Why was my Boarding Card/room key confiscated!

[mamagina]

We got off the Dawn today, 9/12/10, and when they swiped our cards at debarkation the girl said she had to keep our cards. They did not take the cards of the people in front of us but they also took the cards of the couple behind us. I watched for a while and I did not see her keep anyone else's cards. I've been on quite a few cruises and I have never had them keep our cards as we debarked. I have a cute little pile of them on my dresser. I asked why she wanted them and she said, "I just have to keep them."

Did something pop up on her computer when she scanned our cards?

Does anyone know why they were taken?

Are we the lucky winners of some sort of present?

A free cruise???

Someone tell me!

[luddite]

Best guess? Cooties.:D

Never heard of this happening.

[gliles]

We got off the Dawn today, 9/12/10, and when they swiped our cards at debarkation the girl said she had to keep our cards. They did not take the cards of the people in front of us but they also took the cards of the couple behind us. I watched for a while and I did not see her keep anyone else's cards. I've been on quite a few cruises and I have never had them keep our cards as we debarked. I have a cute little pile of them on my dresser. I asked why she wanted them and she said, "I just have to keep them."

Did something pop up on her computer when she scanned our cards?

Does anyone know why they were taken?

Are we the lucky winners of some sort of present?

A free cruise???

Someone tell me!

 

Oh no, my DH sticks magnets on the back of them and has a collection on his filing cabinet in his office, he'll be irked if they want to take them.

[jame_g]

Cunard kept ours (and everyone's as far as I know), but Carnival and NCL have always let us keep them.

 

Don't know why they might need to keep them.

 

Maybe they needed your fingerprints or DNA for something... :eek:

[Tightwallet]

We got off the Dawn today, 9/12/10, and when they swiped our cards at debarkation the girl said she had to keep our cards. They did not take the cards of the people in front of us but they also took the cards of the couple behind us. I watched for a while and I did not see her keep anyone else's cards. I've been on quite a few cruises and I have never had them keep our cards as we debarked. I have a cute little pile of them on my dresser. I asked why she wanted them and she said, "I just have to keep them."

Did something pop up on her computer when she scanned our cards?

Does anyone know why they were taken?

Are we the lucky winners of some sort of present?

A free cruise???

Someone tell me!

 

Maybe security thought your pic lookedvery similiar to a "wanted" poster they have.

[GigCrusier]

I hope you get the FREE Cruise.... Please let me know if you have any extra cash you would like to invest too.

[scubagoil]

I would check with NCL about this... What if there is personal information such as name, address, and credit card number embedded in the card?

 

Call NCL and see what info is on the card and ask why someone would take it from you (and not from everyone leaving). Hopefully it is nothing, but I would want some answers!

[hftmrock]

Why didnt you ask them? If someone seems out of the ordinary and things are happening to you that is not happening to others.. question it. I am sure they would have told you.

[salty dingo]

Probably the computer showed you still had money on it at the casino, and she wanted it!

[Crazy Gramps]

Remeber what Nancy said:

 

Just say NO

Gramps

[paiagirl]

We got off the Dawn today, 9/12/10, and when they swiped our cards at debarkation the girl said she had to keep our cards. They did not take the cards of the people in front of us but they also took the cards of the couple behind us. I watched for a while and I did not see her keep anyone else's cards. I've been on quite a few cruises and I have never had them keep our cards as we debarked. I have a cute little pile of them on my dresser. I asked why she wanted them and she said, "I just have to keep them."

Did something pop up on her computer when she scanned our cards?

Does anyone know why they were taken?

Are we the lucky winners of some sort of present?

A free cruise???

Someone tell me!

 

I forgot the reason why. As we were disembarking on one of NCL'S cruise ship, they were keeping the cards. I asked if I can keep my card and security clipped a corner off the card.

[salty dingo]

I forgot the reason why. As we were disembarking on one of NCL'S cruise ship, they were keeping the cards. I asked if I can keep my card and security clipped a corner off the card.

On Carnival, I think a clipped corner means it is a card that can't be used for charging. Or maybe just can't be used for alcohol.

 

At a stop on a tour we found a ship card from our cruise laying face down on the ground. It had a clipped corner but the sail date was current. We were not on a tour, just driving on our own.

 

I yelled out the passenger name and a woman said it was her child. He came to get his card from me and then his mom let him have it for losing the card!

[ahl]

We disembarked from the Dawn today, too. They kept my card but gave my DW's card back to her. As we disembarked, the Cruise Director took each card, read the name aloud, and then handed it to the staff member who scanned the card.

 

There were delays in disembarkation today in New York and hightened security. (Easy Walk-off passengers did not finish getting off until 11:15 a.m.) Part of the delay was the P&O Aurora disembarking at Pier 88 at the same time.

[metoo]

A few years ago when I still worked in the computer world, I had a card reader attached to my work PC so I could read track data from test credit and debit cards provided by MC, Visa, and Discover for testing changes to our software.

 

I swiped my cruise card after returning from a cruise just to see what the track data contained. My card from that NCL cruise contained my name, cabin number, and the embarkation date of the cruise.

[BruceMuzz]

Port Security / TSA Officials in some ports - on some occasions - decide that all those expired plastic cards pose a security problem.

 

Many passengers drop them onto the floor in the terminal and parking lot after the cruise is over.

Anyone could pick them up and attempt to use them to get access to the terminal or ship.

In theory this cannot be done - but in reality we have seen many occasions where security staff were not paying attention, scanning machines are not working properly, and unauthorized people get into the terminal or up the gangway.

 

When port security or TSA make the decision, ship's personnel are required to take your card as you disembark at the end of the cruise.

 

If some passengers' cards were not collected, it could be that they;

1. Were back to back cruisers and were returning later in the day.

2. Were company employees.

3. Were relatives travelling with a ship's officer.

4. Were Guest Entertainers.

[johnql]

I have a whole slew of NCL passenger cards - never had one confiscated. And I'm no one in particular. I don't really understand the inconsistent policy.

[mamagina]

Yes, we did have a hard time getting off the ship today but that was my only complaint. We heard that there were 850 kids on board the week before we cruised and they had pretty rough seas. We had only 150 kids and even though we were told that the ship was sold out we had no wait or any slow service problems in any of the restaurants we went to all week. We also had no problems getting a lounge chair anytime and any where we wanted one. I just may be a total "Freestyle" convert. We did this same cruise in July two years ago and I swore no more "freestyle" for me. This cruise just happend to be at the right price and at the right time so, kind of like, how you feel years after childbirth I decided to try it again (it really didn't hurt that bad!). The food was excellent, the shows were fine and we really had a very relaxing and easy vacation. One night we ate at 5pm in order to go to Hamilton for Harbor Nights and then next night we ate at 9:30pm because we went to an early show and we used the spa. Both times the service and the food was consistantly good. We met a lovely couple from Vermont at the Meet and Greet and we had dinner with them one night which was really easy (could not do it with a regular dining room situation). We did not dress up at all even though we brought some "fancy duds." We really didn't feel a need to. There were plenty of shorts on men in the dining room. We did the Murder Mystery dinner and we got filet minion in Aqua when everyone else got skirt steak but I don't understand why they charge $20 for it. It may be worth a small cover charge but not $20pp. And although we did not go, I also don't understand why they charge $15 extra pp for the Saturday Morning "Jazz Brunch" It is just the regular breakfast buffet but with their regular house band and the comedian singing--weird! You did not have to go and you had the same brunch choices in the Garden Buffet--just without the music.

 

Now, back to our cards. I have never had the card taken away at debarkation before (29 cruises on all different lines) --they were not taking everyone's. As far as I saw they only took our random 4 cards--us and the couple walking off behind us (who we don't know). I asked why and she just said "I have to take them." Maybe I'll give NCL a call tomorrow. It was very strange.

[bob brown]

I have been on NCL for the past three years, and have all my cards added to my souvenir collection. This is the first I have heard of this, outside of Cunard which takes everyones cards.

If it were me, I would also want to know why.

I enjoy reminiscing of past cruises when I flip through them.

[garycarla]

Does seem strange that SOME people got to keep theirs, others did not. Anything unique about you that we should know? No passport? Credit issues? Dealings with NCL?

 

As to the security CRAPOLA - well, just that CRAPOLA.

[BruceMuzz]

I have a whole slew of NCL passenger cards - never had one confiscated. And I'm no one in particular. I don't really understand the inconsistent policy.

 

If you don't understand it, you should read my post again.

It's NOT a policy.

We do it when and where the local security authorities instruct us to do it.

We don't do it when and where they do not force us to do it.

[iheartbda]

If you don't understand it, you should read my post again.

It's NOT a policy.

We do it when and where the local security authorities instruct us to do it.

We don't do it when and where they do not force us to do it.

I've read your posts and understand what you say. What is still curious is why the OP's was taken when it didn't seem everyone's was taken.

 

I did a B2B and when I was reboarding, the crew saw my card from the previous week and immediately grabbed it saying I was permitted to have only one card. My understanding from the front desk person was, that one was deactivated when I was cleared on the first leg before they could give me a new one for the second leg.

 

I asked the scanning person could I not keep the confiscated one as a souvenir and he once again said, I was permitted only one card.....a card that was worthless?

 

I had done the same B2B the year before but the boarding person then did not see the "old" one. Soooooo, if the scanning person had not seen the old one I had on the B2B the next year, I would have once again had 2 cards.........that I was not permitted to have.:p Was it forced on them to confiscate mine the second time?

[mamagina]

Does seem strange that SOME people got to keep theirs, others did not. Anything unique about you that we should know? No passport? Credit issues? Dealings with NCL?

 

As to the security CRAPOLA - well, just that CRAPOLA.

 

We used our passports as id when we boarded. No credit issues--our charges were all correct on our statement and we gave them our American Express card when we boarded and everything was charged to it. We are Gold Lattitudes members because we cruised with NCL many times in the last 25 years (our honeymoon--25 years ago was on the Skyward) so I suggesed that to the couple walking off behind us and they said they are frequent cruisers with NCL having gone on this same cruise only three weeks ago. But they did not take their cards at the end of that cruise either.

We attended the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet--maybe they are going to try to find my posts! LOL

 

Or maybe they say my husband wearing shorts in the dining room!

[mamagina]

Port Security / TSA Officials in some ports - on some occasions - decide that all those expired plastic cards pose a security problem.

 

Many passengers drop them onto the floor in the terminal and parking lot after the cruise is over.

Anyone could pick them up and attempt to use them to get access to the terminal or ship.

In theory this cannot be done - but in reality we have seen many occasions where security staff were not paying attention, scanning machines are not working properly, and unauthorized people get into the terminal or up the gangway.

 

When port security or TSA make the decision, ship's personnel are required to take your card as you disembark at the end of the cruise.

 

If some passengers' cards were not collected, it could be that they;

1. Were back to back cruisers and were returning later in the day.

2. Were company employees.

3. Were relatives travelling with a ship's officer.

4. Were Guest Entertainers.

 

 

I understand completely what you are saying. She only took our cards and the cards of the couple behind us from what I could tell. She had no cards in her hand when she took ours. I was watching the line move before we got up to the scanner (because it was moving so slowly) so I saw at least ten people be swiped before us and she handed their cards back to them after she swiped. And I watched after she took the couple behind us and she continued to hold our four cards in one hand while she used the other hand to swipe and return cards to about 20 more people until we got into the ramp to go into the terminal. It seemed like somehting came up on her screen and she said "I must keep your cards" When I asked "why' she answered that she "had to." Just very curious.

[STARFISH*4]

i would call NCL and find out why...i would be very curious as to why the card was taken...i have all my cards after the cruises i put my cabin number on them so i dont forget which cabins i have stayed in...so i definitely WANT my cards:Dbut i sure would be finding out what the reason was for keeping the cards!

[johnql]

If you don't understand it, you should read my post again.

It's NOT a policy.

We do it when and where the local security authorities instruct us to do it.

We don't do it when and where they do not force us to do it.

I did read your post and I did understand it. Call it what you want, but it's still a process or policy that is being imposed. It's the inconsistency that confuses me. In other words, when is it implemented and why? Or is it simply random?