Hole-punched on newer proximity room cards

[CH_ca]

Hi, I love wearing my room card on a lanyard. Unfortunately most of the time these newer proximity room cards are damaged once you punched a hole on them and will not work anymore. For those who successfully punched a hole on this kind of room cards, can you tell me where on the card did you do it?

[Blackduck59]

We just took our card to customer service and they did it no problem, of course we were on Zaandam so maybe a different situation. My guess is the folks at customer service should be able to help. We had swipe cards so our quick release clips were sort of useless because we had to take the card off at the hook. If your ship uses the tap type card there are lanyards that have a holder the card will slide into if the card can't be punched. Our lanyards work both ways but we prefer the punched card.

Edited November 18, 2023 by Blackduck59

[CH_ca]

Mine was the tap type (proximity card). I took it to the customer service. They punched a hole on it in the middle top part. Immediately disabled the card. I had to go back to customer service to get a new card done. I don't like using the clear pocket card holder lanyards because they're bulky.

[POA1]

The Club Orange room cards on the current Rotterdam sailing are pre-punched. It's not a round hole, but rather an elongated hole with a roundish middle. (Think rings of Saturn.) I don't know if all the keys are like that, or just the Club Orange ones.

 

While a pre-punched, orange-striped card is nice - it ain't no tote bag. 😁

 

We're on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks and you can be certain that this is just the kind of investigative journalism we will undertake. (For science!)

 

In the meantime, can you show us the perforated end of your room key if you are on the Rotterdam? Please @rafinmd

[CH_ca]

3 hours ago, POA1 said:

The Club Orange room cards on the current Rotterdam sailing are pre-punched. It's not a round hole, but rather an elongated hole with a roundish middle. (Think rings of Saturn.) I don't know if all the keys are like that, or just the Club Orange ones.

 

While a pre-punched, orange-striped card is nice - it ain't no tote bag. 😁

 

We're on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks and you can be certain that this is just the kind of investigative journalism we will undertake. (For science!)

 

In the meantime, can you show us the perforated end of your room key if you are on the Rotterdam? Please @rafinmd

 

The room cards I used to have were the swipe ones with pre-punched elongated holes. The room card I got from my recent cruise was a proximity card. The kind you just need to tap to open the room door.  I can see that the hole rim on that disabled punched room key has some very thin metallic shines at various places. I assume that's the circuit. I just can't imagine a circuit needs to span an entire proximity card. It just doesn't make sense. So if anyone knows where is the "safe" spot to punch a hole on such cards, I'd really appreciate it.

[rafinmd]

7 hours ago, POA1 said:

The Club Orange room cards on the current Rotterdam sailing are pre-punched. It's not a round hole, but rather an elongated hole with a roundish middle. (Think rings of Saturn.) I don't know if all the keys are like that, or just the Club Orange ones.

 

While a pre-punched, orange-striped card is nice - it ain't no tote bag. 😁

 

We're on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks and you can be certain that this is just the kind of investigative journalism we will undertake. (For science!)

 

In the meantime, can you show us the perforated end of your room key if you are on the Rotterdam? Please @rafinmd

 

Roy

 

PS, I think it's all cards now.  Not on the Koningsdam but I had the same punch on Nieuw Statendam regular room in 2019.

Edited November 18, 2023 by rafinmd

[canadianbear]

No hole in ours on Eurodam 

[POA1]

35 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

 

Roy

 

PS, I think it's all cards now.  Not on the Koningsdam but I had the same punch on Nieuw Statendam regular room in 2019.

Thanks, Roy!

[SFO Peter]

45 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Thanks, Roy!

That is where I punch the hole myself with a pen knife if the ship is reluctant to do it.  Did it on the Koningsdam.  No problems whatsoever.

Peter

[highscar]

I carry a punch. On the K punched a hole, killed the card.   Put new one in plastic pouch.  Like it on lanyard. 

[SDARCH]

10 hours ago, POA1 said:

e on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks and you can be certain that this is just the kind of investigative journalism we will undertake. (For science!)

We were on the N.S on October and our cards came pre punched.

[Heartgrove]

Currently on the Carnival Venezia and the HAL corporate partner uses a small hole punched in the lower corner.

 

[SFO Peter]

Self bored hold on Koningsdam Jan 2022.   Did not keep one for Koningsdam Jan 2023 which I also bored.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by SFO Peter

[fusion927]

11 minutes ago, SFO Peter said:

Self bored hold on Koningsdam Jan 2022.   Did not keep one for Koningsdam Jan 2023 which I also bored.

 

 

 

It is strongly suggested by many security experts to never write your room number on a card.  You lose it, someone finds it and has access to your room until you discover it's missing and get a new one made!

 

As an alternative, if you carry a phone, take a picture of your room number when you first board. That separates the key from the location where the key can be used.

 

If you don't carry a phone, write it on a card and stick it in your wallet/purse.

 

Just a suggestion since we can't be to safe in today's world!

 

Mark

 

P.S. It might be that you wrote the room number after the cruise to remember where you were (I'm really bad at that!).  In this case, take this as a public service announcement for others.

 

P.P.S: The card came pre-punched on our last few cruises on the Nieuw Statendam.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by fusion927

[SFO Peter]

yes I know.   Harry is 99, legally blind and has Alzheimers.   He still wants to cruise.   If he gets "loose" from me he can ask ship attendant or someone to help him. Not much valuable in our room.   Everything can be replaced.

Peter

Edited November 18, 2023 by SFO Peter

[SanDiegian]

I went to the casino cage, they punched a hole but I lost $200 

[Vict0riann]

13 hours ago, POA1 said:

The Club Orange room cards on the current Rotterdam sailing are pre-punched. It's not a round hole, but rather an elongated hole with a roundish middle. (Think rings of Saturn.) I don't know if all the keys are like that, or just the Club Orange ones.

 

While a pre-punched, orange-striped card is nice - it ain't no tote bag. 😁

 

We're on the Nieuw Statendam in a few weeks and you can be certain that this is just the kind of investigative journalism we will undertake. (For science!)

 

In the meantime, can you show us the perforated end of your room key if you are on the Rotterdam? Please @rafinmd

 

Are you fixated on those tote bags?  lol!!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

5 hours ago, rafinmd said:

 

Roy

 

PS, I think it's all cards now.  Not on the Koningsdam but I had the same punch on Nieuw Statendam regular room in 2019.

That works fine ..

[CH_ca]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

 

Roy

 

PS, I think it's all cards now.  Not on the Koningsdam but I had the same punch on Nieuw Statendam regular room in 2019.

I had no problem with these pre-punched cards. It's the newer tap version cards (with no pre-punched holes) that cause the problem. 😐

[CH_ca]

2 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Currently on the Carnival Venezia and the HAL corporate partner uses a small hole punched in the lower corner.

 

Maybe this is the "magic" position! 😃 I actually dissected the damaged card strip by strip but couldn't be certain of a safest place to punch a hole in. The metallic wires are sooo fine. You only know they're there when you see some shiny reflection on the cut edge. The card is made with 2 thin slices of plastic with a thin metallic circuit fused in-between. I'll try this bottom corner next time! Thanks! ☺️

[Haljo1935]

3 minutes ago, CH_ca said:

Maybe this is the "magic" position! 😃 I actually dissected the damaged card strip by strip but couldn't be certain of a safest place to punch a hole in. The metallic wires are sooo fine. You only know they're there when you see some shiny reflection on the cut edge. The card is made with 2 thin slices of plastic with a thin metallic circuit fused in-between. I'll try this bottom corner next time! Thanks! ☺️

Last month on NS cards came pre punched as in @rafinmdpicture post #6 - the cabin door locks are the magnetic tap kind. 

Earlier in the year on either K'dam or NA (I'd have to look it up) the cards did not have a hole & they wouldn't punch one saying it would interfere w/the mag strip.

Then in Sept on a Carnival ship that also had the magnetic tap locks, the cards came pre punched in the corner as @Heartgrove pic post #12.

So it seems the corner would be safest, but they may also have changed vendors that use a different "pattern" which allows a narrow punch on one end w/o interfering. 

[CH_ca]

9 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Last month on NS cards came pre punched as in @rafinmdpicture post #6 - the cabin door locks are the magnetic tap kind. 

Earlier in the year on either K'dam or NA (I'd have to look it up) the cards did not have a hole & they wouldn't punch one saying it would interfere w/the mag strip.

Then in Sept on a Carnival ship that also had the magnetic tap locks, the cards came pre punched in the corner as @Heartgrove pic post #12.

So it seems the corner would be safest, but they may also have changed vendors that use a different "pattern" which allows a narrow punch on one end w/o interfering. 

Great to know! Hope they have solved this problem. I'll continue to bring my good old lanyard next time then.

[Crew News]

My Nieuw Amsterdam verandah stateroom card in October did not have a punched hole.  While standing in a long Embarkation Day line, a crew member moved down the line punching slots at the top of stateroom cards.

 

I have purchased a slot puncher for my upcoming cruises.

Edited November 18, 2023 by Crew News

[CH_ca]

19 minutes ago, Crew News said:

My Nieuw Amsterdam verandah stateroom card in October did not have a punched hole.  While standing in a long Embarkation Day line, a crew member moved down the line punching slots at the top of stateroom cards.

 

I have purchased a slot puncher for my upcoming cruises.

That's where the Customer Service punched for me, the middle top area. The card immediately failed to work. I was on Koningsdam.

[rafinmd]

I think it's only the Pinnacle ships that have the tap type locks.  I expect the cards come from the factory with a hole already there and the wire pattern is in the template to work around that spot.  It seems strange that Koningsdam does not seem to be offering this yet.

 

Roy