what are light cards?

[Minuet888]

Looking on amazon for cruise things and saw a lot of "light cards"  They look like credit cards and say they are for the light switch??

I'm confused.

[DennysDad]

13 minutes ago, Minuet888 said:

Looking on amazon for cruise things and saw a lot of "light cards"  They look like credit cards and say they are for the light switch??

I'm confused.

You put a card, any card in the slot by the front door light switch to activate it and on many ships the AC as well. Idea being if you take your room key card out with you when you leave the cabin, the AC will shut down to save power and $$$. In order to not come back to a hot box everyone uses an old card like from a hotel, old credit card, etc. I guess now they just sell blanks? I always stay at a hotel night before a cruise and use that key card in slot by door to keep the power/lights/air conditioning running constantly. 

[little britain]

4 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

Looking on amazon for cruise things and saw a lot of "light cards"  They look like credit cards and say they are for the light switch??

I'm confused.

It’s just like a hotel where you have to put your room key into a slot to get the lights working. The idea is to be more environmentally conscious and ensures power is not wasted to a room that is empty. Why would you leave the lights on in a room that you are not in? 

Edited March 16 by little britain

[lovesthebeach2]

I always bring an old hotel card to keep in the slot, which doesn’t always work, but on Odyssey our room steward already had a card in there when we boarded.

[shipgeeks]

One more Amazon "must buy for a cruise" thing?

[BND]

Funny they sell these.  Our stewards have kept cards in ours.  I bring an old grocery store card just in case.   Actually a lot of things will work. BTW, I searched amazon for "light cards" and didn't find them.

Edited March 16 by BND

[BecciBoo]

We use an old Padi dive card  no need to pay for one

[island lady]

You actually don't need to use a card at all.   I just fold up a piece of paper to push into the reader.  It works just fine, and I don't have to buy one...or remember to take the dummy card with me when I leave.  😉 

[alfaeric]

8 minutes ago, island lady said:

You actually don't need to use a card at all.   I just fold up a piece of paper to push into the reader.  It works just fine, and I don't have to buy one...or remember to take the dummy card with me when I leave.  😉 

We've also used the business cards that we have been given by crew.  

 

Don't bother buying one when people certainly have a good replacement in their possession.

[island lady]

59 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

We've also used the business cards that we have been given by crew.  

 

Don't bother buying one when people certainly have a good replacement in their possession.

 

Even better idea!  🙂  

[BND]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

You actually don't need to use a card at all.   I just fold up a piece of paper to push into the reader.  It works just fine, and I don't have to buy one...or remember to take the dummy card with me when I leave.  😉 

I only bring an old grocery store card out of habit from when some of the ships had magnetic strip safes.  But, we've also used business cards.  The slot just needs to see something is there.

Edited March 16 by BND

[Jetdriver787]

5 hours ago, little britain said:

It’s just like a hotel where you have to put your room key into a slot to get the lights working. The idea is to be more environmentally conscious and ensures power is not wasted to a room that is empty. Why would you leave the lights on in a room that you are not in? 

I agree LB. Speaking as an obsessive who believes global sea levels will rise by 3ft every time one of my family leaves the 4.5w LED bulb on in the bathroom, I do feel slightly hypocritical in stuffing my AA card (Automobiles, not the “meh” airline or friend of Bill W,) in order to ensure the AC doesn’t rise above the temperature at which a woolly Mammoth might actually begin to defrost! 
 

Some hotels used to “chip” the cards so they only activated the slot reader. I’m surprised RCI don’t do that and charge you $29.99 a day (plus gratuity) for said privilege. Why, they could even package it as a utility whereby you get to leave all the electrics on and get your toilet unblocked without the threat of a $100 penalty, for say $39.99 (plus gratuity) per day?

 

In all fairness, I do think leaving the lights and AC on when you leave the room, is more justified if there is any likelihood of the room steward hiding under your bed or installing video cameras while you are out! 
 

 

[UKWLDCruise]

My last cruise was the Anthem transatlantic in October and the last occupants of my room had left their key card in the slot.  I did wonder if they had a problem getting off the ship but it was still there when I got off in New York so the next passenger could use it.

[PhillyFan33579]

When we were on Symphony last week the lights in our cabin worked without anything being in the card slot. I don’t know if that was just limited to our cabin or if the card slot was not required ship wide. 

[Mum2Mercury]

We have an old Target gift card that stays in our travel wallet -- so it lives with our passports, Crown & Anchor cards, etc.  If it were lost, we wouldn't care. 

 

We're not wasteful.  We don't leave the lights, etc. on when we're out of the room, BUT we want the air conditioning to stay on, and we want anything we've left charging to keep charging.  

 

No, DO NOT pay for a card.  You have dozens of things laying around the house that'll serve this purpose.  

 

 

Edited March 16 by Mum2Mercury

[chengkp75]

The AC does not "turn off" if the card is not in the slot.  It activates a "set back" thermostat, just like your house probably has, that raises the set temperature by 5 or 10 degrees.  It would require more energy to shut off the AC for the daytime and then work to cool that cabin back down again, rather than just a few degrees range.

Edited March 16 by chengkp75

[Minuet888]

16 hours ago, BND said:

Funny they sell these.  Our stewards have kept cards in ours.  I bring an old grocery store card just in case.   Actually a lot of things will work. BTW, I searched amazon for "light cards" and didn't find them.

It is on the app but for some reason not on the website.  It was in a "bundle" of cruise essential things.

[cruisegirl1]

EVERY CABIN that has a light switch card control, already has a card in it when I’ve entered the room. I just leave that card in the slot all week. No need to buy anything extra.  
 

It  is often the business card of the cabin attendant or sometimes it is simply a blank cruise door key card.  
 

m

[rncruiser]

Or you could bring your sea pass card from a previous cruise. 

[Sunshine3601]

I have a blank sea pass card I got from guest services or DL Concierge and just use it every cruise.   

[DennysDad]

20 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The AC does not "turn off" if the card is not in the slot.  It activates a "set back" thermostat, just like your house probably has, that raises the set temperature by 5 or 10 degrees.  It would require more energy to shut off the AC for the daytime and then work to cool that cabin back down again, rather than just a few degrees range.

Turn off, raise 5 to 10 degrees. Tomato/Potatoe. I pay good money for my cabin and want the temp exactly like I left it upon my return. And judging by the responses of everyone bringing an old hotel card, store card, now one's you can buy etc, apparently so does everyone else. Same for lights. Power to items left to charge up. Etc. 

[island lady]

I leave the piece of paper, or could use business card idea, in the switch the whole cruise also.  I want to come back to a cabin that is not hot after a day in port.  We do adjust the temp up a bit before we leave and always turn off all the lights.   

 

It's the same like at home.  No difference.  

[3yorkies]

I just tear off a piece of paper the approximate sizr and cram it in there.  Never had a problem

[BND]

12 hours ago, rncruiser said:

Or you could bring your sea pass card from a previous cruise. 

Yes.  Basically anything will work lol.  Anything credit card sized, even a folded piece of paper.  As I said previously we've had stewards provide cards and never had to worry about it.

[island lady]

11 hours ago, 3yorkies said:

I just tear off a piece of paper the approximate sizr and cram it in there.  Never had a problem

 

Gee...where did I read that before?  😉