cabin got the bill for them. Princess says it will take 21 days to be resolved, but be advised, it could happen to you too. A relative of ours ordered a ginger ale and the waiter simply asked "what cabin number?" Hopefully this keeps someone else from getting charged for drinks they never ordered. A good reason to check your bill before leaving ship. Same problem used to occur with the old cards. Now you can easily check your bill using the App. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers36 Posted July 14, 2023 #13 Share Posted July 14, 2023 15 hours ago, catgirl411 said: I don’t understand why you think this is a problem related to the medallions. I actually thought they provide better security about charges to your account. Normally when the bar staff come to you for your order, they will see your name and picture on their screen and then confirm it with you. Sometimes the wifi doesn’t always allow them to do that but it normally seems to work quite well. We were on Regal Princess last August and Emerald this December and it worked quite well. Same thing could have been possible with a cruise card - if waiter just asked for cabin number. The old cruise cards had an account number on them which was not cabin number and that number was used to record charges, so perhaps it was more secure??? I am not sure. Not advocating for cards again, but guests have reported waiters picking up their medallion by mistake to charge a drink - perhaps just tapping the wrong one of multiple images on a tablet screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted July 14, 2023 #14 Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) What is your cabin number? C222, D222, E222 B222, etc. all sound the same in a crowded environment. I check my folio on my phone ever day of the cruise. I've had a number of bogus charges (which is especially weird when I have the Plus fare and shouldn't be charged for any drinks under the limit of 15 per day) and I always get them removed at the Purser's Desk. (I don't understand why that became Customer Service...) Keeping track of one's account is a personal responsibility. Blaming charges on the Medallion is just silly. Edited July 14, 2023 by Thrak 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted July 14, 2023 #15 Share Posted July 14, 2023 17 hours ago, c25andeb said: Everyone's name is clearly posted at the door of the cabin, so all you would need to do is go by the cabin, remember a name and number. This might cause Princess some negative reactions. But would you not also need that person's medallion to be in proximity along with the name and number? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ldtr Posted July 14, 2023 #16 Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Steelers36 said: Same thing could have been possible with a cruise card - if waiter just asked for cabin number. The old cruise cards had an account number on them which was not cabin number and that number was used to record charges, so perhaps it was more secure??? I am not sure. Not advocating for cards again, but guests have reported waiters picking up their medallion by mistake to charge a drink - perhaps just tapping the wrong one of multiple images on a tablet screen. Early on after the restart I would have several billing errors pop up. Often it would be from a bar I was in but did not order from. Once i walked through deck 7 on my way to my room. Soon after I got there there was a knock on my door and there was a waiter from the Crown Grill bar with a beer that the system said I had ordered apparently as I walked by. I do not even drink beer. However those problems seem to be greatly reduced. Have not had any billing issues on my last 6 cruises or so this year. Under the old system they could also bill by room number just as they could by account code. I used to find more problems under the old system because they kept paper copies getting them corrected often ment them pulling the paper copies before canceling the charge. Edited July 14, 2023 by ldtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted July 14, 2023 #17 Share Posted July 14, 2023 24 minutes ago, Thrak said: What is your cabin number? C222, D222, E222 B222, etc. all sound the same in a crowded environment. I check my folio on my phone ever day of the cruise. I've had a number of bogus charges (which is especially weird when I have the Plus fare and shouldn't be charged for any drinks under the limit of 15 per day) and I always get them removed at the Purser's Desk. (I don't understand why that became Customer Service...) Keeping track of one's account is a personal responsibility. Blaming charges on the Medallion is just silly. I don't think I agree with your last sentence. If the medallion process has flaws, as it apparently does, then folks should be aware. Catching errors by checking one's account is a best practice but it doesn't change what is causing the problem. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted July 14, 2023 #18 Share Posted July 14, 2023 I "somewhat" agree with you but, for the most part, I still hold with the "check your folio daily" approach. Bogus charges vastly outdate the introduction of the Medallion. Bogus charges have always been an issue. I learned very early on to check my folio frequently. Since the advent of the Medallion and the much maligned app I have been able to easily check my folio daily using my phone. Many hate the Medallion app but, for the most part, I'm a fan. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie33 Posted July 14, 2023 #19 Share Posted July 14, 2023 I learnt off here when researching for out first cruise to always check your folio, and yes I’ve had a few erroneous charges. On Sky we link our account and as I’m the lead passenger both my own and my husbands folio show on the app on the same page so easy to check 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCX22 Posted July 14, 2023 #20 Share Posted July 14, 2023 I wish Princess allow guests to program a PIN to go along with the Medallion. The guest would have to enter their PIN as a verification layer when ever an order or purchase is made. In case you have a lot of time on your hands, here's the link to the patent Carnival filed for the Medallion: https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/10037642 Low and behold, John Padgett is first on the list for the inventor. On PDF page 47, Column 33, it basically says the only form of verification for the Medallion is the crew matching the photograph on file with the face of the guest ordering. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingsoon Posted July 14, 2023 #21 Share Posted July 14, 2023 (edited) 1- keep your medallion in a faraday pouch 2- remove your name from your cabin door 3- check your account Edited July 14, 2023 by walkingsoon 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Meer Posted July 14, 2023 #22 Share Posted July 14, 2023 21 minutes ago, walkingsoon said: 1- keep your medallion in a faraday pouch 2- remove your name from your cabin door 3- check your account Will guest services remove your name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingsoon Posted July 14, 2023 #23 Share Posted July 14, 2023 "Will guest services remove your name?" Yes. Easily and quickly done with a phone call. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsp Posted July 14, 2023 #24 Share Posted July 14, 2023 21 hours ago, c25andeb said: Everyone's name is clearly posted at the door of the cabin, so all you would need to do is go by the cabin, remember a name and number. This might cause Princess some negative reactions. That and a bit of plastic surgery so you look the same 2 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissP22 Posted July 14, 2023 #25 Share Posted July 14, 2023 Unfortunately with all the drinks being ordered at busy times, mistakes will sometimes occur. It's so easy to check your account every so often and have it corrected while on the ship, there's no reason to wait until you get home to resolve the problem. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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