Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald has run an interesting poll through his popular Facebook page, asking about stateroom entry options and whether guests prefer the classic card, streamlined wristbands or medallions, or the Carnival Hub app.
Heald has posed this question as Carnival Cruise Line has five newbuild ships joining the fleet in the next few years, including two Excel-class vessels that will be sister ships to Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Celebration, and Mardi Gras. The new ships are scheduled to debut in 2027 and 2028.
In addition, a brand new, largest-ever and yet unnamed class of ships has been announced for Carnival Cruise Line, with three vessels ordered for 2029, 2031, and 2033.
Brand new ships are a prime opportunity for a cruise line to introduce new technology and new procedures, and this recent poll may indicate the possibility that Carnival Cruise Line could be considering new options for onboard identification and purchases.
“The beards would like me to ask you this,” Heald explained. “Looking forward to the five new ships that we are excited to bring you, which of these would you want to use for opening your cabin door and for purchases around the ship, etc.?”
Three options were listed in the online poll – using the Sail & Sign Card that is what is currently used aboard all Carnival cruise ships, a new wristband or medallion option, or using the Carnival Hub app.
With more than 13,000 votes, the classic Sail & Sign Card has 71% of the vote, with the option of a wristband or medallion as a very distant second place with 26% of the votes. Just 3% of those voting would opt first for the Carnival Hub app.
Many commenters prefer the classic card for a variety of reasons. Some travelers keep them as fun souvenirs of their cruise vacations, while others simply prefer to have the card that can be put in a pocket or bag without trouble.
While some cruise fans are excited about the idea of Carnival wristbands, having enjoyed their use on different cruise lines, others are not fans of wristbands or medallions. Reasons vary from sensitive skin to large wrists to not enjoying wearing jewelry of any sort.
As for using the Carnival Hub app for purchases and stateroom entry, that idea has the least support and may generate the most problems.
“We only bring my cell phone onboard so only one would have access to the App if we are separated and the other has to get into the room.”
“The app is spotty at best on the ship. [i] kept getting kicked off or having to reconnect to the wifi. I would hate it if I had to use it for everything.”
“When I’m on a cruise ship, I’m on vacation to get away from the world and work. I put my cell phone in the safe. I don’t wanna be carrying it around just to open doors.”
Some suggestions include offering travelers a choice of options, with those who want to use the newer technology of wristbands or medallions paying a surcharge to help cover costs. It is possible that Carnival Cruise Line may do just that, with all three options available for guests to choose from in the future.
To be clear, however, at this time Carnival Cruise Line only uses the classic Sail & Sign card as stateroom entry keys, for bar and retail purchases, for checking on and off the ship in ports of call, and for all other necessary purposes.
Technology Evolving With Other Cruise Lines
The classic ship card has been a mainstay of cruise vacations for decades, but in recent years, other cruise lines have begun introducing wearable bands or medallion pendants.
Princess Cruise Line, which is also part of Carnival Corporation & plc, has had great success with their medallions. The technology went fleetwide with Princess Cruises in 2021.
In early 2023, Disney Cruise Line introduced the DisneyBand+ first to Disney Wish and later in the year expanded the wearable technology to Disney Fantasy.
Before such technology can be spread across entire fleets, individual ships need to be equipped properly for wearable devices to work, and that retrofitting can take time.
By introducing such things on new ships as Carnival Cruise Line may be considering, those ships can be built with the integrated technology already in place.
What would you prefer to use onboard – a classic card, a new wristband, or just an app? Share your thoughts on the Cruise Hive boards!
