Lanyards

[VennDiagram]

We have cruised before but are new to HAL! Should we bring lanyards for our cards or will they be provided? Do most cruisers wear lanyards in HAL?

 

 

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HAL has never provided me with a lanyard. If you want to use one, best that you bring your own.

[kazu]

While I don't wear a lanyard, many folks do on cruises.

 

How many wear them just depends upon the passengers on board and their personal wishes.

 

No one is out of place if they are wearing them nor out of place if they are not. If you want to use one - go for it and if you choose not to, that's fine too. :D

 

People choose to wear lanyards for their own reasons. It has nothing to do with being a newbie or a seasoned cruiser. It's just a matter of choice.

[catl331]

I just got off the Koningsdam two weeks ago. I brought some wristlets from the dollar store and took our cards to Guest Services. They punched holes in them and they worked perfectly fine for the entire cruise. :)

Hunh!! :confused::confused: In Nov the Front Desk wouldn't punch mine and said I shouldn't! I didn't notice if others had punched cards.

 

I found a thread from July 2016 that said no hole punching:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2374814

 

I guess they learned where it could be safely punched.

Edited November 5, 2017 by catl331

[IRL_Joanie]

We have cruised before but are new to HAL! Should we bring lanyards for our cards or will they be provided? Do most cruisers wear lanyards in HAL?

 

 

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After having my Room Card Key demagnetized twice, once from laying it next to or on the TV (2008) and second from being near a magnetized curtain clip (2009), it was suggested that possibly a lanyard would be the better option. It was and has been non every cruise since.

I prefer the snap away with swivel hook: HERE ( https://www.idbadgestuff.com/images/901-2138-3623-navy-blue-break-away-extra-wide-flat-lanyard-with-detachable-trigger-snap-swivel-hook.jpg ) because I can punch a hole in the card Front Desk, Neptune Lounge or bring my own) put then card on it and when needed just snap it off or on with no problem. Mine is not as wide as this image shows, but it gives you an idea.

I do not carry a purse when I cruise, nor do I even own clothes with npockets, so for me the Lanyard is the easiest and best way to go.

Joanie

[Cyber Kat]

I don't understand why people use lanyards on cruises as a means to hold their card. Do those same people use lanyards at beach hotels? No, never see people wear them at beach hotels. Only at conventions. But to each their own. Just don't understand how you can find a place for your card at a beach hotel but need a lanyard on a cruise. Some people wear pins and medals on them and that's great. Again to each their own. But to say where do I put my card...I lose it otherwise... Put it in the same place you would at a beach hotel that also uses your card for charges.

 

 

I wouldn’t know what people do at beach hotels because I’ve never been to one. Not my thing. I use a lanyard on a cruise because it’s convenient for ME. Quite frankly I don’t care what others do or don’t do, I simply assume that what they do works for them.

 

 

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[*Miss G*]

Hunh!! :confused::confused: In Nov the Front Desk wouldn't punch mine and said I shouldn't! I didn't notice if others had punched cards.

 

I found a thread from July 2016 that said no hole punching:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2374814

 

I guess they learned where it could be safely punched.

You could be right. She was very particular about where she punched them.

[Arrowinc]

I had previously thought that other folks stared at us because of our uncommon good looks and obvious sophistication, now know the looks from other passengers over our previous five or six HAL cruises were because we have been wearing lanyards! I truly had no clue until now that "experienced" cruisers did not wear them, and am very grateful for this information. Now that I know this, I will also apply it to the workplace and to airport operations areas (which, in what I now understand is an amateurish requirement) also require lanyards.

[innlady1]

This 4 Star “newbie” always wears a lanyard. Early on, I became tired of misplacing my card. I have a HAL lanyard I bought on the ship years ago.

 

 

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[jtl513]

Warning: Off Topic

Remember back in the days when HAL sent out pleather pouches with our cruise documents and they included a couple of round tin pin-on buttons that said Mariner? One day mid-cruise I saw a couple wearing them and smugly thought "newbies". That night we saw them get their Platinum Medallions! :p

[TiogaCruiser]

My personal preference is a retractable with a strong clip on the end. Since working in Juvenile Hall in a previous job, I just can’t get past the safety issues of something around my neck.😲

 

One caution to those who use a pouch: make sure your card really is secure in it. I have had mine fall out twice! Both times while on shorex. I now punch my card, or use a zippered pouch.

[dthogue]

Oh my, I’m sorry I caused such a stir! To those who answered my question with good taste, thank you! I will be bringing my lanyard!

 

 

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[VennDiagram]

Oh my, I’m sorry I caused such a stir! ...

 

 

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You were not the one who caused the stir ;)

[sapper1]

Oh my, I’m sorry I caused such a stir! To those who answered my question with good taste, thank you! I will be bringing my lanyard!

 

 

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You didn’t cause the stir. Sometimes the most basic and innocent question will morph into a popcorn thread. There’s no accounting for what question will set some people off.

😄

[Adoptionmsw]

IMHO lanyards are a neon sign saying 'I'm a newbie'. If you can't keep track of your card without having it strapped around your neck, well then.. ;)

 

 

 

Wow! That’s judgmental! I’m a four star and I find the lanyard really convenient.

 

 

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[shrimp56]

I wear a lanyard on the ship, except for dinner. I keep forgetting to bring one with me so I have a large selection in various styles.

 

One thing to watch out for is keeping card away from iPads and phones, which why when I sit down to read I turn the lanyard so the card is on my back, not near my iPad.

[Tampa Girl]

Wow! That’s judgmental! I’m a four star and I find the lanyard really convenient.

 

 

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We are also 4 star, and I use a lanyard, except at dinner. Very convenient.

[RuthC]

I keep forgetting to bring one with me so I have a large selection in various styles.

Just keep it (or a few!) packed in your suitcase. That way, when you forget them, they will be there when you unpack. ;)

[Cruising-along]

I'm sure wearing a lanyard is convenient for some, I honestly hadn't noticed how many people do or don't wear them.

 

Personally I just don't like anything hanging from my neck, but that's just me. I have never lost a card, maybe if I had I would change my mind. Besides not wanting anything around my neck, the thought of taking my card in and out of that pouch or taking the whole thing off every time I have to hand it over to buy something in a shop, buy a drink etc. seems inconvenient to me but again that's just me.

[AV8rix]

After having my Room Card Key demagnetized twice, once from laying it next to or on the TV (2008) and second from being near a magnetized curtain clip (2009), it was suggested that possibly a lanyard would be the better option. It was and has been non every cruise since.

 

I wear a lanyard on the ship, except for dinner. I keep forgetting to bring one with me so I have a large selection in various styles.

 

One thing to watch out for is keeping card away from iPads and phones, which why when I sit down to read I turn the lanyard so the card is on my back, not near my iPad.

 

I just disembarked Eurodam coupla weeks ago. On the last day I realized that I had not demagnitized my card even once!! So I went down to the Guest Services desk and proudly told them. They all applauded! True story.

Umm, I do use a waist-clipped retractable lanyard, always have. Have no husband with pockets and I rarely wear something with pockets on the ships.

[cartervan]

It's interesting what topics bring out strong feelings. We've been on 15 or 16 cruises and I always get my key card punched on the first day and wear it on a lanyard during the day. I tuck it under my shirt when off the ship. That way I always have it and it can't get lost. My husband carries his in his pocket because he always has pockets and they are deep enough that the card doesn't get bent or pop out when he sits down. Two relevant lanyard stories: Once I was on an elevator with a first time cruiser who noticed my lanyard and said: "What a great idea. Sometimes you have to learn the tricks from people who have cruised before." (Just the opposite of the "newbie" remark on this thread.) And I, too, used to have trouble with my card not working. After I went back to the desk for the second or third time the lady who "fixed" my card pointed out that I was carrying my Kindle against my chest and it was demagnetizing the card. Lesson learned.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

I discovered lanyards on our last HAL cruise. I saw quite a few folks with them and asked where they got them. Some said in the gift shop so off I went and got two. I found them really convenient on the ship during the day, by the pool, or off at a beach excursion, etc. I would not wear them to dinner as I usually have a small purse or wristlet to put the id card in, and I feel that looks better when you are more dressed up.

I guess "one person's convenience" is "another person's annoyance" from what I read here. I don't think IMO that lanyards have anything to do with experience level, as some people wearing them seemed to be very experienced cruisers. I have taken quite a few cruises my self, and I just find them a convenient tool to use in certain circumstances when I am not carrying a purse or wristlet, or when I have no pockets. I have since bought one that the card carrier "detaches" to make it easier to pay when handing over your card. If the original poster want to wear/buy one, why not? Quite a few of the rest of us do.

[nojoke]

We carry our own hole punch and lanyards. Now I’m concerned that this won’t work on the Konigsdam in a couple of weeks. We just hook the lanyard around a belt loop and stick the card in a pocket. Years ago I lost my card onshore, so a lanyard is a must for my peace of mind. BTW lanyard wearers aren’t newbies— newbies haven’t realized that they need one yet!

[Cruising-along]

... I have since bought one that the card carrier "detaches" to make it easier to pay when handing over your card. ...

 

Thanks for explaining that. That would make it much more convenient IMO.

[Sea girl 23]

Some of these comments would make a newbie walk away and never consider HAL ever again. Just sayin'.

 

I can see using a lanyard if you're trying to keep things organized(especially if you're cruising with family)

[VennDiagram]

I'm sure wearing a lanyard is convenient for some, I honestly hadn't noticed how many people do or don't wear them.

 

Personally I just don't like anything hanging from my neck, but that's just me. I have never lost a card, maybe if I had I would change my mind. Besides not wanting anything around my neck, the thought of taking my card in and out of that pouch or taking the whole thing off every time I have to hand it over to buy something in a shop, buy a drink etc. seems inconvenient to me but again that's just me.

 

I agree, I don't want anything hanging from my neck. To me it feels like a hazard.