Question: Lanyards For kids?

[DisneyHoosiers]

For a family, how many lanyards should we bring (our first cruise)? (Specifically, will each adult need one? What about children ages 8 and under?) What exactly do people put in their lanyards? Thank you!!!

 

[squirrel]

If it's your first Disney Cruise then you will not be given one. It depends on what you feel comfortable with. I keep my room key in it. When I cruised with my nieces we kept their keys. We were with them the whole time, unless we dropped them off at the club. We actually traded keys so that the niece that was staying in my mom's room, I had the key for. That way we (adults) could access both rooms.

Some people don't like lanyards and keep the room keys in their pockets or purse.

 

[MelSpees]

I keep my KTTW card there and my cruise meet did and this one is making up name tags that I put there.

 

[KristiMc]

I use one but my husband just carries his in a pocket. For kids under 8 I would just keep theirs in the room or with you. They are not needed except when you are getting off/on the ship.

 

[party-of-five]

If I may, I have a couple of questions about the room keys myself...

Do the kids need to have their room key with them while they are at the kids clubs? What if they have self check-in/check-out privileges?

Can you assign charging privileges to certain room keys? For example, can I allow my 14 yr old to have charging privileges but not the 3 year old?

Thanks!

 

[KristiMc]

If I may, I have a couple of questions about the room keys myself...

Do the kids need to have their room key with them while they are at the kids clubs? What if they have self check-in/check-out privileges?

Can you assign charging privileges to certain room keys? For example, can I allow my 14 yr old to have charging privileges but not the 3 year old?

Thanks!

Kids are not required to have their cards at the kids clubs. If you give them check-in/out privileges you would want them to have the card so they can access the room. You can assign charging on an individual basis, so yes you can give it to your 14 year old and not to the 3 year old.

 

[Kimosabe]

Yes, you can decide who gets charging privileges or not. We gave them to our 13-year old (with lots of warnings and rules) but not to our 10-year old. Can't recall the age at which DCL allows you to give charging privileges, but pretty sure there is one.

I do not like wearing a lanyard and generally just keep my card/key in my pocket. As a general rule, you need the card to drop into a slot as you enter your room in order to turn on the lights, so I see it as a royal pain to have to pull the card out of a lanyard every time you enter the room. Several people buy or receive "light cards," which is basically a card with a magnetic strip on the back of it (I assume?) that tricks the system into thinking your card is in the slot....if you have that, then the lanyard wouldn't be as much trouble.

We did a "fish extender" group for the first time last week on the Fantasy, and one of the things we received was a card "slot" that stuck to the back of a cell phone. Our 13-year old daughter quickly claimed that so she could also stop dealing with a lanyard. With the next texting feature on the DCL app, along with the Navigator itself, she knew she'd always have her phone with her anyway, so why not just keep phone and card together?

There are DCL lanyards available in the gift shops on the ship, which serves not only to hold your room key but also is a little more substantial than the "Castaway Club" (prior cruisers) lanyard, so you really could treat it like a little wallet around your neck....although the only "card" you really need on the ship is your room key unless or until you get off for an excursion, in which case you'd need photo ID and likely a credit card (and maybe an insurance card, cash, etc.).

 

[Mskay1216]

We'll be on our first Disney Cruise in Sept, where can you get or buy a "light card" ?

 

[Kimosabe]

Google "Disney cruise light card" or go straight to Etsy, which is where they are easily found for roughly a dollar (no more than $2). My understanding is that you could even use an old gift card, and it accomplishes the same purpose. we haven't used one, but somebody on here might know better as to whether it actually must have some sort of magnetic strip on the back.

 

[squirrel]

Depends on the ship. The classic ships (Magic and Wonder) do not have lights that are turned on by using your room key.

 

[skullsplitter]

You'll probably want a lanyard if you are or your kids plan on doing any pin trading.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Depends on the ship. The classic ships (Magic and Wonder) do not have lights that are turned on by using your room key.

I think the Magic got that "upgrade".

 

[Dug720]

We'll be on our first Disney Cruise in Sept, where can you get or buy a "light card" ?

Buy a light card? Just use an old gift card or hotel key card. We even used the business card from the taxi company we used.

I'd like to say I'm surprised that people are actually selling cards to stick in there, but it just proves that people will do anything to make a buck and take advantage of people.

 

[Mskay1216]

Buy a light card? Just use an old gift card or hotel key card. We even used the business card from the taxi company we used.

I'd like to say I'm surprised that people are actually selling cards to stick in there, but it just proves that people will do anything to make a buck and take advantage of people.

Thanks! I have some used disney gift cards that would be perfect!

 

[jtba]

I'd like to say I'm surprised that people are actually selling cards to stick in there, but it just proves that people will do anything to make a buck and take advantage of people.

some of them personalize it so it's specific to your cruise. sort of a souvenir, i guess.

but no i wouldn't buy one either.

 

[squirrel]

I think the Magic got that "upgrade".

Not unless they did it after my WBTA then. As it wasn't done during the re-imagining.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Not unless they did it after my WBTA then. As it wasn't done during the re-imagining.

Ok, then. I thought that someone reported that the Magic now had the same light system as the Dream class ships. Thanks for the info.

 

[owensamo]

On our B2B on the Fantasy a couple of years ago, both our room and my in-laws room had light cards already in the slots when we got there. They appeared to be old blank KTTW cards - my guess is that they were actually what the room attendants used to keep the lights on, and they just left them there, or they had gotten left by previous tenants. In fact, I think there were 2 cards in my in-laws room! We never had a problem with the lights, and never had to worry about cards.

The cards can be anything - no magnetic strip needed. The slot has a pressure switch in the bottom, and you slide the card in far enough to depress the switch and power the room. In our experience, it takes some pressure to trip the switch in the bottom with the card, so we just pulled it up enough to release the switch and left the card in the slot - made it easy to find when we came back into the room!

As for lanyards - I usually wear one, my DH never does, and my DD (11 last time, 13 this summer) prefers to carry her stuff in her Vera Bradley mini hipster - since she has the wave phone or her cell as well as her card and whatever else she needs. For the Edge on the Dream/Fantasy, the kids to need their card if they want to ride the elevator to the club, and there's an entrance to the Vibe that also requires key card entry so the older kids should probably carry their cards. Kids under Edge age, though, probably don't need them unless they are checking out of the club themselves and heading back to the room.

 

[oam]

Don't forget the most important reason for a lanyard.Pin trading.