Wow Band or not??

[dee1321]

We are on Harmony of the Seas in June in 2 balcony cabins (4adults all with drink packages). On all prior cruises we have taken our set sail cards to guest services had a hole punched and kept lanyards with us. I have read where HOS sea pass cards can not be hole punched. My daughters and I do not carry purses on board and stay by the pool most all days. So, just wondering how many prefer the wow bands over just carrying seapass card? I hate to buy the wow bands if others have found that they did not use them. I realize everyone will have their own opinion, but just trying to see the pros and cons... thanks for your help!

 

 

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[kknorr0320]

Loved the WOW bands for exactly that reason. Didn't have to dig it out of a bag when getting into the room, and the bars have readers that you can just hold out your arm. The only time we needed to take them off was ordering drinks at the pool from a waiter and in the MDR. I would suggest using a sharpie to mark them so you know whose is whose. Take gold or silver just in case your band is black.

 

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[JessyCruises]

I sailed on Anthem last month and loved my wow band. On Anthem they sell them in Boleros when you are first boarding. We purchased three and never ended up getting charged for them.

 

If you are served at your table/poolside you will need to take the band off and give it to the waiter. On our sailing they only had blue and yellow so you might want to bring a few little elastics or some nail polish in case you need to do something to them to make them easy to tell apart (in case multiple people in your party have the same color band). I started the cruise with a yellow but managed to switch to a white one on day 2 when I stopped at GS and asked if they had any other colors hidden somewhere. They did not have any black.

 

The WOW bands they sell do not seem as nice as the ones given in the suites. I noticed a gentleman at a bar had a black one (which is what I wanted) and asked where he got it. He said it was in his suite when he entered. His had an actual watch style strap. The ones we bought had little buttons that pushed through holes on the other side. The watch style would have been much easier to get on.

 

If you have a band the only time you really need your seapass is to get off/on at a port and to disembark.

[dwayneb236]

In the future, any time we are on a ship that offers them we will gladly get them. Thought they were great.

Now you'll hear everyone talk about how useless they are and how hideous they look, which actually works out great as no one is making them purchase and use them.

Only those who want them and don't care what they look like, which isn't really bad at all, seeing as how I wear 3 other items on my wrists.

 

Got those with the watch type strap. Easy on easy off. Very convenient.

 

I'm not sure if anyone looked at mine while I was wearing it and gave me a scowl during our cruise because I looked so terrible wearing it, but who knows.

Lots of people out there who get offended if they see something they don't like even though it in no way affects them.

I'm not that good looking anyway.

[alfaeric]

See if you have any name tags from events- where the tag is in a little clear pocket. You can use that for your lanyard, and put the card in it.

 

The bands are nice to have, but I'm not sure I'd pay for one when I can just get a little clear pocket.

[Yorkvillain]

Now you'll hear everyone talk about how useless they are and how hideous they look, which actually works out great as no one is making them purchase and use them.

 

 

Lol. So true. Don't forget "tan lines". It's just a matter of time. They'll be here shortly.

 

I liked the WOW band. It was very convenient.

[laura85]

I'll be on the Harmony for the first time in June. Have definitely been considering a wow band, especially for my 6 year old. Usually we do punch a hole in our cards, or put them in a clear pocket on a lanyard. Why can't you punch a hole in the Harmony card?

 

 

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[CanobieFan]

When I sailed on Harmony back in January I got a Wow Band just for the novelty of it. It was only really useful when going to the pool and not having to carry around my card there. You still need your Sea Pass when getting off and on at each port. But since I work for the Disney Company, which has their own version, The Magic Band. I wanted to see how the knock off competition worked.

[dee1321]

Thanks everyone that has replied... looking like we may have to give them a try!

 

 

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[Clarea]

I'll be on the Harmony for the first time in June. Have definitely been considering a wow band, especially for my 6 year old. Usually we do punch a hole in our cards, or put them in a clear pocket on a lanyard. Why can't you punch a hole in the Harmony card?

The Harmony SeaPass cards have a smart chip inside. I believe you can punch a hole, but it has to be in the right place, so they prefer not to do it.

[dwayneb236]

I'll be on the Harmony for the first time in June. Have definitely been considering a wow band, especially for my 6 year old. Usually we do punch a hole in our cards, or put them in a clear pocket on a lanyard. Why can't you punch a hole in the Harmony card?

 

 

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They are RFID cards so they have some type of wiring or whatever going through them.

 

EDIT, What Bob says as he is way more smarter than me. I was just throwing out what I thought. What I think usually is wrong.

[dpostman]

I'll be on the Harmony for the first time in June. Have definitely been considering a wow band, especially for my 6 year old. Usually we do punch a hole in our cards, or put them in a clear pocket on a lanyard. Why can't you punch a hole in the Harmony card?

 

 

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Ships that use RFID technology instead of the magnetic strip cards use cards that have an antenna all the way around the card and a chip inside. Those cards are significantly more expensive than simple mag strip cards. It could easily render the card useless if the hole was punched in the wrong place.

 

dp

[besberry]

NOT! It's a waste of time. I had one on the Anthem when they were free. You couldn't use it to board or leave the ship. If you weren't sat by the machine reader you had to take off your band and hand it to the server, which doesn't sound much, but when you're constantly taking it off and putting it back on, it becomes a trifle wearing! It was great for getting into the cabin though. If they gave me one I'd still end up doing what I did on the Anthem, I'd take my card with me! Would I pay for one? No way José

[dwayneb236]

There we go. A different opinion. Gotta love 'Murica

 

Ha, just looked at where he's from. England, not 'Murica. My bad... ..:cool:

[ddsdoc]

how much do they cost?

[dwayneb236]

$4.99 I think.

[laura85]

Ships that use RFID technology instead of the magnetic strip cards use cards that have an antenna all the way around the card and a chip inside. Those cards are significantly more expensive than simple mag strip cards. It could easily render the card useless if the hole was punched in the wrong place.

 

 

 

dp

 

 

Awesome reply, thanks! I had no idea- and this is very interesting to know!

 

 

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[Bratface1005]

What ship currently use them?

[DonnaK]

NOT! It's a waste of time. I had one on the Anthem when they were free. You couldn't use it to board or leave the ship. If you weren't sat by the machine reader you had to take off your band and hand it to the server, which doesn't sound much, but when you're constantly taking it off and putting it back on, it becomes a trifle wearing! It was great for getting into the cabin though. If they gave me one I'd still end up doing what I did on the Anthem, I'd take my card with me! Would I pay for one? No way José

 

This is the way it was on Anthem for me. It couldn't be used, or didn't work, for every purpose. I also found them uncomfortable to wear - very sweaty. I ended up carrying my card in my pocket.

[DonnaK]

What ship currently use them?

Quantum class and Harmony

[Clarea]

What ship currently use them?

Only Quantum class ships and Harmony.

[Debitoo]

Four of us bought them last month.The $4.99 charge never showed up on our sea pass accounts. The colors we were offered were blue and yellow. I wanted black but was told that it depends on where your cabin was for the color choices. Maybe muster stations? They were the watch type of bands. I don't know if anyone else had problems with theirs coming undone and falling off but mine did. Especially in the bathroom....:eek: You'll definitely need to bring something to mark them with. They used pen to put our first initial on the inside of the band but that quickly wore off. We liked them and would buy them again.

[dpostman]

I just copied my response below that I had written on another thread a few weeks ago:

 

This is why we liked them:

 

"The WOW bands can be useful in some situations. we were on Anthem in the beginning of march and we had 2 staterooms. My wife was booked in one room with our DD and I in the other with our DD. We switched once on board. My kids both got WOW bands, and had my sons band programmed to open the other room that he shared with DD. I gave my band to my wife so she could open our door and she could open our kids room with her own band. When we were on the ship, I kept her card in my pocket, so with both our cards, I could open both rooms, but more importantly, I could get 2 drinks at the bar at any time, and so could my wife with the 2 bands."

 

dp

[johnjen]

We've never bothered getting them, but on our last cruise I spotted quite a few of them on the ship in various places, probably dropped or left behind by kids. I was wondering though if people have found these in the past and tried using them at the bars:eek::eek::eek:

[KiwiGal117]

We had them on Harmony last summer. My son and I liked them, my husband didn't. We were given white, no choice of colour, because it also had our Muster Station printed on it, so I guess they didn't have every colour for every muster station. We had the watch style, not the little plastic pegs. I found that most bars had a scanner that they could bring over to you, but if you were ordering drinks from a waiter, they had to take it. Guest services put our names on the back in pen so we knew whose was whose. I'd use them again.