Ship Postcards

[PromenadeDeckWriter]

Seems that snail mail is going the way of the dodo bird... or so it seems. I still love it when I get an handwritten letter, let alone the VERY rare postcard (my aunt still sends me one when she travels). My question is about ship postcards - or rather, postcards with the image of ships that you're sailing on. 

 

I got one onboard the Carnival Inspiration (may she RIP) back in 2010. Sent it via the ship mailbox (they had one onboard!) The postcard arrived after 6 weeks, long after I had returned from my sailing!

 

Then a hiatus of sailing until 2017 when I sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam (LONG review on the HAL boards from the perspective of a DeafBlind person). It wasn't until I disembarked that I realized that I hadn't seen a ship postcard in the shops, nor a mailbox to mail it from. Did they disappear between 2010 and 2017? (Or if it was me who missed them with my less-than-normal eyes, were there any ship postcards available for HAL ships?) 

 

Which cruise/ship lines still have ship postcards available onboard? Any that still have the mailboxes in the lobby/near Guest Services desks? Any favorites of yours that you've kept over the years (either from a friend or mailing to yourself?) Is it still possible to mail stuff from the ship (given that you have postage ready)? 

[lenquixote66]

The last time I saw postcards on a ship was on HAL in 2014.I have been buying post cards from everywhere I have cruised to ,traveled to and ships cruised on over the past 60 years. I have post cards that were mailed to me from all over the world going back to the 40’s.

 

 

[LHT28]

32 minutes ago, PromenadeDeckWriter said:

Which cruise/ship lines still have ship postcards available onboard? Any that still have the mailboxes in the lobby/near Guest Services desks? Any favorites of yours that you've kept over the years (either from a friend or mailing to yourself?) Is it still possible to mail stuff from the ship (given that you have postage ready)? 

Oceania has them in the cabin

I usually mail them when ashore   though but I am sure reception will still take them for you  as you have to pay for the postage

[navybankerteacher]

QM2 has them - even has a typical British mailbox to drop them in.

[Cruzaholic41]

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen post cards in the gift shops of every cruise ship I’ve been on. 

[whogo]

We received a Holland America postcard from our son in February, assume the card was at no extra charge. Holland America always had "free"cards in the cabin binder with more available at the front desk. I sent cards from our 2018 HAL cruise, don't remember if any were freebies, the postcards could have been eliminated without my noticing.

 

Seabourn had postcards in 2020. Phoenix Reisen (marketed to German speakers) had local postcards available, I assume they were not included in the fare.

 

Cruise ship front desks have always mailed cards for a fee, sometimes from the current port, sometimes the next port, sometimes the final port.

[getting older slowly]

On Princess yes to postcards 2016 and the beginning of 2018.....

 

Also beginning of 2018 was the last time for personalised stationary as well

 

After that no.        Cheers Don

[rkacruiser]

A postcard with the photo of the ship is usually a part of the "paperwork" that is in the stateroom upon arrival.  Whether the Front Office would supply any more, I don't know.  I have seen postcards for sale in a ship's Gift Shop, but not often any more.  

[clo]

So, OT, but are these cards you send to yourself mainly? On the occasion we send cards, mostly to the grands, it's a picture of something other than the ship, figuring that would be more interesting than the ship. I sometimes take a pic of the ship.

 

From the beach in Buzios, Brazil.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by clo

[pris993]

If ship post cards are not readily apparent, I have asked for them at customer service desk, also I usually check the binder in our cabin, often there are a couple there.  I always mail them off the ship, because found years ago they take some time to arrive.

[clo]

27 minutes ago, pris993 said:

If ship post cards are not readily apparent, I have asked for them at customer service desk, also I usually check the binder in our cabin, often there are a couple there.  I always mail them off the ship, because found years ago they take some time to arrive.

Do you just mail them to yourself?

[whogo]

I mail postcards to family members.

[pris993]

2 hours ago, clo said:

Do you just mail them to yourself?

No I love getting cards, so I mail them to friends, family and our grand son.  Grand son loved getting cards so much he talked his parents into cruise some years ago.  Now he is trying to compete with us on how my cruises he can do.  He has a ways to go but it is fun to pass on our love of travel to him.  

[clo]

1 minute ago, pris993 said:

No I love getting cards, so I mail them to friends, family and our grand son.  Grand son loved getting cards so much he talked his parents into cruise some years ago.  Now he is trying to compete with us on how my cruises he can do.  He has a ways to go but it is fun to pass on our love of travel to him.  

So more ship than port oriented.

[Aquahound]

7 hours ago, clo said:

Do you just mail them to yourself?

 

4 hours ago, clo said:

So more ship than port oriented.

 

Are you seriously judging about post cards now?  

 

[MBP&O2/O]

The last two cruises we have been on there have been half a dozen in the cabin. They will accept them at reception ... and charge of course ... so I tend to post them ‘ashore’ ... it’s usually a quicker dispatch as well. Having said that a lot depends on where you are, and the local infrastructure.

[clo]

5 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

 

Are you seriously judging about post cards now?  

 

I find the human animal endlessly fascinating. Not one darn thing judgmental. Many years ago I read advice that if you're seeing something truly amazing you should buy a postcard as a professional photo will likely beat anything I can take. But I don't mail them to myself. I don't get the point is all. As far as mailing them to anyone, that would just be my grands and I think they'd be way more interested in something that's not a picture of a ship.

[PromenadeDeckWriter]

Wonderful to see that it is not a lost art after all! I must have missed them while on the Nieuw Amsterdam - now I know where to look or ask. 

 

Thank you all for responding, and I'm enjoying the thought process going on here. 

[pris993]

11 hours ago, clo said:

So more ship than port oriented.

No as I say, I love getting cards.  So always sent many cards both of ships and ports.  We always went on primarily new ships over the years, so it was nice to send a picture of the newest ship.   I also bought post cards for myself, always though post cards were better pictures than I could take.  Have am amazing collection of ports we visited. 

[navybankerteacher]

45 minutes ago, clo said:

I find the human animal endlessly fascinating. Not one darn thing judgmental. Many years ago I read advice that if you're seeing something truly amazing you should buy a postcard as a professional photo will likely beat anything I can take. But I don't mail them to myself. I don't get the point is all. As far as mailing them to anyone, that would just be my grands and I think they'd be way more interested in something that's not a picture of a ship.

My grandsons (when of the age that receiving any mail of any sort was so greatly appreciated by them that it was worth the effort for me) certainly preferred a picture of a ship, any ship, to a perfect shot of the perfect temple of of some Botticelli masterpieces.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

My grandsons (when of the age that receiving any mail of any sort was so greatly appreciated by them that it was worth the effort for me) certainly preferred a picture of a ship, any ship, to a perfect shot of the perfect temple of of some Botticelli masterpieces.

 

Same.

 

My son, when younger, was endlessly fascinated by these huge ships -- how were they built, how did they stay afloat, how were they propelled, etc. He would probably also have liked postcards of airplanes if there were such a thing. 

 

He grew up to be an engineer, lol.

[ldubs]

While mailing the card home is thought to be unworthy of consideration by some, I understand that folks mail the cards home so they will have the postal marking/stamp of the foreign country.  Kind of cool if you like collecting that sort of thing.  

[whogo]

I do not want to appear to gloat by sending postcards to friends that show that I'm on a nice vacation and they are not.

 

I send cards to my kids and siblings, my late sister particularly enjoyed sending and receiving cards. I mailed a postcard from Florence of Michelangelo's David to my six year old nephew David. His comment? Why did Uncle Whogo send me a picture of a naked man? The card was displayed on their refrigerator with  strategically place magnet, the postal authorities were not called, and I do not have to register my address and stay 1,000 feet from schools and daycare centers.

[clo]

5 minutes ago, whogo said:

I do not want to appear to gloat by sending postcards to friends that show that I'm on a nice vacation and they are not.

 

I think that may be part of it for me too. Compared to a lot of you we're not THAT busy traveling but busier than almost anybody we know.

[neverbeenhere]

Your postal service employee appreciates the postcards. They enjoy the change in  reading opportunities and these cards help keep the rumor mill running in many towns.