Princess is in the process of making all of their ships Ocean Medallion Class. The ships are going to be more technologically advanced. At the pier, when we checked in for the Caribbean Princess, on Sept. 8, we were given a lanyard with an attached cruise card and a medallion (about the size of a half dollar). The medallion is used like your cruise card; to get on and off the ship, to make purchases on the ship and to unlock your cabin door as you approach or lock it, as you walk away, without touching it (great for those who may be a little intoxicated). In the casino, the medallion is used to set up your player account which is transferrable from slots to table games.
The Ocean Concierge is a free app which lists the events of the day, their time/location, the ship’s itinerary and enables you to purchase excursions. Ocean Concierge eliminates the need carry the daily Princess Patter, the ship’s paper, with you. With the medallion and the various big screens around the ship, there is no need to carry a device or a phone with you either. If you mark your favorite events on the app and use your medallion on the big screens, personalized messages appear (ie: Susan, your next bingo session is at 10 am).
The internet, on the Ocean Medallion Class ships, is supposed to be the fastest at sea. On the Sept. 8 sailing, Platinum and Elite Members received the internet for free. They offered it at 50% off, or $9.99 per day, on embarkation day to all other passengers. We didn’t take advantage of the offer since we disconnect when we go on vacation. If you purchased the internet, you were able to download additional apps, such as Ocean Casino and Play Ocean. We noticed many passengers playing games on their phones, in the theater. We spoke to the crew about the internet. They said it is great for video chatting and that how fast searching is depends on what time of day you were using it, so speed is relevant to the number of people using it at the time. The Platinum members at our table said the internet was great, but we didn’t ask when or how they were using it. Of course, they got it for free and free is always good!