Cruise ship ID card
A cruise ship ID card is a plastic card the size of a credit card that serves several functions for passengers on a cruise ship. Cruise ship ID cards are scanned at the entrances to the ship and at various points throughout the ship, either via magnetic strip, RFID readers or bar code in order to identify the passenger, allow entry to and exit off the ship, allow entry into certain areas of the ship, including the passenger's cabin, bill purchases to the passenger, and various other functions.

Information printed on card
The information printed on the ship card may include:
 Name of cruise company
 Name of ship
 Dates of voyage
 Name of passenger
 Dining assignment
 Muster station

It is now rare for a picture of the passenger to be displayed on the card, but it is frequently scanned in the presence of a computer that will display a picture of the passenger on the screen.

Functions
Functions of a ship card may include:
 Access to ship (boarding and disembarkation at ports) — required by security at many ports to enter port, and required to exit ship
 Cabin door key
 Onboard charge account — since most cruise lines use a cashless system on board, the card is used to make purchases on the ship that are billed to the passenger at the end of the voyage
 Basic passenger information

References

Authentication methods
International travel documents
Identity documents
Payment systems