Why did they stop giving you your S&S when you

[ThaNectar]

Why did they stop giving you your S&S card when you checked in at the port?

Seemed much more efficient the old way.

[DallasGuy75219]

3 minutes ago, ThaNectar said:

Why did they stop giving you your S&S card when you checked in at the port?

Seemed much more efficient the old way.

Actually it was horribly inefficient. Each agent had to walk over to the one single box of S&S cards and look for each guest's card.  And heaven forbid if they couldn't find your card, that turned into a 5-10 minute ordeal.  Check-in started moving much faster when they stopped that mess and started just stamping your boarding pass as checked in so you could (imagine this!) board the ship with the boarding pass you had already printed yourself.

 

That's reason #1. Reason #2 was to preserve the integrity of FTTF by preventing people who weren't FTTF, Platinum, or Diamond from going to their rooms before they time when they were officially ready.

[BlerkOne]

18 minutes ago, ThaNectar said:

Why did they stop giving you your S&S card when you checked in at the port?

Seemed much more efficient the old way.

Years ago.

 

The new system is superior.

[shof515]

Carnival is not the only cruise line that does this. Other cruise lines also leave your card in the cabin mailbox slot

[sid_9169]

Wow, that one spiraled out of control pretty quickly... 

 

I do believe that by pre printing and delivering the card to your cabin does indeed speed up the process at check in... Every second saved NOT having to track down someone's card at the check in counter keeps the line moving. Multiply that by 4,000 passengers, and... 

[DallasGuy75219]

4 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

I do believe that by pre printing and delivering the card to your cabin does indeed speed up the process at check in... Every second saved NOT having to track down someone's card at the check in counter keeps the line moving. Multiply that by 4,000 passengers, and... 

Yes, but TBH it was probably more about Carnival's bottom line than the improved passenger experience. 

 

Over the course of thousands a check-ins for a sailing, those minutes shaved off of each check-in add up to multiple agents no longer needed to work check-in.

 

And it preserved the value of FTTF so people kept buying it vs. going to their cabin early anyway since they already had their S&S card. 

 

 

[ThaNectar]

I have sailed both before and after as well.

It seems to me, that before.. they would pull up your info, grab a card, take your photo... and you're off.

 

It seemed more secure than sticking your card in a public space... just my thoughts.

 

It makes me no difference either way.. I was just wondering the "why" behind the process.

 

Thanks Yall

[sparks1093]

46 minutes ago, ThaNectar said:

I have sailed both before and after as well.

It seems to me, that before.. they would pull up your info, grab a card, take your photo... and you're off.

 

It seemed more secure than sticking your card in a public space... just my thoughts.

 

It makes me no difference either way.. I was just wondering the "why" behind the process.

 

Thanks Yall

It's not a huge time saver for us as passengers but when you total the amount of time expended by the port staff it adds up. I haven't read any reports of there being any issues with the cards being left at the door (although when this rolled out there was a lot of speculation about all of the havoc that would be created by people taking other peoples cards and trying to use them).

[mz-s]

51 minutes ago, ThaNectar said:

I have sailed both before and after as well.

It seems to me, that before.. they would pull up your info, grab a card, take your photo... and you're off.

 

It seemed more secure than sticking your card in a public space... just my thoughts.

 

It makes me no difference either way.. I was just wondering the "why" behind the process.

 

Thanks Yall

 

There is nothing in your room until you get your key and start moving in so there is no benefit to stealing the cards.

 

It saves time at the pier. Nowadays they don't even have to take your photo, they can download it off your passport. That adds up to a decent bit of time saved - and when everything is working properly, the lines at the pier are noticeably shorter than before.

[MississippiMom]

2 hours ago, ThaNectar said:

I have sailed both before and after as well.

It seems to me, that before.. they would pull up your info, grab a card, take your photo... and you're off.

 

It seemed more secure than sticking your card in a public space... just my thoughts.

 

It makes me no difference either way.. I was just wondering the "why" behind the process.

 

Thanks Yall

We have now gone on two cruises (two different lines) where the cabin card was outside the door and it still seems odd to me.  It hasn't caused any issues for my family, but it does still feel like a "free for all" to me.  I know that it is not, but it does give mischievous cruisers the opportunity to look around other cabins.

[mz-s]

12 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

We have now gone on two cruises (two different lines) where the cabin card was outside the door and it still seems odd to me.  It hasn't caused any issues for my family, but it does still feel like a "free for all" to me.  I know that it is not, but it does give mischievous cruisers the opportunity to look around other cabins.

 

The keys are in a sealed envelope. There is nothing in the rooms until the guests pick up their keys and start moving in. So there is no incentive to steal the keys. The most they'll get away with is a life vest or towel.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

2 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Yes, but TBH it was probably more about Carnival's bottom line than the improved passenger experience. 

 

Over the course of thousands a check-ins for a sailing, those minutes shaved off of each check-in add up to multiple agents no longer needed to work check-in.

 

And it preserved the value of FTTF so people kept buying it vs. going to their cabin early anyway since they already had their S&S card. 

 

 

Isn’t keeping an eye on the bottom line a good thing?  If it’s more efficient and saves money and doesn’t drive business away, then do it.  I would argue that the small time savings improves my experience. 
 

Not sure how it preserves FTTF.  Plenty of people admit on here they still drop off bags early even if they aren’t platinum or Diamond.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

18 minutes ago, MississippiMom said:

We have now gone on two cruises (two different lines) where the cabin card was outside the door and it still seems odd to me.  It hasn't caused any issues for my family, but it does still feel like a "free for all" to me.  I know that it is not, but it does give mischievous cruisers the opportunity to look around other cabins.

The rooms are wide open anyway.  And what about luggage being left out in hallway.  That’s seems like way more of a free for all. 

[notplatinum]

5 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Isn’t keeping an eye on the bottom line a good thing?  If it’s more efficient and saves money and doesn’t drive business away, then do it.  I would argue that the small time savings improves my experience. 
 

Not sure how it preserves FTTF.  Plenty of people admit on here they still drop off bags early even if they aren’t platinum or Diamond.

More efficient? You now have a few thousand on board biy drinks without the card. Now look at the extra work a bartender has.  You are just passing the time into someone else

[Jamman54]

4 minutes ago, notplatinum said:

More efficient? You now have a few thousand on board biy drinks without the card. Now look at the extra work a bartender has.  You are just passing the time into someone else

No extra work for the bartenders.  They just scan the barcode on the boarding pass. The same information with your picture pops up. 😎

[notplatinum]

5 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

No extra work for the bartenders.  They just scan the barcode on the boarding pass. The same information with your picture pops up. 😎

Ok

[sparks1093]

27 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

The rooms are wide open anyway.  And what about luggage being left out in hallway.  That’s seems like way more of a free for all. 

That is an excellent point. 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

The rooms are wide open anyway.  And what about luggage being left out in hallway.  That’s seems like way more of a free for all. 

The rooms are only open when the stewards are actively prepping them. When they finish, they close the doors. In either case, the stewards are roaming the halls.

[Earthworm Jim]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

The keys are in a sealed envelope. There is nothing in the rooms until the guests pick up their keys and start moving in. So there is no incentive to steal the keys. The most they'll get away with is a life vest or towel.

 

Well, in theory they could run up charges on the card. But you'd have to look vaguely like the person (not likely) or do something where your picture isn't an issue. Withdraw cash at the Sign and Sail kiosk maybe? Could you use it in the casino? Though the casino wouldn't be open yet.

[notplatinum]

2 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Well, in theory they could run up charges on the card. But you'd have to look vaguely like the person (not likely) or do something where your picture isn't an issue. Withdraw cash at the Sign and Sail kiosk maybe? Could you use it in the casino? Though the casino wouldn't be open yet.

Another non important topic

[Earthworm Jim]

4 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

And it preserved the value of FTTF so people kept buying it vs. going to their cabin early anyway since they already had their S&S card. 

 

 

 

This part of it is going over my head. What's the connection between whether you get your S&S card in the terminal or at your cabin and FTTF? If people can get to their cabin earlier than they are supposed to, what's the difference whether they got their card in the terminal or it's waiting for them at their cabin?

[Earthworm Jim]

2 minutes ago, notplatinum said:

Another non important topic

 

Huh? The security of your Sign and Sail account is non-important? I could see it if you said my concerns were unwarranted. But non-important?

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Huh? The security of your Sign and Sail account is non-important? I could see it if you said my concerns were unwarranted. But non-important?

 

Have you heard of a single instance of this happening or are you just spreading FUD?

[Top_of_the_Cube]

When Carnival first started this, I had great concerns.  I know that if you get to your cabin door and either your envelope is missing or tampered with, you go directly to Guest Services and you aren't really going to be out anything.  But the thought of starting your cruise in the long lines at the Service desk does not seem appealing, and following up to make sure any unauthorized activity is handled is just extra stress.

 

As it turns out, in all this time, I don't recall anyone posting about a problem with someone messing with their Sail and Sign card left at their door.

[1kaper]

18 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Well, in theory they could run up charges on the card. But you'd have to look vaguely like the person (not likely) or do something where your picture isn't an issue. Withdraw cash at the Sign and Sail kiosk maybe? Could you use it in the casino? Though the casino wouldn't be open yet.

 

 

Sounds like an easy way to get a quick disembarkation before the trip even starts. And fraud charges. 

With all the cameras around it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who used the card unauthorized.  

A slight inconvenience for the victim but a lot of trouble for perpetrator.  I doubt you could get enough to really make it worth it.