Apparently, Amazon has a marketing genius.....

[shipgeeks]

.....and apparently, lots of people are falling for it.

I see posts (mostly elsewhere!) mentioning Amazon's "Royal Caribbean Cruise Essentials".  Then I see posts such as "Is everyone in my family required to buy and wear this lanyard?",

"Do I need to worry about my luggage if I don't buy these luggage tag holders?"

"I'm putting aside some $$ every month so I can buy the extras that RC requires."

I understand there are dozens of items on the "essential" list...and growing.  Appliances, electronics, bedding...

[taglovestocruise]

Biggest must have for 2024, under $2. Please do not bother your steward for a blank card. Always keep lights and A C turned on, never come back to a warm or dark cabin...... Disregard the remove from slot warning, it is only for tree huggers

Edited March 16 by taglovestocruise

[nelblu]

Why spend any money just got to GS and ask them for a blank cabin key.

[OCVTSGIRL]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Biggest must have for 2024, under $2. Please do not bother your steward for a blank card. Always keep lights and A C turned on, never come back to a warm or dark cabin...... Disregard the remove from slot warning, it is only for tree huggers

I just use the junk cards that come in the mail and I don't have to pay for them.  They work fine.  The last two cruises our cabin steward left a card in the slot so we didn't have to worry about it.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Biggest must have for 2024, under $2. Please do not bother your steward for a blank card. Always keep lights and A C turned on, never come back to a warm or dark cabin...... Disregard the remove from slot warning, it is only for tree huggers

On at least my last 4 cruises there has already been a plastic card in the slot. 

[DennysDad]

This is exactly why you fly in the day before your trip. Stay in hotel and use your hotel key card. It's a travel conspiracy!

[shof515]

folded pieces of paper works in the card slot or use any card like a business card

[Laplayaperson]

Wait?!  WHAT?  What does this trick even do?  Fill us in!!

[shipgeeks]

17 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Biggest must have for 2024, under $2. Please do not bother your steward for a blank card. Always keep lights and A C turned on, never come back to a warm or dark cabin...... Disregard the remove from slot warning, it is only for tree huggers

I think you just proved my point, lol!

[shipgeeks]

14 hours ago, Laplayaperson said:

Wait?!  WHAT?  What does this trick even do?  Fill us in!!

See the post "what are light cards?"

Chief Engineer confirms that not using anything like this will NOT turn off the AC.  In other words, just another unneeded product.

[alfaeric]

14 hours ago, Laplayaperson said:

Wait?!  WHAT?  What does this trick even do?  Fill us in!!

They are not on all ships.  Just the newest ones.

 

And we have used the business card of our room steward to leave in there.  Waste of $2 to buy something for it.

 

As for the rest of the "stuff" listed, shop in your own home before getting something you already have.  We have plenty of lanyard ID pockets to use for luggage tags, plenty of lanyards, a card....

 

The only thing we don't is the magnetic hooks, which we've never needed so much to get some.  Heck, someone left 2 in our cabin on our last cruise, and we never used them.

 

None of this is essential.  Could be nice to have, but IMHO, people should cruise once before deciding they need some of the stuff.

[island lady]

Folded piece of paper cuts the circuit.   Please don't stress over unneeded purchased cards, or any other card for that matter.  🧐

[pstone1]

I just keep an out of date AAA card in my travel bag to stick in the slot if I need it.  😉

[rsail203]

I use an old set sail card from a previous cruise.

[cruisegirl1]

Every cabin we've been in that has a card controlled light switch, already has a card in it upon arrival.  

 

Of all the additional cruise related items cruisers purchase, this is perhaps  one of the most unnecessary items of all times. 

M

[island lady]

I have never had a card already in the circuit closer upon entering a cabin...but then again those types of cabins are becoming rare for us since we are tending to do smaller, older ships that don't have them.  

[shipgeeks]

Or not use anything, and let the cabin lights turn off when we are not there. (Why should lights stay on when we're out??)

As Chief Engineer confirms, not inserting a card does NOT turn off the cabin AC.

[island lady]

Just now, shipgeeks said:

Or not use anything, and let the cabin lights turn off when we are not there. (Why should lights stay on when we're out??)

As Chief Engineer confirms, not inserting a card does NOT turn off the cabin AC.

 

It did in ours.  Was hot in there when we got back... before I learned to just leave a folded piece of paper in the circuit break slot.  

 

As I stated...we always turn off the lights when we leave the cabin, but I don't want to come back to a sauna when we return.  

[BecciBoo]

Well I certainly need it:  LOL

[BecciBoo]

Of course there are no "requirements" and no one should spend a penny on this stuff, but it's just fun and being OCD I appreciate little things that facilitate cruising, like my wrist lanyard (yes, I'm aware you can't punch a hole in some cards) and my magnetic snail night light and my wall hooks etc.  Nothing wrong with it, different strokes for different folks.  What I don't understand is how that would aggravate others...live and let live right?

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Of course there are no "requirements" and no one should spend a penny on this stuff, but it's just fun and being OCD I appreciate little things that facilitate cruising, like my wrist lanyard (yes, I'm aware you can't punch a hole in some cards) and my magnetic snail night light and my wall hooks etc.  Nothing wrong with it, different strokes for different folks.  What I don't understand is how that would aggravate others...live and let live right?

 

LOL...wait until you become Pinnacle and get that flack if you wear that shiny new pin.  😄 😄 

[BecciBoo]

3 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

LOL...wait until you become Pinnacle and get that flack if you wear that shiny new pin.  😄 😄 

I won't wear unless it gets me something!  I won't have time to achieve it anyways.🤣

[BecciBoo]

Where is that card, I've been searching Amazon for 20 minutes?! LOL  Yipee Etsy....thanks #Taglovestocruise....funny as all get out, the card was 1.88 but the shipping was 5 LOLOL🤪

Edited March 18 by BecciBoo

[island lady]

4 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I won't wear unless it gets me something!  I won't have time to achieve it anyways.🤣

 

And ironically, I made it awhile back...but now we are booking with Viking and other lines.  Go figure.  😉 

[jean87510]

My favorite are the FB groups which always has people who sell this stuff.  Or the people who have check lists recommending items such as lanyards, over the door shoe rack, ducks, towels once, pens, travel coffee mugs...etc...  We don't like to pack a lot as we like buying treasures from the islands so we hate useless novelty gimmicks.  Plus one of our suitcases carries our snorkeling gear, snorkel bags, portable tent and chairs and husband's free diving fins.  So since we cruise primarily for the islands and our water adventures, we don't usually go overboard with the knickknacks and formal evening wear.

 

The only thing I have used repeatedly since they came out is the metal hooks.  And I use them correctly on the ceiling to dry clothes thanks to a CC poster who posted the best way to use these when washing clothes in the sink or shower and it works better than any clothesline in the cabin.  We have 20 of them and use them all.  I think we got them in 2021.