To Lanyard or not to lanyard, that is the question

I recommend buying a lanyard from a drugstore before you get on the ship. They cost anywhere from $5-10 in the ship and you can get them for some much less off the ship. I’ve even saved some I got at conferences and then just put the KTTW card in them.
 
I recommend buying a lanyard from a drugstore before you get on the ship. They cost anywhere from $5-10 on the ship and you can get them for much less off the ship. I’ve even saved some I got at conferences and then just put the KTTW card in them.
 
Keep away from magnetic iPad covers! Mine demagnetized twice on a cruise when it was “accidentally” left with my iPad lol


That is a good question...and I don’t have an answer! All I can say is my phone case has the plastic case plus the material (fake leather) of the attached wallet between the phone and the card, and I never had any issues. Someone else may know exactly what kind of tech is in the card and if that can interfere with phones.
 


I mostly used a small crossbody bag because of the need to carry meds/other things.

If you are doing lots of photos with characters, keep in mind that you will need to pull out your card frequently. Not just show it, but hand it to the photographer to scan - so it had to be out of the plastic sleeve. It was easier for me to just keep handy in my small purse.
 
Half of the time I had my phone in my phone case wallet. My next cruise is a royal carribean cruise and I'm just going to put the card in my phone case. I'll see if my girls want to take take lanyards or not.
 
DH an I always use our lanyards to hold our KTTW, ID's etc.. For us, it is just something we have gotten into the habit of doing on each cruise so we always have what we need. Even when disembarking at port, the lanyard makes it easy for us to tap the reader and go. No fussing to find it in a bag or in a pocket. This is just what we found works for us. We also put some cash and ID in the clear pouch when we are in port and feel secure knowing where important stuff is at all times.
 


I just don't know where all you non-lanyard types keep your pins for trading... 😉

Well in the parks I don't wear a lanyard either. I keep my trading pins in a small baggie. I plan to do the same on the cruise.
 
If you are doing lots of photos with characters, keep in mind that you will need to pull out your card frequently. Not just show it, but hand it to the photographer to scan - so it had to be out of the plastic sleeve. It was easier for me to just keep handy in my small purse.


Which ship? When? On the Magic in Sept 2019 we only needed to say our room number.
 
Which ship? When? On the Magic in Sept 2019 we only needed to say our room number.
We just got off the Fantasy a week ago. Sometimes they would just ask for room number, but at character greets in particular they always asked for the card.
 
Getting ready for our first cruise on February 3rd and trying to decide if a lanyard is a life-saver or a pain in the neck (literally and figuratively) for the KTTW cards.

Honestly, I have never understood the appeal of lanyards. Does one really save any meaningful amount of time or energy swiping/scanning a KTTW card around their neck vs. just pulling it out of their pocket?

If you don't have any pockets on what you're wearing, then sure. But otherwise, I find lanyards distracting and completely unnecessary.
 
Honestly, I have never understood the appeal of lanyards. Does one really save any meaningful amount of time or energy swiping/scanning a KTTW card around their neck vs. just pulling it out of their pocket?

If you don't have any pockets on what you're wearing, then sure. But otherwise, I find lanyards distracting and completely unnecessary.

This is actually why I like having it on a lanyard (or a wrist thing - I didn't think of that for our cruise and wish I had!) by default. I don't have to worry about it if I change into something without pockets, or my swim suit or what have you. And if I do have pockets, I can just stick the lanyard in my pocket (assuming they're big enough - women's pants pockets often aren't).
 
Since I have to wear a lanyard for work wearing on vacation is no big deal. I have tried the wrist band key on RCCL and it was convenient when ordering drinks, making purchases etc., around the ship but a little pain when twisting my wrist enough to open my stateroom door. The downside at least for RCCL was my keycard was required when disembarking and returning on the ship at the ports. Considering that I would rather stick with the lanyard.
 
This is actually why I like having it on a lanyard (or a wrist thing - I didn't think of that for our cruise and wish I had!) by default. I don't have to worry about it if I change into something without pockets, or my swim suit or what have you. And if I do have pockets, I can just stick the lanyard in my pocket (assuming they're big enough - women's pants pockets often aren't).

As a guy, I am rarely without a pocket. Even in my swim trunks, and the KTTW cards hold up just fine in the pool and the ocean. I just find that lanyards tend to get in the way more than they actually help in any meaningful manner.

But your point is well-taken. For women, who are generally less be-pocketed in their attire than men, a lanyard definitely can make more sense.
 
I wonder how long before DCL joins the wristband key "cards"? I'd upgrade for $5-10.

As someone else mentioned, I don’t think Disney has rolled out MagicBands to DCL yet because your KTTW is still needed because it contains important information such as muster station and is used as identification by port authorities. My understanding is that even on RCCL (which offers the WOW bands), your SeaPass card is still required when dis/embarking the ship.
 
I stole a badge holder from work have a badge holder on a retractable string that I clip into a belt loop on my pants or just right into a pocket. For most things I can just extend the string but If I need to give someone my KTTW card, I just slip the badge holder off.
 
Seconding that the cards have an RFID chip in them. I've had some hotel key cards like it, but the older ones (that you should keep away from phones) are different. These only get wiped out if hit REALLY REALLY HARD.

I only know this because mine somehow got wiped out on our WDW day, and I had to get a new one when we got back to the cruise ship. I asked the guy if it could've been b/c of how I was storing it (by my phone, with other cards, etc) and he said absolutely not - they only stop working if they're hit hard. So I guess it was in a bad place on one of the bumpier rides I went on? Who knows.
Radio-Frequency IDs are small chips you can break physically. Old school keycards are magnetic strips (raise your hand if your old enough to know what a cassette tape is) that can be de-magnetized via proximity to certain things.
 

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