JennyB

ThyriC made many good suggestions here.  I would like to add to the last paragraph.  Not wanting to sound paranoid but it is important to keep your hands as germ free as possible considering the large volume of people on a cruise ship.  A few things I get in a habit of doing is never passing a disinfecting gel bottle station without getting a small squirt on my hands.  It only takes a few seconds to do that and you can rub it in while you are walking to your next fun stop.  These gel bottles are all over the ship.  When using the elevators use your knuckle instead of your finger tip on the button to choose a floor.  If you are using the stairs instead of the elevator dont drag your hands on the stair railing.  Walk next to the railing in case you lose your balance and need to grab it.  Washing your hands is a bit plus.   Dont be so obsessed with this that your ruin your cruise but just be aware of it.

I think @Matt said it great on today’s podcast. It’s like buying a VIP package. If I got to a concert in General Admission seats, I don’t take it out on the person that bought backstage passes. 

Exactly!!!  BUT, if someone doesn't want The Key,  then don't complain about those who may want to purchase it nor call it nickel and diming.  

Don't try to do every activity available on the ship or you'll need a vacation after your vacation.
Take time to relax.
Don't let small stuff ruin your vacation.  Not receiving a towel animal on day 2 shouldn't ruin the whole cruise.
If you fall in love with cruising as much as all of us have, consider this a practice cruise.  Practice makes perfect.
You've already make a great start by finding this web site.  Look at the top of this page for the "Getting Started" tab:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/getting-started
Enjoy your time planning and preparing.  Look over the "Live Blog" section of the message boards for any Harmony live blogs. 
Once onboard take time to talk to the crew.  

To me this is the most important thing, don't stress, you are on vacation, on some cruises what I find might have been important at the beginning are not as important as the cruise goes on, that is when you know you are getting in full on cruise mode.
So one night you decide to not dress up and go to the MDR and you go casual and end up in the Windjammer, no big deal, go with your own flow...

We always just put them in the closet after unpacking. 

Absolutely! For days that we don't have a ton going on in port or nothing we are interested in doing, we gladly spend that time poolside enjoying drinks and food already paid for on board. It usually makes for quite a quiet and relaxing day! 

Yes and it makes for a great pool day. You don’t have to fight for chairs. 

But don't you know???!!! The Tanzanite mines are running out of gems! Gotta get it while it's still around!!
I've been hearing that since 2003.

As of now, I am going to keep The Key package for my summer sailing on Symphony and wait to see the observations of those that used The Key on Symphony in the next few months to make me decide if I should cancel it or not and not base it on people's personal opinions of why they will not purchase the experience.

Honestly, I'd call back and see if I get a different answer from customer service. 
Not sure if anyone else might have some better insight, but many people report calling back and getting the actual answer they want the next time they called. 

I'd skip the art auction personally.  I'm not in the market for fine art and if I was, I'm not sure a cruise ship would be where I'd want to purchase the art.  I like looking at the gallery, that's fun.  But the art auction, not even the free champagne can get me to be interested in buying art.  
Skip the spa tour unless you're honestly interested in getting spa services.  This goes for the "complimentary" 5 minute massages as well.  The spa tour in my opinion is too pushy, and this is across almost every cruise line out there.  This goes for the free acupuncture consultations, free collagen under eye treatments, free tooth whitening consultations, free hair consultations, etc.  In my experience they've all been high pressure to sell products not even the services.  Because their biggest profit margin isnt on the spa services themselves, but on the addon products.  Also dont do tooth whitening on a cruise.  1.  your teeth after a whitening are super sensitive, I dont like associating pain with margaritas!  2. After whitening teeth tend to stain quicker (just from my experience, I'm no dentist) so foods and drinks that are highly colored (more fun beverage restrictions!) will stain your freshly whitened teeth.  3.  Its ungodly expensive for something that costs far less even from your dentist, much less some crest whitestrips.  
Skip the jewelry and purses and watches events.  These are sales pitches.  Unless you want to buy jewelry, watches and purses on a cruise, you can always browse the shop on your own time without someone trying to make a hard sell pitch at you.  I'd do the same with the "liquor tasting".  This is more sales.  Unless you're planning on buying duty free booze, give this one a pass as well.  They claim there are free samples but you're not walking away from these events buzzed, drunk, or even mildly amused.  
You'll see the most of these sales pitches on embarkation and your first sea day.  That's when you have the most money and free time.  They know this.  If you have the disposable income or its in your budget to buy a purse or booze (that you cant drink on the ship) or overpriced skincare, by all means, attend.  But if you have no intention on buying these items on land, just dont bother going.  
 
Instead, head to the pool deck or solarium and enjoy a tasty cocktail (even if its 14 bucks, its less than you'd spend on skincare and teeth whitening)

I will be on allure in March and can let you know how it is!!! Jane

All the jewelry/watch shows, are them trying to get you in the door and hope they peak an interest so you will stay and buy something.
Unless you really are interested in learning something about a specific stone or watch brand I wouldn't go.

Oh!! I usually have to pay for that.

Tanzanite jewelry seminars are the timeshare presentations of the high seas. You can skip those...

Skip the towel creatures class, I’m still waiting for one to show up on our bed at home.  
 

IMO, the best time to enjoy the pool and the ship as a whole.

Just me, and FYI we do balcony.  We get the DPB.  We get Voom Surf and Stream for 1.  We do dinner packages. We do RCCL excursions.  We rent bungalows or cabanas.  Point being I am not going cheap.  The cheap part of our cruise is the room.  
However, that being said I would not pay for the Key.
1. The key would be like the DPB.  We would need to book both of us.  Even though it includes Voom, we only book 1 device.  We unplug on our cruises.  We don't need 2 devices.  Thus, the Key is already costing me more money.
2. It has never taken me more than 15-20 minutes to get through the terminal and onto the ship.  I don't see how going through the Key line is really saving me a ton of time.  OMG it takes me 30-45 mins, oh well, is that worth 20 bucks a day to me? NOPE
3. Chops for lunch.  As Waaaytoo has stated the restaurants are now frenzied with the Key passengers.  We are more the type that grabs a bite to eat at the WJ, and hang out at the pool before they cattle call us for the muster drill.  We purchase the dining package and the Chefs table.  Maybe if you don't purchase that, than the specialty at Chops is a good deal.  However, you could get a Chops lunch at 22 bucks pp.  So you aren't really saving money in the end if you think about it.  
4. Luggage drop off.  Okay, but that is still a maybe.  We are doing Adventure in July for 8 nights.  I don't think 320 for the 2 of us is worth it.
5. I have been on different size ships.  Anthem has been the largest.  Anthem allows you to reserve for shows.  All of the seats in their theaters were good.  They had 3 specialty shows, if you reserve and show up early enough you will get great seats.  Even if you don't, this is not like Madison Square Garden in size.  You still will be able to see the show just fine.  Adventure does not offer this option.
6. I live to eat, not eat to live.  The breakfast/lunch for the last a.m. means nothing to me.  
Thus, when I do the costs, $320 for 8 nights is not worth it.  Now if they added something from the spa, I might re-think it.  $320 would pay for my Voom Surf/Steam (1 device), Chefs Table (2),  and just shy of a 3 night specialty(2 ).  I could run it another way.  It would pay for my catamaran excursion (2), my spa lime scrub and pedicure, our galley brunch (2).  
Just me, but I have a limited budget.  Room and excursions mean more to me than getting on the ship 15-30 mins faster or a "special seating" for shows, or even a breakfast the day I am getting off the ship.   We plan to do Symphony in 2020, and if it came down to costs, the Key would be at the bottom of my totem pole.

Daaaang.  And they were *so close* to making it back in the nick of time.  I would lose my mind seeing the ship so close you can almost touch it just slowly drift away.
I think I have a phobia about being left behind, so the video absolutely horrifies me because I can't help but think how I'd feel in that situation.
I'm not going to celebrate their misery, but it totally reinforces my neurosis about triple-checking the time & getting back to the ship at least an hour ahead of the final boarding call.  I'd probably cuss out my own mother if she was dilly-dallying.

Delta:

Don't
Expect
Luggage
To
Arrive

Here is what Carny's policy is regarding Missing The Ship (fast forward to 1:35):
 
 

lol - Jan 30 2019. I've got the message in the morning, five hours and $ 200 US later (without any spelling mistakes) I was seating on the airplane to Montreal with connection at JFK. When talking to my TE she confirmed that it was a fair price but nothing extraordinarily cheap.
Ironically, instead of watching airplanes from Maho beach I was in one of them ?
I have to give kudos to Royal - they refunded unused portion of my drinking package, internet and excursions. Very professional and helpful throughout entire process.
 
 

You're golden, then.  Don't worry about it. ENJOY!

Don’t feel sorry.  I admit this is a “guilty” pleasure since I do not know their exact circumstance.  Since it is actually pretty hard to get left behind I am comfortable that 99% of the time it is likely due to the persons negligence or arrogance.