Question for people who cruised before computers

[lovebug33]

So, I was scrapping our room keys and was wondering what did they do before computers? Did you just have a regular key for your room? Did you have to pay for cash everywhere you went on the boat? Just curious! TIA!

[Mary Ellen]

The room keys I remember were rectangles of heavy plastic with holes punched in them to work the 'tumblers' (or whatever mechanism). For room charges, I believe we just signed our name and cabin number. That must have been fun for the back office. :rolleyes: IIRC we needed to pay cash the last day to give the purser's office time to do the final accounting. It has been a while....

[jhannah]

What Mary Ellen said. I have used those plastic "keys" before. This was after computers, but the ship still had the old style locks.

[Gsel]

We actually had a REAL key for our cabin on the Mardi Gras (Carnival Line). But that was many, many years ago. The only reason I remember that is it had a huge key ring that went with it and DH couldn't get it in his pocket and I had to carry it in my purse. Now that I think about it, it much have been heavy too.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We used the plastic cards -- holes punched in them to activatewhen inserted into the doors to unlock them.

But on Cunard -- we had actual keys!!

Everything was charged to your account -- and you just merely gave your name and room number and then you signed the bill. Several times we had charges that were not ours and they would pull out their copies and ask if it was our signature. The worst time was on the old Neiuw Amsterdam -- one man had a ball just giving cabin numbers and scribbling names -- we got hit 3 times by him.

[Essiesmom]

Real keys, or the plastic keys with holes in them. My first cruise in 'modern times' on Royal Princess we had a card with name, cabin #, and it had a bar code they swiped for purchases. EM

[Druke I]

I first sailed on P&O's Oriana, in 1964, and again on Oriana at Christmas, 1970, both of which predate PCs, etc.

 

Yes, it was cash on board (British Pounds Sterling), and the cabin door keys were similar to a standard house key.

[CRUZBUDS]

We had regular keys with the same kind of plastic fob that hotels had. I remember because, I found a key to the Seabreeze in my pocket at the airport. I dropped it in a mail box. Hotels use to pay postage on returned keys.

[bethaniesmom]

same as everyone else, plastic "keys" with holes in them, and signed for everything with our name and room number. all tips were paid cash in envelopes. you could cash checks at the pursors desk. you didn't find out about changes in itinerary until you got to the pier. they used to publish a list of names of all passengers with cabin numbers and their hometowns. and (not computer related) you could visit other cruise ships in port as long as you knew someone who would escort you onto their ship....we had a wonderful lunch on the Flavia when we were in Nassau on the Starward at the same time as friends were there on the Flavia. but we didn't have wonderful new acquaintances from months of chatting on cruise critic!

 

HAPPY CRUISING

Beverly

[donaldsc]

I have cruised on small (<100 passengers) ships where there were no keys at all. You just assumed correctly that everyone was trustworthy.

 

We have never had a problem.

 

DON

[Halfmoonfan]

I first cruised on the Norway in 1981. I seem to remember being able to pay cash in the bars. I beer was $1 then. I also remember being able to charge to the room as well. One filled out paper slips with your name, cabin number etc. Remember in the 1980’s credit\charge cards were not as commonly used for day to day purchases as they have become (how often do you see someone using a card to buy a cup of coffee today, I suggest more often than not). Back in the early to mid 1980’s we did a couple of cruises a year out of Miami, and that was the time the city was having a major and violent crime wave. It was not uncommon to be in the old cruise terminal waiting to board and see three armed guards removing money from the last weeks sailing. They would be one in the lead with a shotgun, then one wheeling a handcart with the box of cash, followed by one more with yet another shotgun. I think a lot of the week’s revenue was in cash back then, now I would guess just the casino take is done that way.

 

Of course 1981 was not “before computers” but they were not as invasive as they are now. I remember having our shipboard table assignment handed to us on a handwritten card, of course that was when we had the same table for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time one ate at the “Great Outdoor Restaurant” was when they did not want to change out of their bathing attire (the good old days). :)

[cdkempton]

Until 1981 we always paid cash on board. I don't recall what the room keys were but I believe they were like "house" keys with something attached. After a Panama cruise we ended up in New Orleans and went on the Mississippi Queen for 3 days. This was the first time we signed for drinks. We were not happy because we liked knowing how much we were spending as we went along. We were told that because if was a US crew and they came and went at "whim" (apparently) that they were not allowed to handle cash. Soooo.. we were quite amused at the foot stomping we saw on the last day as people were looking at their yards of adding machine tape that was their bill. They COULDN'T have spent that much!! Fortunately, I had kept track of our receipts and knew what ours would be in advance. :)

[BernardNL]

This is what they looked like during the '80's and early '90's

[Opinions]

We began to cruise in the sixties...They used regular metal keys for the staterooms...All onboard charges were paid in cash...Prices were so low those days you really didn't need very much money for onboard expenses...There were no extra charge restaurants...Drinks on board were sold for much lower prices than on land.

[Tricia724]

I'm feeling really old now....because I remember quite well about having to pay in cash for all onboard purchases. It was a real pain, too, because you had to carry money on you all the time or make frequent trips back to your cabin. Of course, the ships were a lot smaller then. Could you imagine a cash-based society onboard one of the monsters of the sea? :eek:

 

It was a relief when the ships started allowing you to sign for purchases, and the current method of having one card which serves as your cabin key and charge card is so much better.

[sail7seas]

We also remember having the plastic cards with punched holes as room door opener.

 

Our ID was a piece of paper about the size of a business card but even thinner stock than a good quality card is today. :) So many blew away when folks came up the gangway and the wind was blowing. Security in those times was very casual and they barely looked at the paper. We used to kid that we could have shown the ID from our previous cruise and no one would have noticed. :D Certainly no gangway x-ray machines.

 

We never paid cash for anything on the ship. We always just told our cabin number the first day or two and after that, the bartenders and bar stewards/stewardeses knew name and cabin number. (That hasn't changed on HAL. They still learn names, faces and cabin numbers with remarkable speed and accuracy.) :)

They hand wrote bar slips that guests signed. We still have some of the guests copies of those slips. The Filipino bartenders used to fold them into various shapes such as t-shirts etc and guests loved that paper folding craft.

 

 

 

[prescottbob]

We began to cruise in the sixties...They used regular metal keys for the staterooms...All onboard charges were paid in cash...Prices were so low those days you really didn't need very much money for onboard expenses...There were no extra charge restaurants...Drinks on board were sold for much lower prices than on land.

 

Ahoy!

 

Your post reminded me of several things. I pulled out an old scrap book from my first cruise (1958, 14 day Caribbean holiday cruise / old Statendam) as an eight year old child.

 

I believe we had a key for the room at the time. The punched plastic cards came in the late 60's early 70's if I recall.

 

The drinks on the bar menu I have (scotch, bourbon, etc from '58-'59) were indeed 25 cents (sorry I wasn't drinking at the time). I do recall that all the soda pops were "free".

 

Smoking was allowed everywhere and the dress code was pretty much formal and informal. Occasionally there would be a theme night where everyone would dress up in one thing or another in the DR.

 

There was skeet shooting & "golf driving" off the fantail and "horseraces" by the aft pool. The "Owl's" performed in the Knickerbocker Club nightly at midnight. And, there was a nightly midnight buffet.

 

The Statendam had a wonderful indoor pool (pretty uptown at the time) and an indoor movie theatre, if I recall.

 

The ship ID was a piece of paper called the "Cruise Member Identify Card" that was signed by the Chief Purser.

 

I'm looking at a bunch of "The Cruise Mercury's" right now that was the "plan of the day". The menus were written in wonderful calligraphy and, I think, had wonderful art covers that you could keep.

 

Enough already.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[RuthC]

This is what they looked like during the '80's and early '90's

Ryndam '02 I still had that kind of key.

The ss Rotterdam had a typical key, and the lock on the door to our cabin was just like my deadbolt at home. When my husband left the key in the lock inside (to be able to get out quickly in an emergency), I couldn't make my key work from the outside. Had to call him from the Front Desk at 2:00 AM to wake him enough to take the key out of the lock. :eek:

[sail7seas]

<snip> ......

 

and (not computer related) you could visit other cruise ships in port as long as you knew someone who would escort you onto their ship....we had a wonderful lunch on the Flavia when we were in Nassau on the Starward at the same time as friends were there on the Flavia. but we didn't have wonderful new acquaintances from months of chatting on cruise critic!

 

HAPPY CRUISING

Beverly

 

I had forgotten how when sailing HAL ships if another was in port, guests were welcomed aboard other ships in the fleet to visit. Of course, there were only four HAL ships at the time as I remember. We visited a number of times and it was wonderful fun.

 

We go back to when HAL had Noordam III, Rotterdam V, Nieuw Amsterdam III (?) and Westerdam. That was the fleet. :)

[Taxguy77]

I have cruised on small (<100 passengers) ships where there were no keys at all. You just assumed correctly that everyone was trustworthy.

 

We have never had a problem.

 

DON

My first TA was on a freighter with only 11 pax. No keys. A boy would come by the room playing a tune to announce a meal would be served now. Each meal had a different tune.

My first real cruise, married, the kids were teens (left them at home! first vacation without them for years!:D) and we had a 4day cruise. There was too much to see and do to remember all, but the midnight buffet was a production. Seeem to remember the plastic keys, but many hotels had real keys.

[lovebug33]

Thank you for all of your responses! I haven't even ever had to deal with tipping, thank goodness! It is really interesting how different cruising was!

[sail7seas]

Thank you for all of your responses! I haven't even ever had to deal with tipping, thank goodness! It is really interesting how different cruising was!

 

 

:confused: Why haven't you ever tipped?

[scopewest]

Dolphin cruise line, Island Breeze, 1997 or thereabouts, we had a regular key. I remember shutting the cabin door and when DH said did you lock the door, I said didn't it lock when I closed the door, and he said NO. I ran back as fast as I could and nothing was missing, whew! That's the only ship that I recall that had a regular lock and key combination.

[lovebug33]

I've tipped, just that they add it in, so I've never had to figure out what to give people. I kind of see it as not tipping because I don't have to worry about it. I remember my brother's first cruise and they had to bring all of this cash and put it in envelopes. I think this has to be eaiser!

[sail7seas]

Many of us tip those who give us outstanding service above the service charge that is added to our ship accounts.

 

If our dining stewards and cabin stewards (and other crew) do their usual outstanding job, we always put some cash in an envelope and tip 'over and above'.....

 

But that is A DIFFERENT THREAD. :D Not what OP suggested we talk about in this thread.