Why doesn't Cunard have a proper mobile app?

[tjunmin]

3 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Before word got around that ships have internet, friends loved to do TAs because their boss and clients assumed they would be out of touch for a week. Bliss!

In my books, bosses and clients who think they can reach out to someone on vacation "just because internet is available" should be fired.

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Before word got around that ships have internet, friends loved to do TAs because their boss and clients assumed they would be out of touch for a week. Bliss!

and that's one of the reasons we continued cruising after our first one. A holiday at sea was a real holiday.

 

[majortom10]

Having used Medallion App on Princess a few times and all the issues and bugs I am quiet happy with what is offered by Cunard now and hope it stays that way.

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Having used Medallion App on Princess a few times and all the issues and bugs I am quiet happy with what is offered by Cunard now and hope it stays that way.

As I have said before, I find it quite horrifying that there appears to be a way of opening my cabin door without a positive action on my part.

[david63]

30 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

As I have said before, I find it quite horrifying that there appears to be a way of opening my cabin door without a positive action on my part.

Firstly the Princess Medallion does not "open" your cabin door it unlocks it and secondly there is a positive action on your part - you are approaching your cabin.

 

Taking that to its logical conclusion your cabin door can be opened on any ship without "a positive action on your part" as your cabin steward, amongst others, has access - at least with the Medallion you are in the vicinity whereas with others you may not even be on the ship.

[exlondoner]

36 minutes ago, david63 said:

Firstly the Princess Medallion does not "open" your cabin door it unlocks it and secondly there is a positive action on your part - you are approaching your cabin.

 

Taking that to its logical conclusion your cabin door can be opened on any ship without "a positive action on your part" as your cabin steward, amongst others, has access - at least with the Medallion you are in the vicinity whereas with others you may not even be on the ship.

Walking towards my cabin is not a positive action. Depending on its location, I fairly often pass it on the way to somewhere else. For instance on QM2 en route to the library or CC. Also, I thought the point of the thing was you didn’t have to juggle if your hands were full of children and stuff: if you have to open the door anyway, that makes it even more pointless.

 

My steward is, I hope, a trustworthy person. I have no problem with him/her entering the cabin when I am not in it. As s/he knocks before entering, it gives me plenty of time to remove myself from view, if, say, I am standing in front of the mirror half dressed.

[Victoria2]

49 minutes ago, david63 said:

Firstly the Princess Medallion does not "open" your cabin door it unlocks it and secondly there is a positive action on your part - you are approaching your cabin.

 

Taking that to its logical conclusion your cabin door can be opened on any ship without "a positive action on your part" as your cabin steward, amongst others, has access - at least with the Medallion you are in the vicinity whereas with others you may not even be on the ship.

Logically, I hope any staff members who need to access our room, will do so without the need of us being in the vicinity and if we are, they usually knock first. If we don't want them to enter, the do not disturb tag works fine.

.

Edited January 24 by Victoria2

[gapiro]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Walking towards my cabin is not a positive action. Depending on its location, I fairly often pass it on the way to somewhere else. For instance on QM2 en route to the library or CC. Also, I thought the point of the thing was you didn’t have to juggle if your hands were full of children and stuff: if you have to open the door anyway, that makes it even more pointless.

 

It locks when you walk away... 

[TouchstoneFeste]

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I have no problem with him/her entering the cabin when I am not in it. As s/he knocks before entering, it gives me plenty of time to remove myself from view, if, say, I am standing in front of the mirror half dressed.

 

Real curiosity, not meaning to be argumentative.

 

Do the stewards have "all door" medallions? Will the doors unlock as they pass by?

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

 

Real curiosity, not meaning to be argumentative.

 

Do the stewards have "all door" medallions? Will the doors unlock as they pass by?

Goodness, there’s a thought!

[NE John]

It seems to me that Carnival’s UK brands Cunard and P&O run on via independent management decisions from mother ship Carnival in terms of technology.  
For tech improvements, I’d like to see a simple messaging feature on the onboard MyCunard app in case DW wanted to hang out in the CC, drink hot chocolate, and read while I attend a lecture, for example. I shouldn’t have to buy a WiFi package just for onboard messaging. This messaging service makes even more sense for larger groups or groupings of family members to stay in touch. 

I been on land resorts with bracelet usage and it was awkward to use; you need to aim the band at the proper angle to open your door or pay for things - awkward. On Cunard, I join those who may view that a sporting a digital bracelet could look tacky. 
 

[tjunmin]

6 minutes ago, NE John said:

On Cunard, I join those who may view that a sporting a digital bracelet could look tacky. 
 

I find interesting observing people's priorities.

 

My main concern regarding wearing a tracking device - which the Princess medallion absolutely is - is the loss of personal privacy in regards to my physical location. The matter is not "I'm not doing anything wrong and therefore I have nothing to hide". What truly matters is that your movements are being tracked 24/7 on board, and you have no idea who is looking at that data, how it is being used, or how it will be used in the future. And marketing departments smartly package a tracking device as a convenience tool.

 

Hope no one takes this as a personal offense; it is intended as raising awareness of privacy concerns.

[NE John]

10 minutes ago, tjunmin said:

I find interesting observing people's priorities.

 

My main concern regarding wearing a tracking device - which the Princess medallion absolutely is - is the loss of personal privacy in regards to my physical location. The matter is not "I'm not doing anything wrong and therefore I have nothing to hide". What truly matters is that your movements are being tracked 24/7 on board, and you have no idea who is looking at that data, how it is being used, or how it will be used in the future. And marketing departments smartly package a tracking device as a convenience tool.

 

Hope no one takes this as a personal offense; it is intended as raising awareness of privacy concerns.

That is a valid concern. Maybe lines with larger family and group travel would benefit from this tracking system and an app that tracks but it is freaky. 

[majortom10]

53 minutes ago, tjunmin said:

I find interesting observing people's priorities.

 

My main concern regarding wearing a tracking device - which the Princess medallion absolutely is - is the loss of personal privacy in regards to my physical location. The matter is not "I'm not doing anything wrong and therefore I have nothing to hide". What truly matters is that your movements are being tracked 24/7 on board, and you have no idea who is looking at that data, how it is being used, or how it will be used in the future. And marketing departments smartly package a tracking device as a convenience tool.

 

Hope no one takes this as a personal offense; it is intended as raising awareness of privacy concerns.

Very true we were once in a bar on Princess that was holding a private party for Elite members of the Captains Circle Club. The waiter came over to a couple at the next table and told them what was happening and asked them politely to leave. He came to us and said no problem Mr ******* I know you are Elite members. We had never seen the waiter before so he got all my details from the Medallion in my pocket. Big Brother is certainly watching especially on a Princess cruise and it is not to my liking.

[david63]

6 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Do the stewards have "all door" medallions? Will the doors unlock as they pass by?

No they don't have a Medallion that opens all the doors - there are hidden controls on the door panel that the stewards, and others, can access and enter appropriate codes to open the door.

 

It has been stated many times that the Princess Medallion does not constantly track where everybody is on the ship if for no other reason that the amount of data would be massive. What is logged is where you are when you use your Medallion (bar, shop, ashore etc) in exactly the same way that you are logged using a traditional cruise card.

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, tjunmin said:

I find interesting observing people's priorities.

 

My main concern regarding wearing a tracking device - which the Princess medallion absolutely is - is the loss of personal privacy in regards to my physical location. The matter is not "I'm not doing anything wrong and therefore I have nothing to hide". What truly matters is that your movements are being tracked 24/7 on board, and you have no idea who is looking at that data, how it is being used, or how it will be used in the future. And marketing departments smartly package a tracking device as a convenience tool.

 

Hope no one takes this as a personal offense; it is intended as raising awareness of privacy concerns.

Agree. Absolutely hideous.

[exlondoner]

11 hours ago, NE John said:

It seems to me that Carnival’s UK brands Cunard and P&O run on via independent management decisions from mother ship Carnival in terms of technology.  
For tech improvements, I’d like to see a simple messaging feature on the onboard MyCunard app in case DW wanted to hang out in the CC, drink hot chocolate, and read while I attend a lecture, for example. I shouldn’t have to buy a WiFi package just for onboard messaging. This messaging service makes even more sense for larger groups or groupings of family members to stay in touch. 

I been on land resorts with bracelet usage and it was awkward to use; you need to aim the band at the proper angle to open your door or pay for things - awkward. On Cunard, I join those who may view that a sporting a digital bracelet could look tacky. 
 

Why not just tell each other when you part? Or leave a note in the cabin? And the Vistas, at any rate, are so small, it is pretty easy to find someone.

Edited January 25 by exlondoner

[majortom10]

10 hours ago, david63 said:

No they don't have a Medallion that opens all the doors - there are hidden controls on the door panel that the stewards, and others, can access and enter appropriate codes to open the door.

 

It has been stated many times that the Princess Medallion does not constantly track where everybody is on the ship if for no other reason that the amount of data would be massive. What is logged is where you are when you use your Medallion (bar, shop, ashore etc) in exactly the same way that you are logged using a traditional cruise card.

That is what Princess want you to think but having used Medallion many times and think the reality is totally different.

[Victoria2]

28 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Why not just tell each other when you part? Or leave a note in the cabin? And the Vistas, at any rate, are so small, it is pretty easy to find someone.

or a note in the fan. Often quicker than a voicemail message.

[TowandaUK]

While on a Celebrity cruise just after lockdown, we were in a bar when security entered and spoke to a gentleman and walked away with him. On enquiring what was happening we were told that it was likely a Covid test he had submitted onboard had proved positive and he had been found via face recognition. Have no doubts that even without a medallion you can easily be found by the staff if needed. 

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

While on a Celebrity cruise just after lockdown, we were in a bar when security entered and spoke to a gentleman and walked away with him. On enquiring what was happening we were told that it was likely a Covid test he had submitted onboard had proved positive and he had been found via face recognition. Have no doubts that even without a medallion you can easily be found by the staff if needed. 

The really horrendous bit about this is that they told a passenger what ought to be confidential info about a stranger’s health. That is shocking. Even when a ship has had to alter course to evacuate someone, I have never known them give specific details.

[TowandaUK]

He didn’t actually say that the person had tested positive he said that it was a likely reason for what happened. Apparently it was not uncommon at the time. It was also how they tracked down people who had close contact with people who had tested positive. 

[exlondoner]

Just now, TowandaUK said:

He didn’t actually say that the person had tested positive he said that it was a likely reason for what happened. Apparently it was not uncommon at the time. It was also how they tracked down people who had close contact with people who had tested positive. 

Still info that should be confidential and that there is no pressing need to pass on. I would hate it, if I were the person concerned.

[tacticalbanjo]

12 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Very true we were once in a bar on Princess that was holding a private party for Elite members of the Captains Circle Club. The waiter came over to a couple at the next table and told them what was happening and asked them politely to leave. He came to us and said no problem Mr ******* I know you are Elite members. We had never seen the waiter before so he got all my details from the Medallion in my pocket. Big Brother is certainly watching especially on a Princess cruise and it is not to my liking.

If you have privacy concerns then I suggest you don't cruise at all. Pretty much every inch of every ship is covered with CCTV and with facial recognition plus data from bars etc it would be very easy to track you around the ship. You even give them a nice image for facial recognition when you check in. It is already in use on a number of lines for embarkation/disembarkation and contact tracing and Cunard even makes mention of holding biometric data on you in their Privacy Policy. They say it is for security and safety purposes but, hey, everyone is safer when you know exactly where they are on your ship at any given moment so don't think that this doesn't give them leave to use facial recognition to track you.

 

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Why not just tell each other when you part? Or leave a note in the cabin? And the Vistas, at any rate, are so small, it is pretty easy to find someone.

Plans change. Sometimes you get to a bar at just the wrong time and find you can't find a seat. Sometimes the talk isn't to your liking and you leave to do something else. You might wake up from your nap early and want to meet your partner rather than wait for them to return to the room as previously arranged.

 

It really does make me laugh how much people object to other people having more choices. On Princess you don't have to have the medallion. Cruise cards are still available for people unwilling or unable to have a medallion. You don't have to do anything on your phone if you don't want to.

 

Part of my job is researching usage trends for phones and tablets and every year we ask real people in a bunch of different countries about how often they message, use social media, video call and a bunch of other stuff. More and more retirees in Cunard's key markets are coming back saying that they use their phones for messaging every day. They video call at least weekly. They're sharing photos on social media regularly. They're on messaging apps so they can see family photos and videos. Where would be the harm in Cunard accepting that their core market's habits are changing and allowing people who want more technology to use it if it doesn't impinge on people who don't want to use that technology?

 

 

But given that even Cunard's tv system is laughable I doubt anyone here should be worried about having to use an app any time soon.

 

[exlondoner]

Plans change, so you leave a note, or trust their ability to find you.

 

Part of the reluctance is that it does impinge. Counterintuitively, it seems to hold stuff up. Anyone who embarked at Southampton, while Covid was still taken seriously, will remember how much longer the queue took when you were behind someone who had all their docs. on their phone, but could never quite find them, compared to being behind someone brandishing an easily accessible sheaf of paper docs.

 

Strange how this market research never lights on me, who has never done any of the things you mention, despite being youngish for Cunard. Why on earth do people want to look at family photos, when they’ll be back in a fortnight?