Newsies Cruises (or, How We Braved Hurricane Erin on the Magic) - Our First DCL Adventure! - Aug '25 *NEW 09/06*

[Newsies]

I'm loving all the details and photos in your trip report. I've never been on a cruise, but I'm considering taking one sometime in the next year or so.

Okay, thank you so much for saying this because I have been TYPING and TYPING these past few days worried that I was digressing and you guys were going to be like, "can she just get to the point?" -- I'm glad the details are useful to you and I really appreciate the comment!

With all the security, my mind is kind of blown that room keys are just hanging up right next to the room. That is quite the honor system! If the halls are all roped off until the rooms are ready, it seems strange to me that they don't give you your KTTW cards when you are doing check in at the embarkation port.

It also blows my mind that luggage is just left in the hallways too, especially with how strict they are about luggage always being within your control at the airport.

YES, this blew my mind too when I first read/heard about these processes!

KTTW Cards -- It seems very hard to get away with fraud on these, as the charging is so easy to track and it's so easy to turn them off and distribute new cards if your card gets lost or, on the rare occasion, stolen. I remember being reeeeeeally little on a NCL sailing and losing my card and it was easy for me to go to guest services to get a new one. The envelopes by your stateroom are sealed in a way that you will definitely know if they've been tampered with.

Luggage -- again, it seems like every cruise line does this. I don't know the statistics on theft but I would imagine this would be a very hard heist to pull off, as you have to go past security to disembark and they'd see the luggage that matches the reported description.

Overall, while theft happens pretty frequently with fish extenders & stateroom door magnets, I think a lot less people are a lot less likely to commit a chargeable offense like stealing luggage or trying to commit fraud. Cruises sound like a very expensive way to get arrested or spend 7 days in a brig We felt very safe on the boat and at Castaway Cay!