Cruise Cards 101
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Going on the Atlantis Harmony 2023 cruise? Check out my complete guide to Harmony 2023 for all the advice you need!
What are Cruise Cards?
Cruise cards are small physical cards with your info on it that you can give to people you meet on the cruise. They’re like business cards, but for fun.
Not that long ago, wi-fi on cruise ships were either non-existent or else crappy and very expensive, so most people did not have Internet while on the cruise. Cruise cards helped to take the place of having a constant Internet connection on your phone - it was an easy (and fun!) way to swap contact info with people you met in person, so that you can meet up with them later on during the cruise and also keep in touch with them after the cruise is over.
Even though wi-fi sucks less now (but still not exactly super fast or particularly cheap) a lot of gay cruisers still use cruise cards. Some still enjoy the fun and whimsicality of them, while others prefer to not pay for wi-fi onboard.
Basic Cruise Card Ingredients
Name. Duh :)
Photos. Get a nice face pic to put on there. Usually you can fit two photos on a card so get creative!
Contact info. Instagram, Facebook, Onlyfans, etc. Not everyone has Internet out at sea but this will be useful for keeping in touch after the cruise.
Stateroom number (optional). Lets guys call your room to keep in touch with you or drop by your room to leave notes on your door. Not strictly necessary if you’d rather keep your room location private.
Beyond these basics, you can put anything you want on your cruise card - go nuts! For example, putting in the city you live in can be a great conversation starter.
Where to Get Them
I recommend MOO as they have a really nice and easy to use card designer with tons of paper and layout options. All of my cruise cards come from MOO and they’ve been perfect every single time.
DEAL: Use this link to get 25% off your first Moo order!
MOO has several different shipping options, but get your order in at least a couple weeks before the cruise - this ensures you get your cards in time while saving you money on shipping.
Card Design Tips
I like MOO’s half-height MiniCards as they’re more portable and don’t resemble the stuffy-looking traditional business cards.
The back of each card can have different designs. Try putting in different photos and colors:
Instead of printing your stateroom number, you can leave some blank space on the card design to hand write in your stateroom number later. The cards can then be used for multiple cruises and it gives you the option to include your number later.
How to Use Them
First of all, add it to your packing checklist to make sure they make it onboard the ship.
Keep a stack of them near your stateroom keycard so you remember to grab some everytime you leave the room
Hand them out like candy and make it rain like they’re gonna expire. Give them to everyone you meet.
Incorporate them into your door decorations - for example, put some under magnets or use a little basket to hold a bunch of others to grab