Someone had Q's about Koningsdam card slot for lights

[InTheWASide]

I've looked and can't find that post, but here's a pic I took that should be helpful

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

One does not have to use your room key, any card will do, I used my Insurance card. Although We would come back to the room at night and find the cabin steward pulled it out just a bit so it deactivated the lights and we just pushed it back in. I personally do not like having my card in the slot, it is just too easy to forget and take off with out the card

I personally find the whole concept silly, the amount of electricity being saved is minimal and the ship generates it's own. I sure in the long run it tends to be more bothersome with those that do get locked out of their cabin and need to find someone to open the door for them. That and how many do exactly what we do by placing another card in it's place??

[lahlah57]

One does not have to use your room key, any card will do, I used my Insurance card. Although We would come back to the room at night and find the cabin steward pulled it out just a bit so it deactivated the lights and we just pushed it back in. I personally do not like having my card in the slot, it is just too easy to forget and take off with out the card

I personally find the whole concept silly, the amount of electricity being saved is minimal and the shdip generates it's own. I sure in the long run it tends to be more bothersome with those that do get locked out of their cabin and need to find someone to open the door for them. That and how many do exactly what we do by placing another card in it's place??

 

Okay....will be sure to bring my IKEA card just for this purpose. Couldn't care less about that card and it can stay in the slot.

[CTBob]

Don't know about the Konningsdam but on some ships the card is used to let your cabin steward know when you are in or out of your cabin.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Don't know about the Konningsdam but on some ships the card is used to let your cabin steward know when you are in or out of your cabin.

 

I am not sure about that with HAL but the key card unlocking of the door tells them who entered but when two are together it still does not tell them if only one entered the room or several. Unless they place big Brother Cameras everywhere they will not know for sure with any method.

[InTheWASide]

One does not have to use your room key, any card will do, I used my Insurance card. Although We would come back to the room at night and find the cabin steward pulled it out just a bit so it deactivated the lights and we just pushed it back in. I personally do not like having my card in the slot, it is just too easy to forget and take off with out the card

 

I personally find the whole concept silly, the amount of electricity being saved is minimal and the ship generates it's own. I sure in the long run it tends to be more bothersome with those that do get locked out of their cabin and need to find someone to open the door for them. That and how many do exactly what we do by placing another card in it's place??

 

 

Correct and majority of the time we used something else. This was taken within seconds of getting in the room and those were the cards in our hands at the time. Our steward did the same thing just barely lifting it out.

 

As far as what it saves while out: air conditioning, all lights except bedside lights and the fridge. Is it annoying? MINIMALLY. If anyone finds this the biggest obnoxious "offense" during the cruise.. You're having a good cruise [emoji2]

 

And the ship makes their own electricity? They certainly do. And it's Burning fuel that creates that electricity. So it can make a difference.

Edited April 24, 2016 by InTheWASide

[0bnxshs]

Especially when you multiply A/C and lights by roughly 1300 cabins, that's a lot of electrons and fuel over time. No biggie for us. It actually saves considerably over time.

 

I can see that the cabin stewards would use it to see if a guest is home.

[teamflames]

I have stayed in hundreds of hotels that use the same system, not sure what the issue is

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[LAFFNVEGAS]

 

Is it annoying? MINIMALLY. If anyone finds this the biggest obnoxious "offense" during the cruise.. You're having a good cruise [emoji2]

No this did not make my list of problems, the problem list was plenty long in itself :( Sadly the longer I am home the more negative things I remember about the cruise and the positives have started to fade away. Other than the ship being beautiful, it is still HAL and the same HAL problems that over the last few years I have learned to dislike. Maybe if I never cruised another cruise line to know things on different on other lines I would not know the difference and would be thrilled.

[SC_GAY_Cruiser]

I personally find the whole concept silly, the amount of electricity being saved is minimal and the ship generates it's own. I sure in the long run it tends to be more bothersome with those that do get locked out of their cabin and need to find someone to open the door for them. That and how many do exactly what we do by placing another card in it's place??

 

Yeah......I hate all that non-sense about climate change and the seas rising. We all need to remember how silly it is and do nothing to save our earth! Let's all buy Hummer's!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Yeah......I hate all that non-sense about climate change and the seas rising. We all need to remember how silly it is and do nothing to save our earth! Let's all buy Hummer's!

 

I know you are being sarcastic :rolleyes: I am a strong supporter of Fighting the effects of Global Warming but somethings are more of a making someone feel good about it rather than it really doing anything to help.... much like TSA is protecting us at the airports ;) Trust me it is kind of like smoke and mirrors if the public believes it then they did what they company wants. The over cost of these light switch things VS. the number of passengers placing a card in the slot and the man hours of getting someone back in their cabin it would take many many years of truly saving to totally help the environment. I am not sure it even really helps HAL in saving fuel because of the cost but in the ends it looks good to the share holders ;)

[Bowie MeMe]

One does not have to use your room key, any card will do, I used my Insurance card. Although We would come back to the room at night and find the cabin steward pulled it out just a bit so it deactivated the lights and we just pushed it back in. I personally do not like having my card in the slot, it is just too easy to forget and take off with out the card

I personally find the whole concept silly, the amount of electricity being saved is minimal and the ship generates it's own. I sure in the long run it tends to be more bothersome with those that do get locked out of their cabin and need to find someone to open the door for them. That and how many do exactly what we do by placing another card in it's place??

 

I too find this really annoying. I first found it in Europe and Asia but not so much in the USA -- yet. I hate coming in really hot and waiting for the room to cool down. I hate going out without the card by accident. I hate being forced to have the card ready to put in the light switch -- leaves me half in and half out of the room if it is dark fumbling, distracted and at risk if someone lurking in the hall. I just keep a spare card (from the last hotel room or so) and leave it in the slot. I do not want an active credit card. I do not want my insurance ID card or any other card with personal information. I don't mind if they know I stayed at Holiday Inn Express or Hilton last night. :p

[bradpole]

Don't know about the Konningsdam but on some ships the card is used to let your cabin steward know when you are in or out of your cabin.

 

MSC Divinia did that, when a card was in the slot a small red light in the ceiling was lit and cabin attendants didn't attempt to enter.

[Bowie MeMe]

Why annoy your passenger with this card in the slot. People will do what they want -- and as I showed in the previous post -- it is pretty easy to solve (don't have a spare card? Go get one from the desk -- yours is lost in the slot:D). As they do with the open balcony door problem -- make your appeal, explain why it is important, value your guest enough to let them decide if they wish to do this or if just maybe they want to leave a light. I should have this option if I want it. (AC too!)

[CruiserBruce]

I know you are being sarcastic :rolleyes: I am a strong supporter of Fighting the effects of Global Warming but somethings are more of a making someone feel good about it rather than it really doing anything to help.... much like TSA is protecting us at the airports ;) Trust me it is kind of like smoke and mirrors if the public believes it then they did what they company wants. The over cost of these light switch things VS. the number of passengers placing a card in the slot and the man hours of getting someone back in their cabin it would take many many years of truly saving to totally help the environment. I am not sure it even really helps HAL in saving fuel because of the cost but in the ends it looks good to the share holders ;)

 

There is an old backpacker saying, which can be applied to saving money and a huge number of other things..."worry about the ounces, and the pounds take care of themselves". In other words, if everyone cuts a little here and there, the total can be huge.

 

How many planes have been hijacked in the US since 9/11?

Edited April 24, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[rafinmd]

Does anyone if removing the card shuts down ALL the outlets. When I was on QE most everything was controlled by the card but there was one socket that stayed live. That was nice and I left things that needed to stay on plugged in there and let the rest of the stuff shut off.

 

Roy

[Salty Dawg]

Does anyone know for sure that this turns off the a/c?

We have had this system on the NA and did not notice the room being warm when we returned.

[InTheWASide]

Does anyone know for sure that this turns off the a/c?

 

We have had this system on the NA and did not notice the room being warm when we returned.

 

 

Yes. One time we didn't have it in and the room was stuffy and there was no air flow. Put the card in and the fan kicked in

[patrickmoran]

Recently off the Royal Princess and it has this type system. Princess has now put their own card in the slot permanently because US pax hated it. Europeans are liking what's the fuss?

 

P.S., still managed to walk out of the cabin without my key card and had to go to the purser.

Edited April 25, 2016 by patrickmoran

[Tarpeian Rock]

Yes. One time we didn't have it in and the room was stuffy and there was no air flow. Put the card in and the fan kicked in

 

 

The idea of only being allowed to cool the room when it's occupied seems extremely unattractive. So one is ashore all day in a hot climate port, and comes back to a warm - if not hot - cabin. How many hours of discomfort is one expected to endure before the cabin cools back down to the level the pax wants? As I recall from our 4 HAL cruises, it took about a day from embarkation until our cabin was cool enough. So to go through this every day?

[InTheWASide]

The idea of only being allowed to cool the room when it's occupied seems extremely unattractive. So one is ashore all day in a hot climate port, and comes back to a warm - if not hot - cabin. How many hours of discomfort is one expected to endure before the cabin cools back down to the level the pax wants? As I recall from our 4 HAL cruises, it took about a day from embarkation until our cabin was cool enough. So to go through this every day?

 

 

For what it's worth I like the room COLD and first thing I usually do is drop the thermostat as low as It will go. On Koningsdam when it kicked on it was maybe 10 or so minutes tops and good to go and I actually woke up a few times in the middle of the night freezing and moved it closer to the middle of the thermostat. And I've never done that on 30+ cruises

[boze9999]

ANY keycard works! Try to remember to keep your hotel key from your pre-cruise sailing. It's a non-personal key you can continually leave in the slot.

 

FYI - Whether we kept it in the down/engaged position or removed it slightly to the up position to "deactivate" the lights, we always returned to a pleasantly air-conditioned room when we returned from an evening out.