Can I hole punch my cruise card?

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

I am going on the Disney Magic in a month and on other cruise brands I have always had the guest services hole punch my card. I've been looking up older posts about this and some say yes and some say no. Will having guest services hole punch the card mess it up with the RFID?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I am going on the Disney Magic in a month and on other cruise brands I have always had the guest services hole punch my card. I've been looking up older posts about this and some say yes and some say no. Will having guest services hole punch the card mess it up with the RFID?

It's better to use a plastic pouch to hold the KTTW card as a hole punch can mess up the RFID chip.

 

[SuperDry]

If Guest Services does it for you, they will know where the proper place is so as to not interfere with the RFID chip or its antenna. That is, assuming they'll do it for you.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If Guest Services does it for you, they will know where the proper place is so as to not interfere with the RFID chip or its antenna. That is, assuming they'll do it for you.

Not sure this is correct. There's really no way to know for sure exactly where on the card the chip is. I've always been told that punching a hole in the card carries the risk of damaging the chip.

 

[bbel]

You can always try it. I've seen card that have been punched before. If it doesn't work you can get a free replacement card from guest services.

 

[SuperDry]

Not sure this is correct. There's really no way to know for sure exactly where on the card the chip is.

Are you saying that the chip is randomly placed on each card? Doubtful. Assuming that the chip is in the same place on each card, Guest Services would know where this is, even if it's not apparent to the guest. Which is why I said that if Guest Services is willing to punch the hole, they'll know where to do it.

 

[gotomu212]

We always have my sons card punched (just did it 2 weeks ago) because the plastic always rips on his lanyard. I have no idea what he does to it, but I think it's all the playing in the kids club. Guest services is always happy to do it and we haven't had a problem with any chips. Although if you did, you would just go back to guest services for a new card.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I asked guest services to punch my KttW card on the Wonder in Nov and concierge staff on the Dream in Sept. Nobody would do it. They said it would damage something in the card. Personally I don't buy it. On NCL Escape last May the keys were used for doors, payment, ID, etc....everything all the same as Disney. On embarkation day (twice) I had my key card punched. They knew where to punch the card so it didn't affect the function. I was able to clip it onto my lanyard I had made and was sooooooo super convenient. I hate hate hate the little plastic pouches. Such a pain to dig my card out of to swipe for things. I'm thinking of buying my own heavy hole punch and digging out my NCL key (use as a template) to take with me on future Disney cruises. I'll just punch the card in the same spot as NCL did.

 

[Flossbolna]

I guess someone could take an old DCL card and cut it into thin stripes. That way you would find the location of the chip. I am sure that the chip is always placed at the same position inside the card during the manufacturing process. I would expect the chip to be fairly in the middle of the card to be functional. This ensures that the distance of the chip to where it is supposed to be read is the shortest possible.

 

[Markonefive]

Because the card is plastic, during the hole punching, it is possible to cause a fracture in the plastic or a crack that could end up reaching the chip (similar to bending it), even if the hole isn't right through the chip. The closer to the chip the hole is, the greater the risk. I don't know if there are antenna wires that go out from the chip, either. Also, not sure how waterproof the chip is if you wear it on a lanyard while in the pool, especially if a hole has been punched. I think it would be a good idea to have a hole as part of future designs, it would make it more lightweight than a plastic pouch.

 

[Flossbolna]

Because the card is plastic, during the hole punching, it is possible to cause a fracture in the plastic or a crack that could end up reaching the chip (similar to bending it), even if the hole isn't right through the chip. The closer to the chip the hole is, the greater the risk. I don't know if there are antenna wires that go out from the chip, either. Also, not sure how waterproof the chip is if you wear it on a lanyard while in the pool, especially if a hole has been punched. I think it would be a good idea to have a hole as part of future designs, it would make it more lightweight than a plastic pouch.

That's a great explanation. Thanks!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I guess someone could take an old DCL card and cut it into thin stripes. That way you would find the location of the chip. I am sure that the chip is always placed at the same position inside the card during the manufacturing process. I would expect the chip to be fairly in the middle of the card to be functional. This ensures that the distance of the chip to where it is supposed to be read is the shortest possible.

Had not thought of this. Going to dig out my KttW card from November now. I found some pics of the hole placement on my NCL key card from last May. I'll get them uploaded so I can share.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You'd think they'd just make them with holes in them. It's not hard. And everyone needs a means to carry their KTTW.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You'd think they'd just make them with holes in them. It's not hard. And everyone needs a means to carry their KTTW.

You'd think. That would apply to all cruise lines. On other lines it's actually a pretty common thing to go to GS to get a hole punched. If they just made them that way it'd save on time & effort.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Okay. Here's a pic of my key card from the NCL Escape in May with hole attached to my lanyard. Cannot even describe how much I prefer this setup. Soooooo much easier!

Just popped a hole thru my last DCL KttW card in a similar location using my cheap-o desktop hole punch. Was surprisingly easy to do.

I cut a cross section off the end of the card between the hole I punched and the end of the card. You can see little flecks of metal in the plastic.

Now, the cross-section to see the hole cut-out.

There may be a tad of metal flake in the plastic at the top left corner of the hole punch cut. It's really hard to see and even harder to photograph. Whether or not this would affect the function of the card I don't know. I think the only way to find out for sure would be to bring a punch, punch my next Disney KttW card in May, and give it a whirl. If it deactivates the card or renders it unusable I'll just go get another key. It's worth a try. Being able to use this setup is so much better than having to use a plastic sleeve for the key cards. I really wish cruiselines would just make/issue them with a hole in a corner of the card.

 

[Billinaz]

Not sure this is correct. There's really no way to know for sure exactly where on the card the chip is. I've always been told that punching a hole in the card carries the risk of damaging the chip.

There is. Some are even marked. In the case of the cards I dealt with, the safe place to punch was opposite the card number that was printed on it.

 

[breakingd_awn]

We did a carnival cruise last month and our cards came with a hole. Which I like better because I can attach it to my key fob in my DCL Dooney

 

[doubleosix]

New cruiser here... how and what are the cards used for? I bought lanyard’s for the kids with plastic holders. Will they need to take the cards in and out of the holders frequently?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

New cruiser here... how and what are the cards used for? I bought lanyard’s for the kids with plastic holders. Will they need to take the cards in and out of the holders frequently?

The cards are used as your room key, for purchases around the ship and on CC, and to give to the Shutters photographers. Stateroom door locks are operated with the RFID chips so the cards don't need to be removed from the plastic holder for that. But they do have to be removed for purchases and photos.

 

[doubleosix]

The cards are used as your room key, for purchases around the ship and on CC, and to give to the Shutters photographers. Stateroom door locks are operated with the RFID chips so the cards don't need to be removed from the plastic holder for that. But they do have to be removed for purchases and photos.

Thank you. So the kids should be just fine keeping them in a zippered plastic lanyard holder. I most definitely will ask guest services to punch a hole in the adult cards! It would be really convenient.