Cruise Cards Demagnetizing

[Shogun]

Hi All

Must be doing something wrong has l have never had pleasure of queuing for a replacement card, May be l should stop using a lanyard and keep it next to my phone

 

Yours Shogun

[pablo222]

12 times??!! :eek: This is just me talking, but I think I would have stopped carrying it with my cell phone after, say, the first time it happened.

 

Some kids have to put their finger in the light socket a few

times before they realize it hurts.

 

It's kind of like watching a cow lick an electric fence...

[caribill]

I have always kept my cruise card in my wallet, in an empty credit card slot. I haven't had a problem yet. It automatically keeps it away from cell phones and magnetic cases.

 

That works, but I never carry a wallet while on a cruise.

[Lucky TGO]

I have always kept my cruise card in my wallet, in an empty credit card slot. I haven't had a problem yet. It automatically keeps it away from cell phones and magnetic cases.

 

I keep my card in the wallet that Princess gives you if you are staying in a suite and it happened to me. The wallet is for ID and cruise card.

 

Tony

[jagsfan]

Umpteen Princess cruises including the Royal, and it didn't happen. I learned after demagnitizing my hotel room key to think about where I keep them.

[Pushka]

Hi All

Must be doing something wrong has l have never had pleasure of queuing for a replacement card, May be l should stop using a lanyard and keep it next to my phone

 

Yours Shogun

 

 

Theres the thing. I do wear it on a lanyard and it still demagnatised.

[mmsoko]

Discovered that the lanyard I had been given and was using had a magnetic clasp. As careful as I was with it...my card kept acting up.

 

Now I've had the clasp changed and no more problems.

[renaissancewoman101]

On my Alaskan cruise (which was also my first cruise), I didn't want to wear the lanyard, so would toss the cruise card into my bag with my DSLR. Cell phone was in my pocket. I still had to go to the desk to have the card reprogrammed 4 times. By the 4th time, they gave me a new card and it worked fine for rest of cruise.

 

I wonder if cruise cards are a bit more sensitive than hotel room cards? Have stayed in many hotels in different parts of the world and rarely had hotel cards demagnetize.

[CruisinCadie]

RCL is transitioning to safes that use a magnetic strip. It's supposed to work off your key card, but after my card got demagnetized several times (not sure why), they changed it to work off my credit card. Big problem--you can't leave your credit card in the safe! Several of us were comparing notes at breakfast one morning, and this had happened to every cabin at the table. None of us were happy about having to leave a credit card unsecured, even if it was on your person.

 

Kathy

[candigirl41]

I have had this problem on Princess and Carnival. On Carnival it was my own fault as I had put my card in my purse that has a magnetic closure. On Princess I got my card at check in went to cabin to drop off bags and it didn't work at all. It wasn't near anything that could have demagnetized it. I think sometimes it is the person not knowing these things, but sometimes I think you just get a bad card.

 

Candi

[EatonDoolittle]

RCL is transitioning to safes that use a magnetic strip. None of us were happy about having to leave a credit card unsecured, even if it was on your person.

 

Kathy

 

I've been on ships (HAL maybe? cannot really recall just now) that use this system for the safes.

It is actually nice because you DO NOT need to use your key card or personal credit card.

Any card of that type will do ex: an empty Starbucks or similar gift card, or an old key card you have kept from a hotel visit.

You slide the card in and activate it, just like you do the 4 digits now.

 

You do have one more card to keep track of, but you can stash it somewhere in the cabin, if you wish, rather than keep it on your person.

[S&M in Pgh]

My wife has had this happen. A magnetic clasp on her purse was to blame.

 

But we also have had both key fail to work when we tried to get into the cabin on embarkation. They sent an engineer up right away and he replaced the entire lock mechanism. He said it happens to all doors after a while. Sand and grit gets in there and fouls the reader and scratches the cards.

 

Usually the errors are on the user end not the technology end.

 

Mike

[Loonbeam]

This is why I keep a couple of frequent shopper cards on me when I travel. Useful for light/electricity slots as well as card coded safes, etc.

 

RCL is transitioning to safes that use a magnetic strip. It's supposed to work off your key card, but after my card got demagnetized several times (not sure why), they changed it to work off my credit card. Big problem--you can't leave your credit card in the safe! Several of us were comparing notes at breakfast one morning, and this had happened to every cabin at the table. None of us were happy about having to leave a credit card unsecured, even if it was on your person.

 

Kathy

[CruisinCadie]

I've been on ships (HAL maybe? cannot really recall just now) that use this system for the safes.

It is actually nice because you DO NOT need to use your key card or personal credit card.

Any card of that type will do ex: an empty Starbucks or similar gift card, or an old key card you have kept from a hotel visit.

You slide the card in and activate it, just like you do the 4 digits now.

 

You do have one more card to keep track of, but you can stash it somewhere in the cabin, if you wish, rather than keep it on your person.

 

You learn something new every day. We were told specifically to use a credit card, but your way would be much easier.

 

Kathy

[santanna]

Happens to me all the time on any cruise. It's usually because I have my camera around my neck as well as my card on a lanyard. I stopped doing that but it kept happening and I realized I was wearing a magnetic bracelet.

Sometimes it happens after having used it in the casino.

[SadieN]

RCL is transitioning to safes that use a magnetic strip. It's supposed to work off your key card, but after my card got demagnetized several times (not sure why), they changed it to work off my credit card. Big problem--you can't leave your credit card in the safe! Several of us were comparing notes at breakfast one morning, and this had happened to every cabin at the table. None of us were happy about having to leave a credit card unsecured, even if it was on your person.

 

 

Kathy

 

 

Many of Carnival's older ships use a magnetic strip card. We use a AAA card or gift card. It's done at the safe itself. RCL is done somewhere else?

Edited October 2, 2015 by SadieN

[notentirelynormal]

I stayed in a hotel in July. Ten minutes and 10 cards later I gave up. What was the point? My DH's card worked. Finally gave up and used his. Now, what do I think the problem was..... well I JUST had a simulator put in my butt. It sits right on my back right pocket. The SAME pocket I keep putting those dammm key cards in. FINE! I will stop doing that and hopefully I can get a card key to work for more than a minute. It is rare on a cruise but now that I have my new addition I will try to be more careful.

 

Thanks Loonbeam for the info. Very interesting. Sometimes it has definitely been the door itself. I have never had a problem on a ship.

[4x4bob]

We just returned from 10 days on the Caribbean Princess.

 

During the week I observed several door locks on our hall way being worked on by Ship Staff.

 

Also, several time when I inserted my card along with the blinking red-green lights I observed a flash of yellow light.

 

Then our door refused to open. Up to Passenger Services we went. They rekeyed both of our cards. Door still would not open. Back to the desk we went. One of the Women working the desk came back to our cabin and tried her pass key. Door would not open.

 

She contacted our room steward and his pass key would not open the door. Next a staff officer was called and his pass key would not work. So, he departed and returned with an electronic over ride key. After he opened the door he replaced the batteries in the lock.

 

After that, no more problems. Will pay attention in the future if I see a yellow light flash when inserting the card.

 

Bob

[Loonbeam]

On most locking system a yellow or orange light means it thinks the privacy lock is engaged. My guess would be in this case a dead battery was giving a false read.

 

We just returned from 10 days on the Caribbean Princess.

 

During the week I observed several door locks on our hall way being worked on by Ship Staff.

 

Also, several time when I inserted my card along with the blinking red-green lights I observed a flash of yellow light.

 

Then our door refused to open. Up to Passenger Services we went. They rekeyed both of our cards. Door still would not open. Back to the desk we went. One of the Women working the desk came back to our cabin and tried her pass key. Door would not open.

 

She contacted our room steward and his pass key would not open the door. Next a staff officer was called and his pass key would not work. So, he departed and returned with an electronic over ride key. After he opened the door he replaced the batteries in the lock.

 

After that, no more problems. Will pay attention in the future if I see a yellow light flash when inserting the card.

 

Bob

[tothemall&beyond]

So because one out of 4000 had a problem, Princess should upgrade the cards and the locks (which would also have to be changed) on 18 ships with over 72,000 cabins to be changed.

 

Sound right to me. I am sure it's on the list of things to do, Perhaps not at the top though. Be Patient.

 

 

I don't understand your sarcasm and rush to defend Princess' bottom-line. You chose to believe the employee who claimed it only happened to just this 1 of 4,000 passengers, rather than the one who said they changed hundreds of cards per day.

 

I can tell you it is really happening with great frequency, and is a real inconvenience.

 

In 2014 -2015, I took 8 Princess cruises, and on each and every one of them, I had to get a new card at least once, often multiple times.

 

Granted, it's not an earth-shattering problem, but one that is indeed real and common, and it wasn't necessary to respond to the OP in such a condescending way.

[Pierlesscruisers]

well I JUST had a simulator put in my butt

 

Okay, I don't know if this was humor that I missed getting or a typo for "stimulator" or what, but what is a simulator that's inserted in your butt, or do I really want to know? :eek: In any event, it sure woke me up this morning when I read it!

 

Tom

[2 to cruise]

This has happened to me twice on the same cruise. I finally realized it was one of my purses that closed with a magnet......no more taking those purses on cruises!

[cvpends]

This thread has been very helpful for me because I always have this problem and now realize that it must be from the magnetic closures on my purses and clutches. Thanks, everyone!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[notentirelynormal]

Okay, I don't know if this was humor that I missed getting or a typo for "stimulator" or what, but what is a simulator that's inserted in your butt, or do I really want to know? :eek: In any event, it sure woke me up this morning when I read it!

 

Tom

 

:D Stimulater.... it stimulates me. Sends electrical type shocks down my legs. My grandkids delight in telling everyone I have a computer in my butt. They make me the butt of all their jokes hoping I'll get it in the end. :rolleyes: My grandson just thinks it "shocking, grandma, just shocking".

[Darcy15]

Okay, I don't know if this was humor that I missed getting or a typo for "stimulator" or what, but what is a simulator that's inserted in your butt, or do I really want to know? :eek: In any event, it sure woke me up this morning when I read it!

 

Tom

 

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/back-surgery/spinal-cord-stimulation-chronic-pain