Every cruise passenger is given a great souvenir as soon as they board their ship on every single voyage – the credit-card-sized ship card, which serves as their room key, onboard charge card, and security identification.
Twice in recent weeks, however, Carnival Cruise Line has reached out to guests to ask if there would be interest in recycling the cards, rather than keeping them.
The question comes from John Heald, the cruise line’s official Brand Ambassador, following guest inquiries about such an option. Heald asked the question in his popular daily polls, with choices for both recycling keys as well as keeping them as souvenirs.
The first poll was conducted on Monday, September 30 as part of a round-up of several questions. In total, more than 21,550 votes (25%) agreed that “I do not want the keys to be collected at the gangway as I do keep mine as a souvenir.”
In contrast, just 2,580 votes (3%) were cast for “I agree, the cabin keys should be collected at the gangway and recycled. I do not use it again or keep it as a souvenir.”
To be clear, the percentages do not add up to 100% because the poll includes multiple questions on different topics, and voters can choose multiple selections.
A second poll with similar choices was posted nearly a month later, on Tuesday, October 22. While not as many votes have yet been cast in that more recent poll, the numbers favoring keeping souvenir cards is even higher.
As of this writing, more than 15,100 votes (31%) favor “I always keep my cabin key as a souvenir so I would not dispose of it as I left the ship.”
Just 2,440 votes (5%) would prefer “That there should be a place for people to dispose of their cabin key as they leave the ship so Carnival can recycle all the wasted plastic.”
While Carnival Cruise Line does not currently offer a ship card recycling option, it is an interesting idea. This is particularly true as the cruise line has taken other steps to remove single-use plastics from their ships, such as no longer offering pens in cabins, switching to edible or degradable straws, and not using plastic coffee stirrers.
While most cruise guests certainly seem to prefer keeping their cards as a fun souvenir – I have a whole stack myself – there are obviously thousands of travelers who would appreciate the recycling option, especially if it was voluntary.
“I believe there should be a bin to discard our S & S cards. It doesn’t mean you have to use it. If you want it as a souvenir, then by all means keep it. But having the option to recycle them is a great idea!”
“Some people save their cards and some don’t. Having a place for the latter to dispose of theirs if they see fit does not impede those who wish to keep their cards.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a receptacle for the sail and sign cards so the ones that people don’t save for keepsakes can be recycled.”
Read Also: Tips to Disembarking a Cruise Ship
It would be very easy for the cruise line to install a “deposit unwanted cards here for recycling” bin on the ship gangway or in the cruise terminal for use during debarkation – after guests have successfully been processed off the vessel, of course.
This would be similar to the photo recycling bins available in the onboard Pixels photo galleries on ships where photos are still printed and not yet digital, giving guests the chance to properly discard photos they do not want to purchase.
Can Ship Cards Even Be Recycled?
Cruise travelers should know that recycling their ship cards once they reach home might not be easy. While the small squares of plastic are recyclable, not all municipal facilities may be able to accept such small plastic waste for effective recycling.
Carnival Cruise Line, on the other hand, could collect the cards in such massive quantities that it might be more easily possible for the cards to be effectively recycled.
Each week, Carnival Cruise Line welcomes more than 85,000 guests across the fleet – that is a LOT of shipboard cards. With just the numbers above, that would mean roughly 3,400 cards would be recycled each week, or more than 176,000 cards in a single year. Wow!
What do you do with your ship cards after a cruise ends? Mine simply live in a desk drawer, but I would love a better display option that doesn’t take up too much space. Share your display or souvenir ideas on the Cruise Hive boards!
