Where, Oh Where Can My Cruise Card Be?

If you are a cruise travel enthusiast, you have undoubtedly heard the following message:

“Keep your cruise ID card safe at all times. Your credit card is tied to your cruise card! You will need your cruise card to disembark and regain access to the ship. This card is also your stateroom key and sign & sail card for purchases of goods and services…!”

It is a serious matter to keep your cruise card handy and secure at all times, and for good reason! That card is what cruise passengers use to accomplish everything from entering their staterooms, to paying for beverages, to relaxing at the hands of a skills massage therapist, and purchasing souvenirs.  One major use for the cruise card is securely exiting the cruise ship and then regaining access to the ship once the day of shore excursions has ended. Those of us who are rule followers would never dream of losing their cruise card!

It was a lovely July day in Skagway, Alaska. Our family was wrapping up a day of exploration in the Gateway to the Klondike. We had walked out to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls, and had enjoyed a local pizza lunch before completing our final souvenir purchases in a few of the smaller gift shops. In the last store, we realized that I had misplaced my wallet. I couldn’t believe it!

My wallet contained less than $40 in cash and several travel receipts, AND it contained my cruise card. How was I going to gain entry back on the cruise ship? What would happen to me if I couldn’t re-embark? Thank goodness my passport was in our room safe, back on the ship. How would I prove who I was and where I lived? What if someone used it to gain entry to our cabin? What if someone used it to make thousands of dollars in onboard purchases? To say that I was in panic mode would be an understatement!

I retraced my steps to the previous merchant to find that a fellow tourist had found my wallet on the floor and had brought it to the cashier. I was so thankful I nearly cried. I opened my wallet to check its contents and found everything – except my cruise card! I asked myself over and over again, “Where could that darn card have gone?”

I double checked all of my pockets and the merchant bags filled with my purchases. Still no cruise card! It was getting close to time to be on board so we decided to make our way to the Skagway Cruise Port and beg reentry to the Princess Sapphire. We sent our adult children ahead of us to access our cabin and grab my passport. At least with the passport I’d be able to prove my identity. Surely they would allow me to re-embark with my passport, right!?!

When we reached the gates to the cruise port, I shared my sad story. This earned our family a ride in a secure minivan with an express trip to the Princess security stand. I again shared my sad story with security personnel and they escorted me through the screening area to the customer service desk where my son met me with my passport. A quick check on the computer verified my identity and I soon had a freshly printed cruise card for the remainder of the cruise. A vacation disaster had been averted and I was so thankful. I apologized profusely to the Princess employee behind the desk and must have looked fairly sheepish because, as I walked away, the person whispered, “No worries – this happens all the time! We are used to it!” I have cruised several times since that voyage and, since this fateful cruise, have kept strict tabs on my cruise card. AND, I won’t hesitate to ask for help from the cruise line staff ever again – nor should you. Happy walking!